Happy Thanksgiving!

Rhett's family turkey project. Yes. I'm proud of that sweet boy. Always!

May you and yours enjoy full tummies and full hearts as you reflect on the blessings of a full life!
Happy Thanksgiving!

Dazzled

Dazzled. Two weeks ago that word took on a bit different meaning for me than it does today. Funny how a word can instantly change meanings just depending on the subject or the context around which it is used.

Do you have minute to follow me down this twisting path? It might take a while and I'm not sure where we will end up. Well, OK then. Don't say I didn't warn you... Let's go!

Webster's version:
Dazzle: intransitive verb 1: to lose clear vision especially from looking at bright light 2 a: to shine brilliantly b: to arouse admiration by an impressive display
transitive verb 1: to overpower with light 2: to impress deeply, overpower, or confound with brilliance

Me this week:
Dazzled: Past tense of dazzle. To be left dizzy, a tad breathless and slightly unbalanced in the presence of the brilliance, wonder an beauty that is Edward Cullen.
Dazzled.

Yes friends, I have been bitten by Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series. And like it's heroine Bella, I'm hooked in that forever kind of way. I never intended for it to happen. Last summer I started reading Twilight twice. I was sick, the kids were home, and I never had more than 30 minutes at a time to read. So I stumbled through the first chapters and never really got into it. Though I thought it would be good and kept planning to get back to it, I didn't. AND I kept hearing/reading spoilers. People can be so careless! They are called SPOILERS for a reason people!!!! They SPOIL the experience. (swallow. sigh. move on.)

By the time I came back to the Twilight book last week, I had decided I knew so much of what would happen in the next three books that I would not bother to read them. I was going to see the movie with some friends Saturday though, so as I went to bed that fated Friday night, I picked Twilight up again. I was just planning to casually scan the 498 page book to get caught up. I had no idea what I had gotten myself into. I started reading and could. not. stop!

One movie, countless conversations with friends, 2,728 pages (4 books, 1 manuscript and a half dozen on-line deleted chapters) and very, very little sleep later, I am slowly recovering from a Twilight jet lag that fogged my brain as it dominated the the last five days of my life. My short mental vacation to Forks, Washington has left me not only tired and foggy, it has left me... dazzled!

And while admittedly my current state has much to do with the fictitious Edward Cullen (who we wish was real), I'm just as taken with the author Stephenie Meyers. WOW! The fact that someone can give birth to characters and stories like these just boggles my mind! She truly has an amazing gift!

I won't give away much here (eh-hem) but I will say this story is not what I expected. I was joyously surprised. I believe they call that serendipity. I love this story, the characters, the undertones, and the lessons. I loved seeing things through the eyes of a 17 year old girl again. It's made me go back and see things back in my own 17 year old life. I loved finding such a sweet story in such a conflicted cast of characters. Again, I won't give it away, but I will say I read page 754 of the last book, Breaking Dawn, with satisfied, misty, smiling eyes!

I don't read much anymore because once I start it's hard to stop. And despite the fact that I'm basically nocturnal, even I need sleep. When I'm reading I just have to know what happens. If I am really into a story I have to read very fast so that my mind will get closure and let it go. Otherwise I pick the story apart and question the author in my mind all day long instead of intently focusing on Mom stuff. AND let's face it, Mom stuff is extremely serious business. When there are mouths to feed, nightmare monsters to fight, bo-bos to bandage, children to transport, and bunkies to wipe, (Not to mention a certain two year old in dire need of some intensive potty training!) there is no time to read. No time for distractions.

So my sudden trip to the Twilight zone cost me. My house looks like it might truly never recover. It's bad. No Christmas decorations have been put up. In fact it still looks like Halloween around here! And that mountain of laundry waiting for me will need it's own zip code soon. But I'm glad I had these days with my new friends in Forks. I needed them. We all need an escape now and then. Time away can show things that get lost in the day to day. And, I came back better.

I came away from the Twilight series reminded never to underestimate love, no matter what. Edward Cullen made me blush like a teenager and Bella made me laugh like she was my BFF. Those two even scared me silly a time or two (After 3 kids, my bladder doesn't always react to laughter or suspense as it should. TMI?) They took me in, made me one of them, and flat out dazzled me! That is what a good story does when told by a master story teller! I'm not a crazed fan. I won't camp out on Stephanie Meyers lawn begging her to write more. I don't plan a pilgrimage to the real Forks, Washington anytime soon. (Unless my little coven wants to plan a road trip, then I'm all in girls!) Seriously. I can live with nothing but my memories of the books and go on. But the story will stay with me, and like all really good stories, it has me thinking.

It is no small wonder that Jesus used stories to teach people. While his parables were easy for his listeners to understand, they were always layered with implications that went deeper than just the telling of events. There was a purpose, a core, and a rainbow of deeper meanings for his listeners to grasp. Jesus was the master story teller. Maybe growing up in Sunday school listening to the parables of Jesus and my teacher's interpretations of them is what taught me the life long habit of picking a story apart and trying to find Jesus.

Someone just read that paragraph and thought "Did she just talk about Jesus and Twilight in the same post?"

