New Year's Eve

Ty: Jessie wants sparklers, so she can run down the driveway with them. I told her not without safety goggles, and I'd bring them from work.

Me: I can still remember the pain of the burn on my foot when I stepped on one!

Ty: A sparkler?

Me: Yeah.

Ty: Back during Desert Storm?

Me: Har. Har.

Have a safe and Merry New Year, everyone!

Thursday?

I'm still around! So much to write about, pictures to post, etc.

Fighting a killer ear infection and working shifts all week at Space.

Maybe tomorrow? Right now I need to eat my Wheaties and get to work!

The Park I work at alone is able to hold approx. 70,000 people. Yesterday, 3 of the 4 Parks were filled to capacity. Welcome to the winter wonderland. =)

Double

Twice as happy . . . both girls are home!

Double trouble . .. still have to show the radical thing involving the dogs.

Double shift . . . working at the dentist office this morning, then Space tonight. Whoa!

Never Give Up!

I received this from Kelly. She knew it would make me laugh (it did) and that I'd be cheering for her (I was). Plus, I simply have to give another shout out to Mrs. R!

From Kelly:

I know this is long, but you will find it funny. I wrote this to beg for an 80. My Math teacher has the kind of humor that will appreciate this, so I hope it works.

Dearest, most esteemed Dr. K, Holder of the mightiest mathematical powers,

I am writing not only to thank you for your time, service, and provision of humorous video clips (nay, though that is indeed reason enough), nor is my purpose solely to exalt your numeric skills (second only to our Hallowed Father of course). I am writing to implore upon your kindness and wisdom. Throughout my days I have struggled in a long and strenuous battle with arithmetic. I have fought, and taken two humbling classes beneath your most worthy Algebra class and attended many tutoring classes in my tender college years (last year). My spirits began to rise as my toil resulted in greater understanding, (even a softening of my heart towards it) of my long known nemesis:The beast of math. Perhaps I could win, perhaps I would not always speak the name of math with dark venom in my voice. Knowing this, immagine my dispair, my heart break, by utter sorrow at seeing a 79 sneering at me with garish vulgarity from my final grade column. I have attempted to do my best in this class, I have taken notes, studied, and prayed for success. I know it may not be in your power to change, but if there is any chance that your hand could be swayed to act in favor of what is my best work, I would be most joyous to have my grade elevated to the status of a B.

Thank you for your time if you read this whole thing.

With the utmost sincerity and respect,

Kelly

Ooooohhhh!!!! I prayed for it to work! Within an hour, Kelly told me that he had responded. Here it is:

Dear Kelly, possessor of the golden and most elegant tongue, well, fingers,

Yes, the gate keepers of the mathematical oasis for suffering math souls, have kept me abreast of your most adventurous journey (a sort of Pilgrim's Progress, if you will). I know you have been very diligent in many ways. Take solace when I say you could be a "poster child" for how to "work my system" to achieve a satisfying grade - in a course that stirs the dark regions of one's being. I would be most pleased with playing a small role in vanquishing the evil math dragon that has caused such trouble and despair in young maiden's life. Rest assured your cries do not fall on deaf or unsympathetic ears. Actually, I was very eager to award you the grade I truly believe you deserve, even before your most entertaining email. You will just have to trust my gracious heart that it is the one you seek.

Thank you for your faithfulness. It so pleases the Lord. Your email really cracked me up. What is your major again?

Merry Christmas!
Dr. K

Random Thoughts

Heard from our Brown-Eyed Girl. She's safely with her sister. We're both counting down the days until The Day. ;-)

Christmas shopping? I think I'll skip it this year.

Once in a while I remember to play Words with Friends - and realize it's been almost a week since my last play. Sorry, friends!

Glenna is ALMOST to her Christmas break. Yes, we WILL be celebrating.

Kelly will be home this week for her break!

We did something radical, but the dogs are cool with it, so don't freak out. Photos to follow.

We still have the dogs.

Jack (the dog) was gassing out Himself this morning, so he kicked Jack out of his office. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

Glenna has a fondue party at school today. Is this the 70's? We're bringing grape tomatoes. Hopefully, no one will eat them because they don't really go with cheese or chocolate dips.

