Thursday, September 30, 2010

Tales From the Lunchroom

Catchy, isn't it?  I think that's what I'll title the book I'm someday going to write. 

*I've been told that I need to write a book.  Can I do it?  I'm sure I can do it with God's help and guidance, but what in the world would I ever write about?  Unless it's that little thing you call life.  If that's the case, the sky's the limit!*

I wonder if people ever wonder what their sweet little angels are doing while they eat lunch?  Would you like a few examples, for your reading pleasure?  It'll probably bring you a laugh or three. 

~I LOVE it when I go see what a student needs (who has had their hand up for three point two minutes), only to find out, "Oh.  I didn't need anything."  I especially loved it when I was in the walking boot for a few weeks.  ;)

~I also love when they tattle tale.  Really?  You're going to raise your hand among another 47 hands raised, just to tell me THAT?!  DO NOT TATTLE TALE TO ME!!!  I will not do anything about it. 

~It's always fun when you tell them not to goof off and eat their lunch, only to have them ignore you and spill chocolate milk all over themselves and their neighbor.  :)  And yes, this happened today, to a student in a grade old enough to know better.

~I have lots of time to make sure all of them are eating their lunch.  And all of it.  And not just dumping their sandwich in the trash and then telling you that they ate it, when in fact, they didn't.  I have been asked on numerous occasions (not by anyone I'm friends with, I assure you) to please make sure little Susie or little Johnny eats all of his/her lunch.  :)

~I love birthday cupcakes.  This doesn't even require me adding anything else to it, but in case you're wondering, here you go.  Some days, I am severely tempted to draw and then blow up to 85x43 (I know that's not a size, I'm being sarcastic here) a picture of a cupcake with 6 inches of BRIGHT BLUE ICING with a circle around it and a line through it, banning them from school.  Blue icing does not come off your hands or your teeth, it has to wear off, and I must say, it has the consistency of Crisco.  It's disgusting.  What do I recommend?  Not that anyone wants to know my opinion, or surely they would ask me!  I recommend cookies.  Either the frosted ones, or something like Chips Ahoy.  I've seen people send donuts, donut holes, packaged Little Debbie snacks, popsicles, little individual containers of ice cream, you name it.  I will even go as far to say as you are allowed to come hand it out yourself!  I could go on and on about this one, but I'll stop.

~I love when the teachers forget to let their kids stop at the restroom, and all 23 have to use it at the same time.

~It's always fun when you sign in 106 visitors in one day. 

~My favorite sound of all is the sound of a tray hitting the floor. 

~I love when parents come to eat with their sweet angel and their younger sibling sweet angel, and let them both run around the cafeteria like a chicken with their head cut off.  That one brings me warm squishies. 

~Another favorite sight is the sight of a child eating lunch with his/her mom or dad with their hand raised.  Really???  You have an adult on every side of you, and you can't ask them?!?!?! 

I think I'll stop now.  I think these things are hilarious.  And probably the reasons why some of you would never come work with me in there!  As sarcastic as I sound, I really do love what I do.  And I have lots of laughs (most days, anyway) over their antics.  There is some frustration that comes with this job, but what job is frustration-free?  Maybe now you see why I am such a prayed up woman!  Lol...not really.  I would be prayed up, anyway.  :) 

Guess What Day It Is Again?

It's okay, though.  Today is a Thursday I am going to LOVE.  :)  Because today is my "Friday".  I arranged to have tomorrow off from work so I can do all my bridesmaid duties with Christa.  :)  I can tell, today is going to be an overkill day on the smiley faces.  :)  See?  I can't help myself. 

It is going to be a fabulous day, in spite of the fact that I woke up late.  Because I went to bed late.  But it was worth it, because Christa came over one last time.  We had dinner, we talked, laughed, and then we watched Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married Too?".  The first one is my all time favorite movie.  I would love to say the 2nd one gets the same rank, but it doesn't.  I loved it.  Until the end.  And then the suckiness part happened.  Ugh.  I cannot stand when movies end bad.  It wasn't just me being picky, either, Christa agreed.  And it was so TENSE.  Who needs all that tension in a movie??? 

Oh, well.  At least we had fun watching it.  And most of it was good.  Anyway, I'm moving on now.  I woke up late (at 6:45) and Graham had to light a fire under his feet this morning and get ready in record time.  The good part to this is that I now know that he can hurry when he needs to.  The bad part was that we had to skip devotion, but I did at least pray over him before he rushed out the door.  As he all but ate breakfast on the way to the bus stop.  :)  Oops, there's another one. 

The other boys got ready in their normal time frame, thank goodness.  All in all, it was a good morning, as far as before school goes. 

But then the boys left, and the really amazing morning started.  And not because they left.  But because of the quiet time I had.  I did two days of my Bible study homework.  :)  I couldn't help myself.  It was so good that I hated to stop.  I am so sad this study is almost over.  I never knew that Esther was so applicable in today's times.  But it is.  If you have never done this one and have the chance, I encourage you to jump all over it.  It's amazing.  I love our little Bible study group.  We're small, but we are powerful.  God meets us at every session, and He is growing us closer to Him and to one another.  We're probably going to do some impromptu study nights before our next study starts.  :)  I also gained an accountability partner, which I've never had before, but am STOKED about.  I need someone to report to on the time I spend alone with God, digging into His word. 

God met me in my kitchen this morning.  I pray that you get to experience Him today, as well.  I love me some morning time with Jesus.  It just gets the day off to an amazing start, and it seems that everything just flows smoother after that.  Well, I have to go, or I'm going to be late to work.  Love to all!  :)  :)  :) 

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Our Iceland Story...Part 2

 I know you've all just been DYING to read about the rest of our Mission trip.  :)  And I am to please.  Here's the 2nd installment for your enjoyment.  And on Sheila Fitzgerald's birthday, no less!  Sheila, if you're reading, Happy Birthday!  We love you and miss you. 