Yes. I. Did.

Stephanie Meyers is Mormon I think. Her writing is touted as moral and safe for young girls. I would go along with that except I think the passion is a bit much for girls before age 14. (Although I borrowed the last book from my 6th grade neighbor!) I'm not suggesting that the Twilight series is a Christian allegory, though I bet someone could go there if they really tried. I mention Jesus and Twilight because my life's goal is to be an allegory and the author of my story seeps Jesus into all the plots of my life. He dazzles me with his relevance and beauty. He protects me with a grace and a sacrifice I can't fathom. He bowls me over with a love I can' t ever properly describe and sees me as something far more beautiful than I am. It's a forever kind of thing. No matter what battles I need to fight HE assures me that those being loved and loving sacrificially will rule the day. Not that there is anything like that in the Twilight series. Nope. NOT AT ALL! Just me trying to find Jesus again. It's all in the conditioning you know...

Even if you don't want to read the Twilight books, you might want to join me in a little challenge I issued to myself after I read them this week. I'm going to try to look back at my 17 yer old self remembering how I saw the world, who I loved, how I loved, what I did about it. Then from the perspective of where I am now, I want to marvel over the things God has specifically done in the life of that 17 year old. Even though I'm not really very good at it, I'm going to write that story. I'm going to tell that 17 year old about the faithfulness God will show her in her life.

Name it, claim it, and get it down in physical form.

I want to write that story as my own personal witness to spur me on in the next challenge life throws my way. If you are anything like me, every story you read has a way of sticking with you, even if it is your own. Or maybe I should say especially if it is your own? I have found that to be true for me. Like a written scrapbook, the story of me reminds me of who I am, who I belong to, where I came from, and points to where I need to go.

Your story from age 17 to now may be a page long, or a chapter long or even a book length. But no matter it's length, writing your story is an exercise in recognizing the hand of God... The hand by which we are fearfully and wonderfully made. To those who don't see that hand... It's OK. Take that story and give it to the Father. Ask him the hard questions. Ask him to take the pen and work out the rest. He will.

Regardless of what we do or don't see in our story, I guess we need to mentally hand over our unfinished manuscripts to God and allow him to pen the details as only he can. Of course He already wrote the ending. Love wins and we live with him happily ever after. Hard not to be dazzled by that thought!

Dazzled: To be left feeling warm, sure and awed while completely balanced in the presence of the love, brilliance, knowledge and beauty that is our Lord and Savior. Dazzled.

Happy Thanksgiving bloggies!
May we live a life of thanks giving to Him!

This, That & The Shack

I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is next week! This month has flown by. I did not think November was going to be too busy, but I was wrong. Rob is snowed under with graduate school and work at the moment. He seriously works on something 16 hours a day. I can't wait for this semester to be over for him. It seems the kids are growing like weeds right now. Things i bought three months ago don't fit. All three have been sick in the last week, but not real sick. The kids are always busy even though we currently have no sports in the schedule. (That only happens 6-8 weeks a year!) I'm still staying busy with life and PTA. Mostly PTA. We had delivery for our big fundraiser that I was responsible for last week. It didn't go as well as I would have liked. (That is a huge understatement!) But I learned a lot about people in general. (stepping on my soapbox)

There are far too many people in the world who don't take care of their business and it's just rude. If you think about it, rules and policies are basically in place as a courtesy to the rest of the world. Ninety percent of the time when rules aren't followed or policies aren't abided by, someone is being very rude to someone else whether they realize it or not. People really don't seem to get that. They don't seem to realize that their action, or lack there of, can greatly impact someone else. As busy as we all are these days, it seems we all need a little reminder lesson on manners and the importance of taking care of our business so someone else won't have to. That lesson was drilled into to me during product delivery when I was the one who had to pay for others not taking care of their business. It was a hard lesson. But I have been the guilty party many times, so I do understand. If anything, it has made me want to be much better about keeping my commitments and taking care of my business! (stepping down now)

Part of what was so hard about delivery was that I had no notice before I had to rearrange our world and spend a 2nd day at school for 8 or so hours so people could come get their stuff. Ella Kate had to be with me for most of that time because I had no time to make other arrangements. Ella Kate is as cute as can be, but she isn't a quiet child. She does not like to sit in one place for more than 45 seconds... And she likes to run!!! So taking EK to school for 20 minutes is not fun. Three or four hours is sheer torture. There are good reason why 2 year olds don't go to elementary school!

EK actually managed to get away from me and my friends twice. We couldn't find her for almost 5 minutes the first time. It seemed like an hour. I was mere seconds away from becoming a panicked puddle of blubber and insisting the whole school issue some sort of lock-down version of CODE ADAM by the time we found her. I have a whole new patch of grey hair from that day! (Keep in mind I read The Shack just three days before this. If you have read that book, you'll understand why that is significant when not being able to find your child!)

