Happy Halloween!!!

As I sit here writing, I am chowing down on the Reese's peanut butter cups that were not given away as Halloween candy, and drinking a Dr. Pepper. Yes, sleep might be a long way off for me tonight with all the sugar and caffeine we consumed in the past 4 hours!

Tigger and Cinderella are already fast asleep. Exhausted from the combination of fresh air, lots of walking, and inflatable air slides as far as the eye could see. Plus the candy. LOTS of candy! And Cokes. Oh, and my personal favorite...the funnel cake. I feel like I could hurl!

Cinderella's dress has definitely seen better days. Santa Claus sure did get his $20 worth out of that thing because it has been worn to every princess party, including the ones thrown in our very own playroom for yours truly, at least twice a week, and now to 2 Halloween festivals this year. After tonights events that included shuffling around in an animal pen chasing after bunny rabbits and guinea pigs, climbing (and climbing, and climbing) every slide she could find, and then tumbling down to the bottom, her dress looks more like what Cinderella was wearing after the royal ball when the clock struck midnight!

Tigger was perfectly happy just to be walking around amidst all the people. He did not share my enthusiasm for funnel cake, but instead preferred slobbering on suckers all night. And woe to the Mama who tries to take the empty stick out of his mouth for fear of choking! Temper, temper, young Tigger!!!

Facing the Giants

I rarely see movies anymore. For one thing, there is not a lot of them out there that interest me enough to pay $8.00 for an hour and a half of entertainment. And as far as watching movies in the comfort of my own home, just ask my sister who has loaned me a ton of her favorite movies, with rave reviews ("you will really like this one", "this one is so funny", etc.), only to call me months later asking for their return and me whining, "but I haven't watched them yet".

I used to like to watch rented movies on the weekends before my children were born. But now there really is no such thing as "weekends". I am a stay at home mom. Every day is the same. I wake up at the same time, we have the same routine, I am in bed by 10:00. If I'm not tired, that is when I read. Sunday through Saturday, same ole thing. The only thing that changes is what we do during the day, but I can guarantee this one thing...at no point during the day do I have 2 hours to sit down and watch a movie with no interruptions!

Then a few months ago I heard about a new movie coming out called "Facing the Giants". It was written and produced in south Georgia by a couple of brothers who minister at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany. It is actually their 2nd movie.

Since I am a huge fan of football and because I wanted to support the film, I decided to make an effort to get out to see it. I am really glad I did. The coach is in the midst of overwhelming circumstances at work as well as at home. As he begins to "let go and let God", the blessings start pouring in. It's a real tear jerker all the way through, but with enough game time to keep it from being labeled a "chick flick".

I give it both thumbs up! And when it comes out on DVD, I will add it to my little collection of "movies to watch when the kids are gone or I am too sick to get out of my bed".

What's Cooking?

It's the biggest question of my day. Here recently a couple of people have asked me how the monthly cooking extravaganza is working out, so I thought I would let ya'll know right here. It is a really, really great concept. My grocery bill was less than half of what it usually is. And that age old question, "what's for dinner tonight", could be answered by simply checking the calendar in the kitchen drawer.

Now, all that being said, it still takes pre-planning. PRE-planning. And that is still what I am lacking. My plan fell apart when I filled in at the office a few weeks back, and I have yet to make out the menu for November.

But it is good to know I am not alone. This week in the trenches of the motherhood addressed the same thing. Several readers left comments with suggestions for their own way to organize and plan meals, and here are 2 that interested me.

First, Big Oven. This is software that you purchase for your computer that helps you to organize your recipes by entering them into your system. Then you can drag and drop them to your monthly calendar and it automatically gives you a shopping list for the week. That is really cool.