The next day, Friday the 11th, we rose early, and had breakfast and devotion.  I have to add now that every single day we were on the island, I had a ham and cucumber sandwich for breakfast.  I never knew those two things combined could be so delicious, but they were!  We prepared the dvd’s for distribution that morning.  We attached pieces of paper to them, explaining what they were and that they were in Icelandic (which is very rare), and we left to start our distribution.  We walked and met some really neat people.  One man that stood out to me was Skoley (and yes, I know that I am totally butchering the spelling of these amazing Icelandic people's names.  And I am sorry!).  I was walking with Sheila and Carol.  Jeannie and Cassie were with a church lady named Lillja, and the men were in teams.  Skoley would not accept our dvd, but he was very open to us talking to him.  He explained that Jesus was everywhere to him.  In the trees, his heart, our hearts, the doorpost.  Sad.  He said that Jesus was different for everyone and would not accept the movie.  He said prayers every night, the Lord’s prayer, and Sheila asked him to pray it for us.  So he did.  He invited us in for coffee, but we declined, saying we had to go.  I hope that long after this, that he will remember our kindness, and that the Lord will draw him to Him. 

Meanwhile, while Eddie and Todd were teamed up walking, one man they approached, a surgeon we later found out, was very open to the dvd and offered Eddie a quick tour of the island.  He explained to Eddie that he thought he would go to Heaven because of his good deeds.  Eddie was glad for the chance to talk to him, because he was able to share his faith.  And hoped at the same time that, like Skoley, he would remember the kindness and one day come to know our Lord and Savior. 

Poor Todd was all by himself since his partner had up and left him. :)  And Mama Carol, Eddie's REAL Mama, threatened Eddie within an inch of his life if he ever got into a stranger's car again.  Lol!!

We walked some more and stopped for a break for lunch.  Lillja had arranged for us to eat a delicious meal at a restaurant.  It was chicken or lamb, or something, but it was so good.  We had veggies and dessert as well.  With green peas.  If you know me, you know that I detest green peas.  But I ate them, to be polite.  They were actually pretty good.  We also had coffee.  We walked and distributed more after lunch.  For dinner, Sheila fixed tomato soup and salad, then we walked some more.  This time I walked with Karl.  The pastor’s son.  And gave him part of my heart.

I learned that he kind of liked school (kind of not) and that he loved gymnastics.  He told me he’d been taking for some time and he asked me if I would like to see a little demonstration.  To which I said, “Absolutely!”  He did ask his mom first.  We talked some more and walked and distributed.  I met one really cool man named Oscar who was from Canada.  We talked about the States, and Memphis, and he told me of his love for music.  He had been to Memphis in the past year or so and I think he got a real kick out of my southern accent.  I invited him to church, but he didn’t come. 

After Oscar’s house, Karl did his gymnastics move for me.  I was impressed.  He was on a fence post and flipped off backwards.  Pretty cool.  And scary.  We distributed the rest of the dvd’s and walked back to Bethel.  I think we beat most of the groups back, so we just kind of hung around until everyone got back.  Eddie had found an internet connection in the kitchen, and I spent some of that time checking email and facebook.  Graham and Drew were regularly sending me emails, and I loved hearing from them.  Drew’s always consisted of: “Dear Mom, I miss you so much.  I love you.  I can’t wait for you to get home.  Love, Drew”.  They were funny.  We also were able to call them.  Mike and Sheila let us use their American cell phones.  Sometimes we were able to get them, sometimes we were not able to get them.  But, we talked with them all pretty regularly. 

Mike and all the guys finally got back and had some very exciting news.  One of the islanders that goes to Bethel owns his own touring business.  There are bus tours, boat tours, and he owns a restaurant, as well.  I wish I could remember his name, but it has fled my mind.  Anyway, this precious man offered to take us out on the midnight boat tour around the islands!  We were so excited!  Even with it being at midnight, we were still excited.  Because who in the world goes to bed early on a mission trip?!?!  Not us, that’s for sure!! 

We hung around and talked until it was time to start walking to the dock.  What was supposed to have started at midnight ended up not starting until closer to 1a.m.  We were freezing while we waited, too, so Gudny let us ladies get into his car to keep warm.  Someone (me) thought all I would need was my fleece Iceland pullover that Eddie had had made for all of the team.  I was f.r.o.z.e.n. to the bone!!  Sheila, Carol, Cassie and I all piled into Gudny’s car, and then Jeannie joined us.  Then Danny.  We ended up taking a hilarious picture of all of us crammed in there like sardines.  But we were warm!

It was finally time for us to board the boat.  I was a little worried that I would get seasick again, but thank the Lord, this time I was fine.  I think I did take a Dramamine just to be safe, but I don’t think I would have needed it.  We boarded the boat, and were given h’or doerves.  There had been a party on the boat before us, and there were leftovers of smoked lamb sandwiches, and some other little sandwiches with some sort of salad type spread.  They were good.  And at almost 1 in the morning, we were all getting hungry again.

The boat left the dock, and I was just amazed.  I think I had a God moment right then and there.  I couldn’t believe I was halfway around the world from home, and here it was, 1 in the morning, and I’m on a boat cruising around the Westmann islands in Iceland.  It was unbelievable.  Very surreal.  I couldn’t snap pictures fast enough.  I think Todd felt the same way.  We were both so humbled to have been able to be a part of this trip, and it all caught up with me right then at this very moment. 

I was stunned at the beauty all around me.  The sun was still out at this early hour of morning, and the water beneath us was turquoise blue.  It was astonishing.  The magnificence of the islands was something that I will forever hold in my memory.  Oddly enough, as cold as I had been at the boat dock, once we were out on open water, I was not cold at all.  The chill had given way to goose bumps.  I literally felt God all around me.  I didn’t talk much during this excursion.  I was almost at the point of being speechless. 

I need to stop here and tell a little story.  While we had dinner our first night at Linden, Mike had shown us a video of a man playing a trumpet in a cave.  The cave was not really a “cave”, but a room carved out of the side of a part of some rock.  In this cave, the acoustics were crystal clear.  At certain times in the day, you would be able to hear an instrument playing from the cave all across the island.  In the video, the man playing the trumpet was Gudny’s father, who had passed away a few years before.  He was playing Amazing Grace on the trumpet. 

We continued on with the tour and came to find that we were with some serious bird watchers.  There was some little rare bird that they were watching for that could only be seen at 2 places in the world.  I think they were called Ghost Birds, maybe??  Anyway, Vestmannaeyjar was one place they were able to be seen.  But only in the wee hours of the morning.  We stayed in one spot FOREVER watching these birds.  Gently rocking all the while, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.  Which is probably the reason I rocked for DAYS after this trip.  I think the rocking motion finally went away for me a couple weeks after we got home. 