And...WOW!
Speaking of THE SHACK, have you read it? Did it make you cry like a baby? Has it changed the way you see God? Do you look at people in a whole new light? Do you pray very different prayers and have completely different views of church and religion? Do you find yourself wanting to go back and read what Papa said to Mack over and over? Really? ME TOO! I don't read a lot anymore. I have yet to finish the Twilight series and my Southern Livings are more decorations than reading materials these days... But if I only read one book a year, or even two years, THE SHACK would be that book. Yes. It is that good. And hard. And deep. And life altering.

I went into it knowing nothing. I hadn't even read the description on the back cover of the book. I only had a vague memory of BST saying it was "brutal" reading in the beginning and others talking about how great it was. So I don't want to spoil for anyone else, but take my word for it, it is wonderful but very hard to read at first. Don't sit down to read it unless you have time to plow through the first 200 or so pages. In fact, I read it straight through. I simply couldn't stop. Luckily, I didn't need sleep that night! :) And I keep going back to parts of it reading them over and over. Then I read my Bible and read the book again to see if the two really jive. So far they do! I think it's a transformational book. I would love to hear what others think of it!

Speaking of hard and transformational.... I spent two hours getting Halloween pictures made in the Sears studio yesterday. Yes, I realize Halloween was over weeks ago. Because my older two finally outgrew having matching or themed costumes, I thought we weren't going to do Halloween pictures again this year. (And really in 10 years, I'm not sure the Sear's portrait experience has ever been pleasant.) But, I have 10 years of pictures of my kids in costume decorating my buffet right now. I had to have an eleventh! Especially since EK was such a cute little kitty cat. Yes, I just had to do it.
But, it was painful.
Despite having an appointment, we had to wait forever. Ella Kate was anything but cooperative. The first Sears photographer made it clear she would rather be anywhere but taking pictures of kids. Then the pictures she did take didn't work because she did not have some light turned on. We had to shoot all the pictures again! Of course by this time Kolby had a run in her tights, Rhett had chocolate on his jersey and EK had torn her skirt, smeared her "whiskers," and ground goldfish into her fur, but we were there and dressed. I was not going home empty handed! We had a great photographer the second time. She saved my sanity and our pictures! Here are some blurry pictures copied from the Sears site. And yes, I am glad we did it! But it's Rob's turn next year! :)
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Well, that is all my blog time for today. I won't be blogging as often now that I have become a full fledged Facebook addict! Facebook really is fun. It's so cool to be able to keep in touch with so many so easily. Just click my Facebook icon to the right if you want to join the party! I'll definitely be your friend! :)

Happy Monday bloggies!

Life goes on...

Last night Kolby was excited to watch the election returns. Even though I tried to hide it, I was not. I thought about not turning on the TV at all, but it was actually Kolby's homework to watch returns and fill out a red/blue states map. So we tuned in around 8PM.

You may or may not know that I have worked hard not to be too political during this election. That is very unlike me, but I just felt that I personally needed to listen more than talk this time around. So we have not talked about the election a whole lot in our house. I did however take Kolby with me to vote last week. I wanted her to see how it all works and to know that you can still be a good, responsible American with out being a "loud, sign in your yard, recruiting people for your guy" American. Everyone just gets one vote no matter how much noise they make or don't make.

Anyway, even though we haven't shouted it from the rooftops, Kolby knows that Rob and I voted for McCain. In her 5th grade mind that meant McCain was our guy and he just had to win or we would loose. She was not so quiet in her support of McCain. She is so my daughter!

Last night after Ohio and Pennsylvania went blue, I tried to calmly explain to Kolby that there was very little hope for McCain to win and she should go to bed. (The electoral college makes a close race seem like a land slide doesn't it?) She was distraught, and almost fearful at the thought of Obama winning. I was a bit annoyed at first thinking she was just trying to stay up later. But when I saw that she was really sad and almost sacred, I asked her why she was sure Obama was so bad. Kolby started telling me all the things that "kids at school" said about Obama and why McCain just could not loose.
"It will ruin America forever" she said.
"Ruin America forever? " I asked.
Somehow that sounded worse coming out of the mouth of a scared 10 year old.
Again you can be sure that DID NOT COME FROM US, not this year anyway! :)

Turns out some kids at Kolby's school have some strong opinions about this race. The 5th graders she talked to had built quite a rap sheet for Mr. Obama. "He is going to change the pledge of allegiance and make us go to school 7 days a week. He will take all the money people who work hard make and split it with the people who don't work at all. He prays to a different God and is related to Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Husein.
"He's going to ruin our whole country and we will all have to move," she said matter-of-factly while mentioning something about Obama secretly hating America and being a spy for the "muz-lims."
WOW!
I had no idea she was harboring those thoughts. Surly, no adult would say things like that around a child. Surly all this was just the invention of creative 10 and 11 year olds wanting their guy to win... But no matter. None of it seemed very innocent or funny when I saw that there was true fear and maybe a shred of hate in my daughter's eyes.

So I did what we mothers do when we see that there is an imaginary monster in the dark scaring our kids. I swallowed my (Republican) pride and set about shining the spotlight of reality on the Obama Monster threatening to ruin her world.

