Just to Update...

The kids and I went outside after dinner the other night to have some sweet, yummy watermelon. I find it so much easier to let them eat things like fruit and popsicles in the yard where there is a hose handy for clean up purposes. (Reminder to self: be sure to hose them off BEFORE they climb into the sandbox!)

Our neighbors were grilling out next door and after a few casual "how ya doin's", I asked Mrs. Neighbor if she had seen any, ummmmm, eggs in her mailbox. She, of course, thought she misunderstood what I was asking. So I asked her again, and she was like, "well, no, I don't think so". I know she probably thought I just needed to get out more, so I explained what I found in our mailbox a couple weeks ago (see post titled "What the...?").

Apparently Mrs. Neighbor went in and told her husband what I had asked her because next thing I know, Mr. Neighbor was walking down towards the lake where we were, according to Savannah, "feeding the ants our leftover watermelon". He explained that while they did not have any eggs in their box, he did find a carton of eggs at the bottom of their driveway one morning with about 6 or 7 broken eggs inside. He assumed an animal had gotten into someones trash can and left it there. But after hearing my story, we both figured it had to be a few bored teenagers with nothing better to do on a hot summer night.

Now I have never been the property destroying, prank pulling kind, but I would think that the best part of doing things like tee-peeing a yard or egging a house is getting to see the reaction on the victims faces when they discover what has happened. So I just don't get the humor in putting an egg in the mailbox. And if the poor pranksters were actually thinking they could catch a glimpse of their unsuspecting neighbor's face when she pulled out a wad of mail soaked in egg yolk, imagine their surprise when they waited and waited and waited and waited for me to go down to the box to pick it up! Ha! The jokes on You!

Doe a Deer, A Female Deer

We have had a little visitor stopping by the last few afternoons at precisely 3:30. The first time I saw her in our backyard I thought it was so strange to see a deer out feeding at that time of day. I tried to get a picture of her then, but she heard me open the door. We both just stared at each other for a second or two, then she started to trot off, in no particular hurry, stopping to graze on the neighbors tree leaves. I looked around to see if any other deer were with her, but it seemed that she was alone.

I thought I had missed a pretty cool photo opportunity until the next day, there she was again. This time I went out the front door and began making my way down the driveway into the backyard. I guess she heard my feet on the pavement because she sort of looked up, then cautiously tossed her tail around, all the while making her way into the next yard.

As she was heading down my neighbors driveway, she stopped and smelled their bushes. She started eating and I figured that they must be really delicious leaves, because I couldn't believe how close she was letting me get to take her picture.

I just love seeing that kind of stuff in my own yard. It's been a nice break in the middle of my day, getting all excited about nature stuff. I hope she comes back again today. And if she does, I promise not to interrupt her snack by snapping pictures!

Blueberry Pound Cake

Sunday night Savannah had a sleep over at Nanny and Grampa's. On Monday morning, Aunt Jessica came over and they all loaded up to go picking blueberries. Which was really great timing, because we just finished eating all the fresh strawberries we picked a month or so ago.

This morning when Emery went down for his morning nap, I asked Savannah if she wanted to help me try a new recipe. Since she loves to help in the kitchen, she immediately ran into the pantry and got the stool. What was unfortunate for her, but SUPER for me, was that this recipe for Blueberry Pound Cake has only 5 ingredients and took less than 10 minutes to prepare. I just have to share it: Take 1 butter flavored cake mix, 8 oz. softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup oil, and 3 eggs, and beat until smooth. Fold in 2 cups blueberries. Spoon into greased and floured 10-inch tube pan (I used a bundt since that's all I had) and bake for 1 hour in 325 degree oven.

It's very good. And moist. And sweet. And buttery. And you know what? It was still warm a few minutes ago...I better run and get another piece!!! :)

Psalm 19:14

Weekly memory verse: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer".

Scientific Phenomenon

I should probably call somebody!!! The 8th wonder of the world is happening right here in my own home. How cool is that?

I can vaguely recall my high school science class when we learned about things such as weight, density, and their effect on the force of gravity. I'm digging pretty deep here, but it seems to me that how dense an object is, or how much mass it has per volume, would directly effect it's weight. And that, in turn, determines the objects force of gravity which is pulling it towards the Earth. Am I right?

