Musical Parade

This morning on the kids' favorite show, Curious George, the "Man With the Yellow Hat" was a part of a band... like high school (not garage band).... there was a tuba, some maracas, & I believe a xylaphone... you know, what every good band is made up of.

George eventually got to join this band. Which delighted my kids. Lord, George could do no wrong.

Anyway, the tv is off & now the kids are parading through the house. Flynn has a shakey drum (which was a souvenier Indian thingy which I slide the stick off becuz I'm afraid someone could lose an eye) suspended from a pair of tongs. Gabe's contribution to the musical parade is a backpack on wheels (don't ask).

Flynn leads the parade with, "A'one, A'two, A'three...."

Have I mentioned how much I love being here with them??...

On a different note, a baby girl named Sophia needs your prayer. She was born early with a ton of complications & right now it's touch & go. Her praying parents also covet your prayer. This family attends church w/ my BF Heather.

Allergy Article

Step on over to my milk allergy blog & check out an article I recently read.
It not only drives home some of my fears, but makes me nearly wet my pants when I think about Flynn attending public school.
All the more need for us to pray that she outgrows this.

I Stand Corrected

Actually, the name of the world's shortest poem is not ANTS.
It is FLEAS....

FLEAS

Adam Had'em

There you go...

Thank you Mom for allowing me to see the err of my ways...

as you've done so many times. ;)

I think what I had in my mind was ADAM... then ADAM ANT (remember him, totally 80s)...

And there ya go. The next thing I'm doing is plagiarising & not even doing it well.

Crabbing, crabbing...

Ugh...
Do you ever take time out of your busy schedule to do something for someone else... a stranger, whom you owe NOTHING to....
then, you don't even get a simple thank you?

The phone rang. I was pulling Flynn's shirt over her head... I saw it was Progressive. I KNOW we don't use them, so I figured it was the wrong number.
"Tom" (names NOT changed as to NOT protect the guilty) left a very detailed message for ADAM Perry. Apparently ADAM was in an accident with his 2003 Escort. And Tom was needing to speak w/ ADAM.
Well, ADAM doesn't live here.
I've never heard of ADAM.

TOM needed ADAM to return his call promptly. Which was NOT going to happen, as ADAM doesn't live here & will not be receiving the message left.

Now I'm busy... too busy in fact to be sitting here leaving this blog entry, esp when it's a sunny 58 outside & my kids to need burn off energy running & dropping handfuls of sand in their hair.
BUT, I'm one of those conscientious people, responsible to a fault.... and if I didn't call TOM back, it would be eating away at me that ADAM wouldn't be returning TOM's call & what about the other driver??

So, I call Progressive, at the number left, and who should I reach but TOM.

I explain to TOM that he left a message here & it was for ADAM & ADAM doesn't live here.
"Adam Perry?"
"Right, this IS the Perry residence, but there is no ADAM here."
"Hmm, that's very strange."
"Yes, and I've never met nor heard of an Adam."
"That's REALLY odd."
Me, starting to feel a little under interrogation, started to feel a little guilty (for what, I'm not sure).

"Well, when I pulled his name up in the system, your number & address came up...2024 *****?"
"Yes, that's our address... perhaps someone looked up Perry & attached our info to Adam Perry's name?"
"Do you have Progressive insurance?"
Me, thinking, 'if you even try to sell me insurance, I'm going to come up there & strangle you with your cheap tie.'
"No, I don't have Progressive insurance."
"Well, okay."
LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLong silence.
Me, wondering, 'is he NOT going to thank me????'
"Well, I thought I should call you since the message sounded important."
"Thanks."
"MmHm."
click.

I guess I should've just saved some time & let TOM spend the rest of the week wondering why ADAM didn't return his call.

I'll end this blog with the world's shortest poem, taught to me by my uncle, entitled ANTS:

ANTS

Adam Had'em

DETOX

I'm kinda in rehab...

After a weekend of trying things on & realizing how large I've become, I've hit bottom.

Starting a new diet, the Fat Smashers diet. I'm on day 3 of detox.... only eating certain fruits, veggies, oats, brown rice, yogurt, & egg whites.

As of this morning, I'd lost 3 lbs. I'd expected more at this point, as I am STARVING.

Here's to a healthier me... and much less of me.

MOM My Ride

Clickety-click above.... to see a parody on PIMP My Ride.
What's funny is that my ride is already MOM'ed, at least the interior is.

Also, down & to the right, take my quiz. See how well you know me.

A Funny Revenge Story

Okay, so the Lord says Vengeance is mine...
but this story is STILL funny:

A Funny Story About Curtain Rods.....

