With a Grateful Heart...

Thanksgiving is coming!! I adore this holiday, but bittersweet is the best way to describe it.

I get crazy homesick at this time of the year.  Fall is beautiful in Mississippi, but there is NOTHING like New England autumn.  I love this weather, the fall leaves, the bonfires, the family get - togethers. But I miss my home, and I  miss Jane and I miss Jeremy. We lost Jeremy 7 years ago, about a month after Abby was born and about a week before Joy's wedding. My niece and my oldest son also celebrate their birthday in the Fall. Jeremy's death is sandwiched in there between birthdays and joyful wedding memories. He struggled. He wasn't easy, but I miss his goofy self singing the strawberry shortcake song with Lizzie and yelling LOUDLY at the TV watching football. Honestly, that young man drove me crazy but I miss him. Jane was easy to love.  She was pleasant, and faithful and steady.  I looked forward to Thanksgiving every year because I knew that amidst the craziness of our family would come a voice of reason from Alabama.  We lost her in the Spring of few years back, and I always miss her more when Thanksgiving rolls around.

For me, this time of the year is a perfect blend of beauty and ashes.  It hurts, but it's lovely.  My memories are sweet, and the longing is bitter.  Sometimes, you can't separate the hurt from the joy. Sometimes, it comes in one bundle, and you hold it in your shaking hand, and think "I don't want this." but you have it. And all you can do is clench your fist, let the sorrow and pain drip through fingers, and caress the remaining broken and beautiful memories. 

I'm thankful I have sweet memories of both of these loved ones.

What are you thankful for?

Night

A long hot bath for sore muscles.

The first breath of ocean air when you reach the beach.

The aroma of coffee at a coffee shop.

Warm, fuzzy slippers on cold feet.

Hearing from a friend you have missed.

Your favorite movie on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Swimming in a cool lake or pool on a hot day.

Hot tea on a sore throat.

And everything else that makes you say, "ahhh!" as you relax and put your feet up...THAT is what night time is too me.

Natural Disinfectants (because I think my lungs are bleeding from hosing the kids' bathroom down with bleach)

Bleach is awesome.  I love it.  It cleans the heck out of stuff, kills stuff, prevents stuff from spreading.  It's great stuff.  However, like most things that I love, bleach requires moderation.  So, if you should find yourself with a nasty infection, like...oh, i don't know...Staph, maybe?...And you have bleached your bathroom to the point that you have to leave the house to breathe...you may want to try a bleach alternative. So here are a few things that I have found to work REALLY well and smell a whole lot better than bleach.  And you're lungs won't bleed. What's not to love?

1. Vinegar:  OK, this one doesn't smell awesome.  But the smell goes away once the vinegar dries.  Vinegar is about 5% acetic acid. The acid is what kills germs and bacteria.  Combine it with a little dish washing liquid and hot water, and it is a great multi-surface cleaner. I usually add several drops of essential oils as well.

2. Hydrogen peroxide:  Not so much by itself, but added to a solution of vinegar, water and dish soap... kicks it up a notch. Also great for disinfecting clothes.  Use it in place of bleach in when you do your laundry.

3. Borax...but don't get crazy!!  Again, not by itself.  Add a little ( like a teaspoon) to some (like a cup) of hot water.  Give it a little stir and let it dissolve.  Then add some (about a half a cup) of vinegar.  Boom.  You're done.  Unless of course, you are like me, and that recipe is too easy for you.  You need to add something that smells good, which brings me to...

4. Essential Oils:
Tea tree oil is one of my favorites because it does everything!!  It has anti-fungal properties,so you can use it to treat nail fungus or other unpleasant skin irritations like athletes foot and ringworm.  It also is a germ killing BOSS, meaning it can kill staphylococcus, e-coli, and salmonella. Tea tree oil is pretty easy to find. I get mine at Kroger in the organic, healthy schmealthy section, or Rainbow Co-Op in Jackson, or online at NOW Foods.  Most pharmacies carry it as well.

Other great essential oils with antibacterial properties are, eucalyptus, lemongrass, orange oil, and rosemary... and maybe oregano, but I'm not sure about that one. 