In my home we are defying such laws of gravity! Incredibly certain things around here can gain a substantial amount of weight in a very quick amount of time for no apparent reason whatsoever. In my experience this has only happened with childrens toys. Specifically, toys that Mom has just asked to put away.

These are the same toys that Savannah has just taken out of her bedroom closet and brought downstairs. She played with them for several hours, hauling them all over the house. Suddenly, when asked to take them back to her room, barely comprehendible through all the sobbing, I hear, "I caaaaaaan't Mommy. They are too heaaaaaaaavy!"

It's extraordinary, I know!!! Who should I contact first? CNN? National Geographic? Science Digest? Oh, the list is endless.

Party Time

Emery is celebrating his first birthday next Sunday and I wanted to make his party invitations, so I snapped some pictures of him last week to put on the card.
As I was trying to decide on a party theme, Savannah offered up many suggestions. When I decided to make it "sporty", she insisted Cars (from the Disney movie) is what he really wanted.Although I have tried not to stereotype my kids into what kinds of things they "should" play with, to be perfectly honest, this child LOVES to play with balls. Footballs, soccer balls, even a rubber yard ball that is only halfway inflated are his toys of choice. And it's about the only thing that will hold his attention for any length of time.

So sports balls will be the party theme and tomorrow I am going shopping for all the cool accessories that make throwing a party so much fun!!!

Contagious Joy

What a GREAT day! Today I went to the Women of Faith conference, this year entitled "Contagious Joy". Well, actually it started last night from 7-10 pm, and then we went back this morning at 9:00 and it went on until 5:00. My sister and my mom went with me, and 2 of Jessica's friends rode with us today too.

In addition to the traditional speakers like Patsy Clairmont, Sheila Walsh, and Luci Swindoll, other guests included actress Sherri Shepherd and Atlanta's own, Ashley Smith. The music Friday night was provided by Nichole Nordeman and on Saturday, Avalon.

The speakers all gave incredible testimonies about how finding or already knowing and just trusting in God's power brought them through their darkest hours, and into the joy filled lives they now strive to live on a daily basis. And what is refreshing to know, is that even these women, these spiritually sound, faithful women, who mentor so many younger women like myself, still have to struggle some days to find their joy.

James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything". That is hard to remember some days when I feel depressed or upset, or I've just gotten bad news. Sometimes it seems as if I can't even see the light at the end of the tunnel, much less see the joy in my circumstances.

There is a song by Casting Crowns called "Praise You in this Storm" and the refrain states:

I will praise you in this storm

and I will lift my hands

For you are who you are

No matter where I am

And every tear I cry

You hold in Your hand

You never left my side

Though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm.

That is what I took away from the conference. No matter what my situation is on any given day, God is still God. Powerful, merciful, loving, and more than anything, praise worthy! By focusing my energy and attention on Him and taking my thoughts away from what I desire, I find joy in His goodness and peace in my heart. "For the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Ne. 8:10).

VBS

Wow...what a long 5 days! I haven't posted much this week, but there hasn't been much to say since we've spent every day at vacation bible school. I believe the last time I volunteered to help at VBS I was in high school. Yes, a very long time ago.

I was surprised when Michele asked me to help out because neither of my kids are old enough to enroll in the program. But they needed preschool workers to entertain the toddlers whose moms were teaching the older kids in VBS. And she assured me that my two would have a really fun week playing, singing songs, and doing craft projects.

And you know what? They did. Savannah looked forward to going every morning and each afternoon she would excitedly tell me about the things that happened. And although Emery can't verbalize about his day, each time I passed him in the halls or saw him on the playground, he was grinning from ear to ear. That's all the proof I need.

The class I was assigned to had 10 children: 9 boys and 1 girl, ages 18-24 months. Thankfully there were 3 teachers, which means that roughly, we were each in charge of 3-4 rambunctious little boys for 3 and a half hours every morning. The lead teacher did a really great job of trying to implement the "curriculum" that was provided for us to present to the kids each day. But in all seriousness, how much of an attention span does a child of this age possess?

Nonetheless, we did the job to the best of our ability and made sure that not only were these kids supervised while their moms did the all important job of teaching the love of Jesus to hundreds of elementary and middle-school aged children, but they had a great time playing, singing songs, and dancing. And one additional perk for me was that I got to know 2 other moms in our church...the other 2 teachers I was spending time with each morning.