Anyway.  We started the trip back.  The captain pulled the boat into the cave I just told you about.  And my sweet friend, Karl, I also found out, plays the trumpet.  Just like his granddad.  And proceeded to play in the cave, on his trumpet, Amazing Grace.  If I have ever tangibly felt the presence of God, it was right then at that moment.  I stood and listened with my eyes closed, tears silently pouring out of my eyes the entire time.  I was a complete and total mess.  All for my Jesus.  I met with Him right then at that very moment.  I don’t think I said one word the rest of the night.  We ended our tour and headed back to Bethel.  Eddie let us skip devotions because it was almost 3 a.m. at this point.  We all said our good nights and headed to bed. 



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

This is all I've written so far.  Before I post the next installment, I will need to finish writing it!  So, I hope you don't get too impatient.  I promise to try and finish writing about it in the next couple weeks.  Love to all. 

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Why I Go To Church

There are lots of reasons, but here are my top ones. 

~To collectively worship with a group of believers is the most amazing thing ever.  Have you ever been to a Christian concert and worshiped among thousands?  It's the most unexplainable feeling ever, but let's just say that the presence of the Lord was felt all over me.  Hairs stood up on my arms. 


Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

~To fellowship with other believers.  It's very uplifting to be in a body of believers.  And let's face it: when you go through major trials in your life, you will find out very quickly who your true friends are.  I have to say that when we faced one of our worst times in life, when Todd was in the hospital for having a stomach tumor removed, all the friends that came to see him were the ones from church.  Coincidence?  I think not.  Maybe a God thing to show us who we should and should not spend our time with.

~To be connected with other believers!!  My Esther homework confirmed this one today.  Here is what Beth Moore says about this: "Disconnected people can never be whole.  Vulnerable and painful though it may be, a community of people whose lives are tied together by the tender strings of the heart is life the way God meant it to be lived." 

I am blessed to have such an amazing church family.  The more faithful in church you are, the more you see this for yourself.  The most amazing times in church usually happen on Sunday nights, when it's down to the truly devoted church goers.  I encourage you to find a church family to join.  As long as it's a Bible believing church, it's good.  If you don't have a church family, wanna join mine? 

What, really, do you have to lose?  Nothing at all.  You have everything to gain.  Love to all.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

the things rattling around in my brain...

There are lots of them!  First and foremost is thankfulness.  It's been a very low-key, relaxing weekend.  Exactly what I needed to refresh after a busy week!  Friday night I enjoyed a solid 3 hours alone in my home.  It was amazing.  I ate my favorite thing for dinner (black beans and rice with pico de gallo to season it up) and watched Dear John. 

Insert big, happy, contented sigh HERE

Drew was at a friends' house, Jonah and Noah were at CFBC, at a kids' event, and Todd and Graham went to the Briarcrest football game.  Saturday was an amazing day in weather.  We started off early at a soccer game, which the Crusaders won 6-1, then went to my church's annual Cordova Fest.  We ate and walked around.  The kids jumped and climbed and ate some more, and a good time was had by all. 

We went to Mom's and Bill's for dinner.  Yummmmy.  Pork chops, black eyed peas, cabbage, cheesy potatoes, grilled squash, cornbread and banana pudding.  Mmmmmmmmm.  I was by myself with the boys plus 1 extra.  Imagine that.  It was Nate the Great.  He loves going to Nana's house with us.  He told us so.  :)  Todd was home watching the amazingly STRESSFUL Alabama/Arkansas game.  Because, heaven knows, he is not suitable for company during a game like that.  About that...ummmm?  Hello?  My little heart almost couldn't take it.  I couldn't watch it with Todd or without Todd.  We were happy when they pulled it off at the end, though. 

Whew.  At least there was no cheese-it's flinging goin' on in our living room.  Hello, Jessica???  Although Todd did say he was jumping up and down. 

Today we spent the day at church.  It was with very mixed emotions.  The worship was good all day, and tonight we had a great time of singing around the altar.  I love that time, it's precious, that we spend just soaking up all of God that we can.  I know this week will bring many worldly things, but I am thankful to have rest in my Jesus.  Amen? 

My sweet girl, Christa, spent her last Sunday in church with me.  Our music director had all the choir members gather around her and pray for her on stage tonight.  I was doing good until that prayer.  It was just so sweet.  I held her hand, and thanked God for bringing her the Godly man of her dreams.  I thanked Him her for the gift I've had of her friendship.  And I thanked Him that I love her enough to be able to peaceably let her move off to Springfield.  I cried, though.  I always cry when we pray together and tonight was no exception.  So today was spent with very mixed emotions.  Shoot, I'm crying now as I write this.  I will miss that girl with everything in me.  She has been such a God-send to me, and I will be sad to see her leave. 

I pray I don't make a complete fool of myself in her wedding next weekend.  With my crying, I mean.  I probably need to carry a hanky with me in my bouquet, just in case!  I can't wait to begin all the festivities, though.  I took Friday off work, because all of us bridesmaids are spending the day together.  We'll have rehearsal and the dinner that night, then her wedding is on Saturday.  I cannot wait to experience it all with her.  I already know that she is a gorgeous bride.  We got to see her in all her glory on Sunday last week in Nashville.  She had some bridal portraits done by a sweet friend that lives in Franklin. 

Well.  I need to get off this ol' computer and head to bed.  I'm praying that this week goes quickly!  I can't wait to start the rest of this month!  Have I ever mentioned that I love October???  I married my best friend on October 4th of 1996, and we are celebrating 14 years this year!  That is a long time to spend with someone!  I love him more with each day.  :)  And we'll be enjoying ourselves together next weekend. 

Well.  I'm going to leave you with some visual moments of fun I have had with my sweet friend.  :)





Friday, September 24, 2010

Friday, At Last!

I shouldn't say that, I suppose, because it's been a really good week.  Busy as usual, but really good.  And, as some of my coworkers believe, the kiddos at CES have been pretty well behaved, even in spite of that glorious full moon I've been enjoying.  I was curious yesterday about how many lunch visitors we had, so Kathy in the front office, looked on the raptor machine we use to sign people in on, if it kept up with the numbers of people we had come in.  It did.  With a fancy little bar graph and everything.  Yesterday we had 93 visitors for lunch, but Thursday we had 106!  All I know, is that in a mere ten days, I've gone through over 500 labels for all our lunch visitors! 