It's so weird to say "Glenna has a fondue party at school" because we home school. I guess the one-day-per-week classes can be called a school. At least, they try to make it that way; they have fundraisers, yearbooks, meetings, class parties, and possibly a prom - all things I've been fortunate enough to avoid until now. (Except for teachers. Her teachers are GREAT, and we love Mrs. R and Mrs. S.!)

Speaking of Mrs. R - she's probably one of the few people I don't mind asking about pronunciation or word clarification. We're both life-long learners and I'm so glad she gets that about me. I certainly get that about her! I can now pronounce "quinoa."

That's all for now.

All right, lets take your picture so we can show off the new haircut.

Thanks. Now, turn to the side.

Thank you. Aaaaaannnnnndddd. . . . .turn to the other side . . . .

Thank you.

Mom, what the heck? What are you doing?

Mom!

Mom, that's enough!

Paper or Plastic?

On Tuesday, I took Glenna to get her hair cut (pictures coming!). On the way home I knew we didn't have any food in the house, so I suggested we do something CRAZY - go to the Walmarts at 4:30 pm in December.

She looked at me like I was crazy. My smile stayed bright (maybe feverish) as I explained how great it would be to step into that world of Christmas chaos and try to grocery shop.

The Walmarts did not disappoint, though it wasn't nearly as crowded as the experience required. The two girls who were ringing up our groceries were apparently cousins. Their amusing conversation was a little hard to understand, but as nearly as I can figure out there's guy who asked if she was her cousin but Girl One actually has two cousins who work with her at the Walmarts and pretty soon, he and she were SKYPING.

Whatever.

The perplexing part was that Girl One was complained that she needed her break, so Girl Two came over to relieve her and Girl One just stood there talking the entire time anyway. Girl Two had been trying to get more bags and finally got some, and Girl One stood and talked and helped with bagging our groceries, interjecting her conversation with "We need more bags" on occasion.


On our receipt, we had purchased a total of 65 items.


I told Glenna to make sure we counted every bag.


For our 65 items, there was a total of 29 bags. That's 2.24 items per bag.

Not.

Kidding.

I felt like I should report it to the manager or something! When I go to my usual store and remember to bring my own reusable bags, I can fit all my groceries into four.

Really, though? The whole experience was hilarious. We had the best time just being together.

See what a new haircut can do?

Glenna and I signed to each other most of the time we were in the store - not because we thought anyone wouldn't be able to know what we were saying, but because we want to practice, practice, practice! It would thrill me to no end to have someone come up and start signing with us!

Looking

I have lost a lovely item.

The Lord alone knows where it is!

I'm praying He would allow me to find it. It would be so sweet.

Meanwhile, here's something nice to look at.

She said . . .

. . . yes!

I was waiting for Jessie to post something because I didn't want to steal any thunder, but it was announced at her church today and she told me yesterday that I could tell the world.

Hello, world. =)

Summer of 2012, his Brown-Eyed-Girl becomes OUR Brown-Eyed-Girl.

And there is great rejoicing!

Isn't This . . .

. . . .a great photo?

Yeah, I thought so, too.

=)

Tuesday is Guest Star Day!

I know she posted this a few days ago, but I could so relate.

Here's for the ones choosing to be tired. Hang in there! It's worth it!

Sunday News

About to head home from TN. We have loved our time here so much! How refreshing, and now ready to head home and tackle the world.

Did you guys know I have ten million dollars waiting for me in a bank in Nigeria? It's true! I received an email just this morning, and all they need is all my personal information to verify who I am. Take a look:

JP MORGAN CHASE BANK
270 PARK AVENUE
NEW YORK, NY 10017

Attention.

We just received an information of approval from the Foreign Operation
Department of our correspondent Bank Central Bank Nigeria as instructed by
the Governor of the Central Bank. On how to credit your account through their
external reserve account with the JP Morgan chase bank new york.


Due to the high level of corruption in Nigeria, your fund has been deposited
in our bank. from now on do not respond to any email coming from the central
bank of Nigeria or other agent. if you have been contacted by anybody using
the name of central bank of Nigeria or other agent kindly forward the email
immediately to our bank for investigation by the cyber crime division,
because a lot of impostor has been using the name of central bank of Nigeria
and other agent to scam people. To avoid falling into the wrong hand please
direct all your inquiry through this office JP MORGAN CHASE BANK NEW YORK.


