Merry Christmas to all

No, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, but I have been celebrating this season of Christ's birth. It's amazing what I can get done when I don't blog!

Our family has enjoyed several Christmas Parties and Christmas Musical Celebrations. My daughter is now playing the Clarinet in the band (she gave up the viola for the clarinet) and she is suprisingly good at playing the clarinet (much better than the viola, ouch, I can testify to that, if your reading this honey, I'm just kidding you were ok at the viola, you're just better at the clarinet). So far, she has managed to stay in the first chair spot and I don't have to remind her to practice (which is a big improvement over last years episodes of "Nagging Mother knows Best")

While I lectured her on signing up for two many activities, she managed to wrangle a speaking part in our church's yearly Christmas Pageant. The show was great and she did a good job.

I am now ready to sit around with family, sip hot cocoa, play silly board games, look at christmas lights, and share the season with friends and family. I pray that you are having a Merry Christmas as well!

Master of One

The last game of the Volleyball season is over, and basketball starts next week (swim team goes on year round mind you). I love that the kids enjoy sports, and music, and scouts, but I'm ready to have them settle down and specialize in something. As a parent we want to give them every opportunity to explore their talents, and discover their strengths, whether it is in sports, music, academics, or other service type activities. I believe that is why we as parents have trouble saying "no more", but that is exactly why we should say "no more", because if we continually open doors, the opportunities available are more numerous than the time we have to try them all. All those choices seem to muddle the decision making process when it comes down to figuring out what activities my child needs to be involved in, and which need to go by the wayside.

I once had someone tell me they were the Jack-of-all-trades, but Master of none. And now I know what that means. A person can be stretched to thin, you can be involved in a lot of things, but not really good at any of them. If you want to be really good at something you have to figure out what your gift is and concentrate in that area. Only then can you master what you set out to accomplish and be the very best at it.

Thankful for Family

It's nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of our everyday life. We headed out to the old home place, my grandparents farm, 60+ acres of woods and meadow, 5 miles from nowhere, and an hour from any major after Thanksgiving shopping sales. My grandparents are not with us anymore, but we still have the farm. Being there reminds me of all the fun I had with them as a child; exploring the woods, running through the fields, gathering hen eggs, picking tomatoes, getting chased by Brahma Bulls, and fishing in the pond. I hope your Thanksgiving was like ours, filled with family fun.

Smells Like Christmas

Every year about this time, typically the day after Thanksgiving, I clear out a spot in our front room to set up the Christmas Tree, we use and artificial tree, the others make me sneeze. I try to do an extra good job of dusting and rearranging so that we have plenty of room for the tree, presents and Christmas decorations that find their way from the attic into the house. I also take this time to toss the old scented plug-ins and replace with my favorite Apple Cinnamon or similar Christmasy smells. When I did this last year, "the inventor" walked into the house after I had transformed the front room, saw the Christmas tree up, took a deep breath and said "Ah, Christmas air". I didn't tell him that it wasn't the artificial tree that he was smelling, but the wall plug-ins that I had just replaced. Why burst his bubble.

By far the most fun I have about this time of year is baking cookies. One of our favorite family traditions is baking and eating cookies while we put the ornaments on the tree. I do like Thanksgiving, but for me it is just the first celebration of the Christmas season. It's the warm up band for the main concert. When the last dish of the Thanksgiving meal has been washed and dried, I'm ready to break out the Christmas CD's, warm up the oven, and mix up a batch of cookies. Here's a great place to find those recipes that you can't seem to locate in your recipe box.

Mrs. Claus' Cookbook

The Fall Garden

Every time I work in the yard or the garden, I can't help but have scripture pop into my head. I realize that when Jesus spoke to his disciples in parables he used stories that related to their lives so that it would help them remember the lesson he was teaching them. So it is with me, I go to pull up weeds and Matthew 13:30 comes to mind. I gather tomatoes or squash from the garden and John 15:7-9 echos in my head.

I promise, I do not have a green thumb, but this year I have had the best garden and I have no explanation other than God saw fit to send the rain. I am terrible about watering regularly, and I haven't put in a drip system because I don't really have enough square footage for the garden to merit that kind of attention. This year we did have a lot of rain and I am still reaping the fruit of the harvest. My tomato plants are so loaded with tomatoes that the tomato cages that I set up to support the plants are groaning under the weight.