I knew that it was very busy yesterday in the cafeteria.  Thank goodness for the most awesome parent volunteers ever!  The lady that's in charge of getting me help in the cafeteria has 2 people in there with me on most days.  I don't really know what I would do if that weren't the case, because when parents start coming, I sit at the desk the whole time and do nothing but sign people in.  The parent pretty much takes over helping the kids.  Until 15 minutes later, and some of the teacher assistants come in and start helping.  It's crazy, but it sure does go by fast!  My three hours, that is. 

Anyway, I don't know why I said all that.  Hmmm.  Maybe I'll think of the reason why later.  I am so thankful that it is almost the weekend!  I missed being at home the whole weekend last weekend, and I missed Jonah's and Noah's soccer game.  :(  I HATE missing their games.  I went to Nashville for a girl's only trip for my friend Christa.  It was really a bachelorette thing.  We left on Saturday morning and came home Sunday night.  We stayed in a hotel in downtown Nashville.  It was fun, but I don't like being away from my family.  I have discovered that traveling with friends is not the same as traveling with your husband.  There is no one else I am as comfortable with, and I really did miss them.  So, I'm thankful that tonight and the rest of the weekend, we are all under one roof. 

Well, sort of.  Tonight Drew, Jonah and Noah are going to a church event at the church down the street from us.  Graham is too old for it, so we're taking him to a Briarcrest football game.  Thanks to some awesome neighbors.  My friend, Beth, works the concession stands, and she got us family season passes for all the home games this year.  Pretty cool, huh???  Football is football is football.  And free, at that!!  So Todd and I are going to take Graham to the game.  I guess we'll be a  family divided, but only for a short while.  We'll probably have to leave a little early to go pick up the other ones, but that's okay.  I told Drew he could have a friend (Nate the Great) spend tonight with us.  Tomorrow morning we will be up early for soccer.  And we might go to our church's Cordova Fest.  :(  Even though it's not my favorite thing. 

I'm just excited it's the weekend.  Especially because last night we got all our "house" stuff done.  The yard (front and back) have been cut one last time, thanks to Todd and Graham, Todd edged one last time, and I started cleaning upstairs.  I'll finish that this morning so I won't have to do anything else "housely" to do over the weekend.  I will get to enjoy my family to the fullest.  And I will.  I hope you do, too!  Happy Friday to all of you, I hope your day and your weekend is blessed. 

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Wednesday Again?

I can't believe a week has flown by.  Oh, wait a minute.  Yes I can.  I haven't had much time for the ol' blog, or for facebook.  Life is a little (a lot, maybe) crazy right now, but I think that this is just how it's going to be for the time being. 

I'll give you a little rundown.

I have Bible study on Monday nights.  We're still studying Esther, and I am very sad to say that we are almost finished.  It's been an amazing journey through the book, and I have learned a lot about myself and the way I work.  And the way Esther worked back then is very applicable for today's busy woman.  I'm already looking forward to our next study.  We're doing Daniel, some of us again, some of us for the first time.  I'll be doing it for the 2nd time, but I can't wait to go through it.  Four years have gone by since that first time, and I can't wait to compare today to what I wrote back then.  That study was a major turning point for me.  :)  I can't wait to dig back in to the history of the book. 

Anyway, back to my busy life.

Tuesdays (as of right now, at least) are soccer practice for Jonah and Noah.  They're playing (for the first time ever) for our church's league, and they LOVE it.  That just might be the biggest understatement of the year, by the way. 

As you all know, Wednesday night is church night.  The boys go to their respective classes, and I go to choir.  We are taking a neighborhood friend to church with us every week.  Tonight will be his third time to eat at the church and go with us.  He loves it, and my kids love having him with us.  Our sweet little friend also comes over every morning at 7:30, rides to school with us, and we pick him up after school and he stays with us until 5:30.  He is a joy, and for this period in our lives, the Lord has put him in our lives.  We love him.  :)

That only leaves Thursday-Sunday.  On these last 2 weeknights, we usually just hang around here.  I cook on these nights, and we get to eat without rushing.  We always eat as a family, but it's unrushed.  Well, on Thursday night.

I did forget that Friday night is soccer practice again.  But it's fun, and then we go do something together. 

Saturday night we go to my Mom's house, and then Sunday is spent at church most of the day. 

So there you have it.  And you see why I haven't written lately.  Plus, all last week, I was sick.  And on Saturday morning, I went on a girls' trip to NashVegas.  It was lots of fun.  We stayed in the Sheraton in downtown Nashville.  And that's all I'll say about THAT.  Just know that it was fun.

In between all the comings and goings of our family, I try to sneak in fun things for us to enjoy together.  For instance, yesterday morning at 8:10 my neighbor Beth comes into my house.  She told me to take all my kids up to the Target parking lot.  There was a huge helicopter called an air crane that was lifting huge A/C units onto the roof of the new Lowe's that's going up.  The air crane just went back and forth for about 30 minutes until all units were in position.  Oh my goodness.  That was the coolest thing I have ever seen.  And the boys were all screaming their heads off as they hung out my car windows, drooling all over themselves at the awesomeness.  It was a great way to start an otherwise boring and normal Tuesday morning.  I let Drew skip safety patrol for it.  Who knows when we'll ever see something like that again???  Some random man came up and took a picture of all the kids hanging out of my car.  It was definitely a sight to behold.

Even the hubs got in on the action.  He was there, too, and got to meet the pilots.  Fun was had by all. 

Well, it's 6:45 a.m., and I have to run to get Graham and another kid to CMS for See You At The Pole.  Graham's on the tech team, so he has to be there early.  I hope you all have a fantabulous Wednesday.  Love to all. 

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Wow God Wednesday

I think that's what it's called!  I heard on KLove this morning that instead of calling today Hump Day, or Wacky Wednesday, to think of ways that God has wowed us in our lives.  Wow God Wednesday.  I love that.   Has He wowed you, lately?

He wowed me last night.  I went to bed at my usual time of 9:00 and read until I started to fall asleep at 9:30.  And then, wouldn't you know it, I tossed and turned for the next 2 hours.  I finally sat up at l1:30 and prayed a desperate, "Lord, please bring me rest tonight."  Well, He did.  I didn't MOVE until my alarm went off at 5:00. I desperately needed sleep to fight off whatever I am trying to come down with.  And He provided it.

