Projects

Summer Projects
Less than a short, quick month left until the kiddos are back in full swing at school. Seeing how I'll be gone from them for one more week come July 23, I'm desperately trying to stuff as much fun into two weeks as I can. Just waiting for hubby's paycheck to deposit and then we're off to spend some of it. Botanical Gardens, IMAX at the Space Center, Children's Museum, painting these humongous rocks we have around our pool, picnicking with music during Concerts in the Park, hiking Monte Sano and maybe checking out the planetarium. I'm also secretly desparate to get us into the geocaching craze. I have a nutty friend here who takes her girls out every weekend for hide and seek geocaching. It's really cool. Of course, I'd probably get us lost whereas, she being a NASA engineer, knows how to use those dang GPS things. Last, I'd especially like for us to go visit Birmingham for the day and see all the Martin Luther King sites, if we can swing it; it's only about 1 1/2 drive. Tomorrow, is FREE kid's movie day--yeah! We'll have to sneak in our own popcorn and dollar candy but they let you bring in your own drinks. Cannot wait!

Home Projects (sorry this is a really long run-on paragraph)
We have been in our house for a wicked-quick year, come October, and we still have our office files laying in semi-stacked piles on the floor. Our "office" is in an extremely wide hallway that connects one side of the house to the other, more to the point, the family room to the "formal" rooms (living and dining). The area used to be an entryway from the former garage, into the house that also included a back porch, storage area and we think, laundry room. Yeah, it's pretty good size. The "office" is visible from about every room but, most importantly, the front door. All the piles of office files on the floor are in view of anyone who happens upon our doorstep-- friends and burglars, the UPS guy, Saturday-morning Jehovah's witnesses, even the curious, little chipmunk that lives right outside the door. Needless to say, the look is getting a little old, makes me itchy to start organizing and puts me in a testy mood most days. We've (I) decided to go for an office area with file cabinets that look more like traditional furniture than cubicle crap. Know what I mean? Why fix up the rest of the house only to leave big, metal cabinets in full view of every room, lookin' like the Fifth Precinct? Problem is, we cannot afford the traditional furniture look. Okay, we could save for awhile to buy something and we have...but, we always seem to find something else more exciting we'd rather do with the money. Like....Atlanta Getaway or 15th Anniversary Honeymoon on the Beach Without Kids, heck, even a quick dash to Chattanooga for Sticky Fingers. You know, memory-maker moments. I don't know, maybe we're foolish; maybe we're immature; maybe we're impulsive. We like to have fun and not take life too seriously. Our kids will only be here so long and, right now, we're trying to make memories for them and probably make up a little since we've moved them from friends and family twice in the last three years. We're in a great place now (knock on wood) that looks like a keeper and we're crossin' our fingers real tight. After all the kids leave home, we can buy some nice furniture, pick all our files up off the floor and start to care what other people think about our office space. LOL. Funny how blogging brings you to your senses. Cabinets...what was I thinking?!?

Project One Buck
One of my far-away coffee buddies who is now also my blogging mentor, Tammi, recently blogged about a group in Michigan that she and her hubby used to hang with in college. Check it out, it's a pure and simple project.

Blogging Project
As is a common occurrence with me, I've been blessed with another "project" on my heart and I'm praying and working through some thoughts so as not to have to eat too big of a shoe. Hopefully, I will quickly work through everything and still feel the need to blog about it, since I've now mentioned it. Sometimes, I work through a burden and then He takes it away. The burdens are questions, really; questions I have about the rightness, wrongness and often presumptuously assinine assumptions we have in our heads about church, believers and Christ. These questions are a result of my past relationships with the church, my current relationship with the church and what I see as the future church, which has alot of purging and growing and changing to do. See, I almost gave it away prematurely and surely would have had to eat a size 11.