This summer the hubs, the kids and I enjoyed, corn, canelope, squash, bell peppers, jalepeno peppers, tomatoes and peanuts (they're still drying). It really has been an unbelieveably good gardening year, and I can't take credit for the bounty that we have harvested. What is most surprising is that I'll probably pick three dozen tomatoes off these vines within the week, thanks to 80 degree temps for the past few days which will continue on until Wednesday. It was so warm yesterday that my oldest put on his swim suit and hopped into the pool. I admit, its a little too chilly for my liking, but the kids aren't as particular when it comes to water temperature as I tend to be.

Even the rose bushes are still working overtime, which reminds me that I need to prune them back. I usually forget and they get all gangly and ugly looking by spring, and by then I hate to cut them back because they've already started flowering.

Thank you God for a wonderful summer garden and the extra fall fruit!

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

Our Week in Pictures

Prayers and Petitions

Have you ever had one of those light bulb moments? It's a feeling that washes over you, and out of the blue you finally have that moment of clarity and understanding. When I was in college, I often went to bed late at night after a grueling day of working homework problems for some of my math and engineering classes. There were always a few problems that I couldn't quite finish. Many times, I would wrestle with that problem in my dreams and wake up the next morning able to sit down with a pencil and paper and scribble down the solutions to complicated equations that I had solved in my dreams. I attributed that to divine intervention. I figured God was being merciful to me, because he knew I was in over my head.

Yesterday, I had a similar light bulb experience, thankfully not about math problems. I was listening to a woman I know talk about prayer. She made the point that prayer's purpose was not for me to change God's will about what ever was concerning me, but for God to change me so that I could follow his will for my life. "Hello!" I know probably all ya'll mature christians already knew that, and if I thought about it long enough I would have agreed as well. But honestly, I don't think I really have thought, I mean really analyzed my prayers. God's probably rolled his eyes at me on multiple occasions as I posted my "wish list" up to him..."and I'd like this and I'd like that"...instead of praying how I ought to pray, with praise and thankfulness while I petition him for his help.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

Now that I've got that off my chest, I'll just fess up, that I also don't like it when God says "No". Have you ever had that happen to you? Well it's not fun, and when things don't go my way, I'm sure that I haven't acted like a happy camper. Thankfully, I haven't been struck by lightning for throwing a tantrum when God says "no". He is so patient and kind, much more so than I am with my children, but I'd hate to press him on an issue, just in case, remember Korah in the OT, Numbers 16. (shiver).

Retro Giveaway

It seems that retro sells, have you seen the Flintstones in the insurance commercial? I loved the Flintstones when I was a kid and that commercial does what it was designed to do, catch my attention when it pops up on the TV. Now what I'd really like to see is a commercial where Gilligan is selling beach front property.

Maybe this is just me, but I like to buy toys for my kids and things for the house that remind me of my childhood. Retro things spark those nostalgic memories of growing up in the 60's and 70's, where things were made well and held up for 20 years. Not like our current DVD player which is broken right now and is made so cheaply that it's not worth it to get it fixed, but cheaper to just replace it; which we have already done multiple times. In my mind, the stuff of today is disposable, and the toys I had as a kid were built well and timeless. That's why I got so excited when I saw that 5 Minutes for Mom was having a Retro Giveaway . What I'd like to win is this Crosley Traveler Stack-o-Matic record player! It looks exactly like one I used to play with as a kid, except I think I had colored all over mine. If you'd like to check out this giveaway and put your name in for the drawing, head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom. You might also want to check out their store Pedal Cars and Retro Collectibles. The winner will be drawn on Friday November 30th, just in time for Christmas.

Monday Monday

I can remember when I did not like Mondays. Monday morning always came to soon, and I was dead tired from a busy weekend when the morning alarm pulled me out of a deep sleep. If I had rested or played all weekend I would probably have not had such an aversion to Mondays, but because I worked all week, my weekend consisted of all the stuff that stay-at-home moms take care of during their week; going to the grocery store, shopping for kids clothes, replacing things that break around the house, paying bills, not to mention the standard housework, yard work and other non-fun stuff. I didn't have that free time to regroup and reorganize myself or the kids, so when Mondays came I was wishing for an extra night of sleep.