CURTAIN RODS---- PRICELESS

She spent the first day packing her belongings into boxes, crates and suitcases.

On the second day, she had the movers come and collect her things.

On the third day, she sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining room table by candle-light, put on some soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar, and a bottle of spring-water.

When she had finished, she went into each and every room and deposited a few half-eaten shrimp shells dipped in caviar into the hollow of the curtain rods. She then cleaned up the kitchen and left.

When the husband returned with his new girl friend, all was bliss for the first few days. Then slowly, the house began to smell.

They tried everything; cleaning, mopping and airing the place out. Vents were checked for dead rodents and carpets were steam cleaned. Air fresheners were hung everywhere. Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters, during which they had to move out for a few days and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive wool carpeting.

Nothing worked.

People stopped coming over to visit.
Repairmen refused to work in the house.
The maid quit.

Finally, they could not take the stench any longer and decided to move.A month later, even though they had cut their price in half, they couldnot find a buyer for their stinky house. Word got out and eventually even the local realtors refused to return their calls.

Finally, they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place.

The ex-wife called the man and asked how things were going. He told her the saga of the rotting house. She listened politely and said that she missed her old home terribly and would be willing to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for getting the house back.

Knowing his ex-wife had no idea how bad the smell was, he agreed on a price that was about 1/10th of what the house had been worth, but only if she were to sign the papers that very day.
She agreed and within the hour his lawyers delivered the paperwork.

A week later the man and his girlfriend stood smiling as they watched the moving company pack everything to take to their new home... And to spite the ex-wife, they even took the the curtain rods!!!!!!

I LOVE A HAPPY ENDING, DON'T YOU?

Frozen Eggs

Yep, we nearly froze our eggs off, hunting eggs in 40 degrees.
But we hunted, nonetheless. Not once. Or twice. But three times.
So my kids are pros.

And there will be pictures to come. As soon as I surface myself from the pool of plastic eggs that my surroundings have become.
And those pictures will be cute. You can count on that.

But meanwhile, you can gush w/ me at what Flynn & her Daddy conversed about the other day...
"Flynn, why do we have Easter?"
"Because of Jesus. The bad people put nails in his hands and his head."
"That's right. Jesus died for us."
"But why?"
"Because He loves us."
"But why?"
"Because He wanted us to be in heaven forever."
"But why?"
"Because He's God's son & God wanted to give us a gift."
"But why?"
"Just because."

So, yesterday, Jeff wanted to turn the tables & started asking Flynn questions. She'd answer him & his response would be, "But why?"
She finally said to him, "that's too many questions."

Good Friday

1,600 plastic Easter eggs. Approximately. And they're all in the back of our mini-van.

The sweat of my brow & the extent of my organizational skills, have all been spent on this egg hunt.

So that's become the bulk of my thoughts. Will there be enough? Will people know where to go? How can I be sure they go to the correct table to redeem their prizes?

What am I going to wear? What will Flynn wear? What will I take for dinner afterward?

Now isn't that just silly?

Not silly that I've planned a community-wide egg hunt.

But that it's consumed my mind.

Yesterday, I slipped Jeff's iPod in my ears & pushed play.

He had uploaded a dramatization of the resurrection... with voices such as Cuba Gooding Jr. & James Earl Jones.

It was good. I was getting inspired. The deep bass of the music escalated as Christ carried the cross & the intensity thrived as the moment grew nearer. 'Wow!' I thought.

But then it hit me...

When Jesus was carrying that cross through the town. Through the streets. Blood dripping from His flesh-torn back...

He heard no music to inspire Him.

When they nailed him hands & his feet & speared his side, there was no bass beat.

There was crying...and mourning... and a Mother who watched her son being beat... and made fun of... and disrespected... and murdered.

There was no dramatization, nothing that made Jesus feel uplifted or inspired.

Except...

Except for you.

Can you believe that? Can you wrap your mind around that? Someone thought enough of YOU to die. In my lowest of times, especially in my best of times, that was way more than I deserved.

When I pray in the morning, I start out with,

Dear God,

Thank You for giving me a breath to breathe today.

You didn't even have to wake me up this morning but You did.

And then on top of all of that, You've blessed me like You have.

It's true. He worked so hard just creating the universe, and us, and all the animals.

Then, on top of all of that, He gave His son. Something I have only fully understood the last two Easters, since I have a son of my own.

Just for us.

I could go on & on after that. But I won't.

But those are my thoughts today.... after Flynn asked me (after a short summary I gave her on why this is Good Friday),

"Why did He die?"

Really, all she needs to know is that He loved her that much.

And because of that love, JUST that love, she & all the rest of us, have the option of eternity in heaven.