But the other site I liked, All Recipes, is free. So let's start here, shall we? It has a lot of the same concepts of Big Oven. I can enter my favorite recipes or browse their selection if I want to try something new, then select which ones I want for the week, 2 weeks, month, or whatever, and it gives me a shopping list. It also has a great search feature that can help me if, let's say, I thawed pork chops for a particular dinner, but then didn't plan enough time to make them. I can search "pork chops" and it will give me suggestions for what I can do with them in the time that I have left to fix something.

The biggest negative I can see is the time spent up front learning all the features and putting in my personal recipes. But if I can really make use of it, I think it will be wonderful in the long run.

And I'm not sure if I will be cooking once a month again. While that was a huge time saver during the rest of the month, we did eat a lot of the same meals. And a great number of those meals included lots of processed foods, which I try to keep at a minimum in our house.

Some ideas I will take with me from my freezer full of 30 meals though, are the sauces or meat bases that I use frequently are easily doubled or even tripled. Instead of making one small batch of spaghetti sauce, why not get out the stock pot and make 4? Then freeze 3 extra's for any last minute meal. Also, I think making one big trip to Walmart a month (and little weekly trips for fresh fruits and milk) saved me a lot of money.

And, of course, all this takes.....say it with me....Pre-Planning!!!! Wish me luck!!!

Just for You, Mom

Ya know, who can we count on more in our lives than our Moms. Mine is no exception. I can count on her to read my thoughts and ramblings every day on my blog. I can also count on her to complain when I haven't written anything "in 6 days".

Sorry, Mom. I actually did write on Sunday, but blogger wasn't allowing me to post my picture of Savannah doing her "pole dance". I read that they were having some issues with photos, so I waited and waited and waited. And kept trying and trying and trying. Every so often I'd go by the computer and try to download, and although it would say my picture was there, I can tell you it was not.

So I thought that I would take this opportunity to stay off the computer for a few days and focus on my house and family. And it's been nice.

I am working on a project for Jeremy's birthday on Nov. 11th and there is also a little something I am making for my dad's birthday this month. On Tuesday Savannah and I snuggled up at nap time in our recliner in front of PBS kids for an hour and yesterday, we made these super soft sugar cookies "dressed" like pumpkins.

I also made another big batch of potato soup and steam cleaned my carpets. My, it's amazing what I can get done when I'm not browsing the internet!!!

So anyways, Mom, hope this explanation is satisfactory. I will go ahead and publish Sunday's entry without the picture of Savannah, because even though I have just uploaded 2 pictures this morning, I still cannot get the other one of her to post! I give up!!!

Love is...

This Cinderella alarm clock.

And sure, while Savannah loves it because it has her most favorite princess of them all laying across the top of it, I love it for another most wonderful reason...

It keeps her in bed until 7:00 am!!!!

That was the deal. She could have the alarm clock if she promised not to come downstairs until Cinderella said it was "on the seven". No getting up at 6 or 6:30. What is the use of having an alarm clock, if you don't use the alarm? That is how I reasoned with her anyways, and guess what? It worked! :)

I love having an hour to myself each morning and I LOVE this clock!!!

*Love Thursday created by Chookooloonks.

Other Uses for my Plant Hanger...

Today I was sweeping out the shed under our house, or as we call it "the pit". It is filled with lawn mowers (yes, we have more than one which would be a bit strange in itself even if we didn't hire out our landscaping, but that's another story that dates back to our first major purchase as a married couple living in our first house and I fear that spousal pride is the only thing that keeps that dad-burn John Deere relocating with us each time we've moved!). It also houses all kinds of other yard tools, potting soil, bird seed, unused excercise equipment, gas cans, and I believe, a couple of mice. And, as of 2 weeks ago, it is now where our kitty's live. (This too, is a whole 'nother story about why the cats were removed from the screened in porch, but I can assure you it has more to do with the white spots left on my stained deck from their partying in the litter box and getting the bleach crystals all over the place, than them chasing flys and wasps and spiders up the screens and then hanging there, meowing endlessly!)