What the...???

So I went to the mailbox this morning. Granted, it had been a while since I made my way down the long drive to see what kinds of things the postman left for us. Maybe it's just me, but I don't anxiously await the arrival of our mail carrier in hopes of receiving cash and prizes. I know what's in there. Bills and junk mail.

A practical and time saving idea I should implement would be the installation of a trash can at the bottom of our drive way, right next to the mailbox. It would serve two purposes. First, I would not have to carry 3/4 of our mail back up to the house, only to throw it away once inside the door. And second, half of our trash would already be down at the street Monday morning for waste removal, saving Jeremy a trip! Very convenient, I think.

Today would not be the first time I let a week slip by without checking the box. As a matter of fact, we sometimes get mail that's been bundled by the mailman with a note on it that reads "too full" and the date. I am trying to be better, but really, what is the point of getting the mail if it's not bill paying day? I'd rather have a neat stack of bills enclosed in the mailbox than falling all over my kitchen counter. It just makes sense.

With all that said, and you see I have admitted I do not get the mail as often as I should, however, it had not been long enough for a bird to nest and lay an egg! At least, you wouldn't think so. But an egg is just what I found when I opened my box this morning. Or, let me restate that...an egg shell is what I found when I opened my box this morning.

So for the past few hours I have been wondering, "what the...", "how the...", "who the..."??? I cannot even guess the answer to any of those questions. Maybe this is a new style of "egging" the neighbors house. Or maybe my mail man is trying to teach me a lesson. I don't know. What I do know is that when an egg breaks in your mailbox during a heat wave in the southeast, the yolk and white part of the egg become a sticky glue-like substance, except yellow in color, and it seals all your mail together into one large glob!

Happy Anniversary!!!

Last night we had a great time celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary!

First, we headed over to Turner Field to watch the Atlanta Braves play the Boston Red Sox. And although I am not a huge Braves fan, I do enjoy going to the stadium and catching a game. What was interesting about last nights' game was that there were just as many, if not more, Sox fans as Braves. And since Boston was winning, there was a lot of cheering going on (followed by lots of booing by people holding tomahawks)! That kind of passion about a baseball game just makes me shake my head and laugh. It was definitely a fun time!!!

About half way through the game we left in order to make our 9:30 dinner reservations at Fogo de Chao. That is a really cool place and I'm wondering how to describe it briefly here. Let's see: there are no menu's. Think buffett on a much, much higher scale and instead of you going to get your food, when you want something served to you, all you do is flip your little red cirlce over to green and the servers start coming to your table. Each one carries a different cut of meat, from Lamb and Chicken, to Beef and Pork. The meat is so tender it melts in your mouth! Your waiter will provide a constant supply of side dishes and beverages. Oh, and there is an out of this world salad bar, but you have to get out of your seat and serve yourself for that! :)

A Day in the Life

Sometimes pictures speak louder than words so let me show you what we did today...

I did this one myself AND got the picture before the wrecking crew noticed!

Savannah found another use for the red block.

Our DJ.

Floor duty Friday.

2 hours later.

Cinderella at the zoo.

46 pages of questions...need I say more???

Spot book.

(no caption necessary)

Yes, it's empty...can you hear it calling my name?

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Well, I did it! I would have to look at some photo albums, but the last time I remember my hair being this short was somewhere around the 5th grade. Cristina (stylist) was given permission to do whatever she thought would look good. She cut it just below my ear lobes and gave the bottom a little "flip out". She left my bangs long and moved my part way over to the right side, which leaves a big chunk of my hair sort of hanging over my left eye. I am still trying to get used to that and for the time being I have my sunglasses on top of my head so I can see! :)

After I left the salon I headed over to Jeremy's office so he could see what I had done. I was standing in the hallway when he came around the corner and sort of nodded a "hello" my way, like I was a customer or something. About 2 steps away from me he realized who I was, turned around, grinned, and shook his head. Then he said, "That's not the look we circled in the magazines" (see yesterday's post for what he circled...but think Jessica Simpson).

I keep lingering in front of mirrors and shaking my head back and forth because it looks and feels so strange having nothing but "air" between my shoulders and head (does that make sense?). But I do like it and the real test will be tomorrow when I attempt to fix it myself.