First I talked. I talked about how both candidates were good men who want what they each truly feel is best for America. I said that though their ideas greatly differ, and while I am very sad that McCain will never get to be President, both he and Obama are good men and good Americans who also claim Christianity. Even though Obama was "the opponent" in this race, he is is not our "enemy." (Why is it so hard to think that our opponent is our friend?)

Honestly, I was itching to point out that McCain had the class and guts to graciously concede when the writing was on the wall, unlike Kerry in the last election, and that McCain was running against a whole lot more than just Obama, (insert Oprah, Hollywood's not necessarily accurate portrait of the state of our union, a culture that takes the easy way out and blames Bush for everything from the strength of the levys in New Orleans, to a housing crisis that in part is a result of faulty lending practices that began under Carter, foreign influences, and an economy that crumbled under a Democratic majority in charge of the purse strings, etc.) but I held my tongue.
Hate begets hate.
Love begets love.
When you look into the eyes of a ten year old, that seems so much clearer.

At the last minute I decided to let Kolby get back up (she was not yet asleep) and watch some of the speeches. Sadly, I decided that mid-way through McCain's speech. But I think it helped her to see McCain say good things about Obama. She was surprised to learn that the Obama's have two daughters the same age as Rhett and her. And she was dismayed at hearing Obama say nice things about McCain. "I thought they just hated each other."
Well of course she thinks that.
What else could she think after all that has been said in the last year?
I'm not sure my words or seeing the speeches for herself taught Kolby all that I hoped, but for me it boils down to this...

Like it or not, last night was historical for these United States. Barack Obama's win was a moment in our history that will be talked about and recorded in text books from this point on. I didn't want my daughter to remember it as the night we were defeated and scared. I didn't want her to remember unkind words and fretting.
I want Kolby to remember the graciousness of John McCain's and Barack Obama's speech. (Now that he is going to be President, do you think spell checker will recognize his name? :)
I want her to recall from her own memory the night that our America finally bucked the racial stigma associated with her since the days of slavery.
I want her to remember that even though her Mom and Dad voted for the someone else, they still love America and support and hope the best for all of her leaders.
I want Kolby to remember that she got to stay up way past her bedtime because her parents wanted her to have her own memories of a historic night. (It was rough this morning, but 10 years from now I think we will be glad we made that call!)

But more than the historical and political lessons, I wanted Kolby to witness her parents not giving up hope because our hope does not rest on the shoulders of elected leaders. Our hope comes from a risen Savior who remains on the throne no matter who lives in the White House.

As late as it was, I wanted Kolby to go to bed feeling secure in the faith that God will never leave her no matter who rules the land. She has a choice when it comes to how she lets the outcome of this election color her world. We all do.

I had little time to reflect on any of this though as Rhett (who went to bed much earlier) woke up puking around mid-night. Until I collapsed in bed some early hour this morning, I helped Rhett "hit the cup" and cleaned up what didn't. What a long and crazy night!

But it just goes to show, life goes on. Whether a Democrat or a Republican wins, there is puke to catch, kids to take care of and a God who promises to give us the strength and endurance to see the beauty in it all.

Happy Wednesday bloggies!

Halloween Wrap-up/ Room Preview

Just a quick post to say we had a great Halloween!

Here is EK with her MDO class on Thursday. We got a lot of mileage out of that kitty costiume! Aren't they cute!


AND My Dad seems to be doing better. His pain is finally being managed. Hopefully he will be able to start rehabbing soon. Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers. Please continue to remember my Dad as this is going to be a long process. They are hoping he can come home by DECEMBER 25TH. Yes, I said DECEMBER! OY!


But back to our fun Halloween. As has sorta become our tradition, my big family and the cousins came over for trick-or -treating and Halloween play. We also celebrated my uncle Rick's birthday. I think it is so fun to have a birthday on Halloween!

We had Spaghetti for supper, went trick-or-treating and just played and visited. Around 8:30 Rob talked Rhett and Justin into going to the Midway game with him. He had tickets and was itching to go all night, but wanted to be here for Halloween. Rob has a passion for high school football! And MIDWAY won! It was a great night for all of us. I love Halloween. It's just a great, fun, family time! AND orange is one of my favorite colors!

Our family in front of the big Pumkin



The cousins Trick-or-Treating in the neighborhood.

Last night we had two cowgirls, a Storm Trooper, an FC Dallas Soccer Player, a kitty, a witch, two Cheerleaders and a Fireman!


And finally, I thought I would post some pictures of Rhett's completed room. Well sorta completed. As completed as it will be for a while! Still not sure I ever feel like any room is completely complete! :)


Rhett really loves his new room and is doing a great job keeping it clean.




Rhett's favorite part of his new room is his desk and lockers. He has been really good at coming home and doing his homework right away at his desk. I'm letting him sort and arrange his lockers for the most part. The other day I asked him where something was and he said "#17."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Locker #17!"
He has it all figured out.


He isn't the only one who likes his new room. If I can't find Ella Kate, she is usually "reading" books or "sweeping" (sleeping) with the puppies (Webkinz) on Rhett's bed. Someone said it is getting time for me to put EK in a big girl bed. Re-do another room? NO... She may be in her baby bed until Kindergarten!
Happy Weekend!