In just 2 short weeks I think that Lucy and Bebo have grown accustomed to their new surroundings, and really, I should hope so. It's warm and dry. What else does a cat need? Besides a loving little girl to go outside and play with them from sun up to sun down? And believe me...Savannah does just that!!!

But that is what led me to sweeping out the pit this afternoon. It's so dirty in there and she likes to sit on the floor and hold them, or even crawl around with them. Now don't get me wrong, I am not a germ-o-phobe or anything, but when she is dressed for school and just wants to "go tell Lucy bye", then comes back in the house with black knees and a dusty bottom...then I need to try to do something so we don't have to be in play clothes just spend 5 minutes with the animals.

So the kids were playing nicely and I decided I would get the broom to see if I could remedy the situation. I wasn't paying too much attention to them other than the occasional glance in Emery's direction to make sure he wasn't headed up the steps to the 2nd story deck. All of a sudden I heard Savannah singing over and over, "Merry go round, merry go round..." It's wasn't in any particular tune, just a sing-song voice.

I became aware that there were no other words to the song, and since I couldn't see her from inside the shed, I called out, "what are you saying?" "Merry go round, Mommy," was the reply. Hmmm, okay. As I got closer to the outside, I peeked around the corner. She had taken her sidewalk chalk and colored my shepherds hook all kinds of pretty colors. She saw me looking and shouted, "Look at me. Look what I can do!"

"And what is it that you are doing?", I wondered aloud. She answered, "I am doing merry go round."

Now, I'm no expert, but it looked more like pole dancing to me!

3 Biggest Pet Peeves for the Week Ending 20 October 2006

1. Why do sales people give you a little plastic tag with the number of items on it that you are taking into the fitting room if they do not count the items to verify the same amount as you leave? I have never, ever had anybody check to make sure I came out with the same number I went in with, but I have had someone tell me I couldn't take in 10 items because her little plastic taggies only went to 8!

2. Why aren't baby washcloths square like all other washcloths I have? They are rounded on the ends and are nearly impossible to fold with the ends constantly curling up on all 4 sides!

3. When paying by credit card, why do store clerks only ask to see identification if the back of the card is not signed? To confirm the card is not stolen, they should ask for i.d. every time. Just because there is a signature on the card, doesn't make it mine!

Love is...

A boy and his blankie.
*Love Thursday created by Chookooloonks.

Take It Off, Baby!

The "to do" list that is! Got this quilt top finished today and I'm very happy with the way it has turned out. Tomorrow I will be calling someone to quilt it for me, because let's get real People, I will not have time to hand quilt anything again until my children are in college!



Cost of material: $135.00
Lunch for babysitters: $17.00
Having quilts as family heirlooms to pass down through the generations: Priceless!

Ephesians 4:2

Weekly memory verse: "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."

Great Question

I thought I was done writing today until I logged onto Faith Lifts and read this question:

What everyday things do you find purpose in?

I could go on and on about this topic and trust me, it would sound like nonsensical ramblings. I just have so much to say on the subject, especially to moms who are new to the world of being at home full time. I sort of eased into this position. I started out 4 years ago working from home, then as my husband gradually hire more employees, I was able to be at home devoting 100% to my family.

What a blessing! And at times, what a curse on my mind. I frequently found myself focused on how little I was contributing...monetarily. Guilty for buying a new pair of shoes...on sale! I compared myself to other women who were being promoted or who were achieving great success in the business world. "That could be me", I would think.

At times I felt like I was sacrificing too many of my own dreams. I wanted to see the results of my hard work. And as any generation x'er will tell you, I wanted to see those results right now.

And then. There it was. Selfishness.

I had to redefine my success and in doing so, find my life purpose. Those same traits that make me an asset in the business world, allow me to be a champion housekeeper! Whoo hoo!!! I know it isn't the life of glamour I once dreamed of, but once I became an heir of His kingdom 4 years ago, my dreams needed to be altered.

I am now living according to God's plan and not my own. Let me share a verse that He has given to me and then I must get back on track with the laundry.

