Eight is Great

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Originally uploaded by blondie478.

Tommy -

Today you are eight. You woke up bright and sunny this morning and announced to the still half-slumbering household that today was your birthday. How excited you are to finally be eight.

You are sunny ad happy most of th time. You are quick to laugh and smile. Though you ar not a fan of helping as much as you once did, you still, once convinced to do a chore you do it well.

You are happiest when we are all together as a family. Wether we are watching TV or playing a game or doing chores you like it when we are all safe at home.

Happy BIrthday may you live to be another year older and happier . You are our sunshine boy!

Musical Me

Favorite Song From Childhood: "It's Not Easy Being Green"

Favorite High School Dance Song: "Wake Me UP Before You Go Go" By Wham, and "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Senior Class Song: "Never say Goodbye - we wanted "Friends in Low Places" but it was "too risque".

Song That Makes You Think of College: "Friends in Low Places" and "Love shack" by the B52's "Prop Me Up Beside the Juke Box (When I Die)" (I went to college in Texas)

Favorite Rock & Roll Song: "Dr. Feelgood"

Favorite Disco Song: I don't DO disco

Favorite Country Western Song: anything by Randy Travis

Favorite Pop Song: As a child of the 70'80's this is hard. but I guess it's Walking on Sunshine - it just makes me HAPPY!

Favorite All Time Love Song: Love Lift Us Up - Richard Gere in Navy Whites - need I say more?

Favorite Break Up Song: "Here's a Quarter Call Someone Who cares"

Favorite Slow Dance Song: "Forever Young" by Rod Stewart

Song That Always Makes You Cry: "Go Rest High On that Mountain"

Songs About Your Kid/s:For Charles - "Tall Tall Trees" by Allan Jackson. For Tommy "You'll Be in MY Heart" by Phill Collins and "Sweet child of Mine" for Joey

Song That Reminds You Of Your Husband: "Everything I Do" and Two of A Kind"

Favorite Christmas Song: “Mary Did You Know?”

Favorite Gospel/Praise Song: "Down to the River"

Favorite Ringtone on Cellphone:Right now it Double Bubble from Hary Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"

The post office delivers more than mail

Me: Joey where did you get your pretty blonde hair?

Joey: From Mommy.

Me: Joey where did you get your pretty blue eyes?

Joey: Mommy

Me: Joey where did you get your big boy feet

Joey: Daddy

Me: Joey how did you get to be so so tall?

Joey: Because Daddy is

Me: Where did you get your big dimples?

Joey: From the mailman.

Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.

This was my favorite line - today any way

Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.

For me it is so easy to let all the "I have to's" and "need to's" get to me that sometimes I forget to stop, take a breath and look around me at the simple beautiful things. I was reminded of the simplicity of things today when Joey and I took a walk to the play area in our neighborhood. He was walking in front of me, dancing with his shadow, bending and swaying to meet the light. He was laughing and swirling and running. Simply enjoying the day that God made for us. When we got to the park he took off his shoes (he's so my son) and let the warm shredded tires slide between his toes and he ran to the swings. He threw his body into the swing spread his arms and FLEW.

For a minute I watched him and laughed as he giggled with delight. I took of my sandals and let the mulch warm my feet then I grabbed the swing beside him and soared - forgetting about the program book I am working on, the bills that need to be mailed, the housework and "what's for dinner "(In this house DINNER is a bug deal LOL). For a few minutes I let the wind blow through my hair. For a few minutes I flew. For a few minutes I simply took the time to stop and breathe in te beauty of God's perfect day.

So today, I am inspired by my three year old son. I am inspired by the beauty of God's day. I am inspired by the blue sky and the bird's nest, high a top a newly budding tree, we saw on our walk home and the dandeliions that have popped up in my yard. This afternoon Weed B Gone will inspire me as I battle the dandelions.

The Perfect Lenten Diet

Fast from judging others; feast on the Christ dwelling within them.
Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on the unity of all life.
Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light.
Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.
Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.
Fast from worry; feast on trust.
Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.
Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives.
Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer.
Fast from hostility; feast on nonviolence.
Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.
Fast from discouragement; feast on hope.
Fast from facts that depress; feast on truths that uplift.
Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm.
Fast from suspicion; feast on truth.
Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.
Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence."


Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.

This is my thought for today. I'll be back with thoughts that inspire!

Today Was Made for Walking...

...and walking we did.

Joey and I decided such beautiful sunlight deserved a trip to the park to swing and climb and bask in the not quite spring warmth.

Today is aon of those February days that makes me glad to live in Texas. The sky, a light azure blue with wisps of cotton-white clouds floating across it. The warm breeze breathed freshness and almost spring warmth across our faces as we walked.

Joey loved the chance to be out at the park to run and climb and swing, in his not quite accomplished three but almost four year old way.

He looked longly through the slats in the security fence at the pool and asked when HE could get in and swim. He's as ready for spring as his mother. But, in the next instant he threw his body to the ground and laid in the rubber mulch (it's made of shredded tires and is soft and cushy unlike the wood mulch it replaced) and made a " snow angel'.

We took the long way home. Prolonging our forray into almost spring just a few minutes longer.

It's the Last Day of Fun

Yep. today is Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday. Snrove tuesday. The end of fun for the next 40 days.

It's a big purple gold and Green stop sign telling us to live today for all the fun stops tomorrow.

The good times roll tonight, but tomorrow, we fast.

Tomorrow, we pray.

Tomorrow, we sacrifice.

As a toung catholic girl. Lent was hard. It was all about deprivation. It was all about saying no to chocolate and yes to God. For many years, that was my Lenten story. I gave up chocolate and somehow, on easter Sunday morning - after Mass, in a haze caused only by my bunny's solid chocolate ears, I KNEW the goodness of God. God's love came wrapped in golden foil and was shapped like Peter Cottontail.

As an adult, I find myself questioning this. Is THIS, giving up sweets and choclates, what God and His love is all about. Sacrifice is part of showing my love for Him. But, if I look closely, it's just a small scratch in the surface of Lent.

Lent, I think, is about coming to know and accept the suffering for that Christ did for us, and making it personal for ourselves. This year, I will not be giving up chocolate or sweets. But, instead, I'll be focusing on my intrinsic need to be in control. I'll be working on my ability to "Let go and let God". I like to be in charge and I hate surprises. I like to know the answers. To not be the one in charge scares me. Surprises for me are never fun. I am aconsumate present shaker) I don't want to wait and see what's around the willow bend, I want concrete proof, with illustrations and scale models. I want answers to all my what ifs.

Sitting back and allowing God to pilot me is going to be difficult. But, with God, ALL things are possible.

Mr. Golden Sun, Please Shine Down on Me!

Finally! The sun shines and warm weather is in the air. I know we are not done with winter yet. It will get cold a few more times - like Easter Sunday - where it wiull be rainy and freezing! Or on March 3, when I have 20 kids in my house wanting to fly kite's for Tommy's birthday party!

But, today, it is warm and sunny.

Last week, despite the cold, we;ve had some good things happen.

Charles and his sugar fed yeasts won the science fair. He's going on the the regional science fair in Denton. The school called us last Tuesday telling us he placed. We didn't know what place, be it first, second, or third, but they asked us to have him there for the viewings and the PTA meeting (I HATE PTA) where he'd get his medal.

we didn't tell him he placed. So, when we got to the school gym (It still smells like stinky feet and lunch remains - bleech) he looked through all of his class's projects and couldn't find his. He was shocked to see his project up on the winners table. It was like our own Master Card Commercial.

science fair project bord suppliues $15

Science fair experiment supplies - $30

winning the science fair - priceless!

Housework housework it's always housework

Because I'm procrastinating errrr taking my time with the Mass Book I thought I'd do this


1. Aprons – Y/N?
Nope

2. Baking – Favorite thing to bake:
Bread and anything choclate or pies - I love pie

3. Clothesline – Y/N?
No it's not allowed by our HOA. I miss the smell of fresh clean sheets off the line in summer.

4. Donuts – Have you ever made them?
Nope there are eight doughnut shops in my town - we need more doughnuts like a hole in the stinking head. I am a kolache gal anyway.

5. Every day – One homemaking thing you do every day:
wiping the toilet fixtures and well that's about it unless yelling at the kids to pick up their toys and junk counts as actual work.

