Some good tips

Here was a good post by Holly

If you have little ones and are trying to finish up your shopping you should read this. Or better yet beg a grandma or a friend to keep your kids for a couple of hours. Or you can also take advantage of the late store openings and go at midnight

Christmas Crazy

I always say I am not going to be crazy at Christmas - but it always happens anyway. I have taken a few shortcuts to help but there are plenty of things I probably still could do to re-prioritize and focus on Jesus this Christmas.

Here are few things that have helped

• I haven't made candy - I usually dip pretzels and make all kinds of other candy but it takes a lot of time and it's not good for us to eat it anyway.
• I am not trying to be super woman in the kitchen and cook for every event. Example - we are having our small group Christmas Party tonight and we are ordering out.
• We haven't stressed about school this week - we did a few math lessons and some reading and that's been about it - we are officially on Christmas Break until January!
• Emma didn't do ballet this year so we didn't have the Nutcraker production. I missed seeing her on stage and the cute costumes but she and I really enjoyed just going to see it together without the stress.
• I made time to go to my friend Stephanie's Christmas Dinner - this wasn't stress free for her because she made a wonderful dinner and her house was beautiful - but it was a nice night to dress up a little and hang out with some other girls. We had fun.

My mom is taking the kids this afternoon to her house to make cookies so I guess I have few hours to tie up the loose ends. I would love to say I had it all done and I could go get a manicure or soak in the whirlpool tub - but that's not happening! Maybe next year....

Here is the result of a personality test I took.

It was fun - I like taking tests and doing surveys - I actually enjoy filling out those little registration cards when you buy something new. Give it a try and post your results

Kidmo

Getting ready to go get all the last minute stuff ready for the kids at church in the morning. We are using a 3 week Christmas curriculum from kidmo called Heaven's Windows. It looks great and I think the kids will love it. Hope I'm right or I'll have 50 rowdy kids on my hands!!

Cookies, Cookies and more Cookies

Emma and I have been to 2 cookie exchanges in the past couple of weeks so I thought I would share a few ideas and recipes. Here is a picture of the cookies I made a couple of weeks ago and have included the recipe for. I think they are my favorite of all the ones I have made this year - because they are soooooooooo easy.

Santa's Favorite Cookie

On the stove melt 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1 stick of butter until boiling and boil for one minute. Remove from heat and stir until smooth. Line a pan with graham crakers (about 9 full size sheets) and pour hot mixture over. Then sprinkle with nuts if desired (I used sliced almonds but pecan or walnut peices would be good) Let cool and cut into squares. I doubled this recipe and it worked well. So easy and really good - people usually can't even tell they are graham crackers.

A couple other easy recipes I have learned at these exchanges.

Crush one pack of oreos and 1 pack of cream cheese in food processor and make into balls and dip in white chocolate. I had these with mint oreos too - yummy

One more idea

On a baking sheet put a small pretzel twist and top with a rolo candy. Put in the oven set to 250 degrees and bake for about 4 or 5 minutes just until the rolo is soft - remove from oven and press a pecan half into the rolo - and tada you made candy - kids would like to help with this one

little angels and pirate ships

I took my little angels to  Barter Theater to see The Littlest Angel today.  Both Grandma and Nini went - and we had a great day!  Really cute play - not really scripturally accurate in the beginning with the little boy dying and becoming an angel and Heaven being a boring place, but a great message at the end.  It reminded us all that Jesus was sent to Earth to be human and even though we are as dirty and shabby as the old box the angel gives to baby Jesus it is pleasing to Him - it reminds me of the verse "He remembers that we are dust" (psalm 103:14) and the best part is - He doesn't care!  He still loves us in spite of our dirt.  Anyway - I think it is still playing for a couple more weeks - so get over and see it if you get a chance.

We also made a quick trip to Walmart tonight after supper to get Drew a pirate ship.  It is a little close to Christmas to be buying toys, but we promised him this toy as a reward for mastering the poopin in the potty skill.   He put his last sticker on the chart he has been working on for months so it was reward time.  Let's just hope it keeps working.  

Gotta get some work done - going Christmas shopping tomorrow!  

Quick weekend wrap up

Got almost all the decorations finished - I am waiting to finish outside until tomorrow - it's supposed to 70 degrees tomorrow! My kind of outdoor Christmas decorating! I don't like being cold -even at Christmas.

Had our small group meeting Thursday night - I love those guys and their kids - we had a great time - there was one point right before everyone left and all the kidos had reached their exhaustion point that all the little guys were crying - Drew, Grace, Ava and John were all throwing fits at the same time!!! Here is a quick summary - Grace got upset when Nathan tried to put her shoes on to go - she laid in the floor to cry - Travis decided it would be funny to lay in the floor and throw a big people (6'3") temper tantrum to cheer Grace up - John was a little freaked out by his Daddy in the floor throwing a fit so he cried - Travis stopped the tantrum and put Ava's shoes on signifying time to go so she cried - in the meantime Drew was sitting in the living room floor with a cup of milk and Emma walks by and accidentaly knocks it over so Drew starts crying over spilled milk - literally -I calm him and refill the milk as I set the refilled milk on the table Luke walks by says "hey, thanks" and drinks it down in one gulp - Drew watching screams in horror because he still has no milk! By this point I am laughing so hard I have to sit down and all the adults have a good laugh - and the best part is we got to send most of the crying ones home!! Now that is what you call a Life Group

Friday night Galax Christmas parade - redneck Christmas - that will be a blog post all it's own and I have pictures to prove it!

Saturday was one of those days that only a little of my to do list got done and I stressed about it most of the day. On a good note - I took the kids to see Mr. Magoriums Wonder Emporium at Creekside in Mt Airy - really cute movie! We all loved it - great for all ages - even little bitty guys. We then rushed to a meeting a church and it was all in all a pretty hectic day - thanks Boni and Travis for letting me vent and Mike for letting me talk your head off til midnight - you guys are good therapists

Sunday - we had a great service today!!! The youth led the worship and did an awesome job - our regular praise team was a real blessing by spending their well deserved Sunday off serving with the children Mike gave a great intro to his Christmas series and John Chisum shared some good words with us and closed us out with some great Christmas music - it was Christmasy - despite the 65 degrees outside (you won't hear me complaining)
After church Mike and I took our 3 and 3 extras to the movies to see Enchanted. Great movie - go see it!!! - a little scary in parts for little ones (Drew covered his eyes a couple of times and climbed in my lap) A mean lady and a big dragon that might be too much for timid kids
Then 20 teenagers at our house - great time with them - they are an awesome group that I feel so blessed to be able to be a part of -can't wait to see what God has in store for them!!

Now it is off to bed - I am tired!!!!!!! Gotta get up early to go on a field trip with some other homeschoolers to Barter Theater!