Here are some links to recipes that I have used in the past:

http://www.abowlfulloflemons.net/2013/04/all-natural-disinfecting-cleaner.html

http://www.newlyweds-blog.com/2011/09/14/homemade-allpurpose-cleaner/

http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2012/05/natural-swiffer-floor-cleaner-and-wood.html?m=1

http://plantlifeworld.com/2010/11/recipe-of-the-week-10-practical-uses-for-eucalyptus-essential-oil/


 Be sure to wear gloves just as you would with store bought cleaners.  Borax can be rough on the skin and some essential oils can burn. Most need to be mixed with a carrier oil, such as olive oil, in order to be applied to the skin.

AND, if you do use bleach....less is more.  Don't be idiot and burn a hole in your lungs. Anywhere from a 1/4 to a 1/2 a cup of bleach to a gallon of water should be fine.  Wipe down the surface you are disinfecting and let it dry by itself.  And wear old clothes. :-)

Loss for Words

According to Wikipedia, the English language is spoken in about 88 countries and territories worldwide. You would think we (English speakers) would have all our necessary words covered with popularity like that… but no. There are many situations that lack a word to describe them.
 For instance, we need a word for the phenomena of how a mild injury or illness that appears on Thursday evening or Friday morning…something like a cough, an upset stomach, or I don’t know, a bug bite… goes from “annoying” to “still tolerable” on Saturday, when you still have the option of After Hours Care at the local clinic ... until Sunday afternoon. It may have even improved on Saturday, but guess what? It’s Sunday now, so BOOM!!!! It’s worse and boy are you stupid for not doing anything on Friday!!!The mild cough is now most definitely the flu. The upset stomach, that was only bothering you occasionally, now has you spending a vast amount of your waking hours sitting on or clutching the toilet and praying for God to take you home NOW. Or maybe, what appeared to be a small, red, bug bite on your leg is now a reddish purple lump, swollen to 3 times its size, and tender and warm to the touch. Your only option is the dreaded trip to the ER. And you don’t have insurance. And I even if you did, what are going to do? Go to the hospital because your cold got worse? Or you have diarrhea? Or you have an ugly bug bite. We all know there are extreme situations that call for a trip to the emergency room, but surely not this situation.
 Oh, and WAIT! It’s not you, it’s your kid. Because it’s super fun and easy to figure out just how much pain or discomfort they are in. Yeah, we need a word for that, too. “Guessing” or “assessing” doesn’t cut it because those are practical words that ignore the emotions (Your baby is HURTING!!!) involved in the situation, not to mention the irrational fear that the cold with develop into triple pneumonia even though she only has 2 lungs. Those little bug bites? They are so swollen and infected, you know those legs are gonna have to come off.

  “Sorry, lady…we could have saved his legs if you had brought him in the hospital sooner… for a bug bite. Sheesh!! What kind of mother are you, slacker?”

I need a word for each of those situations because I find myself in them ALL. THE. TIME. It would make talking about these things so much easier. You might normally have conversation like this :
 “ How are you, Rhonda?”
 “ Oh, well. I guess I’m ok. But I’m worried about Ben’s legs. Well, not worried, really. That’s probably too strong of a word…I’m more concerned than worried. They are really bad. But not hospital bad, just doctor bad. I think. I’m not sure. I mean, I KNOW his legs aren’t gonna like, FALL OFF, but they are…you know…bad. Worse than bad actually, but he can still walk.”
 “ Oh my goodness, Is he ok?”
 “ What? Oh yeah, he’s fine. Or he will be… Wow, I guess that did sound terrible, of course he can walk. I mean they don’t hurt THAT bad. I don’t think so, anyway. I mean, he’s not CRYING. So you know…can’t be that bad. Although, those bites are pretty swollen. And purple. And warm. Looks painful….but I don’t know. I would take him to the doctor, but you know…it’s Sunday, so nothing is open. Except the Emergency Room which is not an option because we don’t have insurance. Not like that would stop us it WAS an emergency….”
 “Oh good! So it’s not bad?”
 “Oh, it’s bad. Gross, actually. But not BAD, bad, you know? It’s like…

” UGH!!!! Exhausting!!! Now, if we had a WORD for that situation… like say, “ Floofenhyme” the whole conversation would be different:

 “How are you, Rhonda?”
 “Well, I’m not too good, I have floofenhyme…. over Ben’s bug bites.”
 “Oh girl, I HATE that.”

See? Easy peasy. But Floofenhyme won’t work because it’s too silly for what may (or may not) be a serious situation. But not THAT serious. So, yeah…gotta work on that word.