6. Freezer – Do you have a separate deep freeze?
No.

7. Garbage Disposal – Y/N?
Definitely. It gets well used.

8. Handbook – What is your favorite homemaking resource?
This is a joke right? who would waste paper on a book about housecleaning?

9. Ironing – Love it or hate it?
That I word is a bad word. I do not do it - hadn't since 1994 -August to be exact. Eric complained about the way I did his shirts so I handed him that heating thing that I won't say and he's done it since (that's my housework tip - if you complain about the job *I* do it becomes yours) Now my refusal to i*&^ is so well known that it would kill my mother if I acually did so why chance it?

10. Junk drawer – Y/N? Where is it?
Yes, the kitchen

11. Kitchen: Design & Decorating?
About ready to be repainted from sunny yellow that doesn't match the living room to a nice almond color with chocolate and red trimmpngs.

12. Love: What is your favorite part of homemaking?
I love nothing about home making - I want a housekeeper. Unless cooking counts I like making a tasty meal. I love the smell of opening the door to something yummy wafting from the kitchen.

13. Mop - Y/N?
Yes.

14. Nylons - Wash by hand or in the washing machine?
It depends

15. Oven - Do you use the window, or open the door to check?
the door , we don't have a window in our crappy oven.

16. Pizza - What do you put on yours?
Mozzerrella, ham, green olives, red pepers and mushrooms.

17. Quiet - What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?
Blog, scrapbook, work on convention stuff

18. Recipe card box - Y/N?
That's what the internet is for.

19. Style of house
just normal suburban brick

20. Tablecloths and napkins - Y/N?
Yes usually paper nakins and a table cloth.

21. Under the kitchen sink - Organized or toxic wasteland?
Minimally organized. Not enough "stuff" to be a wasteland.

22. Vacuum - How many times per week?
Four to five.

23. Wash - How many loads of laundry do you do a week?
too many

24. X's - Do you keep a daily list of things to do and cross them off?
No but I should

25. Yard - Who does what?
I mow, prune, plant and remulch. All he does is whine and weed eat after enough nagging and screaming.

26. Zzz's - What is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed?
making sure lunches are packed and school clothes are ready

LL you are IT!

We've Got a Fast Car and Other Ramblings

Tommy's Cub Scout Pack finally had it's Pinewood Derby race this past Saturday. All three biys made cars to race. We entered one scout car and two outlaws. Tommy's car lost a wheel the first race. It didn't do well at all. Charles' car on the other hadn was a fast fast car. He was second place among the outlaws. The outlaw cars were faster than the scout cars. Joey's car was a middle of the road car.

Then, this week, Charles science fair project was due. After four years of science fair projects, I am still not sure exactly WHAT the purpose of this is. The paper work the school sends home says it teaches the scientific method. whoopdeedoo. That's what science class is for. I think the real purpose of these stupid projects are is to teach kids how long they can procrastimnate before the due date and still get a good grade. The expectations set on these "projects" are almost impossible for a kid to do it on his own. So for the past two weeks we've been working on this stupid project. Last night, it took us three hours to get the board presentable and then, we realized we had two elements in the wrong order. So we (meaning ME) had to peel those little crappy plastic letters off the board, off setting my centering- that we carefully measured.

I remember when I was a kid, yes that far back, project posters were done with crayons and markers, not computer generated graphics and pictures of the project. There's always a little note that says projects don't HAVE to be typed. BUt, any wise parent knows, only those typed projects will take top marks for neatness. This year, Charles is finally old enough to know how to do this on the computer and finally is a fst enough typist that he did most of the work himself but still.

Science fair projects are like classes like trigonometry and calculus. The only time you ever need to know this crap is when you have to help your children with their projects. So children, learn these lessons now. The real reason you have to take classes like calculus and do science fair projects and book reports is so when you have children of your own, you can help them do their homework. I have never had to make a science fair project board for kudos in the adult world.

what the heck?

side yard
Originally uploaded by blondie478.

We get this much snow and there is SCHOOL today. SCHOOL. when two weeks ago, there was just a dusting - big bald patches without snow and there was no school. Charles thought we should alert the Geneva convention. Crimes against eleven year old humanity had been greviously commited because he had to go to school when there was this much SNOW on the ground.