If you are receiving this notification for the first time, Note that the money
about to be transferred to you is Ten Million Seven Hundred Thousand United
States Dollars ($US10,700,000.00) which is on your name, can only be paid
upon our receipt of your beneficiary identification for clearance of the fund.
Send it immediately to us for instant accreditation of your fund as listed below.

1) Your full name.......................................
2) Phone, fax and mobile................................
3) Present country and current Home Address.............
4) Profession, age and marital status...................
5) Copy of your any valid ID card.......................


We expect your urgent response to this email to enable us disburse this
Payment effectively....

MR. JOHN MERCURY
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer
JP Morgan Chase Bank.
Email: johnmercury@chasebank-usn.com
Live: johnmercury-chasebnk@w.cn



I'm so glad they even warned me of other impostors who might want to rip me off. I think the first thing I'm going to do with the Ten Million Seven Hundred Thousand United States Dollars is buy them some English and grammar lessons. I think it would be helpful if I went through this with my red pen and sent it back to them.

My urgent response was to report it as a phishing scam, of course. ;-)

Time to get moving! I think BA made pancakes! See you all back in FL soon.

Black Friday

I'm writing this from BA's house in Tennessee! I'm so glad we made the drive up here to enjoy the beautiful weather, home, and friendship of her entire family. What a great day we had yesterday!

We don't have any plans to shop today. Thank God. While I was walking through Costco with Glenna the other day, I decided to take a look at their Christmas stuff. I looked and looked, but this was the ONLY representation of Christ in the entire store:

An overpriced lawn nativity.

Is it any wonder I resent the Christmas holiday so much? Bring on Easter!

Stay safe out there, and keep it in perspective, everyone!

Feeling Safer?

This was an actual question on Glenna's Driver's Ed exam:





Glad we have that straightened out.


After Thanksgiving, I'll make an appointment for her to get her permit. We don't dare go to the DMV without an appointment these days. Plus, I've heard she could take it on line and then just go to the DMV with all her documents.

Two down, one to go!

Practically Cute

Due to lack of counter space and questions on whether they do more harm than good, we decided to try and live without our microwave. I hauled it off to the school room and after a week of not missing it, I gave it to one of my JV'ers who was having a fundraising yard sale.




When we chose to eat more veggies, we discovered that we really weren't using the microwave, anyway. I also have a toaster oven, so it wasn't hard to choose which should stay and which should go.






Still, if we needed to heat up some leftovers, what to do? Before microwaves, you heated it on the stove or in the oven and waited patiently. Seriously, I feel that instant food and instant gratification have contributed to the epidemic of obesity in our country. How many times have we not wanted to make a salad because, sigh, we have to wash the lettuce first and then figure out what to add? Awww. . . skip it.



So, in case we did want to reheat leftovers, I decided that rather than heat up the oven we would just use the toaster oven. I found these cute little casserole dishes (orange in the above photo gives an idea of how small they are) and we'll cover them with foil while reheating.

The bonus, of course, are the polka dots.

Praise!

Many congratulations to our youth pastor and his wife! Their precious baby girl has arrived!

We love you, Josh and Kim!

Acceptance

I have come to accept that I will never be finished with the laundry.

When I think I'm finished, I discover Himself's unpacked suitcase. It refills the hamper completely.

I have come to accept that my socks will never be completely matched up.

When I think they're matched up, I discover that Missy stole a few from the laundry pile and put them in her bed when I wasn't looking.

I have come to accept that I will never be a size 3 again.

Thank God.

I have come to accept that my home will never be magazine perfect.

When I get it even close to this, I fuss to my family and make everyone uncomfortable instead of letting them live here.

I have come to accept that my family is not perfect.

When I turn my critical eye to them, I become thankful that they don't turn critical eyes to ME and I remember Grace.

I guess Grace is the key to all acceptance - letting everyone be exactly where God has them for the moment as He works HIS good and perfect will, not mine.

Grace on you.

At Our Farmer's Market . . .

There's a small orchestra playing!
The local high school orchestra was out there playing to raise funds . .. for. . . something.

I have to say, I have become disillusioned with our Farmer's Market. The prices have become RIDICULOUS. My little Scottish Heart just flares up in outrage when I see what they want to charge me for a basket of green beans!

My friend Janet B told me a of a produce place near her home. We left the overpriced fruits and veggies and headed over there.