Too much or not enough

Lately I have had too much to blog about or not enough. When there is too much I don't have the patience to condense it down into readable form. When there's not enough, I don't feel like putting forth the effort. Plus I refuse to be political. Anywhere. not. even. here. I just won't drag myself into that, even though it would be so easy to go there!

So having made all the excuses I can for my lack of blogging, I'll try to give you the Campbell's condensed soup version of things going on.

First, my Dad fell last Monday. It wasn't pretty and still isn't. He cracked his hip joint bone. He is in pain from that and with various conditions concerning his back and vascular system. He has had a hard week. The good news is it looks like he has escaped having surgery and he was transferred to a rehab hospital today. The bad news is that he is still in a great deal of pain even on medication and is never comfortable, which is terrible to have to watch and worse to have to live. I'm hoping the pain part will become more manageable in the next few days as he is in no shape for visiting, let alone being able to endure the rehab he is there for. But on the bright side, he is in a great facility and we are very thankful for that. He has many people praying for him and he has good doctors and good insurance (or so we hope!) AND yes, he had already voted. That came up the other day. It made me laugh.

Turns out things like Halloween don't get postponed just cause your Dad is in pain in the hospital. In ways that is a good thing. A great diversion. We had so much fun at Trunk-or-Treat last night! For the first time ever my kids did not dress in theme. :( They were going to all be in the sports theme because we bought the girls ACU cheerleader outfits this summer and Rhett just wanted to be a FC Dallas soccer player. But at the last minute Kolby didn't want to be twins with her 2 year old sister (imagine that!) and EK announced she was going to be a kitty kat. So we went with that. I spent $10 bucks at Hobby Lobby and just pulled stuff out of her closet and wah-lah! A pretty little black kitty! My Mom even made a black shiny tutu. (I was going to make it but Mom was convinced I didn't know how to do it right... :)

In other news, it looks like the PTA storm that took over my life for three months has subsided a bit... AND Mission Accomplished! Our awesome SVE kids sold over $58,000 dollars worth of products so we raised twice as much as we had budgeted! So exciting! Our PTA is doing really well this year. We also doubled our membership and we are having lots of fun. But all this has made for some long hours and crazy schedules. Even though it isn't over by any stretch of the imagination, hopefully my job isn't going to be so all-consuming. YAY! And while I'm loving PTA I realize you can have too much of a good thing.

Speaking of... I read Twilight back in August and much to the disgust of my coven friends, I have not even started New Moon. My affair with Bella and Edward was short lived, not by choice, but by circumstance. I'm hoping to rekindle that fire soon, but I tend to get so wrapped up in books like that that I want to do little else. So before I dive back into the town of Fork, I want to get the house in tip top shape... Something that it has not been in over a year! Plus I need to help Kolby more.

Kolby is doing great, but with the adjustment to 5th grade came changing classes 8 times a day, some meaner spirited girls, and more emphasis on things like fashion, fads and the cost of your shoes. I hate that. Socially Kolby is fine but she takes the meanness to heart. Academically I think she has finally found her stride, it just took a bit longer this year. All in all the move to a new school and grade has not been as smooth a transition as we would have liked. So I have had to adjust my mothering a bit to help Kolby learn how to cope with the new challenges. That's what you do as a Mom, you adjust as your kids need you differently. Turns out Kolby and I are both slow to adjust, but once we get there we rarely backslide!

That's about as concise as I can get, and since dinner isn't going to make itself (darn!), I'll leave you with some Fall pictures. Explanations to come later! Sorry for being such a blog slacker! I wish everyone would join Facebook because it is just so much easier! :)

Happy Halloween!!!

FC Panthers

Today marked the close of the soccer season for the FC PANTHERS! With a hard loss today, they finished 4-2-1 for the season. (We missed you Thomas!) This was a tougher season for the boys as they moved to the big fields and had to play longer quarters with goalies, but they did well enough to get this Mama's heart pumping more than one Saturday! It's so fun to watch these boys as they mature each season. Spring soccer starts in February! Up next Upward Basketball! YAY! An inside sport!

Ms Judy's Blog

I don't put much "church talk" on this blog. Today is church talk. But I think this is something all churches are going to have to deal with soon, regardless of creed or denomination. On her blog this week Judy Thomas summarized what Scot McKnight said about Reaching the Next Generation at the Zoe Nashville conference this year. If you have ever had a problem explaining to your parents why the church of their youth isn't meeting the needs or holding up to the questions and challenges of this generation, this would be a good place to start. That first list is a hard list to read. But when you read the second list, the wisdom shines through. Now go talk amongst yourselves....

beyond stressed

Last week was one of the most stressful weeks I have ever lived. So I guess now I am beyond stressed? :) Nothing big or horrible happened but so much happened in so many arenas of life. I am just really happy last week is over. This week is also going to be busy, but more of a normal busy, not a meeting every night, 8 things on the calendar everyday, newspaper articles, public hearings, hours of counting $ in "a safe room" :>, finding someone to watch Ella Kate every other hour so I could do what I needed to do, and having my stomach in knots for days kind of busy! Yes, thankfully I am beyond that kind of stress!

