Clap, Clap!

We're listening to a satellite-type radio through Himself's phone. This means that we can type in an artist or genre, and it will play only that music without commercials. I think the application is called "Pandora."

ANYWAY . . .

We're all cleaning the house (and I'm mucking our our bedroom) so he has it connected through the house speakers. The current selection is Chris Tomlin.

It gets a little awkward when some of his live stuff is playing. There was a song with a girl praying at the beginning of the song, so all of us felt like we had to stop our conversations and not interrupt her. Seriously, we felt rude.

Personally, I don't think anything kills a song faster than making it into a choir arrangement. He went through it a few times, let the choir sing without him, then there was the key change and the Big Finish.

To top it off, he continued making comments and remarks during the applause. We couldn't stop laughing when Glenna put in her casual input.

Chris Tomlin: Amen. Amen Lord. That's it, right there. That's what it's all about.

Glenna: The Hokey Pokey?

This and That

Signs that it's too cold inside the house:

The dogs are huddled together.

My daughters stand close to me while I'm ironing, then place their hands directly on the warmed spot of the shirt.

Kelly has the sunniest room in the house, so she puts on her jacket and sweat pants whenever she has to leave her room and venture into other parts of the house.

I feel like Mr. M, keeping the house at 68. The problem is, if I were to make it warmer downstairs the girls would be roasting upstairs! I can actually feel the temperature drop as I head down the stairs.

I love old houses with poor insulation.


Auto news:

As I picked up Glenna from her volunteer time at the library, I noticed my car was idling roughly, but then fine during acceleration. I tried to keep it moving but of course hit every red light between home and downtown.

Himself came home and called our son. Time to put that TN education to work! He was so helpful with the diagnostics, but now we're at the point of trying to figure out the next steps. I dearly wish he was here.


Travel news:

We leave in ONE WEEK! I can't wait to see Ty and his world. We're taking his brown-eyed girl with us, and she'll fly back to her piano practice the following Monday. I'm making reservations for our room today. Happiness!

Then, more time with BA! We'll arrive at their house on Wednesday. I hope TN decides to warm up just a bit for me. Brrr! I may have to bring the iron and ironing board for warmth. ;-)


That is all.

Wednesday

I have been thoroughly enjoying BA and her family, visiting from Tennessee! It's hard to believe that in two weeks, I will be at THEIR house. Well, after a stop to spend time with this fella, that is.

Wait a Minute . . . Say That Again?

Sunday after church, Glenna came into the kitchen. She was brimming with the excitement of discovery.

Mom! Rachel gave me a Beach Boys song, and I finally heard the words for Little Deuce Coup!

[Cue the flashback music and wavy dream sequence]

We were in our second Florida house and were probably cleaning the house with the music blasting. I started to pay more attention to what my five year old was singing and heard, She's my little loose tooth, you don't know what I got . . .

I sang the song to Himself the same way that evening, only to be corrected.

No, Mom, it's "SHE's my little loose tooth, not IT's my little loose tooth.

I stood corrected and sang it that way ever since.

[Cue the flash forward music and wavy wake up sequence]

I can't believe it, Mom! I finally get what that song was saying! I'm so embarrassed!

Honey, don't be embarrassed. That's what family lore is made of! And Darlin', you can bet I'll still sing it the other way until the day I die.

This Girl . . .

. . . has been there all along. From Mrs. R's Middle School writing class . . .




. . . to campouts, displaying mad fajita cookin' skillz . . .





. . . to making sure Kelly was thoroughly soaked on Water Day, she was there.



And now?


Well, and now, this girl. . .



. . . is his girl.

He describes her much better than I ever could.

Happy Birthday, Jessica!

Whoops!

Ok, remember how I said I love how my children get along?

Remember how I love to hear them laughing and talking?

Last night, Himself and I heard hysterical laughter coming from upstairs. We couldn't help but smile and be thankful.

Then Glenna came downstairs.

Mom! Kelly cut my bangs for me. Look at them!

What?

Kelly came rushing down the stairs.

They're fine! She just doesn't know how to wear them yet!

Yeah, but you cut them and then said, "Whoops."

Kelly! Tip #1 when cutting hair. Never say, "Whoops!"

Das Boots

For Christmas, Kelly was given a guilt-free shopping trip with her mother to buy a pair of boots.

And there was great rejoicing!

The "guilt-free" part was not so much the cost involved (I set a dollar amount) . . .




. . . it was the fact that she would want to look at every single pair of boots in the mall.


We took pictures of them so we would remember what we had seen.



At the last minute, Himself and Glenna wanted to come along. We warned them that this was a guilt-free expedition and we were most definitely going to look at each and every store, and each and every pair.


Not only did they have to feel right and look right, they had to go with her porcelain skin and not look too yellow. This is so she can wear them with dresses.




She's so purty.








Just when we were about to go back and purchase the first pair she had tried on, Glenna recalled passing a store that was full of boots on sale. A girl after my own heart! Half off, even!


The winners!

The Receiving Line

My father and his wife gave us this beautiful nativity set when we lived in California. It has survived many, many moves since then, but unfortunately, the "stable" where each figure was posed was found by rats and destroyed.