The minute I walked in the door, I was at home.

Now, the produce was not polished and pretty, but the prices were fantastic! I was willing to pick through the veggies to have affordable food. The place is run by Hispanics, so I saw all the foods that are so familiar from my Southern California upbringing. Instead of paying $2.50 for ONE avocado, I paid $1.00 for THREE!

Looks like I have a new Saturday shopping place. =)

Speaking of Food

Himself was out with Ty on Sunday night, so here's a little meal I threw together. This would fit solidly in the category of "Things Himself Will Not Eat so Don't Even Bother."


Salmon Patties and peas.

I figured out how to make them correctly and they came out great! The first time, the salmon wasn't pre-cooked. I found canned, fully cooked salmon at Costco and bought some. I mixed one can with saltine crackers, two eggs, salt and pepper, then I sauteed them in olive oil.

Mom, they tasted just like yours! At last!

The Day I Stopped Hating Wal-Mart

I received this email from my Mom. The woman having treatment, plus her husband, were with my Mom when Dad died.

J left this morning, we had a good visit and Monday we took W for her second Chemo treatment. Afterwards we took her to Wal-Mart to the Salon and had her hair buzzed. It had been falling out and her head was so sore, it was time. I couldn't believe the operators there. I went in and told them what was going on and we needed someone to cut and buzz her hair off. The operators, three of them surrounded her, one held her hand, other one worked on her and the third one prayed. The customers were so gracious about the operators stopping their working on them, they too surrounded us and after it was over, everyone hugged W (customers too) and then they clapped for her. They wouldn't take a dime either, said that is what they do. They sure moved up a notch or two in my book.

Mine too, Mom. At least the one in a little town in New Mexico.

She's Pretty Handy

When I married Himself, I didn't know how to cook.

I knew how to make a salad and set the table. Those were my jobs at home at supper time! When I married Himself, I didn't know a thing about cooking dinner and, may I just say it? The man liked to eat cooked food.

I mean, when it would get too hot outside to fire up the stove or the oven, my Mom would place one of my favorite meals on the table - lunch meats, cheeses, liverwurst, crackers, olives, pickles, and radishes or green onions. We'd smear the crackers with mayo and sit and chat while assembling our light dinners.

When I married Himself, I put the same spread before him and he devoured it. Then he folded his hands and asked, "So, what's for supper?"

The one thing that saved me was the recipe cards my Mom ordered for me. Each month I would receive a variety of recipes, complete with pictures, ranging from salads to desserts to main courses. I learned how to cook from these cards, which means I cooked with all fresh ingredients.

About two years into our marriage I was at the store one day and spotted a box of Hamburger Helper. I remembered my Mom making it once or twice and it was REALLY easy, so I brought some home and made it for supper.

He.

Flipped.

Out.

The way he tells it, his mother made it all the time and I was to never let it cross our threshold again (I still haven't to this day). His Mom tells him that his memory is exaggerated because she really didn't make it that often. I believe her!


All this to say, I wanted to make sure Ty, Kelly, and Glenna knew how to cook before they left our home.



I knew that I could never ingrain hundreds of recipes into their brains, so I taught them basic cooking skills and a few family favorites, then I taught them how to correctly follow a recipe.





These are photos from a little something Glenna threw together the other night, known as Chicken Picata. It has fresh lemon slices, capers, and fresh chopped parsley in a wine sauce.


Fresh asparagus, sauteed lightly in olive oil with salt and pepper.

Here, she got a craving and made some pico de gallo from the Pioneer Woman's book:
Oh, I'm loving this. I can leave dinner plans with her and it turns out so well!

As my dearly departed Dad would say, "She's as handy as a knob on a door."

Yum!

My Mama Loves Me

After a couple of years of fighting with a broken one and then not having one at all, my Mama called me on my birthday and said she wanted me to have this:
Kenmore. Elite. With Ultra Wash.


We once again cannot walk through the kitchen when the dishwasher door is open, nor can we open the freezer.
Who cares!


Here I am, listening to the purr . . .
It's such a beautiful sound, and my counters have been cleared and clean every moment since it arrived.


Thank you, Mama!

Sometimes

Sometimes, when Himself is out of town and you decide to be spontaneous by eating out with a Glenna, you just may see something like this:

It's definitely worth a change of plans.