A whirlwind of a week

Can't believe it's been a week since I posted here.
A quick recap of last week

Went to see Nemo on ice on Thursday in Greensboro

Got our tree decorated!

Emma and I went to a cookie exchange on Saturday night - fun- recipes coming soon

Almost finished my Christmas cards last night

Today doing school work and trying to get out Christmas decorations finished - and that hideous mound of laundry that keeps growing!

Elf Yourself Part 2

Since you can only do 4 elves at a time I did one of the kids and then one of Mike and me
Check it out here

Elf Yourself

This is really cute!
Click here to see my little elves

Oh! Christmas Tree

I have to admit the bargin hunter/shopper in me thought about getting up and heading to the stores this morning but it sure felt good to be cuddled up to my hubby in my warm bed at 5am this morning. I'll just pay a little more and avoid the crowds. We did go to pick out our Christmas tree today. We didn't bring it home because I am not ready to decorate yet - still need to do some cleaning and organizing before the decorations come out. Our friends Joey and Misty have a Christmas tree farm so that's where we went in search of the perfect tree. It was really chilly today so it seemed like Christmas is getting closer. You can tell by the picture that Emma was freezing. All this warm weather has been great - but it makes the cold really hurt. We found a beautiful tree - it's a great place to go if you want to cut your own tree.

Yummy and ready ahead of time!

You have got to try these mashed potatoes!! Yeah, that's half and half in the picture! Made them this afternoon so all I have to do is pop them in the oven before dinner tomorrow. They are SOOOO fattening but it's a holiday - you can live a little!
Find the recipe here

Hair

I got a hair cut this afternoon. I really think I am going to like it. She put lots of layers and used razors and jagged scissors to give it some style. It is straight here and I don't know how the cut is going to look curly but I'll find out in a couple of days - think I'll leave it straight for Turkey Day. Drew also was sporting his mohawk after bath time so he wanted me to take a picture of his hair. I think his is cuter than mine.

Fun Thanksgiving site

Here is a great site for fun Thanksgiving crafts and recipe ideas for kids. Check it out.

My Hero

We have had our eye on a Nintendo Wii for a couple of months so we went ahead and ordered one a few weeks ago, knowing that it would be harder to find as Christmas got closer. Every night Mike and I would anxiously wait until the kids were asleep and sneak the games out and play them. After about a week of sneaking we decided to go ahead and let the kids in on the fun. We decided it was more of a family gift and that Mike and I were going to enjoy it as much as the kids. They have really had a great time with it. I was in Walmart last week and they just happened to have Guitar Hero for the Wii so I bought it thinking it would make a great present for my wanna be rock star husband. Since we decided to come clean and go ahead and let the kids have the Wii I couldn't wait until Christmas to give Mike the Guitar Hero so he has been rocking out every night in the living room with a little plastic guitar. I gave it a try and it really is alot of fun. I don't think I am coordinated enough to be a guitar hero but it's fun trying.

I'm a celebrity!

This was fun!

Another Recipe

Here is a recipe for baked spaghetti that is really easy and really yummy! Give it a try. By the way, all recipes is the best site for recipes. People who try the recipe can go back and rate it so you can check out the stars to see how people liked it. I give this one 5 stars.

Gingerbread Pudding Cake

Here is a great recipe that we tried last night with our Life Group. Wonderful fall dessert! Mike actually made the cake and it was really good. Try it with ice cream.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/PrintFull.aspx?RecipeID=23293&servings=12

It's all about the heart

My hubby posted about dressing up in church and I thought it was a great post so check it out here.  I really liked this verse to women

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.  1 Peter 3:3-4

I am all about looking nice and I love clothes and shopping but I think it is definitly way down on the list of priorities.  Inner beauty and a gentle and quiet spirit are what is beautiful to God not a new outfit from Ann Taylor.  I hope that I can strive to spend more time on my heart and spirit as I do on my outfit, shoes, hair and makeup.  A gentle and quiet spirit are not what always describe me (just ask my kids some days) but I pray that each day finds me a little more in tune with the attitude God wants me to have.

Cool Site

Here is a great blog that you have probably heard about but I am sort of new to the blogging thing.  My friend Diana pointed me to it.  Great recipes (not weight watcher friendly but really yummy).  It's called The Pioneer Woman Cooks.  Check it out.

Slow Cooker Fajits

Here is a recipe I tried last night - it was yummy
We had some friends over so I made it big you can cut it in half - this fed 12 adults.

4 - 5 lbs beef (chuck steak or flank steak) cut into several large pieces to fit pot
2 onions sliced
3-4 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
chopped cilantro to taste ( I used alot because we love it)
2 or 3 jalapeno peppers seeded and chopped
3 cans of tomatoes and green chilies (drained)



Place beef in cooker top with onions and rest of the ingredients and cook on low for 7 hours or high for 5 When time is up take out beef and shred with fork and place back in cooker to serve
You can put green peppers in it but I did them separately in a pan before I served it because I like them crisp not soggy
Serve with corn, black beans, cheese, sour cream, salsa, guacamole etc

Boys playing with dolls

Luke and Drew put one of Emma's baby dolls in jail. I guess boys do play with dolls - just in a little different way. This poor baby got strapped to the work bench. Guess she won't break the law again - they taught her a lesson.

Yummy Cake

Just wanted to say thanks to our "other kids" for the yummy cake! You guys are the best!

Here is a pic of the masterpiece - there is only one piece left. We can take care of that today so I can get the cake plate back at church tomorrow! Instead of rolling or forking our house a cake was a great alternative! We love you all and are looking forward to Planet Wisdom next weekend - it's going to be a BLAST!!

Halloween

Here are some pictures from Halloween. We had a great time at the Galax Downtown Halloween Festival. Our church set up a booth with some games and LOTS of candy! Here are some of the booth and my little ninjas.

New Furniture

I finally got new living room furniture. I love it! I had been looking at this Pottery Barn sectional for months but found this at Sam's club! It's not a sectional but it's microfiber and the color I wanted and really comfortable and about 70 percent cheaper than Pottery Barn! My kids make it look even better.

Our Pumpkin

We carved a pumpkin tonight - I guess I should say Mike carved a pumpkin because he did most of the work. We all just stood around and told h

im what to do! The kids had a great time getting out the "guts" and seeing their final masterpiece glowing on the porch. We also had a really quick talk about how Jesus takes all the yucky stuff out of us and replaces it with His light. While Mike was doing all the muscle work we looked around on the internet and found some cool pumpkin carvings. Here is my favorite.

What's cookin'

Here is a recipe I tried today. We went to a pig pickin' at Snow Hill Baptist (the church we used to attend) and I made this to take. I love being able to make yummy stuff and take it somewhere else for other people to eat so I won't be tempted to eat it all!