Homemade All Natural Hair Conditioner

OK. I am apparently late to the party...no surprise there...regarding the whole "no shampoo" movement. (I'm sure this is due to the fact that I've been such a blogging slacker, but whatever. I'm here now, I'm trying to catch up.) ANYWAY....back to the whole "no shampoo" ordeal. I've recently since several ( 3 or 4) blog posts about using a solution of baking soda and water to clean your hair instead of shampoo. No, I'm not kidding. And using Apple cider vinegar as a rinse/conditioner. Again, not kidding. So, tonight, I decided to give it a shot! I got both recipes from here . I skipped the honey and aloe vera gel in the conditioner..just water, apple cider vinegar and essential oils. The baking soda cleanser was fine, no big deal. The conditioner was GLORIOUS! I love it, love it LOVE it. I just hope all my hair doesn't fall out tonight while I sleep. If you're looking for and all natural AND inexpensive hair care treatment, give it try. Tell me what you think.

Can I offer you some hope?

What do you do when someone you love is broken? Emotionally, spiritually and physically broken. I have a dear friend who is dealing with this situation right now. Someone who is precious to her is broken. And she can't fix them. What do you do? Bring them dinner? OK, that's pretty much what I do, but really, don't you feel like a dork doing that? "Hey, I know your whole world just collapsed and you don't know how to take your next breath, so I made you this casserole." Ugh! So frustrating, because what you really want to do is show up and save the day...you want to make all the bad stop, heal the hurt, go back in time and rearrange things. You want to whip out the miracle they need to get back to "normal." You want to truly deliver peace and love and healing. But all you can do is take one less burden off their shoulders. (They gotta eat, right?) All you can do is sit with them. And hold their hand. Cry. Pray. Be frustrated. Offer hope. That's a good one...How do you "offer hope?" What does that even mean? Say something to make them feel better? They're not going to feel better! If you're anything like me, you're more likely to say something incredibly stupid then comforting, and then they'll feel worse. And then you apologize and they end up comforting you, "It's OK. Thank you for your concern...." or whatever. So how do we help people? Let's face it, we're not Jesus. Yes, we are supposed to love people like he did and treat them like he did, but part of his treatment involved healing. He HEALED the blind man. And the lepers. He cast out demons. He rose Lazarus from the dead. FROM. THE. DEAD. He NEVER made a casserole!!! I don't think he ever showed up and said, " Sorry about your eyes. I'll pray for you." and then left. He fixed broken people. But we can't do that. We don't have a miracle just burning a hole in our pocket. So, we bake casseroles. And we send cards and flowers. We text messages. "This too, shall pass." Slowly, maybe. Probably painfully. But it will pass. Is that where hope comes in? Knowing that tomorrow, things will be different. The possibility that maybe tomorrow, things will be better. Maybe not, but at the very least, they will be different. We sit in hospital waiting rooms. We hug and hold hands. We make phone calls. We are with them. Is THAT where the hope is? Knowing you are not alone? That whatever hellish road you're on, at least someone is there to walk it with you? I don't know about you, but that would make me feel better! Anyway, I love my friend, and I hope she is ok. I hope her loved one will recover. And I hope she holds on to hope, and that she knows I am with her.

Wait. Where am I??

So here is the embarrassing truth. I haven't blogged in so long that I forgot how to it all works. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. That's why I've only posted one entry, and I tried to put a link in that one and messed up. I've tried to update my Twitter account (which I had forgotten I had) link. No luck. It took me FOREVER to update my side column thingies, and yes that is what they are called. And worst of all, I'm strugglin' with posting a video, and it's Tom Petty Tuesday for crying out loud! Plus, Blogger.com has made a few changes since I was last here, so that's a bit disorientating. Very much like when I went to the gym on Friday and found they had put in a new front desk area. I stopped in mid-stride and looked around, not really sure of what had happened or where I was. The guy behind the desk laughed at me and said, "Been awhile?". awesome. I say all that to say this: Bear with me. I'll get it, eventually.

"What if..."

" What if we have developed a religion that makes reverent and honoring statements about Jesus but doesn't teach what Jesus taught in the manner he taught it? What if the religion generally associated with Jesus neither expects nor trains it's adherents to actually live in the way of Jesus?...What if the message of Jesus was good news...not just for Christians, but also for Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, new agers, agnostics and atheists? And what if the message of Jesus also contained warnings...for Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, new agers, agnostics, atheists... and Christians? Would we want to know what that message is? How much? Would we be willing to look hard, think deeply and search long in order to find it? Would we be willing to rethink our assumptions?" ~ The Secret Message of Jesus, by Brian D. McLaren.