I read too much. Then my brain starts buzzing and the buzzing gets on the Lord's nerves I think. So he takes the buzzing and forms it into a burden and then lays it on my heart. At that point, it can remain a burden or become an opportunity, all dependent upon how much prayin' I do and how badly I'm lookin' for His answer, not mine. Sometimes, the burdenous opportunity shouts in my heart to become public on my blog and other times, it quietly becomes knowledge I've gained to be shared from my heart, individually, when the time is right. How do I know when to share? Usually, the subject of the knowledge I've struggled to gain, becomes a common theme, over and over again, in many conversations I'll be privy to--whether written, verbalized or blogged.

Often after this happens, I question myself...did my questions come to mind because I've been reading and hearing the same theme over and over or did I start noticing the theme because I've searched for and was given the knowledge my burden relentlessly tore at me to find? It's the chicken and the egg. I never really know the answer, once all is said and done, but I'm always amazed at how small He can make the world by plucking all our heartstrings at the same time.

Wow, I think I'm bloggin' over my own head! Sometimes, I just type what's being telegraphed in my head and then when I'm done, I realize I don't remember any of what I just blogged. Definitely, the Spirit moving. Always, always gets me excited and makes me smile real big when I know I've been moved by THE Spirit. What an awesome gift. Sorry if I'm gettin' too heavy for some of you more controlled believers...however, might try steppin' out of your comfort zone; might find you like it and it's VERY freeing.

Have movies to watch, of course. We're a movie family!

Blog to ya' in a couple, k?

Back Porch Thoughts

It's been pretty quiet around here...actually, ominously quiet. No bickering, whining or pool splashing. We haven't had to fill the water level in the pool for several days. Gerald had to remember to put the trashcan out last night for garbage pickup and I haven't had to run but one load full of dishes through the dishwasher. I sort of feel lost; it's eery.

Scooter's acting weird; he misses the kids. He lays around and every once in a while, he'll get up, walk around, whine and then lay back down. He's gonna' gain ten pounds while they're gone. It's really pathetic.

Porter Five, if your reading this, I miss you deeply and love you sooo much. Hope you're having fun with Papa and Memaw...oh yeah, and beehive--:0)

Mom, if you're reading this, I'm thinking of you. Sorry about all the laundry and dishes. Kiss the kids for me and have fun.

I'm sure the kids don't miss home yet. Papa and Memaw had infinite plans to keep busy...swimming, waterpark, museums, Fritz's at Crown Center (read this too). The boys will probably go get rootbeer floats with Papa and then go ride go-karts and play video games. They'll play endless games of backyard baseball and catch fireflies, which are as numerous in Kansas City as they are in short supply here. They'll stop just long enough to watch the fireworks at the end of each game, if the Royals are playing in-town. The girls will, undoubtedly, go shopping with Memaw for a new outfit and some makeup or jewelry. Definitely shoes. Then the girls will go dancing with both their Great-Grandmas and out to eat at a fancy cafe and possibly a movie. Uncle Den will probably stop by with his "big 'ol tow truck" to give Drew and Zac a zip around the block and then wear himself out playing tag. Then to Uncle Mark and Aunt Shellie's new getaway house at The Lake of the Ozarks to swim, tube and fish. Last but not least, our family's ritual is not to be forgotten--bowling. We almost always go bowling when there is "two or more gathered together," to quote the Bible. That's not blasphemy, is it?!? I can taste the Spaghetti Red that Great Grandma Ellen will whip up for them on Thursday night, her specialty. Mmmm.

Enough reminiscing. Have to move on.

I'm enjoying spending time alone w/the love of my life, my soulmate, one of the pieces of my life puzzle, a skip of my heartbeat, a verse in my lifesong, a person the Lord above formed especially for me. Can you tell I'm still head-over-heels? Doesn't hurt that we've been alone together for a few days now. Brings back all those fresh, young-love feelings. Makes you *feel* young again, as well. It's been...refreshing.

*********

Drinking coffee this morning on the already warm (97 degree high today) back porch with Gerald, I scanned the Huntsville Times (you can access it on the left side) and two articles stuck out.