I can remember slapping around on the night stand in a half awake stupor, trying to quiet the buzz buzz buzz that interrupted my drowsy world. When I'd finally opened my eyes enough to see that I was running late, the adrenaline rush would catapult me from my cozy cocoon and get me up and running in a frantic rush to do everything that I should have taken care of the night before but didn't have the energy (like lay out my clothes and the kids clothes and pack the diaper bag for daycare).

I'd feed and dress the toddler and the baby, take them to daycare, peel them off of me and head for work. Of course, no morning is complete without that dose of Mommy guilt that comes with leaving my children at daycare. It begins with the babies crying Moooomeeee" and holding their chubby little arms out as I drive away, which I would think about over and over, all day, until it distracted me so that I'd have to call the daycare to make sure that everyone was still alive. I'd work all day, watching the clock slowly wind it's way towards quitting time. The moment the clock struck 5 I was outta there, heading for the daycare to gather up my little chicks to take them home, play with them, feed them, bathe them and put their sweet little chubby cheeks to bed, only to do it all over again the next day.

It was an exhausting time that taught me to trust in God and that he would provide all we would need, even if I could not imagine how he would do so. This is my verse, the one that I held on to during that time:

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future...Jeremiah 29:11

I am happy to report, I no longer have to take the kids to daycare. My oldest, the one with Down Syndrome, (he was 4 at the time) bit a daycare worker in the stomach and got kicked out! So I quit my job. That was ten years ago and I am still at home, and I don't mind getting up on Mondays.

Bloggers Block

When I typed out my first little blog entry earlier this year, I wasn't sure that I would be able to think of anything else to write after that first day. I had Bloggers Block. I didn't really have much to say, and in fact, I never was able to keep up a diary, as a child. So as you can imagine, this blogging thing looked a little daunting, but I wanted to give it a try. What I soon came to realize, and what all of you probably already knew, is that blogging is not at all like writing in a diary. Bloggers get comments and Bloggers give comments, and that interaction with other people can be tons of fun! Plus, I don't have to get all dressed up and go into the office to interact with smart people. I can just blog along writing nice things, and you'd never know that I was sitting here in my fuzzy rabbit slippers, with my hair in a ponytail on the top of my head, wearing my glasses on the end of my nose, while sipping on a diet coke and eating a Hershey's chocolate bar (the diet coke cancels out the chocolate bar calories, you know that don't you). That's what makes this bloggy world so much fun.

It's even more exciting when you receive an award:

I am one of the recipients of the Blog Friend Forever (BFF), awarded by Hol&J, and I am honored to be the recipient of such a great award. Thanks!

Wisdom In A Pan of Biscuits

My grandfather lived more than 80 years in a tiny Oklahoma farm community. His formal education stopped at the 8th grade, but I thought he was the smartest man around. He was a tomato farmer during the depression. He was a husband and father to three girls. My grandparents eloped when they were teenagers, because my grandmother's Papa didn't think that my grandfather would be able to support his daughter. He would tell my my Grandmother, "he ain't no count". I understood what that meant when I learned how to play 42. Fortunately for all of us, they enjoyed a long and happy marriage, I was a teenager when they celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary, and they went on to have many more anniversaries.

By today's standards, he would be considered a progressive man. He used to brag to the grand kids that he could cook breakfast better that my grandmother. He said that by the time she got the biscuits cooked, her eggs had gotten cold. And if she cooked the biscuits first, then they'd have cold biscuits when the eggs got done. He would tell us, "I can take 'em all up at once, Granny can't do that!". Meaning not only could he cook the biscuits, eggs, and bacon, but he could time it so that they'd all be done at the exact same instant and he'd put them all on the table at the same time. Surprisingly, he could do that, and my grandmother would just laugh and let him do all the cooking when we were visiting. Now who's the smart one there?

I remember one morning he pulled the biscuits out and they were flat instead of fluffy. I said, "grandpa, what happened to those biscuits?", and he said, "they got cooked in the squat". "What do you mean?", I asked. "Well", he said, "they squatted to rise and got cooked in the squat. That happens to people sometimes too". He went on to explain that sometimes people get all ready to do something great, and something happens that discourages them, or causes them to doubt. So instead of doing that "great thing", they quit. Just like those biscuits, they get cooked in the squat, about to rise to the occasion, only to fall instead.