Proverbs 22:6 "Train a child up in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it". This verse is so important to me right now. It reminds me that even though I am not seeing immediate results, I should not get discouraged. Sure, changing diapers and refilling sippy cups all day long may seem monotonous, but my children are seeing so much more than that. My attitude ("...work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord..." Col. 3:23) is so important. Not to mention how I handle life's big upsets! Theirs as well as my own. I am helping them develop character. How scary is that! And not a small task by any means!!!

I am training my children up to be followers of Christ. While I may feel a bit bored with my daily routine, who knows what is in store for my children. This temporary sacrifice (in the grand scheme of things) could hold big rewards in the kingdom of Heaven if one of my kids is able to touch the hearts of hurting people in the years to come.

So that is my biggest purpose right now. It may sound like scattered thoughts, but it is hard to condense all the Lord has shown me on this topic. And as I said, there is a laundry basket calling my name..oh, nope, make that a tot just waking from his nap!

F.Y.I.

Number of times Mommy flushed the toilet...1

Number of times Mommy plunged the toilet...2

Number of times Daddy plunged the toilet...2

Number of times Daddy plunged the toilet with much force...2

Amount of water on bathroom floor...1 gallon

Number of discussions with 3 year old about what is appropriate to flush down the commode...1 (so far)!

Me and Flying...It's a Love/Hate Relationship

It's simple, really. I love to go places. But hate to fly. There are several theories of why I white-knuckle it whenever I do have to get on a plane. Most of which revolve around my need to feel in control and complete ignorance regarding aerodynamics. I mean, seriously, how does something so big and heavy get in the air and in addition, carry hundreds of people and massive amounts of luggage?

It doesn't make sense to me, therefore I am afraid of it!

Oh, then there's the crashing part. And I love it when people fill me up with stats: "It's safer statistically to fly than to drive". Blah, blah, blah. Like that is supposed to make me feel better as I'm careening toward the earth at 500 mph with several minutes to think about my last moments on the planet. I think I'd rather pass in a quickie car accident, thank you.

In all truthfullness I would like to overcome this fear. I have missed out on a couple of European vacations and one trip to Alaska that Jeremy's dad just knew that the family would love. It not only involved flying to the Last Frontier, but then taking several little "pond hoppers" to get to, evidentally, the FINAL Frontier!

And now I have a desire to go to Romania with my church on an upcoming mission trip to visit this family and help with their efforts in the local gypsy village and abandoned baby hospital. I just can't ignore the fact any longer that this aviophobia (thank you Google) is holding me back.

In December my father in law is taking us to New York city for Christmas. I have always wanted to see NY during the holidays. I want to ice skate under the lights of the big tree, browse the shop windows as fluffy snowflakes fall and stick on my fuzzy mittens, get all dressed up to take in a broadway show, and sip hot cocoa on a carriage ride through central park. I absolutely can't wait to do all of that, but when I think about sitting in his little 9 passenger cloud buster, I start freaking out! He has already suggested that I sit in the bathroom for the entire flight!!! :)

So all of that to say that today my sister and my dad (pictured below) are my hero's! They flew over Atlanta this afternoon in an open cockpit bi-plane for 45 mintues. My mom and I enjoyed a champagne brunch at the 57 Fighter Group restaurant, which was lovely atmosphere but a bit pricey for what we ate (especially since neither of us indulged in the champagne)! But we did get to sit outside while eating on a beautiful fall day, and could watch all the planes taking off and landing, including the one Dad and Jess were in.


But to say it cured my fear of flying...no...not even close!!!

Well, What is this Strange Emotion?

I've never considered myself a competitive person. I played sports in school and while I always hoped our team would win, I never lost sleep over any games that I can remember. In recent years I even walked out on my father in law during a friendly (or so I thought) game of checkers. He is a highly competitive man and while I am nonchalantly moving my game pieces and chatting away, barely paying attention, he is getting annoyed that I am not figuring out the strategy of the game! I'm like, "it's just checkers". He says, "but I can teach you how to win every time." I mumbled something like "whatever", and walked away.