Back again

It has been 22 months since my last blog entry.

What. A. Slacker.

In my defense, I have been a little busy. And I have been posting on FB.

AND, most importantly, I have kept up with Tom Petty Tuesday.

Well, there is no way I can fill you in on all the crazy happenings over the last year in one post. It has been a beautiful, wondrous, heartbreaking, painful, exciting and tedious year and a half. I visited with family alot. We moved to a new home, hosted our first Thanksgiving, went to too many funerals, and celebrated many wonderful birthdays. I ran my first 5K and the following year, shaved 5 minutes off my time. I gained weight. I lost some people I loved. I've made new friends and connected with old friends. I've read ALOT of good books, and seen a few good movies. I gave up sugar. It has been action packed 9 days out of 10, and I just didn't find the time to write. But I intend do that now. Find the time. Make the time. Because I do enjoy writing.

I was going to interview my daughter Abby for today's blog post, but she answered every question with "I'm not telling you." Makes for a pretty lame interview. Her older sister was not interested either. So for today, I will leave you with a repost from several years ago.

And welcome back :-)

http://www.rhondajeanne.blogspot.com/2009/05/questions-questions.html

God Alone is Enough.

That's right, folks....Claudia Mair Burney's new book is out! Her first, non-fic, by the way, and I for one am pretty stoked about it. What's even more exciting is that I have a copy right here in my sweaty little hands, and I'm posting this as part of a blog tour! How fun is that? I'll not be reviewing the whole book...this tour is a chapter by chapter deal. I'll be reviewing Chapter 3. You can find informative reviews of Chapter 1 at http://www.alisonstrobel.com/alison-blog/2010/6/14/god-alone-is-enough.htmland http://kbhyde.wordpress.com/. Chapter 2 reviews can be found at http://rubysdaughterbrenda.blogspot.com/2010/06/god-alone-is-enough.html and http://www.wesuckatlife.com/wordpress/?p=189
So, shall I share with the class?

This lovely new book from Claudia Mair Burney is called God Alone is Enough: A Spiritual Journey with St. Teresa of Avila. And there go half of you ...you're not Catholic and you're not interested in Saint Anyone. Well, let me grab you by the collar and pull you back. This book is about a woman, her spiritual journey to God, away from God and back to God. Don't write her off as Ms. Piety. She struggled with her flesh. She loved, maybe even craved, the attention her beauty brought her. She loved the Lord, wanted to please him and be close to him, yet had trouble concentrating on Him for more than a few minutes at a time. Sound familiar? Ok, how about this...

"Dear Lord, Thank for another beautiful day. You are so wonderful, and your creation is beautiful...You have blessed me with another day....(What day is it, anyway? oh yeah, Thursday...It's Garbage day! Oh man, I'm sure my son isn't even up yet. What time is it???) OH! Sorry Lord, ok...You have blessed me..."

NOW does it sound familiar? Has that ever happened to you? It sure happens to me, and it happened to St. Teresa as well. She struggled with prayer, thought she was a failure at it...but that's not my chapter. My chapter is when Ms. Burney shares with us what she calls "one of the most sublime analogies about prayer ever written." The Chapter is entitled "Make a Garden" and in it we hear St. Teresa tell us about finding a plot of earth that is filled with weeds and barren soil. There's work to be done here if anything is going to grow, y'all. The ground needs to be tilled, weeds need to be pulled and seeds new to be planted. That's hard work folks, and guess what? God has taken care of that for us. All you need to do is show up with the water. What's the end result? A beautiful, lavish, fruitful garden.

That's how it is with prayer. That's how it is with your soul...God does the heavy lifting, we just show up with the water of prayer.

Claudia Mair goes into a bit more detail and expands more on the benefits of water and what happens when we don't have it.... but I won't go into all that. You'll have to read the book for those tasty morsels. You won't be sorry, lovies! ;-)


By the way, as you breeze through the pages of this book, please note the artwork scattered here and there. That is the hand of our talented author! Enjoy those treasures...they are a peek into her soul.

For more blog tour details, visit Ms. Burney at http://ragamuffindiva.blogspot.com/

Tom Petty Tuesday

Ever feel like this?