Tiny Dancer

Looky-looky who started DANCE CLASS last week...

Here with the "tappers" (as she calls them)...
Look at these moves!

And that was before the class!

WARNING: music

I've attached music now to the blog...
So, if you're at work & don't want to have, say, Catch the Wind by Donovan (a fav from the 70s) piping from your speakers, you can either turn down your speakers beforehand, or quickly scroll to the bottom of the blog & hit pause.
I'm hoping you'll just enjoy it, as do I.

Waste of Time

In the study series, Daniel, Beth Moore talks about her daughter. She'll watch either a dumb commercial, tv show, or any waste of time, then says, "Well, I'm dumber now than I was before."

It has me thinking, do I watch anything that actually takes my intelligence (as small a portion that might be) away?
Do I do anything that makes me step backward?

In 1 John 3:18, It says, Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. Okay, I know, I know, I completely took that out of context, as that's actually referring to giving what you have of material possessions.
But I don't think God minds me referencing things out of context (as long as I don't distort the truth by doing so)...

I can say I'm a believer, but what do I do behind closed doors? Do I spend my time on the phone spreading rumors? Do I treat my family with disrespect? Do I have some pretty evil habits?

Those can sound a little extreme, so here's what I was thinking about yesterday while I was cleaning out Gabe's shoe drawer...

I talk to Angie & Amy several times a week on the phone. Sometimes it's a short chat but other times it's a soapbox. I vent, I complain. Or sometimes I just 'talk'... just words. Are they getting off the phone with me & saying, "Okay, what a waste of time... I'm dumber after that converstaion."?

I think I have a long way to get to the holy point of every word coming from my mouth doing nothing but proclaiming God's righteousness. Not to mention, who would want to be around me? But surely there's a comfortable point close to that.

Almost a year ago, I wrote a mission / vision statement. In this statement, I wrote all the things I'd need to do or things to avoid to be a Godly mother & wife. It's on the fridge & quite a great reference. I listed things that I called 'Mind Wasters' & those were the internet (um, oops), the phone (see 2 paragraphs above), & the tv. They waste time & brain cells. Used in moderation, I can see that they're okay... but are easy to cross the line with.

For now, I'll start with avoiding the things that make me dumb. A pointless show. Listening to something that might not make me a better person.

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' Matt 22:37.

I Wanna Be Just Like You

In Jeff's iPod...





Lord, I want to be just like You 'Cause he wants to be just like me.
I want to be a holy example For his innocent eyes to see.
Help me be a living Bible, Lord -- That my little boy can read.
I want to be just like You 'Cause he wants to be like me.

He climbs in my lap for a goodnight hug... He calls me Dad and I call him Bub... With his faded old pillow and a bear named Pooh.
He snuggles up close and says, "I want to be like you".
I tuck him in bed and I kiss him goodnight ...Trippin' over the toys as I turn out the light.
And I whisper a prayer that someday he'll see...He's got a father in God 'cause he's seen Jesus in me.

Got to admit I've got so far to go... Make so many mistakes and I'm sure that You know.. Sometimes it seems no matter how hard I try, With all the pressures in life I just can't get it all right.
But I'm trying so hard to learn from the best...Being patient and kind, filled with Your tenderness...'Cause I know that he'll learn from the things that he sees...
And the Jesus he finds will be the Jesus in me...

Right now from where he stands I may seem mighty tall...
But it's only 'cause I'm learning from the best Father of them all.

Happy Feet

Tonight marks a monumental time...

the kids' first visit to the movie theater.

I didn't have high expectations. So we went to a "cheap" theater (Keller) where the kids were free, Jeff & I didn't cost much, & the movie we saw was an 'older' one.

So, Flynn enjoyed Happy Feet, Gabe enjoyed Happy Feet, Mommy & Daddy enjoyed Flynn & Gabe enjoying Happy Feet.

Another memory.

Deep Thoughts 4

A few nights ago, Jeff was trying to talk Flynn into choosing the movie, CARS, to watch as they wound down for bedtime.

He told her, "It's got 'Mater', the tow-truck."
She said, "Yah, he's funny! He's got two teeth. Like Bubby."

The Boob-Tube

I've been reading lots lately about television, how it rots our brain & takes up so much of our time. Usually, I just quickly dismiss the stats, the quotes & the opinions of those who have decided to unplug.

But how can you ignore facts? I just read an article that said that by the time we're something like 60, we've watched 2 years of tv. TWO YEARS! That is a lot by anyone's standard.
We are probably not as bad as most families, particularly since we're home so much. But I heard Flynn humming the PBS kids snippet. And anytime Gabe hears ANYTHING interesting piping out, he wheels around & will abandon whatever he was playing with.
And that's exactly what I don't want...
our family preferring their favorite show to their favorite book or game...
jumping into spots with the best view of the tv....
eating meals in front of the tele.
We've never done the above; however, who is to say the kids won't when they're big enough to make those decisions?