Toll House Crumbcake

Crumb Topping
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp butter (softened)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (i used pecans instead)
2 cups semi sweet choc chips

Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups semi sweet choc chips

Mix crumb topping and set aside
Preheat oven to 350 grease a 9x13 pan
Combine flour, baking powder and soda, and salt and set aside
In mixing bowl cream butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy add eggs 1 at a time
Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream
Stir in chocolate chips
Spread batter into pan and sprinkle with topping
Bake at 350 for 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean

Myrtle Beach

Mike's mom and dad invited us and Lee and Micky down to the beach for a few days to share a condo they rented for the week.  We got down here about 6pm on Monday and had a great day yesterday.  We were able to go over to the beach and play in the pool.  The weather was great - the water was a little chilly but the kids didn't mind.  It's raining now so we are planning to go over to Broadway at the Beach today and maybe check out an IMAX and the Aquarium.  Mike's uncle and aunt Ken and Elaine had all of us over for dinner last night at their home in Pawley's Island and we had a nice time.  We are planning to hit one those glutenous seafood buffets tonight.  We are usually not the buffet type but it's the best way to eat a lot of crab legs.  We are heading home tomorrow but maybe we can stop at Tanger Outlet on the way out and do a little shopping!  Maybe I can put up some pics soon.

Funny things kids say

I love to hear the funny things that kids come up with. Here are some recent funnies from the last couple of months that I have been saving to blog about. When we were at Isle of Palms a few weeks ago and my sister Sara was leaving our condo with Todd and Mallie she told them that they were going to ride the elevator. Mallie said " I not want to ride the alligator"

Emma soaked so much chlorine into her eyes at the pool that her eyes were red and she asked me to put some vaseline (visine) in them.

Today while Luke was doing a Rainbow Rock Math game on the computer the "lady" on the computer said "Do you want to stop playing or continue", in a very proper British voice. Drew was sitting with Luke and "helping" him do his math and Luke translated to his little brother "Drew, that means yonta (redneck for do you want to) play again."

I was talking to my friend Misty today about deviled eggs and she said that Hannah (her 3 year old) calls them "camel eggs - I guess devil and camel sound alike to a 3 year old.

If I had time to blog

Mike entered the whole blogging world about a year before I did. For months before I started blogging I would say "if I had a blog I would write about that" Now that I have my blog I think I have decided that I should have named it "if I had time to blog . .. " I am only getting out about 2 posts a week - if I'm lucky - mostly just once a week. I really enjoy it as a time to think about my day and get some thoughts out of the mess I call my mind. Mike has been teaching a lesson series to the youth called Simplify. I really need to do that. I feel like I am running in 50 different directions sometimes. I talked to my daddy a few days ago and he had called a couple of times and didn't get me so when he did talk to me he said I was a busy lady and hard to get in touch with. I told him that when he and Mama had me I should have been twins so I would have 2 of me on the crazy days.
Two of me would actually just add to the craziness. I would find too much for both of us to do. Some of my business is because of my stage in life with 3 little ones and homeschooling. Some of it is self inflicted because of over committing, not saying no, wasting time (like blogging instead of folding laundry), and getting involved in too many things. As he closed the meeting Sunday night Mike talked about how Elijah looked for God in the wind and the rain but God spoke in the still small voice. I heard a preacher say one time (don't remember who it was) - if you aren't hearing from God and you are wanting Him to yell at you it's because you are not close enough to hear Him whisper. That has always stuck in my mind. I want to be close enough and still enough to hear Him whisper. Lots of times this means giving up some good things to have the best things. I love being a mom and all the craziness that comes with it but simplifying is definitely something I am going to be working on.

Where does time go?

It has been almost a week since I blogged. Amost a week since I even sat down at the computer! I have been busy getting caught up from being in Atlanta! We had an awesome time at Catalyst but it was good to get home to my kids. I missed them. We are schooling this morning and it has really been good. No tears or craziness -yet. I am in organiztion mode. Mike has put together a couple of the room divider book cases that we got at IKEA and I am trying to think about getting organized. Deep down I am organized and chaos drives me crazy but with the addition of kids I have let go of some of that and just live in our house. That's a good thing but it would be nice to get a little more order around here. If you have any organization ideas or websites I can visit to help let me know. Meanwhile I will be drowning in books, papers and toys!

Catalyst

Wow - what a day! I am still trying to process it all. Mike described it like trying to get a drink of water out of a fire hydrant. Here are a few random thoughts - I am too tired to get into anything deep.

• If Steve Fee ever quits singing he should be a preacher - he did an awesome job leading worship - not just with his incredible music but with his words and his heart
• I like hanging out with my husband -he's the coolest preacher I know!
• This is the first time I have ever heard Francis Chan speak - God really used Him to talk to my heart - more about that later
• The people that sat behind me drove me nuts with their running commentary - I am getting a new seat tomorrow
• Rick Warren - what wisdom
• The hallway at our hotel smells like stale cigarette smoke
• I love the free coffee from The land of a thousand hills - and the work they are doing in Rwanda - coffee with a message - what could be better
• I love Atlanta
  
• I miss my kids
• The bed at the Comfort Suites is about 1000000000000000 times more comfortable than the one at the Sleep Inn on Tues night but I still miss my bed
  
• Can't wait to get back to Catalyst tomorrow
• Going to bed early sounds good

Here is something I read a few minutes ago in my Catalyst book from Mark Batterson

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Persue God -ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Stop pointing out problems and be part of the solution. Stop criticizing and start creating. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizions. Accumulate experience. Consider the lilacs. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Don't let what's wrong with you stop you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Laugh at yourself. Keep making mistakes. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you are not. Quit holding back. Quit running away. And remember if God is for us, who can be against us.

Atlanta

We are in Atlanta in for Catalyst - which starts tomorrow. Here are a few thoughts about our day

* First stop IKEA - we spent way to much time in here but it was awesome! I think Dave Ramsey is going to kick my butt tomorrow! We actually went into the store with money we have set aside for getting an office set up a little better for Mike to work from. It was truly an experience the show room was HUGE and then there was the whole downstairs with kitchen stuff, linens, dishes, lighting. Mike and I love to take places like IKEA and see what we can learn about church from them - I'll blog about that later
* More shopping at Lenox Square Mall - we really didn't buy much there just looking around
* My hair is straight - I did buy a Coriloiss Hair Straightner from a Kiosk in the mall - I had been looking for one and the lady gave me a pretty good deal. She was looking for people with curly hair to attack and I was a sucker. I tried it and it works great.
* A vegan nightmare - we ate dinner at Fogo De Chao. They keep bringing you all the meat you want. 15 different kinds of fire roasted meat - I really liked the variety of trying different meats and the salad bar and key lime pie were great. I am not a big meat eater so I got full pretty fast but not too full for key lime pie.
* I am drinking a diet Snapple Lime Green Tea and it is really good.
* I told Mike tonight that I don't just really love him - I like him. We have had a blast today - he is just fun to be with.
* I miss my kids
* Thanks Nini and Papa and Grandma and Grandpa for taking care of our babies while we are gone.
* I am tired of hearing about Brittany Spears and her kids
* We are getting up early to head to the arena in the morning and I am tired and I wish I had my bed. I have the most comfortable bed in the world. I miss my bed
* I really like Atlanta - nice people, fun place
* I am going to stop blogging and go to bed

Gotta see video

This is a really funny video about the birth of a West Virginia couples 9th baby. Thanks Travis for finding this - it was a good laugh. Listen for the new baby girls name.