This is how I feel today. Just so you know.

Hmmmmmm.....

"We have grown literally afraid to be poor. We despise anyone who elects to be poor in order to simplify and save his inner life. If he does not join the general scramble and pant with the money-making street, we deem him spiritless and lacking in ambition." ~William James

Me and My Big Mouth!

OK. I have dreams every night, and 9 out 10 times, they are really freaky. One of my all time least favorite reoccurring dreams is the incredibly annoying, and somewhat unsettling "too much gum in my mouth" dream. In this dream, I am trying to talk to someone, but I have gobs and GOBS of gum in my mouth. I'm pulling it out, but it's a real mess, and no matter how much I pull out, THERE'S MORE! Sometimes the gum sticks to my teeth and I feel it pulling my fillings out. And I always am wondering why no one seems to notice,and at the same time, I'm concerned about what they will say when they do notice. Strange, you say? Well, apparently it's not that uncommon! Check this out..."This is such a common recurring dream for so many people because it is commenting on a common behavior pattern so many of us have.....not being able to get the game out means you are probably holding your tongue and not speaking up about something you need to speak up about."

Another one of my not so favorite reoccurring dreams is that my teeth are falling out. Sometimes I spit out one or two at a time, sometimes in pieces, and sometimes I spit out handfuls of teeth a time. Well, as it turns out..."dreams about your teeth often symbolize your words. If your teeth are falling out then you have been having loose speech, speaking without thinking or gossiping, you have allowed something out of your mouth that should have remained in there permanently… like your teeth! If you are spitting out your teeth then there is something that needs to be said."

So, no more Mr. Nice Guy. I'm fixing to let it rip! Maybe then I can sleep well. :-)

http://www.dreamdictionaryforfree.com

Things My Kids Have Said

"Momma, for some reason, when it's my birthday and everyone is singing to me, I feel kinda warm." - Ben, age 6, 2/25/10

"Momma! I can walk like a lemon!" - Sam at 3, 1/1/09

"It's such a great day to be tomorrow" - Wyatt Henry, when he was REALLY little.

"I am the bubble fairy, and the spiders are my servants." - Lizzie at age 8, 10/03/09

"Why do you have secret eyes?" - Sam at 4 yrs. old, 5/25/09

"Mommy, was I yelling bleeding murder?" Ben at age 5, 4/2/09

"I didn't forget. I misremembered." Lizzie at age 6

"And running into cheese? You think that is fun?" Sam at age 4, 2/13/10

"Can we go out and play in the frost?" All except Abby, so far, when they see their first frost and think it's snow.

"Daddy, please don't go to work today. If you stay home, I'll do tricks for you all day." Wyatt Henry at age 6.

Book News

Forgive me, blog followers, for I have sinned. It has been 5 months since my last blog entry. BUT, here I am today with great book news! First, Lisa Samson and her beautiful daughter Ty have co-written a book about their trip to Africa. I have not read it yet, but let me assure you, I will. It's called Love Mercy...here it is.

(That's not me, by the way. That's Lisa. She's serious...by the book.)


Ok, next up: Zippy. Have you read "A Girl Named Zippy." by Haven Kimmel? If not, you must. It is HILARIOUS! (Click here to check it out.)I read it about 4 or 5 months ago, and I recently started the second book about Zippy called, "She Got Off of the Couch." I'm only about 1/3 of the way through it, so I can't give you a complete review, but I can tell you this: I have laughed out loud (belly-laughed out loud mind you) every night that I have read this book. You can ask my husband. Now, when he hears me laughing, he says, "Is that Zippy?" FUN-NY!

OK, I was going to write a little blurb about all the books I've been reading since my last entry, but like I said,it's been 5 months. Seriously, y'all. I'm not writing that many reviews...I do have a life and it's not that of a paid book critic. So, if you're at all curious, check out my Recent Reads column in the side bar.

So, we have alot of catching up to do. Too much for me to do right now, while my 3 littlest ones are outside unsupervised, so I'll have get back with you later!

What Today Sounded Like

7:06am...

Liz:(barely awake, one eye still closed.) "Can I (unintelligable blah-blah mumble mumble)?"