Growing up our lives did not revolve around the tv. And actually, this part is shocking: for the better part of my first 12 years we didn't have a tv in the livingroom. Can you imagine the shock & horror??!! What did we do? Well, we played a lot of games & had a lot of family time. My mom & I regularly played "double-sol". I did lots of drawing & playing & using my IMAGINATION (something lots of kids are lacking these days).

Now I realize the sacrifice this takes. And Jeff is probably reading this & going, "what??!!" And I'm not saying we will do this but it is definitely in my mind right now. I don't want advertising to target my children. And the thought of a scary, violent, or sexual image to be seen by my kids just makes me want to puke.

So why am I taking the chance? I don't know.

Yesterday the tv was only on 2 hours (not bad out of 18 hours we're awake & HERE). We didn't turn it on 'til bedtime. And today, I turned it on briefly for Curious George & Calliou. And that's it for today.

Remember Cassette Tapes?

What's Better Than a Binky?

TWO binkies.

We've been trying to SLOWly begin the weaning process, to end the days with the binky.

In the morning, we "give the binky to the stars", meaning drop it down into the bed which has star sheets. He's supposed to be limited to using the binks during sleep times -- nap & bedtime. We also bust it out when we're going somewhere as we know in quiet situations (aka church), we'll need a tool in which to plug him up.

Now he knows how to retrieve the binky from the stars by sticking his long skinny arm through the slats on his bed & reaching it. Then he emerges from his room, grinning from ear to ear with his beloved binky in place.

The other day, he found both binkies (the only two "original" binks that have not been swallowed by the mysterious "binky black hole")... in his mouth.

BOTH of them in his mouth.

My personal goal is to have it gone by TWO.

He has other plans.

Indescribable

Melts my Heart

That Gabe...

For a couple of weeks now, we've been wondering what in the world he says when you're leaving.
When one of us would leave for work, he'd wave, but what he'd say WITH the wave was odd-sounding, "woo-woo."
We're like, "WHAT?"

When I left him Thursday for work, Grammy said he stood at the window forever saying it at my car, which drove away.

Finally, (& I'm ashamed not sooner, as I AM the mom!!) it dawned on me. We all always say, "I love you" when we're leaving.

THAT'S WHAT IT WAS...
He says I love you EVERYTIME ANYone leaves.

Melts my heart.

Letter to the Groundhog

Dear Groundhog,
You are a liar.
I look out my window, there are snowflakes falling down!
Early spring. No shadow. Baahh!
Forget the sunny days of us frolicking through the grassy meadows.
I'll do nothing but kick you in your hairy larynx.
Come February 2nd next year, I won't be listening to your lies.
You're nothing but a fat, over-grown & over-glorified rodent.
Good Riddance to you.

Put Me in the Zoo

If Dinosaurs Roamed the Earth

Deep Thoughts 3

Flynn's really struggling w/ her asthma, which means red cheeks & heavy eyes (accentuating the lashes); which basically equals instant beauty.

She woke from her nap just now & loves to get up in my lap. I said, "Do you know you're beautiful?"

She said, "God made me beautiful."

Score one for the creator.

SPRING has SPRUNG

And so has Flynn's asthma...

Summer Boo-boo's & Bugs

Gabe officially got his first outdoor's boo boo ever. As he was leaning over the ball, his momentum never stopped... velocity got the best of him (as well as the weight of his big noggen) & over he went. Landed square on the top of his nugget, right onto the rough concreted patio.
Ouch.
It bled a teeny bit & now he has a battle scar. For most kids a tuft of hair would've been some protection.
But not from our mini Kojak.

And, oh! the spiders. They're taking residency in our house. There was a quarter sized bodied spider walking down the hall today. I think I saw him carrying a suitcase.

Which got me thinking...

When Flynn was about 10 months old, I was making her lunch. She was toddling around (walked at 9 mos) & was peering out the window over the cul-de-sac like the nosey ones like to do.

It was nearly fall & apparently that's some kind of season for the lady bugs. Mating, marrying, dating, or something. All I know is that they invade us like one of the plagues. And the sills are their favorite hang out.

She swaggered up to me like there was something she needed to report. When I bent over to look closer to her, I noticed legs.
Legs.
Hanging
out
of
her
MOUTH.
That's right.... bug legs.... as in ---- the rest of the bug was INSIDE her mouth.