One was about people losing weight and keeping it off. It stated that one of the biggest factors in helping most of the people in the survey keep the weight off: spending less than two hours everday watching TV or on the computer. Nice. We don't watch much TV but there are days, especially in the winter months, that I definitely spend more than two hours on the computer.

I have personally found, and read, that for SAHM's, computer communication is an important "must have" in their social life. For women who spend most of their days couped inside the house doing the same thing over and over and over, day after day, it's not always easy, nor practical, for them to go out with friends for some downtime. I find this especially true for women whose hubbies work in any field "in the ministry". So, are we willing to have a slightly more "cushy" tushy in order to have a little sanity? Maybe. I think a woman who has friends, albeit cyber, is a more content woman; a more content woman is more likely to see herself in a better light and more likely to take better care of herself, including her weight/fitness level. The moral of this paragragh? I'm not sure I totally agree with the study--there are always varying factors to consider within any study and I think this is one factor that should be considered and studied, as well.

The second article that caught my eye:

Free summer movies for kids. Apparently, here in the valley, every Tuesday and Wednesday until school starts again, kids can view select, previously run children's movies for NO CHARGE. This makes me miss my kids even more--cannot wait until they return home. We LOVE movies.

Summer is so much more fleeting than it was when I was a kid. Isn't that weird for a mom to say? I know, I'm weird--I enjoy having my children at home with me. I think I look forward to days off school much more than they do. So, why don't we homeschool? Easy answer. Been there, tried it, no good at it. Plus, my kids are VERY SOCIAL; it would just kill them to not be able to interact with friends everyday. I'm chopped liver in comparison--why would any kid want to learn anything from chopped liver?

My tushy being cushy enough, I'm headed out the door to Kohl's 50% off towel sale. The towels we have, we received at our wedding 15 years ago (tomorrow) and they are finally wearing thin and turning back into thread. It's really hard to dry off with thread. :0)

Have a great day! Hug your kids today, in honor of my void. Thanks.

Information

Write this phone number down and don't lose it.

It's a free information number.

And, no, it's not too good to be true; it works--I used it today.

The only drawback and the "catch" to the "free," is that there is an advertisement you have to listen to before you can get the number you need. The advertisement is only about ten seconds long but if you're in a hurry, maybe paying $43 to get a computer-generated voice and/or a rude telephone company employee to get you a telephone number, is worth the big bucks.

It, of course, works for cell calls, as well. Duh, that was a stupid statement.

800-373-3411

Important Information

DID YOU KNOW THAT RECENT STUDIES INDICATE THAT 7 OUT OF 5 PEOPLE ARE NEARLY ILLITERATE WHEN IT COMES TO MATH?

I PERSONALLY THINK THAT THERE ARE SOME PROBLEMS WITH THAT STATEMENT.

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Nyquil Utopia

So, a week ago Wednesday, a lovely lady I consider to be one of my best friends in all the world, on top of, being the lovely lady that introduced me to all sorts of naughty things in life, like coffee, took her three girls and left our lives once again.

My coffee buddy was gone.

My house was still and quiet.

(My kids were outside).

I felt exhausted...my neck was sore, my joints were sore, I certainly had overdone the visit.

And the coffee. I was visiting the loo in record numbers.

Went to bed early and woke the next morning feeling much the same.

Except I was stuffy, my head hurt, and my stomach felt like two aliens were inside cage fighting for some title.

Yep, I definitely was coming down with something.

I spent almost the whole day in bed, in fearful anticipation of being sick while driving five kids, two hours to Nashville for a non-stop, full-weekend Wedding Event, of which we were a part--no hooky allowed. Told the kids to watch movies, fix PBJ for lunch, don't answer the phone or door, stay inside and not to even think about whining to me about some petty argument. Basically, the "if you're not bleeding, don't bother me" speech. I woke for about two hours in the evening to pickup tents made from blankets, vacuum the floors, do a load of laundry, shoosh the kids off to bed and write a blog while waiting for said laundry. Then I zonked, again.