Being a pastor's wife

One of the blogs that I regularly read is Perry Noble from Newspring Church in Anderson, SC. One because it has some great information about how they do things in a church that is reaching thousands for Jesus and second because he is just plain funny. Last week he posted that he was going to have his wife, Lucretia, answer some questions and do a guest post on his blog. Here are a couple that she answered that had to do with being a pastor's wife. Some good insight. I especially like the one about the expectations on a pastor's wife. I think for me some of those are self inflicted expectations and some are from others but either way it is always refreshing to here that my number one ministry is to my husband and our children. As pastor's wives we have a unique responsibility to our families - lets be faithful to them and to God.

How do you balance your role as Perry’s wife with the expectations the church has of you as a pastor’s wife? Just as Perry doesn’t fit the mold for the typical preacher, the same seems to be true of you and your involvement in NewSpring and it’s ministries?

Before we began dating I dealt with the fact that I didn’t fit the role of the typical pastors wife that I had always known; however, in seeking Jesus He clearly showed me that my call was not to fit a particular mold…but to just be me and Perry’s wife.

When it comes down to it…I am the ONLY person who can support Perry in the way that I do…and he has made it very clear to the church from the beginning that I am his wife–not the churches wife, and he has always refused to allow unrealistic expectations to be placed upon me by those who could never understand what it is like to be in my shoes.

Bottom line–Perry IS my ministry…and as his wife I am called to encourage and support him first…NOT be involved in tons of activities to merely keep church people happy.

I fear that too many pastors wives focus on the churches calling on their lives rather than what God has called them to do. I know that He has called me to be unique…and while I won’t be singing or playing piano any time soon because those are not my talents and abilities…I will be faithful to Him and His calling and giftedness on my life.

How do you deal with the criticism that comes Perry’s way?

My initial reaction is to debate “them” and logically explain to them why they are wrong; however, I know that will not work–it is equal to casting pearls before the pigs. It does hurt me when this happens, but ultimately I leave it in God’s hands because I know that the critics do not know Perry, nor do they understand what is going on at NewSpring. AND I try to see it in a positive light because usually the time of most criticism is usually preceding something incredible.

Happy Bday to Drew??

Today I did what everybody in Galax does at least twice a week. I went to Walmart! Emma and Luke had swim practice so Mike took them to the rec center (by the way - a shout out to Mike - he has been going and working out while they swim) . So I took advantage of having only one child to drag through the grocery store and did some shopping. For some reason, I have no idea why, Drew decided that it was his birthday tomorrow. His birthday is in APRIL!! Here is how my shopping trip went

Drew : Mommy, me need to get tuff for mine party
Me: What party?
Drew: Mine birthday party in the morning
Me: Drew, it's not your birthday tomorrow
Drew: Yes it is
Me: Your birthday is in April
Drew: In da morning is April

I decide to ignore him now because you really can't reason with a 3 year old who has decided that tomorrow is his birthday. Surprisingly, we didn't have any breakdowns or tantrums when we didn't buy cupcakes or Pirates of the Caribbean plates and napkins. I did buy a box of Pirates of the Caribbean gummy snacks and he said "dat be great for mine party" I just laughed and kept pushing my buggy through Walmart.
I began thinking about how outrageous it was for him to suddenly jump forward 6 months on the calendar and plan a birthday party that wasn't going to happen. If I would have gotten a pack of birthday plates and napkins and a dozen cupcakes and we would have had a "party" for him instead of waiting until April for his real 4 year old party that would have been stupid. Letting a 3 year old set the date and plans would be a disaster. Isn't that so much like us as Christ followers. We get our feeble plans ready and tell God what we are going to do. Like Drew we throw a few things together and call it a party because we want it now and we want it our way. I love throwing bday parties for my kids and I know that Drew's party in April will be a lot better than a pack of birthday plates and generic cup cakes from Walmart. I can also guarantee that what God has planned for us is way better than anything we can come up with. I am going to stop settling for the Walmart cupcakes and get ready for the big party. That's a lot harder said than done for a control freak like me. I am a slow learner but God is teaching me that I have to expect big things from Him and trust Him to follow through and not take things into my own hands because I don't think He is doing it fast enough or in the right way. Doing it my way shows how incapable I am but when God does something only He can do -it brings all the glory to Him - so I'll take His way. God is who He says He is - God can do what He says He can do - I'm believing God!

Stuff

Things I am excited about . . . .
Fall - you may think what? I thought you loved summer but I do like the cool air and beauty of the leaves this time of year and we are going on a few field trips taking the kids to Maybry Mill for Fall Days on Friday and to the Orchard and Pumpkin Patch in a couple of weeks

School - I love new books and getting organized and hopefully this will be a good full week of school since we have settled down from vacation

Teenagers - I can see that God is getting ready to do some awesome things at Cornerstone and I am thankful to be a part of it. We are talking about what to do as we run out of space here at our house - we want to think ahead and not limit what God is doing because we don't have a place to meet

A Baby Shower - We are having a baby shower for Boni and Baby John on Saturday! I love babies - he is soooooo sweet!

Catalyst - Mike and I are heading to Atlanta Oct 3-5. I am looking forward to hearing some great speakers but really looking forward to the awesome worship time. I am also planning on practicing my spiritual gift of shopping at Lenox Square - they have a Crate and Barrell and even Mike will be happy there because there is an Apple store. Seriously - I am excited most of all for the chance to hear from God and seek His direction.

24- Hi I'm Jennifer and I am a 24 addict. Mike and I are watching the first season on DVD and I can't wait to see what happens next!

Our new Cornerstone Kids - we have some really cool stuff coming for Cornerstone kids - starting October 14th


Things I am not excited about . . .
Football - Mike is watching football and I just don't get it

Winter - it's cold and I just don't get that either. Cornerstone Youth ya'll are going to have do some serious sweet talking to get me to plan a ski trip - I think hell will be a lot like skiing - except it'll be hot - that makes no sense but I hate being cold!