I did the first-mom panic....
Did the finger sweep, got her over the sink to attempt at some sort of rinsing out.
But she'd swallowed most of it.

I had no idea what to do. Do you call the Children's Hospital Hotline for something like this? The Dr.'s office? What would I say? "Hi, my 10-month old just ate a ladybug."

I didn't really want that in her file.

Besides, you know what they always say.

Protein.

Digging for Gold

Between the city & home, just on 55 actually, we saw THREE people digging for gold.
I think it's a Shel Silverstein poem that talks about sticking your finger up your nose for fear your finger might not make it out?
These people had not read that.
This one lady, in a green pontiac, was even steering with her KNEE because she was using BOTH hands to do the job. She used on finger on one nostril. Then switched hands for the other nostril (I guess for agility's sake). Then, had to pick out from under one nail with the other nail. That's when she relied on other limb's for driving.
That's when I starting gagging & almost puked up the whole row of thin mints I had just eaten.

It's a "Gammy Night"

Since soccer season has kicked back up, Gammy has subbed in for Daddy for Mommy's long work night.
And this is not sad news for Flynn!
For Gammy Nights are full of tea parties, & hide and seek, and other fun things.
And you can be sure that when Gammy comes over, her arms are loaded down with something for everyone!

Deep Thoughts By FJ

Last night, we segregated... girls stayed home & the boys went to a PAT meeting, 'Out of the Box', where they crawled through & did lots of other fun things with boxes.
Since Flynn is such a social butterfly & prefers the fun to be had AWAY from home, I was sure to have an evening chalked full of activity for her here, including a grand tea party, complete with tea (lemonade) & biscotti (Scooby graham stix). We spread it out on the livingroom floor, something we normally can't do w/ Bubby home, invited her babies, and even had music.
After that, she used her brand new finger paints, used brand new markers, ate ice cream (soy) sandwiches & even some 'guckers' (gushers).
Despite all this fun, she still kept on eye on the door & was wondering 'where' Dad & Bubs went.
In they came after their outting, and Daddy filled us in on all the great fun they had.
Flynn says to me,
"Can I go there when I get little?"

Bambi and Thumper - Anytime You Need A Friend

Bambi... a rite of passage

I was cleaning last night when I found a brand new VHS of Bambi. I bought it probably ten or so years ago - I think as a gift, but never gave it away. I've been doing some purging of sorts, in that I either use stuff or we give it away, no more storing!! So, I opened it up last night & we watched it.

Flynn was mesmerized. She was in love with Bambi, Thumper & Flower. This of course brought about questions of death (Bambi's mom) & the seasons & romantic love (remember the scene where they all find girlfriends??).

Some people don't show their children movies which have viewer-sensitive content. And I did have to resist the urge to shield her eyes from the mommy-dying scene. But it's all a part of life, and I can't shield them from that. And there are so many fabulous parts of the movie.

It was so fun watching it with the kids. Gabe fell right to sleep, but Flynn asked lots of great questions & made several comments.

One great comment (which perhaps I should've posted as 'Deep Thoughts by Flynn') was while watching the scene where Bambi first lays eyes on Faline. Bambi 'stumbles' over to a clear pool of water, where he's startled by his reflection. Flynn quickly said, "He sees his shadow." Which of course gave her science teacher dad the opportunity to explain reflection.

In the words of the great Thumper...
"Eating greens is a special treat, It makes long ears and great big feet. But it sure is awful stuff to eat. I made that last part up myself."

Sam's Club

Jeff & I have been dying to get a membership at Sam's. So imagine our excitement when the church signed me up to do some purchasing for the children's area.
We talked about it all week. Heck, I even dreamed about it.
We planned our whole day around it yesterday & on the way, Jeff said, "I'm so excited."
I pictured it in my head...
the kids behaving because of being entertained at all that's going on, us eating samples, finding fabulous deals that we could afford, etc., etc.
But it wasn't that way, at all...
It was Bubby throwing his binky down on the dirty concrete floor. And none of the samples were safe for Flynn. And unless we had the space to store a 100-pack of toilet paper, not much was going to work for us.
But, I was thirsty, so the 74-oz drink was worth it.

Reasons I Should Not Go to Walmart

I have a hard time even capitalizing walmart....
I hate it that much.
My standing joke at parties, is that I'd rather get a pap smear than shop at walmart.
After my a.m. visit today, there are other examinations I'd add to the list.