I am very excited about decorating for Halloween & Fall this week. Our poor house has undergone so many of my "projects" since last November. I am no where near "done" with everything. I've begun to wonder if I will ever feel as if it's "done". It has not been very fun or easy living with things off kilter for so long. But finished or not, I have decided to take a break. I have also decided from now on I will have to hire more things out. Rob and I can paint, but anything beyond a coat of paint takes way to much out of us. So... things will not happening very fast because I will be waiting for the money to pay someone else. But projects won't be dragged out for weeks or months making us live in chaos either. Live and learn.

So even though I am in the middle of redecorating in the living room and the kitchen is still dressed in the undercoating of the wall paper I pulled down last March I'm quitting for a while. And it's nice not to have that on my mind all the time. Rhett's room is finally done. I just have to get in there and hang pictures and put books in shelves etc. Hope to have it wrapped up and post pictures soon.

This is one thrilling post, isn't it? :)

In other news, Rob, Kolby and Rhett got to go to Farm Fest this weekend. We were all supposed to go until Ella Kate started running a high fever Friday night. I couldn't take her with us and I just couldn't leave her so sick, so EK and I missed Farm Fest! :( I was so bummed! Still am. Rob and the kids had a great time though. They got to see some of my favorite people and do things you only do at Farm Fest. Things like pumpkin ball, bottle rockets, hayrides, and so many other Fall/Farm like things. They all came back with fun stories.


This year our family stayed in a cabin at a near by retreat on Lake Bob Sandlin. Rob, Kolby and Rhett all loved it! We hope to go back some weekend this year to get away from it all...well all but sewers, microwaves and heat/AC. I'm not much of a camper.

ANYWAY, I'm glad they got to go and had such a great time. Our family was blessed to be included in Farm Fest again this year. Thanks so much Dick, Ruthie and family! With the big kids gone and EK subdued, I got to do some things around the house which was so nice!

AND to make me feel better, Rob bought the Christmas tree I have been wanting from Sam's today!

Yay! It's tall like our old one (that fizzled out last Christmas) but thin so it doesn't take up half the room. And it has 1600 little clear twinkle lights already strung perfectly all over it! Gotta love that! Usually Christmas decorations before Halloween make me feel ill, but not this one! I have looked at trees all over town and this one is my favorite for our house. I may have to put the tree up before Thanksgiving this year! :)

But in the mean time I have to say that I LOVE PUMPKINS!

I love to see them in my house, yard and all over town. I love the smell and taste of pumpkin bread, pumpkin cheesecake, and yummy ginger pumpkin scones! I love orange pumpkins, white pumpkins, painted pumpkins and carved pumpkins. Pumpkins make me smile. I have even decided orange is one of my top three favorite colors. So happy pumpkin season bloggies!

Thanks for your prayers when I requested them!

I have come to the conclusion that some things just aren't safe to say unless you have a private blog. Truly, I'm too tired to go private so please understand if I just pull some posts after a day or two.
Also know I am OK. I was really worried about yesterday and having to talk in front of people, but God got me through it.
As fate would have it, I ended up in the news which is NOT AT ALL WHAT I WANTED. I much prefer to be in the background! I never saw the piece, but have been assured I didn't come across as some mad, emotional mother so I guess it's not all bad. I am hopeful, but won't be shocked if nothing changes. Still, I feel I had to try.
Can't wait to get away to FARM FEST this weekend! The weekend truly can not get here soon enough. Ever had one of those weeks?

Feeling like Paul Harvey

My sweet Mom is always e-mailing me "chicken soup" like stories and inspirational stuff. And while I enjoy them, well, you know me and my take on forwards! But, I think these two stories are really pretty cool in a Paul Harvey-esque kind of way. Hope you do to!

STORY NUMBER ONE

Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago . Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.

Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Easy Eddie." He was Capone's lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.

To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him.

Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object. And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong.& nbsp; Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.

Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.

One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done.

He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al "Scarface" Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great. So, he testified.

Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street . But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine.

The poem read:
"The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still."


STORY NUMBER TWO


World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare.
He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific.
One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank.
He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship.
His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.
As he was returning to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American fleet.

The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet.

Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent.


Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit to fly.

Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.

Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier.

Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft.


This took place on February 20, 1942 , and for that action Butch became the Navy's first Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor.

A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His home town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.

So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located between Terminals 1 and 2.

SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?

Butch O'Hare was "Easy Eddie's" son.

And now you know the rest of the story! :)

Teddy Bear Parade

Today is the Teddy Bear parade at Ella Kate's MDO. Admittedly we didn't do much too dress up our "float" but, the participants sure dressed up! Tu-tu cute! Ella Kate insisted on wearing her tu-tu to school today. Sure her teacher will love me for that came diaper change time! I'm sure I'll have more pictures this afternoon.