To me, the game was about sitting down and sharing time together with another person. To him it was all about winning. I didn't get it. He didn't get it. The game was no longer fun.

So imagine my surprise when I felt a bit of competitiveness welling up inside me where my daughter is concerned. I had a conversation with a friend of mine over a week ago in which she told me that her daughter (same age as mine) is doing homework and writing sentences. What the??? I can't stop thinking about it.

Now my friend was not bragging, mind you. She was expressing how tired she is of trying to write sentences with a 3 (almost 4) year old. I tried to clarify, "you mean, she tells you a complete sentence and you write it FOR her?" Oh no! The little girls homework is that SHE writes the sentence herself.

I am starting to freak out because suddenly I am worried that my child is going to be behind. I chose to stay at home and now my kids will barely pass high school. I know, I know...that's drastic. But seriously, let's compare: on the one hand there is a 3 year old doing homework and writing sentences after school and on the other hand is my child, whose evening consists of watching Tom and Jerry. Who do you think has a better chance at going to Harvard?

Deep down I know that she will catch up and that's silly. But I certainly don't want her to ever wonder if she could have gone farther with an earlier, structured education. Maybe it's a little bit of guilt that I'm feeling too. I could probably carve a little more time out of my day to sit down and go over letters and phonics and adding and such.

But I prefer to play. And with play comes opportunities to teach. They are just unstructured and spontaneous. And what does all this say about my desire to homeschool? Who knows. That is a whole other can of unanswered questions, and we don't even need to go there right now!

For today I am trying to remember that life is short and kids need to be kids. I am remembering that the worldly standards of success, consisting mostly of being a "dog eat dog" world, are not the values I want to instill in my children. I choose to focus on finding their God given strengths and encouraging the abilities they were born to possess.

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10

Love is...

Twofold:


Little brother shares his laundry basket ride with big sister, and she shares her raisin snack. Ain't love grand?

Post your own Love Thursday photos at Chookooloonks.

Three Bean Salad

Nope, not another recipe. It's the name of the quilt design I've decided to make someone for Christmas. I worked on it a couple of Saturday's ago and am at my Mom's today, hoping to finish the top. She keeps the kids entertained while I sew which is truly the ONLY way I would ever be able to do this right now. Currently we are on a lunch break so I thought I would hop on the computer for a minute.

I would love to post a picture of the top when it's finished (still keeping my fingers crossed for today), but for now I will show a picture of the pattern. Mine will not be so floral, because it's for a guy. Lots of light blues, teals, and deep browns. Should be very rich looking.

Piecing together a quilt top can be a lot of fun. Cutting material into all kinds of shapes and sizes, then matching them up to make blocks, and then finally sewing the blocks together to make the top piece. It never comes out how I picture it in my head. It usually turns out surprisingly better.

***Note: I did not get it finished today. One more work day ought to do the trick.***

Matthew 28:19-20

Weekly Memory Verse: "Go and make disciples of all nation's, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

I Knew I was a Mom when...

1. it was too much work to go on vacation.
2. my child threw up and I caught it.
3. I stopped criticizing the way my mom raised me.
4. talking about poop and other bodily functions didn't make me uncomfortable.
5. my idea of a really good day is when the kids take a long nap.
6. sex got put on the "to do" list.
7. I became totally unaware of worldy events, but could sing all the words to the Wiggles own "Hot Potato, Hot Potato".
8. grocery shopping at midnight just made sense.
9. I started hiding the bag of Oreo's.
10. the public school system scared me!
11. using my breasts as a source of nourishment was no longer wierd.
12. the vehicle I drove was the size of a box truck.
13. I no longer had 1 hour, every other week, for a pedicure.
14. I stock piled batteries.
15. my grocery cart resembled a NASCAR and I would make the sound of screeching tires when coming around an aisle.
16. I could feel the pain of another mother whose child was missing or abused.
17. I started working hard to improve myself in an effort to be a better example.
18. I understood unconditional love.
19. I learned that discipline is not just for the children.
20. the laundry quadrupled!!!
21. I could name the local merchants who did NOT have diaper changing stations.
22. I could read "Stinky Face" while simultaneously taking a nap.
23. I did things I swore I would never do (ie: using the big purple babysitter).
24. I had to look up the word "privacy" in the dictionary to refresh my memory.
25. the first sound of "ma-ma" melted my heart.