Herego reasons I'd rather be anywhere else:

• it makes me strongly dislike others in the human race
• it makes me make ugly faces & be mean
• it makes me throw things & talk sarcastically to people
• it makes me say obvious things, outloud, even tho I'm alone, like, 'why are you stopping in the middle of an aisle, for no reason?' OR 'whose cart is this?'
• I want to trip or push down people

People, I don't mind moving over.... sliding my cart, stopping for you, waiting for you to decide IN THE MIDDLE OF AN AISLE if you want elbow, spiral, or shell shaped pasta.... just please, acknowledge that I did so...and Maybe, just MAYBE, say thanks or excuse me?

Since adjusting my blood pressure meds, I'm a new woman. I'm not tired all the time & dizzy & I actually hop out of bed in the am & go! So, at 10 'til 6 this morning, that's what I did. If I *have* to go to walfart, I do it at the crack of dawn. Becuz, if I have to be in that armpit of a place, I want it to be when most of the people I have a hard time being around, are sleeping it off.

I needed to buy fabric for church. So, I went to the fabric dept. No one was there. I was a buzzer to ring w/ a note, "Ring Bell for Service." Wow, how accomodating I thought! So I rang...and rang... and rang...

no one.

for miles.

So, I went to the auto dept, just adjacent to the fabric dept. Where I saw a man older than dirt. And I said, "Is anyone working in fabric?"

"huh?"

"Can you page someone to assist me in the fabric dep't?"

Apparently, that wasn't on his to-do list, and that bothered him. Tremendously. So he very hatefully & very Jeff Foxworthyly paged, "A customer needs help in fabric."

So I went back to my 'post' to wait for my help.

That never came.

Ever.

So, I strolled over to Layaway. Lights on. No one home.

So, I strolled back to my 'post.' Again. To wait. Again. No one.

So, I walked around like a moreon...aimlessly, looking for someone who worked there. Or who was working I should say.

Again. No one.

So, I heard some conversation coming from a hall by layaway. So, like a private investigator, I parked outside of the doorway & as soon as I saw a blue vest, I jumped all over them like I do when I buy bubblegum ice cream (see previous post). They kinda laughed & said, "I doubt anyone is scheduled in fabric 'til 7."

I looked at my watch, it said 7. So I muttered something hateful about 'how it would be nice if there was a little sign that said that....as most people assume that since the STORE IS OPEN 24 HOURS, THAT IT'S ACTUALLY OPEN' through my superglued glasses. Tightened my ponytail & begrudgingly wheeled my loaded cart back to fabric.

I rang the bell again. Just for the heck of it.

Here came the 5th golden girl. Her trademark would be the penciled in eyebrows. She was sweet tho & it wasn't her fault that no one bothered to tell me that she would be my white knight - not scheduled 'til 7. So she helped me. And I smiled & talked about my kids, and acted like there wasn't 45 mins previously wasted, trying to find help...

That I won't get back.

Praises & other things...

God has performed yet another miracle. My aunt, whom I requested your prayer for back in October, who had 50% of her cells being cancerous (multiple myeloma, one of the worst!!), had a bone marrow biopsy done Friday. The results were made known to her on Monday...
SHE IS CANCER FREE! Now 0% of her cells are cancerous!
How awesome is that??
Some people go through their life not seeing any miracles (or not realizing that they're seeing the miracles), but my aunt gets to BE a miracle....TWICE. What a living testament.

I was cleaning the refrigerator the other day. It was completely filthy...dried crusty pickle juice, kool aid, juice, various fridge cheesery, you name it. Nasty. But I had always put it off as it's hard to empty everything & have it sitting around & having a 1 & 3-year old climbing all over you while you are spraying really strong cleaner.
So, we need food & the fridge was fairly empty & I knew it would be a good time.
So, I sprayed the kitchen antibacterial multi-purpose cleaner. And as I wiped the clear glass shelves off, the fridge seemed even dirtier. I rubbed & scratched on that dried pickle juice, only to expose more filth & the underside of the glass, which had gunk on it I didn't even know existed.
So what started out as me just wiping the tops of glass shelves transformed itself into an even bigger job.
As I wiped & saw more & more filth, I thought of the process of our transformation with God. When we ask Him to cleanse us, it might seem to us that we're just a little bit dirty. But as He sheds His light on us, we're made aware that it's more than just a bit of sin. As that bit of sin is washed away, we begin to see the things that were hidden, some jealousy, a bit of unhealthy competition... maybe some hautiness. And then you see back where the crisper is, maybe a tad of self-righteousness has dripped down, you see a little bit of self-reliance is stuck in the crevaces.
I've been a Christian most of my life, but I'd say that in the past year I've started to see my sin as it really is. Things I struggle daily with... somedays I might overcome them & the other days where I lazily refuse to deal with them.
In Corinthians, Paul tells the church that he dies daily. I'm no bible scholar (& you'd think after a yr & 1/2 of bible college, I might know exactly what he means by this) but I know that Paul had lots of struggle & I believe he refers to putting himself under submission each day.
I always liken everything to food (see my previous post wherein I eat a whole thing of bubble gum ice cream in 2 days time), so for me, forcing my body under submission could mean not becoming a glutton. For some, it's going a day without picking up the phone to call someone & gossip. For others, it'even worst (of course, sin is sin, so me using the word worst there is strictly objective).
But isn't it rather cool that we're able to be cleaned? That in our Christianity beliefs, we're lent this ability to pray directly to God & are forgiven, cleansed & handed tools (Holy Spirit, prayer, bible, other believers, etc.) to deal with our downfalls. And through those tools, we rub & scrape at that dried pickle juice, until we see a gleam.
Now....
on to my oven.