Someone called in on KLove saying that her and her husband were farmers.  They discovered that they had army worms all throughout their yard and their pasture.  Left alone, those nasty little creatures destroy grass and crops.  They couldn't afford the chemicals to kill them, so the lady sent up a desperate, "Lord, just send me a huge flock of black birds to eat all these worms."  And He did.  Thirty minutes later, she saw a small flock in her yard, and over the rest of the day, the flock grew and grew.  They ate every single worm over the course of the next few days.

How awesome is God???  He cares so much about us.  He cares about the big things.  And the seemingly small things.  He continually amazes me.  He gives me words when words won't come to me.  He gives me strength when I'm at my weakest.  He carries me through times that are too difficult to walk.  He continually puts a guard over my mouth.  (Well...this one's a constant battle, and I am a work in progress.)  He gives me understanding and knowledge as I complete day after day of Bible study homework.  Because I know those answers didn't come from ME alone. 

I pray that others see Him in me.  I've been kind of down in the dumps lately, and I'm not really sure why.  I think it started off with just a rough day, and it keeps escalating.  I don't know if it's because I don't feel normal (sinus junk), or what...but I don't care for it.  I am usually very positive, very uplifting, very happy.  But lately, I've been feeling a little depleted.  So yesterday I started praying that I would look to God to fill me, not others.  It hasn't been 24 hours yet, but I know He is going to get me through this time.  I know that the more time I spend with Him, the more He will fill my mind. 

2 Corinthians 10:5  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  

Wow God Wednesday.  It really is a WOW kind of day.  I've already had several other WOW moments this morning...but my eyelids need a rest before I head into the land of kids eating lunch. 

Until next time, love on Jesus today.  Receive the love He has for you today.  I know I have. 

Friday, September 10, 2010

Life & Such

As most of you know, my dog, Andy the Wonder Dog, loves to ride in the car with us.  This morning he was loved enough to get to go with us two times!  Graham had to be at school at 7:10, so that was the first time he rode with us.  I've been seeing more and more lately, signs that he is aging.  He has a hard time jumping up into the back of the suburban.  I could totally see us buying one of those stair climber things for dogs who like to ride in cars but can't, due to age or arthritis. 

The second time he rode with us was when I dropped off Drew, Jonah, Noah, and our neighbor, Alex.  He was in doggy heaven.  Except for when I turned on the back windshield wipers to clean the back window...I thought he was gonna have a stroke.  Poor, nervous puppy dog. 

Anyway, on to other things now.  Today is D.E.A.R. day at the elementary school.  Our annual read-a-thon kicked off last night with a book fair and P.T.A. meeting.  D.E.A.R. stands for Drop Everything And Read.  The football players are coming today to read to the kids while they're treated to popsicles outside in our grove area.  The football players might as well be famous, they get so excited.  It's really neat.  I know they were all really excited about school this morning.  Well, every morning, but especially this morning. 

It's been a pretty good week.  I am thrilled that we have gotten a major issue in 5th grade resolved.  Things are turning around, and once again, Drew is excited about school everyday.  He started safety patrol this week and other than feeling embarrassed, he said he likes it.  ;)  Silly Drew.  I forget how "shy" he can be when he's not around people he knows.  If you were a fly on the wall in our house, you would NEVER fall for the fact that he says he's shy. 

Jonah and Noah are so excited about their first soccer game tomorrow.  They have practice tonight, and will be getting part of their uniform.  Part of a uniform is better than no uniform, right??  Anyway, they are ready for tomorrow.  Jonah and Noah are alternating being goalie.  Their coach was pretty impressed with their skills at being goalie.  Jonah has been known to do a full body dive to block the ball.  Imagine that.  Him wanting to get dirty.  He is DEFINITELY all boy. 

Things have been pretty uneventful this week.  It's been busy, but uneventful.  I think this busy thing is the story of the rest of my days with kids.  I don't see that it will ever slow down again.  We have something going on almost every night, and as busy as it is, I enjoy it.  It keeps us active and it makes for some good times making memories that will last forever.  I know that this time is short, and I am trying to enjoy each and every moment I get with them.  I know that one day all too soon, my house will be silent again.  I know there will be no more little boy clutter, no more fighting, no more arguing over what music they want to listen to, no more begging to sleep on the floor in the playroom together, no more asking if friends can come over.  As hard as it can sometimes be, I really do try to treasure each moment. 

I know that I am human and I am going to freak out over the condition of my house or car, but when I have those moments, I always try to go back and apologize.  It really is the small things in life that make a difference.  Not the appearance of our house, our cars, or ourselves.  It's all about our time together as a family.  I will take them any way I can get them...and on the go seems to be the theme of late.  There are weeks that I feel like I only see my husband in passing.  Which is probably true.  He's a night owl, and I'm a morning person.  Meaning he stays up late, while I go to bed at 9 most week nights.  :(  Probably not the best thing in the world for a married couple, but what's a girl to do???  I have to get up at 5:30 every morning, and if I don't get to bed early, I am worthless the entire next day.

Oh well.  We'll figure it all out one of these days.  Maybe when school lets out again!  I think that's why I enjoyed last weekend so much.  We had some great quality time together, which just so happens to be mine and Todd's love language.  Well, our number 2, anyway. 

Okay, well I am famished, so I am going to eat breakfast.  Love to all, and HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Our Iceland Story Part 1

I've been wanting to share all about our trip for a while, and I started writing about the day after we returned.  I thought I would share the story with you, too.  When asked about the trip and how it went, I'm overwhelmed at God's goodness, and all He did in orchestrating this event.  I'm humbled and amazed by Him.  I hope you enjoy.  This first part will be from the time we left until our first full day on Vestmannaeyjar.  It's long...so if you don't like to read, then I'd say skip this.  :) 

There are so many things I want to share about this trip.  I’m almost at a loss for words, because there are so many things, God things, that happened in order for us to even be able to go on this trip.  Todd and I prayed long and hard about going.  When we first heard it mentioned in church on a Sunday night, I had the immediate thought that I would love for us to go together.  And then Todd texted me that exact same thought.

Days melded into weeks, and still we were praying.  Todd attended a couple meetings, but I didn’t.  It’s almost as if I were scared to even think that far ahead.  But one morning as we were getting ready, Todd got a text from Eddie stating that someone had given us each $150 in our account in order for us to be able to go.  God thing number 2.  We had fundraisers to raise money for our team to be able to go, and only God could make sure that 100% of our way was provided for us to be able to go.  Even down to some spending money, God provided it all.  Todd was able to do some work for several families in our church, but several people gave just to be giving.  God truly blessed us in providing our way.