I bombarded Cristina with questions every step of the way and ended up buying the products she used, all the way down to the round brush. I watched her techinque closely, so hopefully I can style it the same way tomorrow.

And speaking of tomorrow, it's our 6th wedding anniversary. So in addition to the new hair do, I had some waxing done, updated my makeup, bought a new (cute!) top, and had a manicure and pedicure. Now if I could just get the children to stop calling me "Mommy", it would be just like stepping back in time to June 16, 2000.

Hair Raising Appointment

Tomorrow I have an appointment at a SALON to have my hair cut. This is a big deal to me. I am more of a "Great Clips Gal". Mainly because I am cheap! I have tried for 15 years to tell myself all stylists are the same and those hoity-toity beauty shops can't do anything with this fine, straight hair that haircare franchises can't do.

Recently I've been considering cutting my hair short. I know...shocking! I actually don't remember the last time it was cut above my shoulders. I've been enjoying it long out of convienence since having the tots leaves me little time for maintanence and upkeep. I wash it at night, it dries while I sleep, and in the morning I put it in a ponytail. Doesn't get much easier than that!

But I am ready for a change. And I think my husband would be pleased if his wife decided to spend a little extra time on herself, looking more like the cool, hip chick he married instead of the lackadaisical, matriarch who will even go to Wal-Mart in nothing but moisturizer and a scrunchie.

So I started asking around. Turns out the girls I polled who have hair I think is cute, have theirs done at a salon! Okay, I guess I could have been wrong all these years. It's been known to happen (but don't tell Jeremy).

Since then I bought a couple of hair magazines, which have all kinds of do's ranging from spiky short to super long, celebrity hairstyles, and a rainbow of colors! Jeremy went through and circled the styles he liked best. Yeah, right...curls, curls, curls is what he likes. I don't have one teeny, tiny wavey strand of hair on my entire head. So unless I go in asking for a perm, which is so 80's I'd hate to even say that in a trendy spa, he will have to keep dreaming.

Another thing I noticed in these books were the descriptions on how to "get the look". There are tons of hair care products that I have never even heard of. The extent of my product line is shampoo, conditioner, and hairspray. I am starting to believe that my hair could actually look like some of these models if I have a little training in technique and the proper essentials to make it happen.

I am still nervous about tomorrow but am starting to get some confiedence that my stylist may in fact be able to teach an old dog new tricks (for lack of a better analogy). I still think the only thing harder than cutting off about a foot of my hair with absolutely no idea if I will be able to make it look as beautiful and full of body as she can, will be forking over $50 for a haircut!

Oh, which reminds me that I have no idea what to tip in a place like this. Great...now I've got something else to be overly concerned about!

Ephesians 6:18

Weekly Memory Verse: "Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints".

Daily Quiet Time

This morning I slept in and missed my usual quiet time. Savannah had crawled into bed with me a little after 6:00, snuggled up close, and went back to sleep. How could I leave the coziness of her soft skin and silky hair that still smelled like Johnson's Baby Shampoo? Mmmm...sweet! We didn't get up until about 7:15.

When Emery went down for his morning nap, I told Savannah I was going to have my quiet time. She is already familiar with what that means since she is an early riser and has learned that if Mommy's in the office reading her Bible, she's not coming out until "it's on the seven".

Getting my QT in later today is better than not doing it at all, but I just really prefer having it before anyone else in the house is up. I don't know how to explain it, but my day just goes better when I am able to spend time with the Father before being bombarded with questions like, "Can I bring my zoo animals to breakfast with me because they are hungry and I made them a cake but first cereal, then cake, then we can watch TV, but first I have to go potty..."

One of my favorite blogs addressed this very issue yesterday, and I think they sum it up better than I ever could.

Back in the Swing of Things

Well, it's been a week since we got back from Daytona. I am finally back into my daily routine and able to write about our trip to the beach. Here is a picture of me and the kids taken the day we left:

The weather was beautiful like this every day. The only exception was one quick pop up shower the very first morning on the beach, but it didn't last long and we were back out in the pool after Emery's nap.