And the Eyes Have It

Aunt Gi & Flynn...

HopScotch & Other Fun Things

Just in case I haven't mentioned it within the last few hours,

these kids o' mine have the best daddy in the world.

The best.

Flynn got an interest in learning hopscotch from jumping on the squares of one of our throws, then Daddy telling her, "that's like hopscotch." So, on one of our beautifully spring-preview days this week, he took her outside for a hopscotch lesson.

Being catlike & agile, our girl took to the scotch like a pro.

She's had the one-foot hop mastered for some time.

The other thing she has mastered, is how to be an adoring sister. Her favorite catch-phrase,
"Why is Bubby so cute? He is SOOOO cute!!"

She even yelled out from her bed the other night (when she should've been counting sheep), "MOM!" And when I appeared in her doorway... "Why is Bubby SO cute?"

Even tho it plucked away at my heartstrings, my reply was, "Flynn, Good Night."

But man, he IS cute!

Gotta Get My Honeycombs

We had a BRAND new box of recently opened HoneyCombs cereal,

sitting on the table, near the edge.

Apparently Bubby wanted some...

well, apparently he wanted A LOT.

Because he pulled them all down on him.

The whole box.

So we turned it into a "Cereal Party".

The more the merrier.

Bubble Gum Ice Cream

If I could marry it, I would (sorry Jeff).

As far back as I can remember, I loved it. My favorite.
So, what's the harm in loving a flavor that no one else can stand?
Finding it. Sure, everyone has chocolate, vanilla, even swirl or mint.
But no one has my blessed bubble gum.

I love it so much that my BF Heather brought it to me in the hospital after I had Flynn.
And when we forgot to grab the remaining 1/2 pint from the nurse's freezer the day I got to go home?
We went back & got it.
It's like gold.

For the longest time I couldn't find it. For a while the Baskin Robbins on Tesson carried it, but no more.
The place in St Chuck where Heather would go, was the only place in the Greater St. Louis area.

Until now....
(drum roll please)

NOW!, Breyers makes it. Found in the Walmart freezer section.

And as much as I HATE Walmart, I'd even venture there, if it meant tasting that yummy, sweet bubbly taste.

V'day, part of our date included a shopping trip to Walmart, where I bought this:

And 3 days later, it looked like this (I'm not kidding):

Allergy Season Already??

That warm weather yesterday might have been great for most of us.

But for Flynn, it meant going through an ENTIRE box of kleenex, just during breakfast.

Oh wondrous Grammy, who took Flynn today to the "Art Project House" (aka P.A.T. PeeWee Picassos) then to White Castle. It doesn't get much better than that. And Mommy had almost two hours 'Flynn-Free' to do perfectly selfish things.

Like shower.

Flynn's absolute favorite pasttime is ART. "Can we do an art project?" is all I ever hear. Art Projects are 'up there' with Hide N Seek and Going ByeBye.

The best thing about what she did today?

I am not the one that cleaned up shaving cream, glitter, paint & paper mache.

I love this picture, because against that person's large derrierre, you can see Flynn's perfect profile.

V-Day Memories

We had such a good V'day. And it didn't hurt that it was also a SNOW DAY, so Daddy stayed home! We always have little parties, so we had a "Valentine Party" complete with card making, cookie making & gift opening!

Gabe doesn't yet know the significance of these two letters!

The baker hard at work on the Valentine cookies.

Ready for our *HOT* date at the "The Castle" (aka Whiteys).

I was trying to get a good photo of the kids for a frame I gave Jeff,

Gabe nearly had a breakdown, so I subbed in.

How sweet is Strawberry Shortcake?

So cute!!!!