Why The Blog?

Since I've been asked this question a few times, I thought there may be others who are reading my ramblings and wondered the same thing. So right here, right now, I will clear up any rumors about my new internet love before they get scandalous and tell you exactly why I started writing here in the first place.

For me, the idea of journaling actually began when I was only a few months pregnant with my first child. I thought, "What a great idea it would be to keep a journal during this momentous time in my life." I bought a pretty book and had dreams of recording not only the miracles of pregnancy and child birth, but the many milestones my precious child and I would embark on during our years together.

At first the writing was sporadic. I told myself as soon as I quit throwing up every day, I'll feel better and write more often. And I did during the second trimester. We found out I was carrying a girl and we named her Savannah. I wrote about plans for her nursery and my dreams for her life. It was such an exciting time!

Then we sold our house. I spent days packing, then unpacking boxes, and fell into bed exhausted at night. I rarely kept up with the journal. I was naive enough to believe that after Savannah was born, I would have more time to reflect and jot down my thoughts about the experience.

Needless to say, I soon found out how quickly the days and nights go by with a new baby, then toddler, then preschooler. Not to mention by the time she was 2 years old, I was pregnant with Emery and moving (yes moving!) yet again. I had really fallen behind.

I have tried to keep up with special dates and memories in their scrapbooks, but even so there are many things that happen daily that I would like to remember and be able to share with them when they are older. By blogging online, I am able to accomplish that and more.

Writing is very therapeutic. An outlet to vent frustration. And even better than that, I have found many situations which seem "hair raising" in the moment can become humorous as I narrate them. It puts a postitive spin on my day and improves my mood.

Keeping all of this in one place with pictures and other family interests also helps me to keep in touch with friends and family who we do not see very often. I also hope to broaden my horizons and possibly encourage other moms who run across my site.

So in addition to giving my kids the gift of family memoirs, embarrassing as well as sentimental, I seem to have stumbled upon an outlet for my creative juices that hopefully will benefit others as well as myself.

Just a Lazy Saturday

What a perfect day it is outside. Couldn't resist taking some pictures of the kids while they played this morning. Check out the lake behind the trees in the picture with both kids sharing (and I use that word loosely) the ball. When it's cool and there's not a cloud in the sky, the water is so blue. I could stare at it all day. It's beautiful.

I came back in the house and opened up some windows despite the fact that 3 out of 4 of us are walking around sniffling or coughing or scrunching up our faces when we (read I) swallow because of the intense pain. I will not accept that it has anything to do with opening the windows and letting in the fresh (ragweed infested) air.

After I fixed the kids some lunch (does opening a cup of yogurt count as "fixing"?), I started a big pot of chili. As soon as the youngsters get up from their nap we are going to the store for fritos and cheddar cheese, because nothing, and I mean nothing, tastes better on my chili than fritos and grated cheddar cheese. (Except maybe sour cream which is what some people I know prefer to eat on my chili.)

Then tonight at 7:45 is the big Georgia/Tennessee game. The plan is to get the kids in bed early so Jeremy and I can watch, or should I say shout at the TV, together. I am still trying to figure out where my loyalty will lie at this point. I am officially in the heart of Bulldog country and enjoy cheering for the home team, but it will be hard to see 'ole Rocky Top and not applaud (make that jump and down and say "yeah Baby") when they run these Dawgs into the ground!!!! (Insert fight song here).