Fast forward now, to the morning we left.  I was not that excited to leave because of the goodbye’s we had to say to our kids.  I was scared that something was going to happen to us while we were flying.  We actually made out a holographic will that is legal in the state of Tennessee, stating that in the event of our death, our children would be given to Brad and Marcia Coleman to raise.  Yikes.  I hated even the thought of this will, but it was something we had to do.

The night before we said goodbye to all the kiddos.  The only one that didn’t cry was Noah.  And Todd, but I’m not counting him.  Drew cried the worst.  And Jonah.  Even Graham.  And Graham, I later found out, woke up in the middle of the night, terrified over the thought of us flying for so long.  He woke my mom up and asked her to pray with him over our safety, and ended up sleeping in the room with her that night.

So on the morning of June 8, after a few hours of sleep (about 3 and a half), we packed it all up and headed out.  We’d said our goodbye’s the night before, and when we left, nobody was awake.  Thank the Lord for that...I was all cried out.  I had a headache from all the tears I’d shed and was not eager for more.  I was sad about not saying goodbye to my mom, but was a little relieved.  Then the minute the garage shut, she called my phone telling me that she'd just woken up.  :(  I was sad and kind of relieved.  I am very attached to my sweet Mom, and I would have cried even more.

We got to the church around 5:30 a.m. and prayed before we left.  We asked for God’s blessing and favor upon us as we traveled, and together with Ann Smith, left for the airport.  Stewart and Ann Smith were supposed to have gone on the trip with us, but Stewart had to have  bypass surgery.  He had 90% blockage in one of his arteries, and even 6 weeks after surgery, his doctor would not let him travel.  I know they were both heartbroken over not going.

We made our way through security (what a royal pain!) without any problems.  Even if it did make me sweat!  I had forgotten to wear "easy" travel clothes, so I had on an undershirt, a jacket and tennis shoes.   Todd and I were hungry, so once we were on the other side of security, we got a couple breakfast sandwiches from Lenny’s and a diet coke.  When we got to the gate, we saw that our plane was a small one. :) You know I love small ones, right???  Hmmmph.  I think at this point, some of our weariness caught up with us, because we all got the giggles.  The lady behind Carol was not at all happy as we all laughed hysterically.

We found out that Curtis Williams is hilarious.  We had already known how crazy he was, but we saw the funny side of him.  Already, he was showing this whole different personality, other than the "door greeter" personality we see at church.  It was so funny, and really refreshing, that he opened up like that.  Carol was laughing at my phobia of flying in a plane.  I hate to fly.  I am almost positive that I mentioned that a time or 300.  Seriously, I  HATE flying.  This was God thing number 4.  Of about a million.  God worked through all my fears and phobias and replaced them all with peace.  As in the following verse:

Philippians 3:6 & 7 “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and mind as you live in Christ Jesus.

Praise God, right? 

The joyful thing came next.  Todd and I were loving being together.  It was almost as if we were getting to know each other again.  We haven’t been alone like this (except for a night or two here and there) without the kids in about 6 years.  That’s why the goodbye’s were so hard, but it was worth it.  I stood up to go to the restroom on the plane and immediately slammed my head into the overhead compartment.  We lost it.  Composure returned upon my trip back to my seat until 5 minutes later when Todd spotted one of my hairs hanging from the overhead compartment.  Then the giggles returned again.  Praise God for joy!

Before I go any further, I want to say that Eddie prepared devotions to share every day.  Once in the morning, and once in the evening.  So we would place our focus on the Lord first thing and last thing every day that we were gone.  The devotions were about the fruits of the Spirit.  Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.  Galatians 5:22 & 23.

Back to our story.  Keep in mind we were functioning on 3, maybe 4 hours of sleep at the most.  Delirious, I tell you.  Pure deliriousness.

We landed safely in Boston.  Praise You, Lord, once again.  I prayed so much during that flight, y’all.  I had some serious Jesus time.  He met me on that flight and we had some amazing conversing.  Especially as we were about to land (it looked like it, anyway) in the water.  Seriously, WHO ON EARTH would put an airport right on the edge of a piece of land???  But He is so good.  So faithful.

I had taken a few pictures on the plane for the boys.  The last one that I took, when I put my arm down (I always put the camera strap around my wrist), the camera bumped the arm rest.  When we got into the airport and were making our way to the International wing, when I went to take a picture, I noticed that the viewing screen was blank. :( My camera had broken.  We were going to go buy one during our 8 hour layover, but Carol and Danny very graciously offered us the use of theirs the whole trip.  We gladly accepted.  And theirs was better than ours, anyway!  I can’t wait to see the pictures printed out.

We found our gate and split into groups.  Cassie, Curtis and Darwin went off exploring.  Todd, Eddie, Carol, Danny and myself went to eat at a seafood restaurant named Legal Seafood.  We actually were not going to eat there when we noticed the price of the food.  But then Danny said, “We’re going to eat here, together, and it’s all going to be on one ticket.”  He was paying our way.  God love him.  This was one of the many, many kind things he did for us.  I came to know and love him during this trip.

We ate and looked around some, and headed to the International wing to wait.  And wait, and wait.  The time passed pretty quickly, actually.  I spent a lot of this time reading through some of our devotionals and writing in my journal.  How else do you think I remember all this so vividly??  This is the point that Jeannie met up with us.  So on this trip were Eddie, Jeannie, Curtis, Cassie, Darwin, Carol, Danny, Todd and myself.  The perfect, God appointed group of people to be at the place we were going.  I’m losing count of the God things.  But this one was another.

The time finally passed and we made our way past security.  Again.  The 2nd time of the day that strange people and events made me sweat profusely.  This was also coming to be the theme of the trip, I was finding out. :) How ironic.  We go to Iceland and I sweat.  Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself.  We ate dinner at Sbarro, because there was no meal on the plane to Keflavik.  We ate and soon after, boarded our plane.  With children.  Dreaded babies and toddlers.  On a 5 hour flight.  One of the babies, poor thing, must have had an earache and cried the majority of the flight.  Thank You, Lord, for earphones and airplane movies!  I watched Bride Wars.  It was really cute.