Still, every year we bring out the nativity and put it on the piano or buffet. Part of this tradition includes putting the three kings/wise men in a different part of the house so they can slowly march their way to the young Christ child and arrive on the day of Epiphany, which is January 6. That's right, folks! The wise men were never there at the manger scene!



When my kids were young, they would wake and look for the wise men to see whether they had advanced in their journey along the kitchen cabinets, living room shelves, or china hutch.






Since moving to Florida, specifically the house we're in now, we've noticed a few vagabonds have been joining the quest. The funniest part about this is that it usually takes me a few days to notice.
















Is this the line for "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride?




This year, I had found these Christmas Crackers at Costco. Each came with a wise saying, a token gift, and a paper crown!

I wonder what Junting thought of all of this? I wonder if he knew there were cowboys and frog princes in the nativity?

Hey, You! . . .

. . . No, not YOU . . .








Yeah, YOU!


Happy Anniversary, my darlin' man.

I love you.

Trek Games and Bible Bowl

Today was my 9th Bible Bowl and Trek Games!

Our church made a great showing in Bible Bowl . . . 3rd place out of 9 teams. Kudos to Calvary Baptist and Brush Arbor Baptist for their respective wins! Those teams were SO prepared!

To win Bible Bowl, the team really has to be able to memorize scripture and repeat verbatim. Many teams try to ace the multiple choice and then lay low on the speed round, but scripture memory is worth 40 points!

At one point the quiz master started with, "Recite 1 Corinthians 13: . . . " and a team buzzed in before he could give the rest of the reference. The young man bravely stood after conferring with his team, said, "I'm going to go with 1 Corinthians 13:1." He not only proceeded to recite it perfectly, but it WAS the right one! A lucky shot!

In the Trek Games, there were only 4 teams. We always pray to be in front of a slow team and behind a fast one on the game circle. The games are SO much fun! When we were down to our last two events, I happened to look at the score board. I was stunned to see we were in a three-way tie for first place! We ended up taking second place - on the Balloon Relay, one of our girls had her heel on the line and we were disqualified.

When they announced the winning score, we lost to the first place team by only two points. Had that heel not hit the line, we would have won first place for the first time ever. =)

As fun as the games and Bible Bowl are, I'm thankful they're over. They take a lot of preparation and stress, but they're so worth it. Now, however, I feel I can relax and enjoy my JV kids for the rest of the year.

Next year? Still praying about that one. Glenna will be in high school so all my kids are out of JV. We shall see what we shall see!

Nothing Better than Sibs

It had been a rough week for her, and life was changing too rapidly. She came back from Mexico, turned 17, began her senior year, and her brother moved to Tennessee for a year. Tyler was her closest confidant and understood her so well. Glenna was right next door, but it would take more explaining and background than she had the energy to give at the moment.

For the past couple of days she had been fighting tears. She wanted to call Ty, but she didn't want to impose on his already overwhelming experiences of a new school, new roommates, and new environment. To top it off, her Grandfather had just passed away and her mother had gone to New Mexico.

She sat in the quiet, darkened house and idly looked for entertainment or conversations on the internet. It was 1 a.m. and there's not a lot of action at that hour. Suddenly, she heard a familiar car pull up in the driveway. Within seconds, a door slammed and a key was inserted into the lock.

Oh, she thought. Tyler's home.

She watched as her brother opened the door and entered the house. He was halfway across the living room before it actually hit her.

OH! she realized. TYLER'S HOME!

His arms opened and she was sobbing long before she fell into them.

********************************

I wasn't here to witness that scene, of course, because I was in New Mexico, but Kelly told me about it later. Tyler had planned to come home as a surprise, but he let me in on the secret before I left. Though I would miss seeing him, I knew God was sending a special gift to Kelly that weekend. For a few days her world would stop spinning long enough for her to get her balance!

The relationship my children have with each other is one of my greatest treasures. I've worked so hard to make sure they understood the value of their siblings from the beginning, so they wouldn't miss out on this great treasure as my brothers and I had done. We had so much fun together as young adults and missed so much with our petty fighting and arguments! We wasted time hating and arguing when we could have had the full benefits of love and support. What a team we would have made had we stuck together, encouraged, and cherished each other.

We get along so well now. I know my brothers will always be there if I need them, and hopefully they know they can count on me, too. Even so, I think this is what made me so purposeful with my children's relationships.

I hear Kelly chatting on the phone with her brother and my heart sings.

I see my girls head out the door for a "Sister Day" of slurpees and shopping and I want to do back flips.

I watch Tyler go to extreme lengths to download music on Glenna's iPod and I want to grab and squeeze them both. He sees how much Glenna is into music right now and made a point of showing interest and encouraging her. Oh, Glenna, my baby-sister heart was right with you that day!

This is not the good stuff.

This is the great stuff.

I'm Thinking About It

Yesterday was science car-pool day. Today I can hopefully stay home and get some work done, because this weekend is the Trek Games.

Every year, I become overwhelmed with the amount of work it takes to get a team ready for both the Bible Bowl competition and the Trek Games. Every year, I'm so glad I made the effort because it's so much fun!