The kids surprised me immensely on their ability to sit in the car for an 8 hour stretch. I had anticipated much more whining and had my ipod earplugs ready to help drown out the sounds over which I had no control. I was also a little worried that Savannah would need to use a potty on a stretch of road with a sign reading "next rest stop 65 miles". But Emery and she proved me wrong. They took in a movie, had a snack, would take a nap, stopped for a potty break, and drew lots of pictures. We had fun in the car and I enjoyed my time with them.

The condo was nice, 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. It took me less than 2 hours to figure out the kids sleeping in the same room was NEVER going to happen. I ended up putting Emery's pack-n-play in the master closet (rest assured, it was big...there was a washer and dryer in there). The first night I was awakened by Savannah sobbing. She was trying to find me and as quickly as I got out of bed to go to her, she had opened the front door and was trying to get out!

I had actually anticipated something like that because our friends were staying across the hall and we had been back and forth all day. Luckily I put a chair in front of the door before I went to bed since she could work the locks, so at least that slowed her down. I hate to think of the panic I would have had if I would have gotten up and found the front door open!

Savannah loved the pool and Emery loved the beach! He would sit down where the waves were washing up on the shore and let the water roll all over himself. Then it would go back out and he would play in the "muddy" sand until the next wave came in. Grinning the whole time!

Savannah wouldn't go near the ocean "because there are fish in there", but instead would recruit the boys from the family we were with to fill her bucket full of water for her sandcastles. She would get all sandy and sweaty, then tell me it was time for the pool.

We really did have a great time and I'm glad we went. The only thing that would have made it better is if Daddy could have joined us.

Best Days of My Life

This morning I was thinking about how much I am enjoying my kids these days. Savannah seems to be out of the "drama queen" phase where every little thing that doesn't go exactly the way she planned it sends her into a heep on the floor with a burst of tears. And Emery's little personality is really starting to shine through. He is walking around now, pointing at everything and asking, "dat?" Both of them love to laugh and so acting silly and toe tickling are part of our daily routine.

Today we got up early and went to McDonald's for pancakes and some playtime. After "just one more time" down the slide, we headed to the grocery store. An older woman was walking out through the double doors as we were walking in. She looked at the 3 of us and smiled sweetly. Then she said, "These are the best days of your life".

I've been thinking about that comment all day. I saw a longing in her eyes. It was as if she was reminiscing her past as a Mom and wanted nothing more than to scoop my babies up and shower them with kisses.

I don't know why it touched me the way that it has. When I told Jeremy about it, I got all choked up. Could it be because I was just thinking those same thoughts hours before? Or maybe because I could feel her loss? If it's really true that these are the "best" days, then is it all downhill from here?

I don't think that's what she meant, but it makes me very sad to think that she might feel as though her best years are over. That no one needs her or wants her anymore. Just a reminder to me of what's important in life: family. You never know when a life lesson will present itself. I'm just glad I was paying attention.

Musings from the Beach

Until I have more time to write about our trip to the beach, here are some random thoughts from the last 5 days:

1. The words "Cinderelly, Cinderelly, night and day it's Cinderelly..." have new meaning to me after 16 hours in the car with my 3 year old daughter and her DVD player.

2. Memo to Self: It is NOT a good idea to wear a thong under white beach cover-up pants because if they accidentally get wet on the bottom, it looks like you have NOTHING on underneath!!!

3. I love aerosol spray sun screen!!!!!!!

4. Conversation I overheard between Savannah and an old lady who sat down next to her on the steps in the pool (after brief introductions)...
S: There are lots of bugs here.
OL: Yeah, but they don't bite.
S: (in thought)
OL: They just make love.
Me: (mouth wide open!)
OL: You know, little love bugs.
Me: (Alllll-righty then...)

4. Early one morning I took Emery out for a walk and we stopped to admire the ocean. Just as I was struck by it's magnificence, "Open Skies" by DCB came on my ipod. It was an awesome moment and it left me wondering, is there anywhere else on earth where I could feel so close to my Creator?

5. Why is it that this State can pave a 4 lane road in the middle of absolutely nowhere south Georgia, so remote that I don't even have a cell phone signal and the only other life forms are pine trees and cows, but the main highway between Lawrenceville and Loganville that sits like a parking lot M-F in the morning and afternoon must remain a 2 lane road? I just don't get it!

6. Even though my husband has been working REALLY long hours and we've only seen him a few HOURS a WEEK for about a month, I still missed those few hours while we were gone. Glad to be home! :)