In other news, that stupid ground hog did NOT see his shadow. So that means spring is on the way. Somebody alert channel 8. They are going on and on and on about this weather. (Yeah I know I am too but whiniong is so NOT trhe same thing as continuous droning about how bad the road conditions really are NOT)

Some one also forgot to let God know that it IS February. we are not supposed to get this cold in February. the dadline for icky weather is January 31 in this area - TWO days ago.

what next - SNOW in March? I'll die. I am not giving up ANYTHING this Lenten season. I've done my pennance in January with the cold weather. I've suffered enough. I'll only give up choclate and fat and sugar if the tempratures get above 70 really soon.

When I get old like you

"Mom when I get old like you I am never gonna eat peas"

"Thomas, what do you mean OLD like me? I am only 35."

"Yeah but mom that's so OLD, grandma says you din't even have DVDs when you were a kid."

"No Tommy we didn't. I remember my best friend got one of the first VCR's at her house the year we were 12."

"WOW"

"Yes we spent the entire summer rewinding and watching Simon Le Bon and Duran Duran and their Cinemax special over and over."

"Duran Duran is that OLD?"

"Yes Tommy - Grandma used to bribe me - if I finished all my chores I could watch music videos on MTV."

"MTV played MUSIC? mom you really ARE old"

"Grandma and Grandpa are older than me. Grandpa was 38 when I was born"

"Moooooooooooooooooooom they aren't old they are grandparents.'

The Force Is Strong With This One Obi Wan

and the youngest begins to show signs as early as three.

I am not talking about THE FORCE but the force that pushes all sweet young children to become teenagers and therefore demon spawn. The force I talk about is the ability to not throttle that once sweet toddler and preschooler when he becomes a surly smart mouthed alien called a teenager.

Said surly alien thinks his (or her) parents are stupid, backwards and could never ever have been cool- ever.

Today, while straightening up, I caught glimpse that my now cute sweet son will be a surly obnoxious alien - with possibly two heads.

A CD game fell behind the couch. While I was vacuuming the baseboards, I found the CD. Joey picked it up and saw, from the disc, that it was Star Wars.

Because he is his father's son, Star Wars is only slightly below God and football in importance.

I told him it was a game and we couldn't watch it.

Again, because he's his father's son, he went to the computer and wanted me to put the game in so he could play.said pod race game.

A glance at the label on the CD case said "For Windows" .

I explained to him that we could not play the game because we didn't have windows.

My little pod racer to be looked at me as if I had said the stupidest thing known to man. He furrowed his brow and said " we do have Windows mommy RIGHT there!" as he pointed to the four windows behind me.

His voice already held a a bit of sarcasm and unbelief, the kind his oldest brother has now mastered and uses from occasion.

I explained to him that we did not have Windows on our computer.

He looked at me like I had three heads and tentacles. But put the game away and sighed.

Yes, the force is strong with this one.

MacGyver Would be Proud

Eric left for virginia today. He'll be back on Friday. Of course, that leaves me with Science fair to deal with. Charles has to do the Science Fair as a major part of his science grade. He wanted to do something that could explode.

Me, being a mother, and a girl (read I don't understand the joy men take in blowing things up) we had to reach a compromise (read - charles had to find a NEW , less explosive project) He found a project involving yeast and sugar substitutes.

On my kitchen table, we have set up a CO2 colllection devise using bottles of from water and soda.

There is plastic tubing and silicon. We also spent about $50 on yeast and "borroowed " sugar substitute packets from every resturaunt we ate at in the past month. I think our pictures are on kitchens across the area with the word WANTED; Sugar Substitute BANDITS.

So today, we see which sweetner rises to the occasion.

It Goes On and On My Friends

It has been cold and rainy for eight long days now.

On one hand, we really could use the rain. A 20 month drought put us in Stage Three water rationing. All the rain has made the lake level rise - a lot.

On the other hand, we Texans are not used to cold and wet.

The kids are going a little squirrely. Their mommy, a lot squirrely.

We NEED rsome sun.

The weather manis teasing us, taunting even. Showing us pictures of a big glowing orb of yellow in the sky for tomorrow. For his sake, I hope it does.