School - This was in my excited about list too - but if you know me or if you homeschool you will know how school can be hard to get done each day - especially around Christmas time.

Organizing my mess - I thought all summer that I was going to get organized and it is fall and I am STILL NOT getting it together. I guess when you have 3 little ones you never get it together.

Getting back to the real world - It is time for me to leave the make believe land of blogging and go put up laundry - I am really not very excited about laundry!!!

24 Date with my hubby

Today has been a great day. The kids played soccer this morning and it has been beautiful today. I should be putting away laundry but Mike and I have started watching the first season of 24. He got me the DVDs for my birthday (in May) and we are just know getting around to taking the cellophane off them. We were hooked last season and wanted to go back and watch the others. Gotta go find out what happens between 1am and 2am (imagine Keiffer saying that).

This is probably only funny if you are married to a pastor

Mike sent me a link to this blog post. I think I am going to write 20 come back lines to these pick ups. They are pretty funny. I told Mike that it's a good thing that we got together before he became a pastor!

Potty Training

When I posted on Potty Training yesterday I forgot to mention something that really does work. I waited until training my 3rd child to try this and wished I had known about earlier. I bought and read the book Toilet training in less than a day and gave it a try and it worked! Drew had just turned 3 and I really wanted to get him pottying by the summer so on Memorial Day when Mike was off from work he took Emma and Luke for the morning and Drew and I practiced pottying. You really just have to read through the book to get the whole idea- it's not long and easy reading. Skip over, or read and get a chuckle from, the illustrations used in the book. They are really dated and funny. Just thought it was worth sharing something that works. It takes 3 or 4 hours of your undivided attention but it's better than weeks of frustration.

A new kind of communication

I was reading a blog by a mom today about potty training and I commented on her blog about how much I hated potty training. I just think it is a major pain. It is nice when your kids finally get the hang of it but getting there is no fun. It reminded me of something I saw briefly last week about infant potty training. I went back and found the article on MSNBC and read it. If you haven't heard about it you have to read this. I followed a link from the article to a website that promotes what they call Elimination Communication (it cracks me up just to type that). I don't know if it was because I have had a long day and get really giggly when I am tired or if these people are really that crazy but I laughed out loud at this website. I have to admit that some of the pictures of these little babies being held over potties are really cute but I am reading this and thinking, "Are they serious"? They promote a no diaper baby. Basically, you begin potty training at birth and your baby doesn't wear diapers and as the parent you learn to be in tune with your baby and his/her Elimination Communication.
Here is a quote from that article . . .

"She says finding a supportive daycare center is the biggest challenge for
parents who choose not to use diapers. Other problems include finding tiny
underwear for diaper-free infants.
Isis Arnesen, 33, of Boston, has a
14-week-old daughter, Lucia, who is diaper-free. She said it can be awkward to
explain the process to people, such as when she helped Lucia relieve herself in
a sink at a public restroom.
“Sometimes I don’t know what’s gonna happen and
it doesn’t work, and sometimes I feel a little embarrassed,” Arnesen said. “It
makes her happy though, right? She smiles, she’s happy.”

Doesn't that just crack you up! Can't you see a 3 month old baby in little undies and being held over the sink at WalMart. I don't want to seem judgemental, I am sure that moms that try diaper free babies love their babies as much as I love my kids. So don't send me any negative comments. Here is another quote from the diaper free baby site. This was under the heading 75 reasons to practice EC

". Conventional toilet training starts with learning to “hold it” while EC
starts with learning to “let go.” This can make a big difference in a baby’s
perception of elimination and of life in general."

OK potty training is on thing - but a whole new perspective on life?

I would have to agree that the improvement of diapers and the pull ups has very much delayed the potty training age and it can be done at a much earlier age. With each of my 3 kids the potty training age was later. I was busier with each one and pull ups are easy. But I really don't think they will have trouble "letting go" or have any resentment toward me for making them wear diapers. Recognizing that other cultures who do not have diapers use this method really doesn't make much of an argument. The reason they don't use diapers is because they don't have them!

Just one more quote

"EC leads to happy babies and happy parents because: A diaperless baby smells
wonderful!"

That's not always true you can ask my friend Boni.
She has a brand new baby boy and she was changing his diaper today and if you have boys you know if the diaper is off for more than a few seconds somebody is going to get a shower! Boni bent down to put his diaper back on and John peed up her nose! Now - how is that for Elimination Communication!

Some cool links

We love being in Isle of Palms!

On Sunday we had a great visit at  Seacoast Church. We love visiting churches when we are on vacation, partly because it is vacation and it nice to just go to church and not have to think about all the things that need to be done and because we like to get ideas for how we can do things at Cornerstone and most importantly we heard a great message from Pastor Surratt about wisdom from Proverbs.    We even checked all 3 kids into the kids programs and they loved it.  The check in process worked well and even Drew (he's 31/2) didn't even hesitate going somewhere new.  Why would he - his kids area looked cooler than Chuck E Cheese.  That evening they had an ocean baptism close to where we are staying so we walked down the beach and watched.  It was a beautiful service.  

After church we headed over to the Town Center in Mt. Pleasant to shop and have lunch.  I had to find swim stuff for my kids because I left a bag at home that had all there swim suits in it.  It's good that it is the end of the season and I got what they needed on a big sale.   

We ate great burgers and fries at Five Guys

My sister Sara had arranged for us to have pictures made on the beach.  Tammy Bevins Photography did a great job.  They actually made having our pictures made fun!  That means a lot when you are trying to get 5 kids to cooperate.

Last night we ate some good seafood at the Charleston Crab House in Mt Pleasant.  It was good but not the best and a little overpriced.   

Of course we have also hit Ben and Jerry's and Starbucks

Looks like a little rain in the forecast so we may have to head to the new Tanger outlet

Time to hit the beach - my favorite thing to do here!

BEACH!!!!

We are at the BEACH.  If you know much about me you know that I LOVE the beach.  We are in Isle of Palms SC for the week.  It is a beautiful place.  We really like it here.  The weather has been great and the kids are having a ball.  We have gotten to spend some time with my little sister who lives in North Charleston.   Emma, Luke and Drew have loved playing with their cousins.  I hope to post some pics soon.   