Friday dawned very bright and extremely early but I felt quite better and uncharacteristically energized, probably brought about by the adrenaline rush my body was experiencing from having to wake the kids for showers and teeth brushin' (no b. o. allowed during travel), load the dishwasher, feed the dog, pack bags, fill the tank with gas, supply the troops with snacks and drinks, remember the items Gerald had forgotten to pack earlier in the week, download and print directions, not forget any of the wedding items and be headed out the door by 10 a.m., bound for Music City, USA.

The trip went smooth, not even one bathroom break was requested. We didn't even have a TV for entertainment this time. The only glitch was taking the wrong exit in route to pickup Gerald downtown. He'd been at a convention in Nashville since Wednesday and it ended at noon so we swung by to pick him up, go eat lunch and then check into our hotel.

We won't discuss the hotel, except to say it was not satisfactory. It wasn't nasty, just not worth what we paid, compared to our Atlanta hotel. Since we were only staying one night and I was totally beat up from my head cold, I let it slide.

So, I was feeling totally beat after the rehearsal and was craving Nyquil and sleep like some kind of confused crackhead. I couldn't find my way to the Nyquil aisle at Walgreens fast enough and, back at the hotel, I sacrificed brushing my teeth so I could get into bed first and let Gerald deal with the kids.

Again, dawn very bright and extremely early. But, alas, it was not early. It was 10 a.m.! We'd missed the "fabulous, free" breakfast buffet and we all had to get ready including ironing stuff, wrap the gift, pack up all our stuff, eat lunch and be at the church ready for pics at 12:30.

We made it with ten minutes to spare, after having had a really good, sit-down Mexican lunch.

Yeah, we're THAT good.

The wedding was my type of wedding...short and to the point, with a really awesome kiss at the end, to seal the whole deal; it was so short, in fact, Zac had only enough time to complain once--something akin to, " Ugh, I thought you said there was going to be cake!?!"

I was still groggy but feeling better--no more aching. Twenty minute drive to the reception, ate some finger food and YUM-O cake, grabbed a coke, bottle of water, five kids and said our goodbyes.

Friday night, we had given the kids a whirlwind tour of bumpin' Downtown Nashville--eaten at one of our favorites--Spaghetti Factory! While waiting for a table, we'd walked past the famous Wildhorse Saloon while they were doin' a boot-scootin' boogie on the bar, left a few of our bucks at a tourist trap, tried to convince the beggars we had NO CASH (we honestly did not), unsuccessfully dodged smokers lined up outside the bars like birds on a wire (which is interesting b/c Nashville is still a smoking town) and stopped to listen to really good country karaoke outside yet another honky-tonk in Downtown Nashville on a Friday night. I think everyone in that town sings. Did I mention the $12 we had to pay to park?!?

All in all, it was another interesting entry into the kids' childhood memory banks. I'm surprised I remember any of it.

Back in Huntsville, the rest of the week was touch-and-go. One day I went and helped paint classrooms at school, the next day, I was down all day totally exhausted. I didn't even have any desire to Blog. Highly unusual. I had no desire to clean or do laundry either. NOT highly unusual :0)

TODAY, I'm finally feeling totally back to myself and I'm blogging.

I fell off the face of planet earth and found some groggy, Nyquil-induced utopia where there are no kids, dark chocolate grows on trees, white bread doesn't make you fat, dogs don't have bad breath and their matted fur eventually turns into money, young hotties massage your feet, offer you really awesome coffee drinks and don't call you, "Mam".

I'm not sure the phrase, "it's good to be back" would be appropriate. I'll just go with, it's real to be back in reality.

See why it took so long for me to blog?

The kids are leaving tomorrow to stay with Papa and Memaw in Kansas City for two whole weeks. Our fifteenth wedding anniversary falls during this time and we're gonna' try to get out of town between Gerald's meetings and painting bedrooms. If we can't, I'll just go visit Walgreens for more Nyquil and another installment of, "Would You Like A Massage With That Drink?"

Did you hear that?...dirty laundry and closets that need purging are calling my name.

Yep, just keepin' it real.