It's another crazy busy week in La Casa de Groz. Rob has a HUGE project due Friday and it's week two of my big PTA Fall fundraiser. There is so much involved in these things, then add day to day life with three kids. No wonder my every-three-years friend MIGRAINE decided to rear it's ugly head yesterday! Thank goodeness for that post-baby stash of "feel-better" pills! :)

I'm looking forward to a more relaxed October! Do you think I'll find it?

whatever dude

My new answer to just about anything?


Yeah.
It's been another one of those weeks of sleepless nights, busy days, and general chaos and pandemonium. So for self preservation and and the doctoring of my frayed nerves, I declare that this week is officially whatever dude week in la casa de Groz.

It's a feeble attempt at letting stress roll off my back like water off a duck, but it's an attempt. Want to join me? It's easy. Whatever the crisis de'jour, take a breath and say "whatever dude" and walk away for minute. Of course this phrase is useless in life threatening situations. But since I only face 6 or 7 of those a day, I can safely use whatever dude 90% of the time. So unless it involves blood, bankruptcy or a toddler in the street, I'm saying whatever dude and taking it in stride.

I even made whatever dude flair for Facebook. Now there's a great example of my prudent time management skills! And for the record, there are no caps in whatever dude because it's such a casual, no-stress phrase that it doesn't even require proper punctuation or grammar! It's just that laid back. Yeah, it is. Oh, and girls can be "dudes" in the jovial buddy/buddy sense (or is it since?) so don't ruin a perfectly good saying by alternating "dudette" for dude. It doesn't work and would sound weird.

Oh.
So... you're thinking I sound weird?

whatever dude

My Day Off

Today I am taking the day off to do all the things I should be doing anyway but can't ever seem to get done because I'm too busy doing things that have to be done first.

If you totally understood what I said in that last sentence by reading it just once, you get me. If not, you may never, so just shake your head and give us a courtesy read.

Today I am not leaving the house except to pick the kids up from school. After I push publish on this, no more blogging. No Facebook. No meetings. No errands. No returns. No drop-offs. No PTA. No Stores. No Church. And ... NO GUILT!

It's just me, my family, my house and my God. I was actually happily singing praise songs as I scrubbed the toilet this morning because it has been so long since I could just sit and scrub the toilet! I'm even getting a bit tingly thinking of putting the laundry away...and you know how I usually detest laundry. But for the first time in, well... I can't even remember how long, I am staying home.

I going to attempt to do housework, cook a good meal from scratch (without going to the store), play "kitchen" with my 2 year old, give my 7 year old my undivided attention while he reads "The Little's" to me for 20 minutes tonight, and help my sweet tween diva clean up her closet just because I want to and she needs help. And I might even squeeze in a non-cell phone conversation with my husband when he gets home! It's been far too long since I did any of these things, especially considering these are the things I am here to do. This is what I thought I would do everyday when Rob and I decided all those years ago that I would stay home with our kids. What happened?

I fully admit that I had no idea how hard it would be for me to be a stay home Mom. The self imposed balance, structure and discipline required just don't come easily for me. However, I love everything that I do. I love being involved and active. I love my life. But I really don't like the constant rush, the hurry, and the feeling that there is NEVER enough time to get it all done. I don't like the person I become when my life gets too busy and my to-do list is so long I cannot see the end of it.

Perhaps I just need to make myself take a day off more often to do what I need to do at home for those I am supposed to be staying home for. Maybe I'm too much of a weenie to do all this stuff I try to do. Maybe it's just the season. Perhaps I've let my life stray from the purpose God gave me. Perhaps it's a bit of all these things. Perhaps. I'll ponder that as I relish this day at home.

But just in case I get all caught up in things again and forget, would someone please remind me of this glorious September day, documented here by this post, when I made the time to be what and who I wanted to be and to do what needs to be done, and how very, very wonderful it was? Thanks!

Happy Birthday, Hurricanes & Hurling

We had Rhett's ALL STAR SPORTS party Friday, just a week after his real birthday! I let Rhett pick what we would do for this party. After we eliminated all the $10 per person options, he just wanted to play with his friends in a gym. Gotta love 7 year old boys! It was a bit more complicated than it sounds though.

Just hanging out.

Score!

Pinata baseball!

Last Wednesday (about 48 hours before the party was to start) I learned that our church gym/community center (the place where 40 invitations had said we were having the party!) was being used as a Hurricane Ike evacuation center!
(Yes Rhett. That was exactly my reaction!)

After an hour of stressing and wondering what to do, I called around and found the gym at the Baptist church downtown was open. I booked it. We have actually had several birthday parties there before and Rhett was thrilled, but scared no one would be able to find his party. I'm still not sure everyone got word we had moved, but we did our best. The kids who showed up seemed to have a good time. Here is an attempt at a group picture. Of course we missed 5 or 6 kids but still.... Aren't they fun? These were some really sweet, energetic little kids!


It was really fun night except that we (or at least I) really missed Rob who was knocked out by a nasty stomach virus. Rob never gets sick. It's still hard to believe he missed the party! Thank goodness for Mama KK, Sari, Jim, Robby, Maria and several other parents who stayed and helped. Yes, it takes a village to feed and supervise that many kiddos! The kids were having so much fun that Rhett didn't want to stop playing to open presents. We got to have even more fun when we got home. It was like Christmas in September for him! We all went to bed worn out but happy.