Labor Day Thoughts

I can't believe it's this close to the end of summer. I have to admit,even though I am a HUGE fan of summer, it has been nice to have some cool nights for the last few days. We had a nice day with our friends Fred and Stephanie and their girls. We cooked hamburgers, played badmitton and horseshoes all of the normal Labor Day stuff. Thanks guys for the good food and laughs. Labor day makes me think of lots of things

• labor - you can never think of the word labor in the same way after you have had a baby. Emma actually came home from the hospital on labor day - nine years ago!!! My little girl will be 9 in a couple of days.
• THE BEACH- we always go to the beach for a week after labor day with my mom and dad. Since we home school we don't have to worry about getting the kids out of school and the rates really drop so it's cheaper and not as crowded. This year we are going to Isle of Palms, SC (probably my favorite beach - even though I love them all). We also get to see my sis and her family because they live close by in Charleston!!! The kids are SOOOO excited to play with their cousins.
• School - I have very mixed feelings about this one - I hate the end to the freedom of summer - no bedtime, no schedule but at the same time I do crave the organization and schedule that comes with getting back into the swing of school. I also LOVE getting all our books for school. I got 3 boxes of books last week and it was like Christmas! Now I just have to get it all organized and ready to jump into when we get back from the beach.
• The end of summer - Like I said before I do love summer and dread the cold winter ahead but fall is beautiful in our part of the state. I look forward to riding bikes with my hubby on the trail. Even thought I am not a huge football fan Mike is so I do like cuddling up with him on the couch to watch some Hokie football and of course God is a Hokie beacuse the leave turn Maroon and Orange this time of year!

That's about all my brain can handle tonight I am ready for some sleep!

Parenthood

You gotta check out this video of a dad singing a song about being a parent. Really cute!

The potential of a child

I am amazed at how amazing God is every time I see a newborn baby. If you have read Mike's blog you will know that our awesome friends Travis and Boni have a new baby boy! John Jeremiah was born Sunday morning(the 26th). He is 5 days old and Drew and I went to take a peek at him a few hours ago. Wow - he is so beautiful and so helpless at the same time. I stay so busy with everyday life that I occasionally get a wake up call to just what a responsibility being a parent is. I'm not talking about the responsibility of feeding them their veggies, washing their clothes and making sure they brush their teeth. I mean the BIG responsibility of leading them in the right direction. The responsibility of showing them Jesus in a world full of selfishness and materialism. Showing them Jesus in a world full of sickness and pain. Showing them Jesus in a world full of sin! That is an awesome responsibility. It makes being sure they ate their spinach seem like child's play. What is even as awe inspiring as looking into the eyes of a newborn is realizing how much potential God has put into those little bodies. There might be a pastor in Boni's arms. There might be a missionary playing with blocks in her floor. The little "tweener" watching Hannah Montana on my couch might be a women's Bible study leader. The little boy in my house getting dressed for soccer practice could be a worship leader. My little 3 year old that had an "accident" this morning trying to make it to the potty might one day be a youth pastor that leads thousands of teens to Jesus. Parents always have hopes and dreams for their children as they watch them grow. But God has bigger plans. His plans reach as far as eternity. So, welcome to the world Baby John! I can't wait to see what God has in store for all the children in our lives.

Camping with friends

I just got back today from spending a couple of nights at some cabins close by with 3 friends and all our kids. It was a great 3 days of fun before we all have to get back into the routine of school. The kids had a blast!! They played in the pool, fished in the lake, rode the water slide and just had fun being kids. They stayed up to late, ate more junk food than usual and got grouchy but no harm done - a little too much sugar and not enough sleep can't hurt every now and then. When you put all our kids together there are 11 incredible little squirts from age 3 to 8 (and one more on the way in about 2 months!) We moms had a great time to sitting out amoung the misquitos every night talking about everything from childbirth to church and everything in between. It was really good for me to be with these other moms and see how similar our struggles are. We all are in the same stage of life and can really relate to each other. We shared our fears of raising children in a fallen world and the joy that comes from knowing no matter how fallen this world is God is still in control. I am reading Vickie Courtney's book Your Girl and am learing that my children are God's and He has given me the privilage to raise them. It would be an impossible and terrifying job without Jesus at the center of everything. It would also be much harder without woman like Andi, Dee Dee and Stephanie in my life. We all come from different churches and backgrounds but we share the same Jesus and that is a bond that cannot be broken. Thanks girls for an awesome time and those late night chats about 12 little lives that might just change eternity one day!

Camping in a heat wave - who's idea was this?

Have you ever slept in a sauna - with 3 kids and a husband.  Well, I have now.  We went camping at Fairy Stone State Park Thursday and Friday - it was in the 90's both days without much cooling down at night.  Mike had a thermometer on his sleeping bag (I know - you can tell he's an Eagle Scout!) and it was 85 in the tent at 10pm.  We still laughed and giggled while trying to go to sleep and roasted s'mores over the hot campfire and had a great time.  The kids loved playing in the lake.  They have an area of the beach roped off for kids that has giant floating lilly pads, logs, snakes, turtles and frogs for them to play on.  Their are also paddle boats and canoe rentals.  If you want a nice place for a family camping trip I recommend it.  It is in the middle if no where - but that's what you want when you camp.  You'll have to read the legend of the Fairy Stone to find out where the park gets its name.  We went to the hunt site and spent a while looking for Fairy stones and found a few but none that were quiet as dramatic as the ones on the website or we saw in the display at the park.  It was still fun to look and the woods where the hunt site is was beautiful - it looked like a place for fairies.  After a hot 40 minutes on a paddle boat we decided to skip the hike and head back toward home and stop at the candy factory.   You can't go wrong with chocolate!

THIS IS SOOOO FUNNY

If you have kids and take them grocery shopping with you - you HAVE to read this - it is SOO funny.  It is an ebay listing from a woman with 6 kids- she is trying to get rid of a pack of Pokemon cards that her kids, unknowing to her, put in the buggy while shopping.  I found this link while reading Holly Furtick's blog - it's a great laugh until you think about the next time you have to take your kids to the grocery store with you!

Diet Coke and Mentos

Check out this video
I know this trick has been around for awhile but this was our first time trying it. I am holding the camera and had to quickly stick it under my shirt to keep from getting "coked" - thanks Josh.

Recovering

We are recovering from our High School Musical 2 Party. Last night we had about 25 6-10 year olds over for pizza and the debut of the Disney movie. My kids are HUGE fans of the first movie and have been really excited about the new one. I can't really give a good review of the movie because I didn't get a chance to really watch the movie but from what I saw it had good music and dancing like the first High School Musical. I can give you a review of the party. Lots of squeels and giggles and dancing so I guess that's 2 thumbs up!! It was crazy but a blessing to have a house full of kids and enjoy this stage in our life.

My first blogging drought

I have not had time to post in several days. I have been busy getting school supplies, trying to get things caught up around the house and taking a couple of pool trips. Gotta cram in that last little bit of summer. I hate to see summer go. It is by far my favorite season. I love the smell of sunscreen, making sno-cones, and going to the beach. So I guess there will be plenty of time for blog posting when the wind is blowing snow against the windows...for now I'll keep enjoying my summer. Anyone want a coconut sno-cone?