A Little Reminder

Reading Baby Noah's blog is a regular thing for me now. I asked Jeff this morning, "How can I grieve for a baby I never knew?"
When I read all her medical posts & saw the pictures of the tubes & needles, it took me back to the days Flynn spent in the NICU. Granted, we went through NOTHING CLOSE to what the Gravesons went through, I'd never insinuate that. But it did jog my memory.... enough to look up to see if Flynn's caring bridge site was still active. And it is! (click on the title)... if you have a moment, you can read the journal entries I made most of the days she was in the hospital. It was such a hard & sad time for us. I always say that one of the worst feelings (definitely the worst thing I went through) for a mother is to have her child taken from her. And that's literally what happened with us... Flynn was born, then had to be transported from my hospital (which was a very poorly-equipped hospital with NO staff or means to treat an ill infant) to Cardinal Glennon. Then I laid there another four days & heard babies being taken to their mommies & families going home, knowing my baby was in the city without me. I remember laying there in that hospital bed praying for NOW... what I mean by that is praying that there would be a day (like today) where Flynn was healthy & home.
And... Flynn is a healthy thriving girl, whom we have NOW! Thank God! He is good & His mercies endure forever! We have it so good... I hope I never seem like I'm complaining. If I do, remind me of those days, the days when I wanted these days.

Let Me Call You Sweetheart

I'm in love with them...

Date Nights

No, I don't mean Jeff & I... I mean Jeff & The kids.
Every week I spend a night at work. Not the 'whole' night, but I'm gone 5-6 hours; so it's definitely a Daddy night for the kids.
Jeff could spend the bare minimum, meaning, he could just 'get by.' You know, make sure they don't eat anything poisonous or set the house ablaze... be sure they get supper & are put in bed at a decent time. But that's not all he does.
The nights Mommy works is "Popcorn Night." He & Flynn make popcorn. Since she can't have microwave kind, they make it from scratch (which is better anyway!). They play hard & if it's a bath night, they get a bath.

When I start to feel sad that we can't buy our kids lots of stuff, these are the things I remember. Because I know, these are the things they'll remember. They aren't going to remember if they had a Barbie Jeep or the $200 Buttercup Pony. They aren't going to remember that when we go to Target, they get a toy to play with while they're AT THE STORE (which gets put away before we check out).
But they're going to remember Mommy & Daddy reading to them everyday. And doing art projects. And going to church together. And Daddy's date night with them when they make popcorn.

Big Boots to Fill

Size 13s to be exact.

Papa's work boots are more like waders.

But that doesn't matter.

He looks good.

And since he loves his Papa so much,

it's no wonder he loves the boots.

Reading it has Changed my Life

I've been a little obsessed. Reading it whenever I have a free moment... staying up late reading it. Sitting there staring at the screen & sobbing.
A family, just like any other, touched in such a way... a way all of us hope we're never touched, yet they'd have it no other way.
They're hoping through this situation, they're touching many. And they are. As for me & my motherhood, they've reminded me of how things could be & why I'm thankful they aren't. After I read this, I held Gabe a little longer, forced more kisses on him and was more patient than Flynn. Instead of go-go-go last night, Jeff & I did nothing but played with the kids. He took her & I took him & we went into their rooms, sat on the floor & played play, completely directed by them, for an hour straight.
So what I should tell Noah's family is - for our family - as I'm sure is the case for many other families, they've reminded us how fleeting life is. Since heaven is a promise for believers, the fleeting moment of this life is just the thin curtain between us & Christ. But for a parent, the reminder of that fleeting moment makes each minute more precious.
So when Gabe was up for an hour in the middle of the night, I asked Jeff if he could just lie between us. We took turns rubbing his thin hair & wiping his snotty nose. I wasn't upset that I was losing sleep. I was thrilled that I had quiet time with my baby boy.
And this morning when I lost my patience with Flynn & yelled at her. I apologized, I don't want there to be a second when she isn't sure of my abundant, unconditional love.
Be sure you have kleenex on hand and be ready to have your viewpoint changed... even if only as temporary as your mind remembers. Click on the title. And God bless Noah's family.

Groundhogs Rule!

I think I have a typical attitude when it comes to the seasons. I always want the NEXT season & like the present season for only a few weeks. As soon as the "new" wears off, I'm ready for the next one.
Well, the honeymoon is over for winter & me. I'm tired of him & he's been taking advantage of me....doesn't tell me he loves me anymore...and I can't remember the last time I got flowers. I'm sick of his snow & how cold he is to me. And if he sticks around much longer, I'm going to have to tell him to pack his old frosty bags & hit the trail.
There's someone else. His name is Punxsutawney Phil. I like him now.
He has told me of sunnier days ahead. I can just see us frollicking in the bright meadow...the sun on our faces... me in lighter fabrics... him in just his fur.