Saturday morning was wonderful! It rained outside and we all slept in. All the soccer games were canceled and we had no where to be all day. We. Did. Nothing!!!

IKE passed by us to the east and we only had a few gust of wind and some rain. It was a great rainy, lazy day! I absolutely live for Saturdays like that! Rob was felt much better. After a terribly busy week, it was good to do nothing UNTIL... I came down with Rob's stomach virus! It was not fun but, 24 hours later I am much better.


About Hurricane IKE...
We are praying for all those near the coast hit so badly. It looks like downtown Houston came out better than expected, but those communities directly on the coast and those that saw the East side of the storm were hit VERY hard! Watching KHOU.com's live feed makes me so sad. We have several friends who hunkered down during the storm but who are now leaving because they have no electricity. Those who refused to evacuate Galveston island before the storm are now being forced to leave because the area is just not fit to live in. Galveston is facing a long recovery I fear!

Praying, praying, praying for those people who lost their homes and places of work!

On a personal note...
This week doesn't look nearly as busy as last week, but that's not saying much! Hoping for calmer days and more restful nights! Is it me or has everyone had a crazy busy start to school this year?

More later.
Maybe.
Have a blessed week bloggies!

Take a hike

IKE!!!

Where IKE was when I posted this.

Where IKE is now. (updated live by NOAA)

These are the days...

This has been a busy week. Truly. Busy.
With multiple meetings everyday and night.
Rob with his TWO graduate classes, playing softball and coaching soccer.
Me with being on the board of two PTA's, trying to paint and redecorate, planning Rhett's birthday party, and dealing with trying to have our house repaired from various accidents.
I'm a bit frazzled. Next week does not look any less busy. Yesterday I found myself wishing the next two weeks away. As much as I love being active and involved, I was looking forward to a less active "normal." But a few things have happened this week that made me stop wishing any more days away. I thought I'd record and share these things here.

First there was the accident in our front yard last Saturday. Even though no one was hurt it was still scary. (The driver wrecked because he had a seizure or something close, but was not actually hurt in the accident itself.) Even though Rhett is fine, I still get week in the knees when I think about how if just one variable changed, it could have been so different. Thinking of my little boy standing in the driveway with a big Yukon plowing through the yards beside him out of control... I still tear up when I think about it. I've hugged Rhett much tighter this week and he doesn't seem to mind. He doesn't really talk about it much, but he has been a little clingier. It really scared him. My sweet neighbor has a special celebration planned for Rhett today to help put a positive spin on the whole thing. Rhett is well loved. (The driver is still in the hospital. Though I'm sure the doctors know, we have not been told exactly what happened. We suspect a stroke or aneurysm. But no matter what it was, this looks to be a life altering event in his life.)

Secondly, I received an e-mail about a girl I once knew who has grown up to have two liver transplants. Even with the touch and go health and the incredible debt that comes with those type of operations, she is living the best life she can with her husband and two school aged kids. The last line of her e-mail said "Every day is a gift" and I thought "Yes. Even these busy ones."

And (I saved the best for last!), my cousin Amber gave birth to a beautiful healthy baby boy last night! I can't wait to get to the hospital to see him this morning! At 9 pounds 1 once, I hear he is a one cute little bundle of boy! I know babies are born everyday, but each birth is it's own little miracle. I love babies! I am always so happy and relieved when babies I know arrive safely with all 10 fingers and toes, breathing well, and all systems go! I am so grateful that little Jeffery "Kolt" Russell is here!

So I'm trying to remember that even when I can't slow down, every day is a gift!
Every day has it's blessings and miracles.
This is the day the Lord has made.
I will rejoice and BE GLAD in it.
These are the days...

Never a dull moment

UPDATE 9-9-08: As of this morning the driver is still in the hospital. His name is Dan. We covet your prayers for him.






This was the scene in our front yard this afternoon. Apparently the man driving this Yukon had a seizure and landed in our front flower bed on top of our Spruce tree. No one was hurt. The man was alone and we heard he should be OK. He came within inches of hitting so many things, including our house, but didn't. Rhett was standing in our driveway when it happened.(My hands started shaking as I typed that.) Thank you God for not letting anything happen to my little boy!




I was OK until I took these pictures. I think it hit me just how blessed we are.
This could have been so bad and it wasn't. Little Rhett was so brave and calm as he ran in to tell me about it. He was the lone witness. That was a lot for a seven year old! While I called 911 Rob got in the truck with the convulsing driver, put his truck in park (because it was still in drive!) took the keys out and sat with the driver while he had what Rob guesses were multiple seizures. Our neighbor got a doctor who lives down the street before 911 responders arrived. Rob knows the driver from work. The whole thing was quite an ordeal. We were all pretty shaken up.

I can't stop thanking God that all we lost were some shrubs.
The policeman said our 12 foot Spruce probably saved our garage.
Maybe so, but I think it had some help from the big guy upstairs!
God is good!



I think I need a nap!