Bye Diego Bye

I haven't gotten around to getting rid of the Diego toys yet - gotta break the news to Drew today
Here is a funny post by Holly Furtick that lists the website you need to go to see if your toys are recalled.

soccer tryouts

I am planning to take Emma and Luke to soccer evaluations this morning. They played upward soccer last year and loved it. It's a good program sponsored by Skyview Baptist Church. Kids ages 5 through 6th grade can play. Here are sign up times if you are interested

Today (Saturday August 11th) from 9am-2pm
Thurday August 16th from 4:30 to 8pm

Evaluations are at the field at the Southwestern Virginia Training Center
Cost is $48 and includes a really nice jersey
email me if you need more info

Can't catch up

Do you ever feel like you just can't get caught up! I have laundry to be done, a 2 car garage that can only fit one car, a car that needs cleaning out, books and school supplies that need organizing and the list goes on. On the other side I have 3 kids who are healthy, a husband that I got to go on a date with this week, 3 kids that got to play in the water hose with friends, go to the pool and enjoy their summer. I guess if you put that all into perspective a little disorganiztion and piled up laundry really aren't a big deal. As moms we put too much pressure on ourselves to have the perfect house, perfect kids, etc. and even though I know that is a trap - I still fall into frome time to time. Sometimes it just seems like there are not enough hours in the day. I am planning for this week to be a week to get caught up and ready to start school - hopefully starting today. But if I don't get my to do list accomplished I hope I can look back at the end of the week and reflect on what is really important

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Mike
Happy Birthday to you

sweaty eyeballs

If you live in the south east you know it has been a warm few days. We had been outside a few days ago and Drew said "Mine eyeballs is sweaty" That's pretty hot when your eyeballs sweat.
I LOVE hot weather. I love summer and I hate winter so today has been exactly what I like. We did get a little sticky and drained doing the kids camp at the Fiddler's Convention today and I have to admit the air conditioning at home felt pretty good. One thing I do love about living in the mountains is that when it is really hot during the day it almost always cools down at night. It's still a little muggy out but comfortable. Our VBS for the fiddle kids is going really well. Shout out to Hannah and Brittany for doing such an awesome job with the music! We only have a handful of kids but it is great to see churches pull together and minister to the families and kids that are visiting our town.

Fiddle Time in Galax

It's fiddle time again. Every year Galax explodes into a town 5 times it's size when the Galax Fiddler's Convention rolls around. It is a Blue Grass and Old Time Music Festival sponosored by the Galax Moose Lodge. This is the 72nd year. It's a time for people who are serious about blue grass music to get together and stay up until the wee hours of the morning playing and competing. It's a time for people who enjoy the music and incredible talent of these musicians to walk around and hear some good music. It's also a time to hang out with friends and catch up with some old ones. The last is my favorite. It's fun to see people that I haven't seen in a few years and catch up as well as hang out with our friends. We took the kids down last night for the kids competition to let them get a taste of the Fiddler's Convention and we had a good time. My friend Stephanie and her 4 girls went with us and we had fun chasing our 7 (her 4 and my 3)kids (all age 8 and under) around and watching them eat melting icecream in the humid night air. Her oldest girls stayed over for the night and camped out in the living room. Being a kids is so much fun. They snuggled up in sleeping bags and giggled until their little eyes couldn't stay open any longer. Those were the good ol days. Here is the official website of the Galax Fiddler's Convention.

A date

Last night I had a date with my husband! I will admit I have read almost every book out there about marriage and know that keeping a regular date night is important but . . . we don't do it. Not every week or even every month like we are "supposed" to anyway, but we do try to be aware of when we need some time to just be together no cell phones, no kids, no distractions. We had had a long complicated week and it was nice to get a break. My mom and dad kept the kids (thanks papa and nini) and we went to see The Bourne Ultimatum. It was a great movie. We both loved the first two and this one was just as good and action packed with car chase scenes that make you dizzy. I am not a chick flick girl. I really like action movies with lots of twists and turns and complicated plots. I can't tell you the last time I saw a "girly" movie - I just don't get into them. I guess I don't need fantasy romance when I have the real thing!! So we may not keep up the regular date night every week but we do take time for each other every day and keep our marriage a top priority. Sometimes that gets hard when everything is fighting for your time.

Last swim meet

Emma and Luke swam in their last swim meet this year today for the Conference meet in Elkin, NC. It was really hot today and we were outside in the sun from 8:30 until about 1pm today. It would have felt good to jump in the pool with them. Drew got really hot and cranky so he and I left for an hour or so and road around to cool off. They had a great time swimming this year and have shown lots of improvement. Here are a few pics.

A day with Emma

Emma and I had a great day on Friday. For mother's day she got me a certificate for her and me to go to Spaladida for a mom and daughter day. We had a great time just talking on the drive down and we ate lunch at Cold Stone Creamery. Nothing like ice cream to start off our day!! We went over the the mall to do a little shopping - OK actually we did a lot of shopping. It was tax free weekend so we had to take advantage of that!! We got some really good deals and lots of fall clothes for her and the boys. I hardly ever buy anything unless it is on a big sale and there were plenty of sales. We probably did the biggest bargin shopping at Old Navy - we had the stuff it in the bag and save 20% deal - so we stuffed the bag full! After our shopping we went to the spa. It was alot of fun. We got manicures, pedicures, hair and makeup. I skipped the makeup but had my hair put in a twist. Emma got sparkle blue nails, purple toenails with little jewels, a cute little updo with pink glitter and eyeshadow, sparkle lips and little cloud stickers beside her eyes. She was adorable and smiled the whole time (except when they used the file on her nails - she hates that) I recommend it for any mom/daughter outing or it is a great place for birthday parties for "tweens". I can't believe I have a "tween" already. Emma will be 9 in about a month and I am still in shock sometimes when I look at her and think "where is my baby". She is a wonderful little girl and I am very blessed to be her mom. I tell my kids all the time that I am so glad that God let me be their mom. I don't deserve them. Here are a few pics of our evening. It will be one I will never forget and I hope she doesn't either. I would like to freeze her but I am learning there is something special about every age and when you finally figure out your parenting for one phase they move on to another and you have to start all over again! It's an adventure. I love being a mom.

People actually read my blog

Mike set me up with a site meter and now I can see if anyone is actually reading my blog! And they have! So - hope you enjoy. I have really loved blogging and I love reading other peoples blogs. Let me know if you have a blog too and I will check it out.

I have a headache

I just noticed that this is a funny title to follow my last post! I really do - I don't know if it is the heat - it's been hot today or the cold we are all getting over or the really loud Star Wars movie playing in my living room. Luke's friend Jordan is here and they love Star Wars. Mike enjoys the chance to crank up the surround sound for the boys. I guess it's pretty cool if you are a 7 year old boy - but it gives this old mama a headache! Here is the recipe for the cookies I have in the oven now.

