Snow Day!!!

Hot cocoa, sleds, mittens, rain boots, smiles on faces, red noses, kid's squeals, quiet streets....

It's a SNOW DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First one we've had in years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Friday...

For those of you who are having a blast today...yea for you.

Me???

Well, I just spent 3 hours at the dentist. Nope...not having major surgery done. Not even minor surgery. Just a cleaning.

Well; just a cleaning on the world's worst set of teeth let's say.

Special thanks to my parents who handed down these lovely genetics.

Yup; this tooth is falling apart...that tooth has a strange discoloration...the one over there is causing the other one to break...

I don't really know. It got to a point where I just asked them how much rent would be if I just moved in.

I can now say that I know the dentist staff better than I'd ever hoped to and I haven't even had the work done yet.

Nope...all I did today was leave with a list of how much I'll have to mortgage the house for in order to fix my teeth.

Dentures are certainly being considered.

Oh, but the up-side...

I did get a nice yellow toothbrush!

Oh yes and, my three year old son was with me the entire time! Yup...he was getting his teeth cleaned also! Too bad his appointment just took the normal 30 minutes while mine stretched to 3 hours. Nothing like having a 3 year old climbing on the chair while you're having plaque scraped away!

A highlight was when said 3-year old discovered that if he pushed the little button with his foot, the water squirter would squirt me right in the face. And of course, what better time to squirt a mommy in the face than when she has a pair of hands holding a sharp instrument and a sucky machine sticking out of her head....it's great trying to discipline under those conditions!

But here's the best part...I now need to get off the computer because I can't be late for my next appointment.

Yup...heading to the gynecologist...

Be still my soul...my life is much too exciting!

At least I'm not taking my 3 year old to that appointment!

Happy Friday!

A Good Laugh...

I have not laughed this hard in a LONG time:)!

These are actual quotes from church bulletins:

> Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM
> in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the
> King.
> ---------------------------------------------
>
> Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid
> of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your
> husbands.
> ----------------------------------------- ------
>
> The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled
> due to a conflict.
> -----------------------------------------------
>
> Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile
> at someone who is hard to love. Say 'Hell' to someone who
> doesn't care much about you.
> ------------------------------------------------
>
> Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
> ---------------------------------------- --------
>
For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a
> nursery down stairs.
> ------------------------------------------------
>
> Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all
> the help they can get.
> ---------------------------------------------- --
>
> The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the
> choir will sing: 'Break Forth Into Joy.'
> ------------------------------------------------
>
> Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in
> the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
> ------------------------------------------------
>
> At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What
> Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice.
> ------------------------------------------------
>
> Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition
> of several new members and to the deterioration of some older
> ones.
> ------------------------------------------------
>
> Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be
> recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
> ------------------------------------------------
>
> Please place your donation in the envelope along with the
> deceased person you want remembered.
> ------------------------------------------------
>
> The church will host an evening of fine dining, super
> entertainment and gracious hostility.
> ------------------------------------------------
>
> Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to
> follow.
> ------------------------------------------------
>
> Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All
> ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.
> S. is done.
> ------------------------------------------------
>
> The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation
> would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast
> next Sunday.
> ------------------------------------------------
>
> The Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM.
> Please use the back door.
> ------------------------------------------------
>
> The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in
> the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited
> to attend this tragedy.
> ------------------------------------------------
>
> Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian
> Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
> ------------------------------------------------
>
> The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing
> campaign slogan last Sunday: 'I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours

And This Is What Happens....

Oh, how I wish more of you out there in my cyberspacey world were commenters!:)

I am in awe. How do you do it?

When I took on this job I knew that life would be different.

Some things will have to take a back seat.

The house has a few more dust bunnies and the dinners might not be as gourmet (which really stinks because when you're starting out with Mac n cheese as your gourmet meal, there's not too much farther to fall).

Nevertheless, it's been an interesting week.

I realized the depth of the change when I walked into the kitchen this morning and saw the laundry.

GULP...

I had already done 2 loads. This is what I will spend the remainder of the day doing.

I guess this is one of those things that I will have to keep from falling too far back on the burner.

I wish I secretly had a passion for folding laundry...Oh Lord, make it my spiritual gift!

Right now let me just get it off my chest so I can move on with life....Here goes....

I HATEEEEEEEEEEEE LAUNDRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can't we just walk around everyday in stinky clothes!!!

Bon Bons...

Here are my bon bons...

Here am I...

I used to joke with Donn that all I did was sit home and eat bon bons all day. Totally a joke..I'm not much for bon bons. Swiss cake rolls, maybe...bon bons; not so much.

Either way, life has certainly seemed too busy for any bon bons lately.

I am completely enjoying my new job but definitely exhausted by the end of the day. I imagine it will take another week or so before it all starts to run smoothly and begins to feel like the new "norm".

Maybe then I'll get some bon bon time (and hopefully a deep thought or two).

Happy Monday!

Working Moms

Let me just start by saying that being a mom is hard...being a working mom...hmm.

Today was my first day of work. I woke up even earlier than normal...made school lunches, jumped in the shower, rifled through my closet trying to find my "fancy pants", dressed a three year old, made some coffee, dried my hair, fed a one year old, woke up a 7 year old, practiced spelling words (not for me), tried to find a shirt that didn't have snot on the shoulder....

And the list goes on.

I got home a bit ago and now I have a few things to catch up on for the consulting work I do for the adoption agency.

And yet; I am smiling...this past week has been incredible as I've watched God pull together his plan for our family. I am thrilled for my kids to wake up from their naps and for Ayden to get off the bus...

Hugs all around. :) We made it through day one!

Studly Hubbies and Studlier Fathers...