Random Leftover Photos

I was clearing out my iPod and found a bunch of random photos that I meant to post. Some go back to August.

Glenna's first day of school!

I have pictures of her siblings on their first school days. They're also wearing back packs and school uniforms! Only difference is that they're 5, not 15. =D Yay homeschool!

Kelly wanted to try on my glasses:

This is her with first cute haircut. Her hair is even shorter now!

I think she looks like my Mom in the 60's. I have a photo of Mom in a bathing suit wearing dark glasses like these. Because she's in a bathing suit, I won't post it. I can hear Mom's sigh of relief all the way from New Mexico.

Brothers are the best source of cool t-shirts. No lie.

Dinner date with friends! Ended at a frozen yogurt place for dessert:

Funny egg chairs. They're the complete opposite of anything I would ever want in my house!

The daughter who was supposed to be doing school was doing this:
I bought those to clean with around the house. I came home and found this. Hardee har har, Glennaviere.

Did I already post this?

Well, too bad! It bears repeating! GO BOLTS!!!!!

Thanks again, friend Jim!

It's Kind of a Big Deal

On Sunday, all my children and a certain Brown-Eyed Girl gathered to watch a momentous occasion:

Glenna's baptism!

It had been raining for two days but we were determined to continue with the baptismal service. The rain stopped for the service, then continued after!

Glenna understands that baptism does not cleanse her sins or bring her salvation; only the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is able to do that. Rather, she chose to identify herself publicly as a Christian, through baptism, and will strive to follow Him all the days of her life.

Glenna with Pastor Ron H., who has now baptized all three of my children. =)

Baptism is kind of a big deal, which is why I was fully prepared to record it with my iPod. The problem was, I had taken video of the Country Bear Jamboree and the Tiki Room, so my disk space was too full! This is all I was able to capture:

Yeah, not really on my game there.

I love you, sweet Glenna, and I'm so grateful to know you are choosing to serve the One who loves you even more than I do!

Marvelous

The weekend after my birthday, Kelly went on the Women's Retreat with me for the first time!

Here's us:

We have a woman who goes around snapping candid photos of everyone. I told her she could take a photo, but on my terms! This was actually taken with my iPod. Still waiting for Mary Ann B. to mail the good ones to me.

This was taken after we had gone swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, showered, and fixed our hair. Hah!

Ok, Kelly no longer has to fix her hair. She has this adorable haircut and she just shakes it out after the shower and it's fabulous. If my hair was that short and I just shook it out at the shower, it would frighten young children.

The retreat was wonderful and the speaker was excellent. I loved that Kelly was able to connect with so many women at our church! I think it really helped the transition from high school to college. Every time I looked around the room to see where she was, she was chatting with someone else. I love the ladies at my church!

Looking forward to Glenna's first retreat in a couple of years!

My Birthday

Himself went to paint for some friends of ours and took Glenna with him. Rather then stay at home with laundry and chores on my birthday, I decided to head to the Park!

It's so great being a cast member. I packed a lunch and put it in the Space Mountain Break room. I ended up eating there and chatting with my friends. =)

Here's my Mom moment:

I was trying to click a photo of me on the rocket, but the camera was reversed on my iPod and I clicked a photo of myself instead. I laughed so hard when I did this!

Now you can see what I look like when I'm trying to see something up close. I have to peer over the top of my glasses.

I took my time to wander in and out of shops, and also to see things I don't normally see when I'm with a group.

These two ladies were campaigning for Women's Suffrage:

If only women's lib could have stopped there, huh? ;-) Right to vote, equal work for equal pay. The End.

This sweet guest was meeting Aladdin and Jasmine for the first time, and she brought her Duffy with her:

I didn't need to stand in line to meet them, so I grabbed this photo as I was walking by. I heard Aladdin ask the girl where she was from and when she said Tokyo, he exclaimed, "Ah! Tokyo! We fly there all the time by magic carpet. We love it there!"

Next, I had to see this:

Birds, birds, everywhere!

The Enchanted Tiki Room. After the movie Aladdin came out, they refurbished this to include Iago, the obnoxious parrot from the movie. I am happy to say they made it over once again and it's now exactly as it always was! You can hear the beaks and wings clicking, and the flowers still sing. Ah, nostalgia!