We landed safely in Keflavik at 6:30 a.m.  Thank You, Lord, once again!  For giving us Your traveling mercies.  I was thrilled to finally meet the infamous "Mike and Sheila"!  I had heard so many wonderful things about them, and absolutely could not WAIT to meet them in person.  Mike and a man named Stefan picked us up and drove us into the city.  The first place they took us to was the state church.  There are 2 kinds of churches in Iceland: the Lutheran state run church, and the pentecostal church.  The church that Mike and Sheila attend is called Philadelphia, and they have 300+ in membership.

Anyway.  The state church was really pretty.  The president of Iceland lives right behind the church.  With no gates or security or anything.  Mike said if he’d been home, we could have knocked and he would have invited us in for coffee.  Crazy thought, huh?  Before we left, we all gathered into a circle, held hands and prayed.  For our trip, and for us to be open to the Holy Spirit, and for the country of Iceland.  Two years ago the nation went bankrupt.  They had been one of the top 2 countries, economically, and they hit rock bottom.  There was lots of governmental corruption in that country, and God tore it all down and is slowly building it back up.  Slowly.  He has definitely had His hand in this, though, and is at work within them all.  That’s why what Mike and Sheila do is so important.  They have a radio station called Linden that is similar to Klove.  All of Iceland hears it on the radio, but anybody in the world can listen on the internet.  It’s www.linden.is.

After we prayed, we headed to our hotel.  We had breakfast while Mike told us all what we would be doing, and we went to our rooms for some much needed rest!  We’d been up 24 hours at this point and were desperate.  I slept for 4 hours, then showered and got dressed again.  We met in the lobby of the bed and breakfast, and Mike and Sheila picked us up.  We went to the Pearl, which is a museum.  We ate a snack then toured the museum.  The “snack” was a delicious crepe type thing filled with meats, cheeses and veggies.  And I had sprite to drink. :) I loved me some sprite that day.  We toured the city of Reykjavik next, in the car with Mike driving and telling us about everything.  After that we ended at Lindin.  Mike showed us all around and interviewed Eddie and myself on the radio!  Very interesting...anyway, we stayed at the station and had dinner.  Prepared by Sheila.  Sweet, sweet Sheila.  She had made some roasted chicken, some veggies and bread.  It was so good.  This is when I got my first taste of an orange soda called Applesin.

We went back to our hotel around 11 or so, and had devotion.  Eddie led us the first night, and he spoke on who God was to us.  Individually.  That day, for me, God was rest and peace.  Rest because of the rest I had on the plane and afterward at the hotel, and peace because in my prayer time, He’d given me that peace I spoke about earlier.  Thank You, Lord.  After devos, we crashed.

We woke bright and early the next morning, Thursday the 10th.  We had breakfast at the hotel, then devotions, and met Mike and Sheila in the lobby.  We had to pack up because we were leaving for Vestmannaeyjar (Westmann Islands).  By ferry.  We were excited at this point, because we had no idea what was in store!  We all (well, most of us) took Dramamine and left.  Once there, I stayed outside and took lots and lots of pictures.  When the boat started moving, however, I was inside.  And quickly realized that I needed to be OUTside.  So out we went, but it was not any better.  I was quickly getting very sick.  You would not BELIEVE how much a huge boat like that could rock.  It was ridiculous.  Now, I knew what Sheila meant when she said, “You’ve never been on the North Atlantic Ocean.”  I stayed out for as long as I could.  It just so happened to be drizzling rain and was freezing.  When we went back in, Mike and Sheila must have seen the look on my face and looked at me and said, “You.  Go.”  So, down we went.  To the private quarters, we liked to call them. Meanwhile, above us Eddie (who proclaimed to not need seasick medication) was throwing up or “calling Ralph” multiple times.  As was Curtis.  And Darwin never actually called Ralph, but he sat in a corner on the top of the boat, outside, the entire time.  He had his eyes fixed on the horizon, and he would NOT take them off.  Even Mike, who never gets sick, got a little sick that day.  I am telling you, the sea was ROUGH.  But this is part of the memory that we made and will NEVER forget!  That dreaded ferry ride over to the Westmann Islands.

Down below was Sheila, Carol, and myself.  Later on, Cassie joined us.  "Mama" Carol was not actually sick.  She was in there to take care of us ladies that were sick.  And she did a fabulous job.  We stayed there until we reached the Westmann Islands.  When we were almost there, Todd came down to ask me if I wanted to come up to see what he was seeing.  I handed him the camera and told him to take pictures.  My stomach was still rolling, and I didn't want to lose it.  When I did finally go up to join the rest of our team, I saw that it was the most beautiful place I have ever seen.  Absolutely breathtaking.  We made our way off the boat and into the town of Vestmannaeyjar.  We were staying at Bethel, the only Pentecostal church on the island.  We were working with the pastor, Gudny (spelling???), his wife, Gudbjorg, and two out of 3 of their kids, “Karl”, and Yenny.  They have one more daughter, Elisabet, but she was at camp on the mainland while we were there. 

Before I go any further, I need to stop here.  Upon the planning of this trip, we had NO IDEA whatsoever what we were going to be doing in Iceland.  Our plans actually changed a few times,  but the last time the plans changed was in the few days before we left.  The volcano, E 15 as the military named it, started erupting again.  Mike called off all our previous plans and told us that we would instead be spending the majority of our time on Vestmannaeyjar.  We were going to be distributing movies about the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  The islanders all proclaim to be Christian, but don't have a personal relationship with the Lord.  Most of the people took the movie (because it was free, or okepis) but some turned us down.  We planted the seed while we were there and hope to see it harvesting next year, when we’re hoping and praying about going back.

Back to our story.  So we went to the church, met the pastor and got settled.  Some ladies had fixed us a yummy lunch of waffles, breads, ham and cucumbers.  It was delicious.  And coffee and juice.  Yummmm.  We were all starving.  We talked after that and took a tour of the church.  On the tour in the basement, we noticed that some kids had set up the area as a skate park.  There were skate board ramps and shoes all over the place.  Eddie, in all his bravery, decided to give the skateboard a try.  And proceeded to fall right on his rump.  Before you can ask, yes, I did indeed laugh my head off.  After the tour, we got settled in our spaces.  We had a communion service Thursday night.  It was beautiful.  Breaking bread with these sweet people.  And we worshiped together.  We knew the songs they sang.  They sang in Icelandic, we sang in English, and it was just beautiful.  Very touching.  Once again, God met us there.