A huge part of me feels like I'm walking around Nottingham with Robin Hood beside me.

Stick with me here...

You see, I'm walking between the trees where it is cool and dark and the path is windy then out from behind a bush an arrow comes shooting my way.

As a matter of fact, the last few days I have felt like I am ducking from various arrows that dart across my path.

I'll admit, I'm pretty tired of it.

It's not easy to feel like every night ends with a recap of what's broken, what's not been accomplished and what the checkbook is looking like. However, I must admit that God has shown through bright and clear every single time.

Last night I quickly wrote the post regarding our computer crash and I proceeded to sit and shed a few tears beside my Studly Father (you see, I refer to my studly hubbie all the time...I figure if my hubbie is studly than God must be a studly guy too).

Anyway, the point is that God is very real and saw that I needed to feel taken care of. He calmed my spirit and then He sent my Studly Hubbie to sweep in and come up with a solution.

"Ironically" I had completely forgotten about the old computer that we had sitting in a closet for Ayden to play games on.

In true RobinHood fashion (minus the green tights), my studly hubbie stayed up late into the night hooking up the ancient computer and getting it working well enough to be used for my new job.

I can't begin to describe to you how awesome God is...there's no doubt in my mind that God knew exactly how to steer my husband to best help me through my tears. Sure, it was just a computer; but as we all know, it wasn't really ever about the computer. It was about the attack. It was about a lot of life's arrows coming in at the same time and overwhelming me.

I am SO grateful that my Father knows exactly what I need in every moment.

Today it is still dark and cloudy outside and truthfully it's still been a day of trials, but the one thing that I have certainly seen is God's light shining in through the clouds. He's always there...He's never been farther than my heart.

More Cuddling...

It's too late and I'm too tired to say much, but shortly after writing the last post, my computer was hit with a virus and has been ruined.

I'm a mixture of anger and tears at this point but the simple fact remains that I know God is in control and like my last post said, I will now go try to cuddle up in His arms.

I'm borrowing my friend's computer just to let you know that I haven't gone on vacation again....well, not on purpose this time.

If the Lord leads you to pray for us we sure would appreciate it..oh, and don't bother emailing I guess...just call:)

Israelite...

Why do I do this?

Why do I lose faith so easily?

Why do I let my fears take route and my attitude become sour?

UGGH!! I hate it!

Today's a grumpy day.

It's rainy and dark today; maybe that's part of the problem.

More than anything it just seems to be one of those days when Satan is attacking.

Attacking with fears of finances, fears of future, fears of all kinds.

If there's one thing I've realized it's that I am so much like an Israelite.

I remember years ago studying the journey of the Israelites out of Egypt. Right before their eyes God is doing all these amazing miracles: parting seas, winning wars, the list is a mile long.

But what did they do?

They lived for about a day with the glorious feeling that God was in control

AND THEN THEY CRASHED!!!

"Where is God?" "Why has He left us to die out here!" "It would have been better to stay in Egypt!"

When I read those stories on days when my world is all happy and sunshiny I tend to think judgementally about the Israelites.

What idiots!! Didn't they just see what God had done?

What I tend to forget is that a lot of life happened between the lines of those pages. Spouses had fights, kids rebelled, stomachs grew hungry.

Over the years I've realized that I am no different than the Israelites. I can go from praising God for His provision and goodness to screaming at the top of my lungs wondering where He's gone?

I'm not proud of myself any more than the Israelites were proud of themselves, but I am smart enough to know that when these times hit it is God that I need to curl up next to.

And so, today I'm curling up...fuzzy blanket, warm cup of coffee and sitting in the arms of my Father.

And do you know what?

I know He'll be right there...right where He was all along.

Addendum: During the time it took me to write this post, my phone rang twice.

First it was someone offering me a job that will fit perfectly into my schedule as needed for our kids and will also provide the finances we need to get us through this time.

Secondly it was my husband letting me know that we have now raised enough money for 1 plane ticket to Liberia for our missions trip in March.

Hmm..."Ironic" isn't it? The two very things that were concerning me most and weighing down my heart. If I start to see the Red Sea parting I'll be certain to let you know...the fact is, it is raining pretty hard today and the little drainage stream in my back yard is gushing...I'll keep you posted. :)

PRAISE GOD! He's always there...even when I'm so far away!:)

Normalcy

Welcome Back!!

I feel like I've lived in a cave for 2 weeks! Sure, I've posted tid-bits here and there but let me just say that when I go on vacation...I VACATE!

Granted, I was not actually "away" the entire time but in my mind I was on vacation.

No work to be done.

Kids all home.

No biblestudies or Mom's groups or youth group...

My mind was blank (no wise-cracks now!)

If you want to know the truth, I LOVED IT!!!

I think there were some days that went by when I never even turned on my computer!

Granted, my list is 4,003 pages long today since I left the planet for a while, but oh well....

you should see the post-it notes all over my house now!

"Make doctor appointment"

"Send out this form"

I even made a reminder to get Ayden on the bus this morning...one can never be too careful ya'll!

I will admit, I am somewhat glad to be back to normal life.

We had an amazing vacation in Florida for Christmas (well, minus the simple fact that we all ended up with the stomach bug). There's just nothing like a house of 15 people puking in two bathrooms! Yea, that was fun!

But, nevertheless our Christmas and our New Years back here with friends were amazing times.

However, after a few weeks of such carefree living I'll admit that my type A personality kicks in and I start to feel like it will be nice to have a schedule again.

And so, here I sit saying WELCOME BACK! Welcome back to dumb stories, even dumber thoughts and Lord knows what else comes through on these bloggy pages!!

I can't wait to catch up!