So on those days when things don't go as I had planned, and my enthusiasm gets squashed, my kids are less that helpful, and I can't find any clean socks in the laundry, I think about my grandfather. I think about how difficult his life was compared to mine. I remember his wisdom and his love for his family and I am glad that he warned me about getting cooked in the squat.

It Was Just Right

We had the best weather for our Girl Scout camp out, not to hot, not to cold, it was just right. And I felt like little Red Riding hood, traipsing through the woods, but instead of looking out for the big bad wolf, I was dodging spiders and poison ivy.

We did archery, games and a ropes course.

The Girls

By that evening everyone was beat. We finished up our day with skits around the campfire, and peach cobbler baked on the coals. Yum.

A perfect end to a perfect day.

And so I wish you all a happy day!

Let's do the Twist

Halloween is not my favorite holiday, but it marks the beginning of the march towards my favorite holiday; Christmas! Halloween is fun for the kids. We've already started our pre-Halloween activities such as pumpkin carving, and I've made a couple of costumes this year. The inventor choose Link, the guy from the video games. My daughter choose to be the Ice Princess, the wicked lady from Narnia. I did not make the ice princess costume, however I did make her a poodle skirt for a 50's dance that about 100 kids from her grade (that would be just about everyone) attended. There's a local dance instructor in town that teaches ballroom dancing to kids and she is enrolled in that class, and yes they have to dance with the boys. It's done really well, the kids switch partners every 3-4 minutes so that a girl will dance with every boy in the room by the end of the class. They also teach manners; thank goodness. The boys and girls are given etiquette lessons, how to introduce themselves and others, how to behave at the punch table, the boys have to bring the girls the refreshments, open doors and escort the girls out of the room after class. They are taught how to accept a dance and how to cut in on someone. It's a lot of fun to watch (there's a window into the dance studio that parents like me peek in on the class, and I duck every time my daughter looks to see if I'm watching). There's also a dress code for class, the boys have to wear dress pants, shirt and tie and the girls have to wear dresses. After the 50's dance class, about half of the kids and parents went to a local favorite pizza place. This is a great group of kids and parents, and we are lucky to have such a fun, safe introduction to preteen socializing.

Remember Headless Barbie

I've often heard that in order for a person to overcome a problem they first have to acknowledge that they have a problem. They have to own it, before they can fix it. So I would like to confess that I am a pack rat. Not only am I a pack rat, but my daughter has picked up on my pack rattishness and she too has become a pack rat. I have to admit that I have trouble throwing away something that I think is perfectly good, because I fear that one day I'll wish I hadn't thrown it away. I know logically that I could run right out and buy something if I needed it, but I can't help thinking, why buy it again if I have it now and can store it for some undetermined amount of time, that doesn't seem like such a long time, especially if I could possibly need it in the future. Right? So that leads me to tell you the story of "Headless Barbie"...

I can't remember exactly when "Headless Barbie" lost her head. I remember it was awhile ago, OK, several years ago, and there were lots of tears and glue. I can't even remember which brother pulled her head off, but my daughter was very sad that Barbies' head could not be successfully glued back on. My daughter absolutely refused to throw "Headless Barbie" away, so she lived among the other Barbies, in the Barbie Box in my daughters room. This Barbie Box contained more Barbies that I care to count, along with all of the different Barbie clothes and accessories. What's a Barbie with out her clothes and accessories?

As you can imagine, "Headless Barbie" did not get invited to participate in any more pageants or fashion shows. She lived a quiet and isolated existence in the Barbie Box, virtually untouched for years. Luckily, her fellow Barbies accepted her and loved her unconditionally, and overlooked her most obvious beauty flaw. Had my daughter not been a pack rat, "Headless Barbie" would have been history. But as fate would have it, "Headless Barbie" was one day called into service, thus making every pack rat's dream come true, the ability to produce something out of the closet that should have been thrown away years ago!