Choc-oat chip cookies

1 3/4 cup of all purpose flour
1tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups oats (quick or regualr)
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans are great)

Preheat oven to 375
Combine flour and baking soda in a small bowl
Beat brown sugar, butter and white sugar until creamy
Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla
Gradually add flour
Stir in oats, choc chips and nuts
Drop by rounded spoonful on ungreased cookie sheet
Bake 'em until they are like you like 'em - I like mine gooey -but the oatmeal is good baked a little longer until it gets crunchy - at least that's what I say when I forget and bake them too long because I am blogging!
Enjoy

Having sex with the pastor

Hey - I bet that got your attention - (whoa - I hope my mom isn't reading this -I really hope Mike's mom isn't reading this.) When I was thinking of a blog name I jokingly told Mike this is what I was going to name it! Watch this video by Mark Driscoll, pastor at Mars Hill in Seattle, directed to pastor's wives - every pastor's wife or friend of a pastor's wife or just anyone who cares about their pastor's wife should watch it. Mark Driscoll is a very gifted speaker and I really enjoy listening to him. The main point of the whole video (it's about 9 minutes long) is that there are people that have expectations for the pastor's wife to sing, play piano, lead the children's ministry, take meals to sick people, lead the women's ministry, etc but God's main calling on her is to take care of her husband (the pastor) and their family. Lots of people in the church can lead the children's ministry or sing but only one person can be the pastor's wife.

My iPOD

Just finished 30 minutes on the Nautilus Elliptical and love my iPOD. I honestly don't know how in the world people worked out without it. Here is what is on my workout playlist right now

Daughtry
Decemberadio
David Crowder
Toby Mac
Kutless

pastor's wife

Here is an article I ran across tonight - I haven't looked at any of the links yet so I don't know anything about them - good or bad. I just thought it was interesting that TIME would do an article on it. I haven't been a pastor's wife long enough to be that disenchanted with it but I still thought the job description was funny. It shows the stereo types that pastor's wives face - although I think those are changing - at least I hope so because I can't do any of that stuff!

http://time-blog.com/work_in_progress/2007/03/think_your_job_is_tough_try_be.html

more pics

Since I put a picture of me on here I thought I better put one of the rest of the family. Here are my beautiful babies and Mike at a youth event last summer. I just grabbed the first pics I found so I will get some better ones later. My kids are yelling for me to come tuck them in - this blogging thing is addictive.

a picture

My friend Boni checked out my blog for the first time and said I needed a picture so she found one she had of me holding Ava (her little girl) and photoshopped (is that a word) it. I think it looks cool so here it is. I have always wondered what I looked like in a painting.

Saving a baby bird

Last night after dinner the kids and I were sitting outside on our front porch and I decided to water my hanging baskets. They were looking a little pitiful after a week of neglect because of our week long Summer Blockbuster. There has been a birds nest in one of the baskets for about a month. As I watered it 2 birds flew out and almost took Luke's head with them. I guess the sight of my big red water spout scared them. We heard a little chirpy noise close by and began to look around. I saw a bird in the bush just below the basket. Emma began walking over to the bird and reached her hand out and touched it! We were amazed that it didn't fly away. As I looked more closely we realized it was a baby bird from the nest above and it couldn't fly. After looking at it for several minutes and trying to decide what to do, Emma was determined to pick it up - she tried but as it squirmed she dropped it down the the ground and I picked it up and carried it back to it's nest to join it's brother or sister. We stayed on the porch for a little while waiting to see what would happen. I told the kids to go in and watch out the window as the mom came back. We had only been in for a few minutes when we saw 2 birds come back ( the mom and dad I assume). They did the funniest dances of hopping in and out of the nest and chirpping. They were talking to each other and trying to make sure the nest was safe. They all finally settled into the hanging basket and we went on with our evening. I have wondered since then - why the parents flee and leave their babies when danger is close. Why don't they stay and fight -or at least take the babies with them. The last thing I would do if I sensed danger in my home is bolt and leave my kids behind. I am sure that the birds were keeping an eye on the nest from a distance because they came back as soon as the danger was gone. I am sure in the animal world there is a reason for the mom's leaving the babies behind. I am glad we could help the baby bird and see the little bird family safely back together. I wonder if that mama bird knew that her "enemy" turned out to be a friend that put her little one back in it's nest?

Saturday Swimming

I woke up around 3am with a really yucky sick feeling - don't know if it was the hotdog at Bible school or the grilled Oreo's - thanks Faith for the new trend. Joey the master griller could flip Oreo's like nobody's business! Anyway - I was up for a while so Mike let me sleep in this morning and got Emma and Luke off to their last home swim meet. He's such an awesome husband - he even found Luke's swim trunks that had been missing since the last meet. I got up when Drew did and he and I headed to the pool so Mike could study for preaching tomorrow. Emma swam an awesome freestyle for the relay team - her coach told her it was the best she had done all season - she was beaming! Luke did a great job on his 50meter freestyle - only the second time he has swam a 50 at a meet - getting faster every time. One more swim next weekend in Elkin for the Conference Meet.
Can't believe summer is almost at an end. I feel like it has flown by. Not at all ready to start school again but I guess it's about that time. I better start ordering some material. If you are interested in homeschool sights check these out -rainbow and sonlight and for math and for handwriting. I will blog about homeschooling soon. I might include a few things I shared with my friend Diana - an avid homeschooler about why I don't intend to homeschool for much longer. My school age kids are entering 3rd and 2nd grade and I have loved having them at home but . . .. I will save all that for later. If you are wanting to read blog posts by a hardcore homeschooler you might want to pick another one to read.

A little bit slower day

Today has not been as much of a whirlwind as the past few. I actually got to sit down and read to the kids. We started the book Chocolate Fever. It's a fun summer read. I remember my 3rd grade teacher reading it to our class. I read the first 4 chapters and then had to go make lunch so Emma finished reading 2 more chapters to Luke. Gotta go by the big Walmart and get a few more things for the last night of our Jungle Jaunt. It's been an awsome week but an exhausting one. More about it later. Gotta jaunt . ..

If I had a blog . ..

I have been putting off starting this whole bogging thing because I have never been able to think of a name. Not to mention that I am like all other moms- very busy and knew that blogging would be fun and would eat of some of the time that I feel like I don't have anyway. Well, I gave in and took the plunge into the blogging world. Mike has been blogging for a while so the pressure has been on for me to get with it. I finally picked the name ( I know it's not real original) because for the last few months I have been saying "If I had a blog" I would write about that! So now I do have a blog it's just going to be a matter of finding time to write. Hope you enjoy reading as much as I will enjoy writing.