I absolutely loved this when I was a little girl:

The Country Bear Jamboree! More specifically, it's the big fat bear singing, "There's [twang!] blood on the saddle, and [twang!] blood on the ground! And [twang!] blood all around . . . " My Mom remembered the time when I was a little girl and we were going to see the Country Bear Jamboree. I was just the right height that my elbow caught in the turnstile as we were walking in. I cried! She claims it ruined my elbow ever since (I can hold it out at a most disturbing angle). Actually, Mom, it was the other elbow that got caught.

Speaking of my Mom, the best part of my birthday was when she called me. We talked for a long time and I didn't care who was around me or where I was! I miss you Mom, and I loved chatting with you in the middle of Disney. I wish you were with me! I love you! The signal started to poop out and we hand to end our conversation too soon.

I also got a sweet voice mail from my Sister-in-Love, Mary Ann, who sang to me and called me beautiful.

And my son called.

And my daughter sent a message and said she'd call me later.

And it was wonderful.

After this, I met up with my co-worker, Lindsey, and her husband. I managed to secure some fast passes and we went on a few rides together before I headed home for my date.

My date!

Himself took me out to dinner, to Season's 52. We had this chile relleno appetizer that was to die for (scraped the plate clean) and then I had a shrimp dish. I also had the little dessert shooter - pumpkin pie. Delish!

Not a normal birthday, but a good one!

Stats

Name: MrsJLW

Age: 40-something

Event: Made and ate lamb chops for the first time ever

Result: Now will fearlessly order lamb chops at a restaurant.

Conclusion: YUM.

=/

A text message rips through my sound afternoon slumber.

Himself: Who's going to drive you home tonight?

Me: From where?

H: No. The song. From the 80

M: I was napping. Who's gonna plug your ears when you scream?

H: Who sang that

M: I don't care. It's an 80's song.

H: I don't care either

Uh Oh. . . .

You may never hear from me again. Kelly has shown me Pinterest.

Lord, have mercy.

In other news, Kelly is going on the Women's retreat with me this weekend! I can't wait to spend an entire weekend with my girl!

A New Level of Depravity

I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

Scriptures tell us not to expect those in darkness to act like those who are in the light. Still, when I come across something that should be obvious to all that it's not a good idea, it still shocks me a little.

There's an entirely new category of books at the book store titled, "Teen Paranormal Romance." I'd like to say it's a wee section with a few books, but it's pretty large. Thank goodness Glenna rolled her eyes when she saw it.

Speaking of Glenna, she's required to read Edgar Allen Poe for her Literature class. This is the first time she's read about things like murder and ghosts and supernatural happenings, other than in the Bible. ;-) She absolutely loves his writing style, and who can blame her? Still, the sooner we move out of that mind, the better!

Ah, homeschooling. Gone are the days of The Little House books! We can only read the Narnia series so many times, too. I'm so thankful that she loves to talk about the things she's reading so we can dialogue.

Peeking out from under the rock a little today.

Psssttt. . . .

I love secrets.

When I was younger, not so very long ago, I couldn't wait to find someone to share a secret with! I couldn't wait to see their eyes light up, hear them gasp in disbelief, or just REACT. I would of course swear THEM to secrecy before I told them everything, but I did, indeed, tell them everything.

Then I found out that Gossip is a cruel mistress.

Years ago, I kicked her to the curb.

Now, I have been trusted with sweet secrets that will be revealed in their good time. Instead of storming my brain for someone to tell, God has done an amazing work in me. Himself was astounded and would say, "You KNEW? Wow! You didn't even tell ME!"

I can't wait for the secret to be revealed by the Secret Holder. I can't wait to see people's eyes light up, hear their gasps of disbelief/delight, and watch them just REACT. I am already in the know, and it is enough to love and pray for the Secret Holder. It's a delight to realize that this is not my tale to tell. It is my joy to be given the small, bit part, or the walk-on role that barely shows up in the credits.

It's such an honor to KNOW; there's no need to TELL.

I love secrets, but I love the Secret Holders more.

Building a Better Mousetrap . . . Car

For quite a few days, my dining room table looked like this:

Plastic tubes and pots and pans, bits and pieces and the magic from my hands will make . . .weird science. . ..

Glenna's assignment from her physics class was to build a mousetrap car.

The car had to function through Newton's 3rd Law: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Boy was I thankful that Himself wasn't out of town this week.