You see, my youngest son had to enter a pumpkin carving contest and he wanted to create a Carnivorous (Girl Scout eating) Pumpkin. Thus the need for a sacrificial Barbie. When my daughter heard of his plan she jumped to her pack rat little feet, and said "I have just the person for your project!", wouldn't you know, she dug out "Headless Barbie" who hadn't seen the light of day in years, and she offered "Headless Barbie" to her little brother, to use in his Pumpkin Contest. I could tell she had that thrill of digging out something she had saved, and finally putting it to good use, and doing that had made her little heart go pitter patter. It's the sign of a happy pack rat.

So, after all those years in the Barbie Box, "Headless Barbie" finally had a purpose. She did a good job as "Headless Barbie" in the Carnivorous Pumpkin, and she and my youngest son won first place in the Funniest Pumpkin Category.

It just goes to show you, that old saying "haste makes waste" could possibly be true, and the next time I'm cleaning out my closet I won't be so hasty in tossing out my old junk, because I'll remember "Headless Barbie"!

Please don't pet the pumpkin

A chill is in the air, at least in the mornings and it dosen't hit 80 until noon, so it must be fall. Time for pumpkin carving, and stocking up on our favorite Halloween candy. Tonight was the Cub Scout pumpking carving contest and I present to you the 1st place winner in the "Funniest Pumpkin" Category... The Carnivorous Girl Scout eating Pumpkin.

Ladies and Gentlemen please do not pet the pumpkin.

The State of the Fair

I love looking at scrapbooks, because each page holds so many memories. I haven't scrap booked my pictures in a long time, but for awhile I was pretty good at keeping up with it all. I don't know about you, but I re-live the moments when I look at pictures I have taken of our family. I think that's what appeals to me about Blogging, it's a little like an online scrapbook. As I finished downloading my State Fair pictures, I had to laugh, because looking over the pictures made me remember the day...

Here we are in front of "Jack's French Fries" one of our favorite haunts

The State Fair is an annual event for our entire family, and has been for many years. My Dad (now 76) used to tout the fact that he hadn't missed a State Fair since he was in 4th grade (because of health reasons, he missed for the first time last year).

We usually start at one end of the Midway, ride a few rides, and eat our way towards the exhibit halls, craft tent and finally the car show.

Every year they have the "new" food...this years new food was fried coke. I didn't try it, I stuck to the old favorites. The kids on the other hand, had a bit of almost everything, candy apples, corn on a stick, cotton candy, Fletcher's Corney Dogs (of course), French Fries, Hot Dogs, Grilled Cheese, Nachos, Chocolate dipped cheesecake on a stick, chocolate milk, you name it someone in the group had it. It wasn't long before the heat and the smells got to "the inventor". I have to admit he is prone to this type of behavior. We were leaving the food court when he announced the he needed to go to the bathroom real bad.

This is "the inventor" with a mouth full of cotton candy, just minutes before his "I need to go to the bathroom real bad" announcement.

I am apparently incredibly dense about these subtle hints of impending doom, because I turned around to him and said that classic mom statement, "why didn't you go before, when everyone else went?", and with out another word, everything he had eaten came up and out. Well we couldn't have been in a worse place, right in the middle of a crowd of people in a food court trying to buy their lunch, while my child was in the process of loosing his lunch. I'm sure sales plummeted at the Gyro stand, which we were standing in front of, when this calamity broke forth. He had that wild eyed look on his face, like there was more where that came from. So, I hurried him outside to finish up, and he did.

This is "the inventor" about 5 minutes later( notice the new shirt, moms think of everything)

As you can see within moments he was back to his usual self, and having fun, but sadly no more snacks for this boy, or for the rest of us for that matter, we were all sufficiently "grossed out". Except for that one little tiny, itsy bitsy incident, all went well at the Fair and I look forward to next year.

The Thrill Of It All

At the request of my daughter, and against my better judgement, my mom, my sister and I took all the cousins to the State Fair on the hottest day imaginable. Not only was it hot, but The Jonas brothers were performing a free concert out on the Main Stage and it was crowded. Crowded actually doesn't even begin to describe the claustrophobic atmosphere. I've never, in person, seen so many tween aged little girls swooning over a teen idol. It was a throw back to the Elvis or Beatles early days where girls would line up screaming and jumping up and down with excitement and with the anticipation of seeing someone up close and personal, that they had previously only seen taped up to the walls of their room.