Love is...

Furry purry kitty kisses.

And even more loving than that is the way the poor cat puts up with my daughter. She drags her all around, calling her "baby" and donning her in hats and bows. She apparently is unaware that Lucy has legs and can walk, because she feels she must carry her everywhere. Yesterday I caught her walking her, as if on a leash, but by her tail. And although Lucy will sometimes have a look of disgust on her face, she has never, ever tried to scratch or hurt Savannah in any way. Now that's love.

Find more of Love Thursday at Chookooloonks.

2 Chronicles 6:19

Weekly Memory Verse: "The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him."

Could Someone Please Hand Me the Classifieds?

Tell me again why I wanted to be home full time? I really don't remember since, oh, excuse me...(shouting into the other room) "SAVANNAH, WHEN YOUR BROTHER SCREAMS LIKE THAT, I'M PRETTY SURE HE DOESN'T LIKE WHATEVER IT IS YOU ARE DOING TO HIM"...Okay, now what was I saying? I keep loosing my train of thought and, ug, wait a minute...(now going into the other room) "What are you two doing? You asked me to turn on a movie. Now you are climbing on the furniture like monkeys (lots of giggling from the little people). I am turning the movie off now (lots of crying from the little people)."

The first 2 days of this week have been such a struggle. It has not been easy getting back to the routine we left behind 6 weeks ago. And before I say what I'm going to say next, let me assure you that I do not in any way have anything bad to say about the people who helped me take care of the kids while I went back to work. BUT...I think the kids got used to a few things that I normally don't do here at our house. I think the hardest thing for both of them is getting used to playing together again. For 6 weeks they were separated. With Savannah in school in the morning and then being picked up by different members of my family, she had the undivided attention of her Nanny and Grampa, or Aunt Jessica ("she's so fun" is what Savannah would say each time I picked her up after work).

Emery had it pretty good too at Aunt Irene's. She and Uncle Gerald would play with him all day, he had all the toys to himself, and I think "grazing" rather than set meal times is the norm over there. None of this stuff is bad. It's just different. And now I am trying to get back to "our normal" and the tots are not happy.

I also think I have contributed to some of the problems because I am trying to get caught up on household stuff and so I am not paying them quite as much attention as they would like. Yesterday I decided that today would be different. We ran 2 days worth of errands in one day. The plan was to have absolutely nothing to do outside the home all day today. We would spend all day in our jammies playing together. Maybe we'd bake something. Maybe we'd watch a movie together. The possibilities were endless.

Then I woke up at 4 am.

Emery was sick. The kinda sick where he is cranky, warm, and rubbing his ears. Green snot sick. I knew then that pajama day was no more. Instead, it was let's-call-the-doctor-for-a-work-in-appointment-and-sit-all-morning-at-the-waiting-room day. Whoo-hoo!

When I finally got through to the ped's office it was 8:40. They had a 9:10 opening. I took it even though I knew full well it would take me 45 minutes to get there. They don't run on time anyways. We ended up being there until 10:50, then I still had to visit the pharmacist.

I feel bad for the little fella. He's really miserable. And he didn't know it was pajama day. Maybe we will try again for tomorrow. And as for the classifieds? Well, I suppose this frustration in getting back on track is only temporary. No need for job hunting just yet.

In Recent News

I enjoy reading our small town newspaper, with the highlights of Friday's high school football game, upcoming community events, and stories of local residents who are trying to make a difference in this area. On the other hand, I really, really, really try to avoid the Atlanta news on TV each day. It's so depressing. Between the murders, abuse, horrific car accidents, home invasions, and house fires (I don't understand why the fires are news worthy anyways), they manage to stick in there a total of about 2 minutes of worldy news.

So I stick to my local newspaper, living a sheltered life I suppose, being naive to the fact that child predators are lurking around every corner. But every once in a while, like this morning, I'll have the radio on during breakfast and hear news highlights every 30 minutes. That's when I first heard the story of another school shooting. "Ssshhhhh!" I looked at my kids and put my index finger up to my lips. What did he just say?