Mousetrap, styrofoam, string, dowels, washers, CDs, string, and balloons stretched around the CDs for traction.

The end result was a fantastic car that while not aesthetically pleasing, it worked!

Here's a video of the initial test run. Note that I forgot I was filming with my little iPod, and then Missy had to check it out in the end.

The hard work paid off! She was one of only two who scored 100% on their cars! Her teacher asked if she could take the car to show the class at the other campus.

Way to go Glenna!!!

Announcement. . .

That is all.

The Result of The Reward

Yesterday, I posted the beautiful sunrise that I enjoyed because I get up so early for work.

The downfall, of course, is that I'm very, very tired by the end of the day. I get excited when it's 8 0'clock not because there's some prime time television that I've looked forward to viewing, but because I know that bedtime is that. Much. Closer.

Most days, I crash around mid-afternoon and have to take a nap. I'm about ready to give up this habit, though, but mainly when Himself is in town.

Like Pavlov's dog trained to salivate when a bell is rung, I believe Himself has been wired to open and shut our carport door 40 bazillion times the second I fall asleep for a nap. This wouldn't be so bad and I would probably continue sleeping if it weren't for one detail:

The Alarm.

Since our break-in last year, we have had an alarm system installed. It gives me some degree of peace when I'm at work and Glenna is home, knowing she has a panic button that will bring help immediately.

The Alarm system also alerts us each time any door is opened. In a cheerful, slightly British voice it announces, "Back Door" or "Front Door," and then loudly beeps. Twice.

"Back Door." Beep Beep!

"Front Door." Beep beep!

So, this it what it looks like when you're up early enough to see the sunrise and your husband continually wakes you from any attempted nap:

I'm just keepin' it real, folks. Just keepin' it real.

Beep beep!

The Reward

This is how the Lord rewarded me for getting up so early for work:

I'll take it.

A Quiet Evening

Ty had us over for dinner last night.

We brought the dinner. =D

Unfortunately, his Brown-Eyed Girl was neck deep in piano performances this week and she was unable to join us. (Miss you!)

It was a nice, relaxing evening in a nice, uncluttered apartment. My Mama-Heart loved listening to brother and sister banter back and forth, or discuss physics and Newton's 3rd Law.

What I wish I had photographed, however, were the patches on Ty's counter (that he says he probably won't put on his uniforms any time soon), or the name plate for his tool box, or the certificate that came with both of those items. What's important are the two words on all three:

MASTER TECHNICIAN

I wonder if he's the youngest at his shop to ever get Master status for Mack? We joked that he should sew the patches on his T-shirts instead, or use them for coasters to impress guests.

He's almost finished getting his degree, and his ASE and Volvo Master certifications are right around the corner.

Go.

Ty!

The Remedy

This time, it's different.

When Kelly went off to college last year, I was comforted with the fact that she was only two hours away (compared to her brother being in Tennessee). I was able to take her, help set up her room, do last minute shopping needs, then cry briefly on the way home. It was comforting to have her brother finish school a few weeks later and then move back home.

This year, the house is so, so empty. Glenna has the entire upstairs to herself now that Ty's out on his own. I didn't get to take Kelly and move her back into her dorm. It was rough, to say the least.

On Friday, Himself threw my bags into the car and said, "Go." He set up a hotel room for me and Kelly in her college town and we spent a wonderful weekend together! I was only able to stay one night, but at last I got to see the details of her dorm, smooth the duvet cover, and buy a rug that was just right. We went to dinner and a movie, then watched TV all night.

It was perfect.

Thank you, Darlin'. It was exactly what I needed.

A Dark Hour

Gone are the shelves and bins overflowing:

Empty are the drawers. A lone egg wobbles to the back of the fridge.

Crisp apples once filled the emptiness of our bellies:

What, exactly, could I make with cheese, a stick of butter, and cream cheese?

Man, do I need to go to the store. I have had meetings every day after work, and tonight I am starting a MOST EXCITING language class (one that I've wanted to take forever!). I can't wait!

I stopped at the health food store on the way home and picked up a few things. There were halleluias, I'm pretty sure. I seriously need to do some meal and grocery research! We've got to stick to a budget so we can pay for college and continue paying down our debt.

So, anyone care to share how to healthfully feed three people on $20 per day?