We had pizza for dinner with the church people afterward.  And shortly after that, we had devotion, prayer, and we hit the sack.  We were exhausted.  I need to mention here that we had decided our sleeping arrangements would be that all the men would stay in the fellowship hall area of the church.  The church had mattresses for them to use.  They were really comfy, because one or two times I might have taken a nap on Todd's bed while waiting on the rest of our team to get ready.  Us women got to all room together in a little apartment that belongs to the church that is right above.  We were excited that we had our own shower.  The men did have bathrooms downstairs with them, but we were blessed to have a shower.  Well...until Todd broke it, but more about that later.

To be continued...

Monday, September 6, 2010

Back to the Real World Tomorrow

I'm sad to see this weekend already over.  It's been a really good one.  We've had lots and lots of time with friends this weekend.  My friend Christa and her fiance, Jason, came over Friday night.  We grilled out and went to the square in the Ville.  The boys ran around, played football, a little hide and seek, and then we all had yogurt from the new place, Yolo's.  It was a really fun night.  I have pics, but I really don't feel like dragging out the camera right now, so you'll have to see them later. 

Saturday dawned at 9 for us.  The boys were beat and had LOTS of good sleep to catch up.  My hubby went and picked up this HUGE dry erase board he used to have hanging in this warehouse they used to have.  He has been wanting to hang it, but at the time he suggested it, Jonah and Noah were still in the playroom (as their bedroom), and we had no extra wall space.  BUT THEN, they moved into the small room, and we have the PERFECT wall for it in our playroom.  So he (and Graham and 2 teenage boys in the neighborhood) hung it. 


See?  Is that not every kids' dream or what?!?!  They already love it.  In the meantime, all the floor space in front of it was piled high with toys.  So when they had to move all the toys out of their way, it forced us to FINALLY clean the playroom.  A task I have been dreading ever since we moved Jonah and Noah out of there back in March.  So for about 45 minutes (maybe more like 30), the 5 of us had a speed cleaning session.  We pulled out toys that are no longer played with and put them into garbage bags to be sold at a yard sale in 2 weeks at Mimi's and Papa's house.  We threw away 2 bags of trash (because they ARE little boys, and they love to keep things, even the broken things), and everything else got put into a special place in the playroom closet.  Which is HUGE, without all those lonely toys. 

I also finally emptied my hall floor of picture albums and cd's that came out of our old entertainment center.  It's not that I'm not a clean person, I just had no where to put all that stuff.  I knew we had to clean out the playroom eventually, and I figured it would all go in there then, but it seems like I always had better stuff to be doing.  See my dilemma?  So, imagine my joy on Saturday, when finally we got all cleaned up and organized.  I also did some minor furniture rearranging, but nothing that's a huge deal.

You know how happy it makes me when things are nice and clean and organized. 

The rest of that day was spent at a birthday party, then when we got home, my friend Jessica and her cute little boy, Carter came over to watch the Alabama game.  But then we ended up talking more than watching football.  But it's okay, because I love new friends!  It was a fun night.  Sunday we went to church, but Sunday night since there was no church, we went to our friends' house in Arlington.  Brad and Marcia.  Our "just in case" people. 

If you don't know that story, I'll have to tell you later. 

Anyway, we had a blast playing cards and finally got home at 1am.  :)  And slept until 8:30.  :)

We had lunch (and then later, dinner!) with my mom and Bill.  He makes the most yummy ribs ever.  Then I colored my hair.  I told you I was sick of the blond, right?  Well, I was.  So now I'm happy being a brunette again.  It's a tad dark...but it'll lighten a little as I wash it.  But it's all natural again.  Yay!  Remind me of this moment when I decide to highlight my hair again next summer.  It was fun while it lasted, though. 

And now, here we are at home.  Watching football.  Todd's messing with my phone.  Again.  Yes, the iphone saga continues.  The boys are about to go shower, and the 5 of us are about to call it a night.  I am beat.  I need to get in bed really early if I plan on waking up on time in the morning.  And tomorrow, it all starts over. 

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend.  It was especially nice that we didn't have to labor today.  Since it's Labor day, and all.  Love to all!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

and once again...it's Thursday.

I'm forever doomed with this day, I am telling you.  This morning I woke up (late, AGAIN) and was very busy fixing lunches and breakfast and getting bags and snacks packed and waking up kids....

...big gasping breath inserted HERE...

and was so busy, that I didn't stop to sit down until...well, until 9:00, when I had dropped all the kids off.  And, technically, I didn't sit.  I was in the kitchen, cleaning, and I overheard little bits of a conversation that I really wish I hadn't heard. 

"...and now everything on my wife's phone is gone..."

At which point I ran (well, hobbled quickly, but more about that in a minute) into the living room and looked at Todd, and he gave me the sign language sign for "Yes, I said it's all gone, and I am NOT talking about it right now."

Did you catch that?  Everything on my cursed  iphone has been deleted.  Todd was trying to do a restore on it last night, and the tech support gal led him astray.  So everything on it was deleted. 

Pictures.  Notes.  Apps.  Music.  Pictures.  Notes.  Pictures.  Notes. 

Can you tell which ones were my favorite??? 

I had a note for EVERYTHING on the blasted phone.  E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.   Oh, and all my contacts are gone, too.  So, if you're reading this, and you're the kind of friend I talk to on the phone, please feel free to call or text me with your information. 

I've had messages and texts today from who knows who because I lost all my contacts. 

And to top this awesome start to a horrible day, I am in a walking boot.  Again.  Because of tendinitis.  Again.  Not that I went to a doctor, but I know it is.  And since I have a boot readily available, I figured I might as well put it to good use.  Because I'd hate for THAT to go to waste. 

Oh, and I need about 5 more sets of hands in the cafeteria.  Because for 30 minutes, I'm alone.  With 100+ kids.  Because somebody decided I was SuperWoman, and that I would be fine. 

???????

I don't know what will happen if I get sick one day.  Or one of my kids gets sick. 

It's been a day.  Not necessarily the good kind, either. 

But, on a happy note, I made spaghetti for dinner.  And fed my dad and my sister Trish, who's birthday is today.  Happy birthday, Trish!!!  We all gave her cards.  Mine might have been the Mahogany line from Hallmark.  Because I'm cool like that.  And because my sister Debi started that a few years ago.  I can't help it that I like those better.  She was cracking up at it.  I guess we all did good.  The boys made the ones from them, and they all gave her a little something to go with it. 

:)  Because they're sweet like that.

How was your day?  I hope it was better than mine!  The good news: it's a long weekend!  Wahooooooo!!

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