When Emery went down for his morning nap I jumped on the computer and found out a 32 year old man killed 5 girls in an Amish country school. He wasn't Amish and had nothing against the Amish. Apparently he had molested 2 girls twenty years ago and was haunted by it. He was having dreams about doing something like that again. So instead of seeking help, he "solved" his problem by shooting innocent children. And then, shot himself, of course, as any coward would do.

What heartache for those poor families. One family lost 2 girls, ages 7 and 8. I wonder how much the Amish people know about wordly news. If they know about Columbine or the other school shooting last week? Do they know that they are not suffering alone?

I get angry when I think about all the unanswered questions I have. How many more must the parents of these beautiful girls have? My soul cannot fathom the depth of their loss. The innocence, the dreams, the smiles and hugs and kisses. Gone forever. In a moment.

Two weeks ago Jeremy was in a helicopter crash. He called me when he got back to the office. His voice was cracking and he was obviously shook up. They were 500 feet in the air when the blades stopped. He said he thought the pilot was kidding when he began calling in the distress signal. Then he said, "I knew he wasn't playing around when I saw the fear of God in his eyes." The pilot manged to crash land the aircraft on its feet, in the middle of a football field. As they regained their composure, the pilot told him that given their altitude, location, and the severity of the problem, they had a 5% chance of survival.

The conversation on that Friday afternoon for me was surreal. He's telling me the story and my kids and I are outside on a gorgeous day, playing in the sandbox. My voice was concerned and reassuring because he was upset. I didn't get the magnitude of the situation until Saturday morning. I really thought about what I would be doing that morning if he would not have lived. I certainly wouldn't have been cleaning up after our morning pancakes and watching the kids color together at the kitchen table. What would that call have been like on Friday? Who would have called me? Where would I go? What would I have done? How would I tell Savannah?

Then I cried. And I thanked God for our little five percent miracle. And thank God now for all of the children who have survived the school shootings this week, in Colorado and Pennsylvania. But I grieve and pray for the families who were not so fortunate. My hope is that they will somehow and in some way be able to find their smiles again. God bless 'em.

Autumn is Upon Us

This is my favorite time of year. Fall. In Georgia we have crisp, cool mornings, perfect for sitting on the back deck wearing soft pajama bottoms, a fleece cover up, and fuzzy socks, sipping a warm cup of coffee. Mmmmm...

Well, that was before 2 children when I could go outside in peace and quiet. You know, without having to give the primadonna 50 excuses about why, no, it is too cold this morning to wear your favorite ballet outfit, that is 2 sizes too small, and your flip flops. Then there is more debating about sleeves and pants and socks and shoes. By then my coffee is cold and it's just not worth the effort.

But the memory is alive within me and each year at this time I can't help but think about those days and how I will have them again before too long.

For now I will settle for the yearly change in cooking that cooler days bring. For now I am not trying to find something to eat that does not require turning on the stove. It's no longer 11o degrees outside. It's perfect for opening windows and letting in a cool breeze. Then putting something on the stove to simmer and letting all the smells encompass the house. It doesn't get any better than that.

This weekend I tried a new recipe for Potato Soup. It was out of this world. I'll include it here and just say that if you like Loaded Baked Potatoes, you will LOVE this soup:

Take 5 lb baking potatoes, peel and cube. Put them into a stock pot and fill with water until the potatoes are covered. Boil until tender. DO NOT DRAIN OFF WATER. Add 1 can cream of celery soup, 1 can cream of onion soup, 1 lb velveeta (grated), 1 stick of butter, and 1 small can evaporated milk. Cook on low heat until cheese is melted. Top with 1 bunch green onions (chopped) and 4 pieces of cooked bacon (chopped).

Yes, this recipe is one that will be added to my favorite comfort foods.