The heat was so bad that before the concert, the concert organizers were out on the stage telling the girls to hold up their hands if they felt dizzy or felt that they needed medical assistance. Then they proceeded to spray down the crown with fire hoses, which 30 years ago I would have thought that was great fun, but not anymore, so we kept our distance. Luckily, I had been to my share of out door concerts as a teen, and had come prepared with lots of water, sunscreen and snacks. My sister and I also didn't let the girls out into the wild crowd until the very last minute. The mistake outdoor concert goers make, is they cue up early to get a good spot, then they end up waiting a long time for the concert to begin, all the while getting sunburned, hungry and dehydrated. What the newbie little girl concert goers don't know, is that if you travel light, you can shimmy your way to the very front at the last minute. So my sister and I filled the girls up with a good lunch and lots of water, and sent them packing with extra waters and a cell phone, to brave the little girl crowd of concert goers. As I expected, the two of them worked their way through the crowd and ended up front and center with a great view. My sister, my mom and I and the boys then sat at the back in the shade, sipping lemonade and eating popcorn in our portable soccer chairs that we had brought with us. It was great. They got to get up close so they could sing along, yell and scream, and we got to sit in the shade and relax. Sometimes it's good to be old.

Peace

A lot of people have weighed in on the war that we are in the midst of. Even as I sit here typing in the morning hours of the day, in the comfort of my own air conditioned home stocked full of clothes, food and plans for friends and fellowship in the next few hours, I realize that it is almost 9pm in Afghanistan. It's hot, humid, dusty and dangerous. I have just finished IM'ing my nephew who has sent these pictures home. He is stationed in Afghanistan. The people there cannot move about freely, with out fear of harm. The majority of the inhabitants of that land do not recognize Jesus and his saving grace, and they have been thrown headlong in to a battle for their land, between the Taliban/Al Quaida and it's bondage and US, who we perceive as being the good guys. It's hard to keep that perception of being the good guys, when we do bad things (I'm thinking of the horrible prison incident in Iraq). I wonder often if the people of Afghanistan and Iraq know that the average American on the street really does not wish bad things for their country and their people. The average American, I believe, just wants to live in peace. So we send our family and friends to war, to hopefully help the people of Afghanistan and Iraq. We are at war to protect our own safety, as well as the hope of helping people we do not know or understand, but we wish for them to live as freely and comfortably as we do, and we hope that they will come to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

We should all take inventory of the comforts around us and then give thanks for all that God has given us. Pray for the safety of all those who have gone to war for our country, that they will make us proud and that God will protect them and bring them home soon.

More Free Stuff!

I found this out from my good friend Rachael Ray, I say she's my good friend, because I invite her into my house at 9am every weekday after the kids have gone to school...Anyway, there is a company that has been running a nationwide wireless phone safety program, by giving away free cell phone headsets to promote safe driving. Here's the link:

Drive Safe!

I love freebies

I love to win drawings and get freebies, there's something really thrilling about getting something for free. I was surfing today and found Free Coffee...

so I thought I'd share it with you.

Spoiled Bumble Bee

Those of us with children can relate to this familiar tune.

Hi Ho Hi Ho it's off to work we go

We spent our Saturday washing cars. It was a fund raiser, a family event with moms, dads, brothers and sisters. My daughter and her Girl Scout Troop were raising money to fund their service projects. The girls really did a good job washing cars and it was almost a party atmosphere as the girls soaped up cars and sang along with the radio to the tunes of "High School Musical". I could tell as the day wore on, they became less enthusiastic about soaping up the cars and more involved in soaking each other and everyone around them. The grown ups went home with sore muscles and sun burns, but the girls seem full of energy, probably from the gallons of soda and dozens of donuts they had consumed. When we got home, my daughter bounced in the door of the house and said, "That was sooo much fun, when can we do it again!?!". "Hopefully never", I thought to myself, feeling like Grumpy from the 7 dwarfs, I guess I'm officially old.

Total Momsense

It's true kids, Mom's really do know everything.