This is Glenna's last year in JV and her last Trek Games. I would say it's also my last Trek Games, but I'm not so sure.

Himself and I feel so strongly about being an active part of our church body. He's still serving with the music ministry, and I teach the JV kids. Should I stop doing this, simply because I no longer have any children in this age group?

There's a couple at our church who are empty-nesters, yet they continue to serve in AWANA and Sunday School. I'm so thankful for them and their service. I don't take their example lightly. AWANA has been difficult this year without a commander, but not impossible.

Much to think about!

Trying Again in Twenty-Ten

I've been blessed to find a friend willing to walk in the mornings, a few days per week. Since she's my senior by more than 10 years, I figured I wouldn't have a problem keeping up with her. I was wrong.

That woman could pull a skier behind her.

This week, she cheerfully handed me a set of hand weights. Today, I feel the effects.

You know, I think people would enjoy exercise more if it weren't so strenuous and painful!

Don't tell me it wouldn't be strenuous and painful if I did it more often, because I'm not listening.

I'm pleading Romans chapter 7 on this one:

For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. . .

. . . For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it.

For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. . . .


What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Twenty-Ten . . . the year of murdering all excuses and simply getting to work.

Hands: They Come in Pairs

Sometimes, I wonder if my family hates water.

I've asked them to rinse out their cups and rinse off their plates. Nothing is more irritating than milk left in the bottom of a plastic cup! Normally, they comply with a swish and a rinse and we're all happy.

Then comes the ice cream cup.

For the past 23 years, 3 weeks, and 4 days, Himself has loved to have his nightly ice cream in a cup. He used to choose the largest cup in the house and pack it with ice cream, then pour milk over the top.

I'm begging you not to try this. Once you do, you won't want your ice cream any other way. It's that wonderful.

Lately, he's shown restraint and uses a smaller cup. Kelly enjoys her ice cream the same way. The problem with this is that the swish and rinse doesn't work.

When you eat your ice cream in a cup, there's chocolate left on the sides. This must be wiped out, either with the sponge or the brush.

This means that they'll have to get their hands wet.

I've noticed that they don't do this. They do the swish and rinse and leave all that lovely chocolate for someone else to deal with. Since I figured it must be because they don't like touching water, I bought a long-handled kitchen brush expressly for this purpose.

Maybe it's not the thought of getting their hands wet that is the issue. Maybe it's the fact that they'll have to use both hands.

Stepping Lightly

When my friends, Ben and Angela, were married, I was thrilled to direct their wedding. I had know Ben and his family since we moved here to the Sandbar and was so thrilled when God chose Angela to be his wife!

One of the most comical things that happened at the wedding, at least to me, was the response the groomsmen had to my requests. I had known many of them since they were pre-teens and I still had that "Mrs. W"/authority figure thing going on, so they would readily and respectfully comply.

When directing a wedding, I often have to scramble back and forth between the Bridal dressing room and the area of the groomsmen. Time is usually running out and I hurry as fast as I can in heels and skirt. During one last minute instruction, I clicked my way back to the groomsmen waiting in the foyer. They couldn't see me but I had to stop and double over with laughter when one of them heard my shoes and said, "Here comes Mrs. W!" I could just imagine some corrections of posture and tie-straightening going on before I rounded the corner!

At a recent women's event at my church, I walked from the Fellowship Hall into the kitchen. Glenna had already turned with a smile to greet me. "I knew it was you, Mom. I heard your shoes."

Ok, am I the only woman on the planet making noise with high heels? Am I the only woman left wearing heels? Am I walking incorrectly and that's why they make so much noise? What's the deal?

Input welcome!

And Another One

I know that I've already had a guest star day, but this article is SO worth reading. I especially enjoyed the common sense from a professed pro-choice feminist. At last, someone is pointing out that the Emperor is not wearing any clothes! While I certainly don't agree with her life choices, I applaud her stance on true choice!

Tuesday is Guest Star Day!

Last week, when I had my hair done by the fabulous Ruthie, I picked up a People magazine.

I had NO idea who any of those people were, save a few stars from the 80's.

This timely post gave me such peace and affirmation. Yes, we now have a digital converter and can get some channels on TV, but more often than not the TV is off.

Let's face it - TV takes away from blogging time, both writing and reading! ;-)

The Cat's Away . . .

...and the mice are sad.

I had to take Himself to the airport this morning. I don't want to name a specific hour because sure enough, some morning person will let me know how that's not early, just like people in the cold places of the USA will say that Florida is not cold.

Well, the heater's running tonight, folks!

Still, I am genuinely thankful to be in Florida. After a previous post about childhood homes, Mom wrote in to say they hadn't had power from Thursday to Sunday but at least they were warm because of the fireplace.

Did you know the well pump runs with electricity? Yep, no water, either.

Tyler was able to experience his very first ever snow day in Tennessee. The joy! Can you imagine? First of all, he was a home school kid and didn't really get the regular school holidays. Now he gets those PLUS a snow day! Here's his latest post, not about snow though.

Lord, please keep him safe and warm. Amen.