My children NEED to be able to play outside. This morning we found them building a cat trap. They have had it with board games, the cajillion cars, Legos and K'Nex we have. They are tired of movies. I can see how the alluer of capturing the cat was alluring. They took some fire wood, a basket, a bowl with catfood and string and set out to capture the cat. She fell for it. They set her free and captured again. I heard here meowing as I came out of the laundry room.

Part of me laughed at their ingenuity the other part of me felt for the cat.

for the sake of the cat, we need SUN.

LoveThursday

I LOVE and I mean am headover heals LOVE that today it is above freezing. My little weather bug on the tool bar on my computer says it's 34. I of course have yet to go outside to try out the warmth because I am of the anything below 65°F is freezing camp but still. it's not freezing.

Is it March yet?

SNOW DAY!

Look at all of our snow
Originally uploaded by blondie478.

It's the storm that never ends.

True to form, we, for the first time in a few years have the true seasons of Texas. Hot, Hotter, Is it still hot, and Jnauary.

This Texas girl is just about ready for January to end. It's STILL friggin cold. I HATE cold. I live in Texas because it is usually not so cold. IF I wanted cold, I'd live someplace up norht like Kansas.

This storm came in friday night and blanketed us with ice by Monday. The weather man said the "math looked like we'd finally break free of the freeze and get to 38° today.

The school closure and dusting of snow that came with THIS batch of ice shows that math sucks.

The weather looks like it's going to be winterish until Monday at the least.

On the good side, this is promising for the bluebonnets in April and God has a great sense of humour - he froze out Rick Perry's innaguration as governor. This shows God is saying WTH? I sent the peopl of Texas Kinky and the still kept Perry. So this ice is retribution.

God Bless Texas, please send April.

Weird Science

it's still cold.

Really really really cold - at least for this Texas gal

I was so not made to do 26°. I swear, one of my stretch marks says do not expose to tempratures lower than 75°F. I am not made for 50°, so anything below freezing slays me.

That being said. I was the lucky designated adult for the "adult supervision required" part of the Pinewood derby car painting process.

This year we did not procrastinate. We will not be painting cars Thursday night praying for the paint to dry before Friday's turn in (too bad I didn't blog last year and y'all could have read about my ill fated lesson in paint drying) We are finishing up the paint jobs today so we can seal them tomorrow so they can dry all day Thursday and Friday.

That being said, I found myself OUTSIDE this morning in 21° weather painting the third coat on said Pinewood Derby cars.

I learned that paint can freeze.

I learned that paint freezes in tuny blobs rather than leaving a fine coating over the car.

I fixed it.

But still.

If it's too cold for paint in a can. It's too cold for me.

The Big Chill Part Three - the math held true

The weather guy was right. We did freezing rain and ice. About an inch of ice covered my driveway and street this morning. My rose bush has icicles. To be sure, this is a not so common sight here. The past few years have been relatively mild compared to what we had this weekend.

I found myself laughing at the various TV news casts. How many ways do they need to say freezing cold weather? One station called it Ice Alert, I guess in an effort to downplay the severity of what we were getting. Another station called it Icy Blast Update. Still another called it Winter Chill Alert. The coverage, of course, was continuous. Do we really need to see each drop of rain as it falls?

This storm, though worse than our December ice storm, was downplayed. It's only January, words like the "biggest storm of the year" and coldest tempratures of the season" cannot be used so early in 2007. The big names like Arctic Blast and Freezing Winter Blast will be held back for us in November or December.

I have also noticed that we don't get up to minute glimpses of our summer heat. TV news crews won't be stationed by the areas hotest bank thermometers, showing the roses wilt and grass turn brown. There will be no Firey Heat Blast or Hellish Heat wave. The weather will be just "hot dry and sunny". In other words, typical summer.

IT's COLD!

According to my computer, we hadn't gotten up above 31° all day.

I stood in line at Kroger this morning for 30 minutes. everyone was stocking up for what is promising to be a cold stretch, like we hadn't seen in a long while.

It took awhile, but I got all of the stuff to make chili. Very spicy chili - no New Mexico for me.

The weather man is predicting accumulations of ice up to 2 inches in my area. That's a lot of ice.

wew're going to hunker down and stay in. where it's warm and ice free.