Good Books and Disgusting Cookies

Have you ever felt like things were careening out of control? Maybe you're like me, I've got too many irons on the fire. That's when I know it's time to sit down with a book and read, ignoring all that swirls around me. I can pick up a good book and hours will fly by. Before I know it, either schools out and I'm late to pick up the kids, or I've burned the dinner, so I've learned to put a timer near by. I definitely don't have ADD, because I can become so absorbed in what I'm doing, especially reading, that I am hopelessly unaware of my surroundings. I don't usually read fiction, but recently I have picked up a few good Christian Fiction books that have gotten me totally hooked on the stuff. Here are my Highly Recommend Christian Fictions each one is the first book in a series:

Redemption (The Redemption Series #1) by Gary Smalley and Karen Kingsbury

Fame (The Firstborn Series book #1) by Karen Kingsbury

Sunrise (The Sunrise Series book#1) by Karen Kingsbury

I recommend reading each series, I've read them all and have thoroughly enjoyed each one.

On another note, I went to my child's school to eat lunch with him today and a friend of his, sitting nearby, decided to tear into his dessert first (wouldn't you if your mom wasn't around). He eagerly picked up his baggy of cookies and began to inspect a particularly delicious looking one. After a few seconds of cookie inspection he burst out in disgust, "Is that a raisin!". He must have felt like his mother had played a trick on him, trying to pass off a yucky raisin cookie for what he though was a delicious chocolate chip cookie. I actually thought the raisin cookie looked lip smackin' good, but that little boy just cast it aside. It got me to thinking about my own contentment with what God has given me. How many times have I casually cast aside his blessings, by not being thankful for what I've been given. Have I forgotten to be thankful for the many irons I do have in the fire, or for that matter, that I have a fire!

Inquiring Minds want to know

The first half of this tale, was my previous post about the Molar Mystery. I did sneak into his room with my flashlight to try to see if he had lost a baby tooth (molar). I thought he was completely asleep, he doesn't fake snoring. So I whipped out my flashlight and went to work prying open his mouth so that I could peer inside. Wouldn't you know, he started to stir and roll around, fighting me off in his sleep. I gave up, not wanting to risk waking him up. I'm such a coward. I started having flashbacks of when he was a baby. The one thing that strikes fear in the heart of a tired mother is the alert and wakeful look on her infants face right after a 2:00 am feeding. Those of you who are mothers, know what I'm talking about don't you. Little Juniors ready to get up for the day and play at 2:00 am and mom's so tired she can't see straight. Scary. So I left my child's Molar Mystery for another day. The next morning he would only let me get the tooth brush in his mouth, but wouldn't open it any further. Now I suspect he's hiding something, maybe a tender spot where a tooth used to be?

Molar Mystery

My oldest came home today with someone else's ice pack, and a tooth in his lunch box. I didn't know that he had a loose tooth, he never mentioned it. Not that he would... mind you, he dosen't chat alot. But then again, most kids with Down Syndrome & Autism don't have normal chatty conversations, especially in Junior High. So I held out the tooth, and I said to him "Is this your tooth?", and he said "tooth". I know, not alot of information, but that's how it is...usually one or two words and he finished with his part of the discussion. So of course I did what any mother would do, I said "open your mouth, let me see if this is your tooth?", and he then gave me an emphatic "NO!" and he was off. End of conversation, he would have none of my prying into his business, or his mouth. I began to suspect that it could be somebody elses tooth, so I dropped it and quickly washed my hands. It's one thing to hold your own kids tooth in the palm of your hand, and quite another to hold a strangers tooth. After closer inspection of the tooth, it appeared that it was not brushed regularly and I know that I've been overseeing the brushing of my little darlings teeth and they are pearly white, so I am beginning to suspect that this indeed is someone elses tooth. It would have been really nice if the teacher had sent me a note home saying "Junior lost his tooth today at lunch and we put it in his lunch box", but that would have been too easy. My plan of action now, is to sneak into his room tonight after he is sound asleep, pry open his mouth and shine my halogen flashlight down his little throat so that I can count his teeth and look for the proof that this is or is not his tooth. Wish me luck and tune in tomorrow to find out the answer to this riveting mystery! Good night.

It's nice when people think your nice

I'm nice too! Thanks Hol&J

for the really nice "Nice Award" I am honored and will continue to try to be nice. This is my very first online award and I am speechless.

Salvation

I saw this video on God Tube and thought it was really fantastic

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