Me: "What?"
Liz: " Nevermind i have to go to bathroom, PLEASE!"
Me: ACHOO! ACHOO! AAa.... ugh.
Ben: "Momma, I need 3 long sleeve shirts...we are FREEZING out there! (The boys camped out in the yard last night.)
Wyatt Sr. (in bed, eyes still closed) "What's up? What's going on? Are you happy?....What was that preacher guy's name from that movie? Do you know what mote means?"
Abby: "Momma, I want cake!" (still morning..maybe 7:30)
Sam: "I want Abby's cake too."
Pick a child: "Can I get on the computer?"
Pick another child: "Can i go next?"
Me:"Liz, be ready when i get home."

much later

Abby: Can I have my cake?
Sam: Me too! Me too!
Me: "Wyatt Henry, please help me get the groceries out of the truck."
Ben: "When is it gonna be Abby's birthday time and where did you go?"
Wyatt Sr.: "Did you eat breakfast? Do you want some eggs?"
Me: "Lizzie, socks and shoes. Real shoes, not those shoes."
Lizzie: "Are you coming with me? When is Miss Elysa coming? Can you call her? What time is it now?"
Me: "Who has had breakfast?"
Wyatt Sr.: "Everyone but Abby."
Abby: "I want cake, my birthday cake."
Me: "You can have cereal. Cake is for after lunch."
Abby: "I don't want lunch. i want my cake."
Me: "Wyatt Henry, please get some more bags from the truck."
Sam: "I am helping too! Then i get some cake."
Me: "Lizzie! SHOES!"
Wyatt Sr.: " Hey, be sure to ask Elysa is she has ever read any Flannery O'Connor books or seen any movies based on her books."

10:30 ish
Elysa: "Laura is trying to decide where she wants to go. You and Lizzie can help us."
Me: "What is your favorite place?"
Laura:"I can't choose!"

(lots of talk about this, resulting in us eating at Ichi Ban..YUM-O)

Chatter about movies ...Dan in Real Life and Slumdog Millionaire and The Green Mile and To End All Wars ....and cussing 130 times!!!


Elysa: "Do you want to go to the park after or to Petsmart?"
Laura: "Petsmart."
Lizzie: "yes!"
Me:"Thanks for recommending that book "the Family Under the Bridge"..blah-blah-blah.....unit study of France...Notre Dame cathedral, louvre...blah-blah...Three Musketeers...Hunchback...gypsies..."

Elysa: "In Romania there are some places where gypsies aren't allowed in, or they can come in but they can't sit down."
Me: "I've always wanted to be a gypsie."
Elysa:" What?"
Me: "yep...I was a gypsie just about every halloween growing up. I like the head scarves and the bracelets and flowing skirts and cool jingling ankle bracelets.and traveling around the country in a RV or little gypsy trailer thing."

sound of laughter.

Elysa:" Do you like Sushi? I don't like it at all. "
Me: "I liked it at one place in Clinton, but with sauce and stuff on it."
Elysa: "Look at Lizzie with those chopsticks! Has she ever held them before? She's a natural."


sound of eating. sound of waiter singing happy birthday to Laura. chatter about deep conversations and friends and being nervous and being brave and being bored.

Lizzie: "Laura is going to open her present now."
Elysa: "OK! Wait for me to get the camera, laura....ok....."
Sounds of tissue paper and giggles and camera clicks.

Laura: (gasp) "THANKS LIZZIE!!! MOM! It's the Littlest Pet Shop Sticker Journal!"
Elysa: "Smile,Laura!"

More Thanks! and giggles and crinkling tissue paper.


Laura: "Look at this fish! What is called momma?"
Lizzie:"OH! Look at the cats!"
Laura:" LOOK! Look at that bird! It's doing tricks!!Mom!!!"
Me: "What is THAT? Is that a sugar glider?"
Elysa: "I don't know....there's a chinchilla"
Me: "I've never understood why people want ferrets."
Elysa: "We had one briefly..it stunk."
Me: "My brother-in-law had a chinchilla...they're sooo CUTE. And soft! They are the softest animal I've ever held."
Elysa: "mmmm-hmmm....that's why they make good coats."
Me: (sigh)...i know....EW!It IS a sugar glider..LOOK!"
Elysa: "OOH! We have to take a picture!"

Sounds of laughter and camera clicks.
Sound of Elysa on the phone.
sounds of chatter about cats and hairballs and evil eyes, chatter about birds and tricks and relatives who raise exotic birds.

Elysa: "Remind me to get Day Time Theraflu for Jim."
Me: "Day time Theraflu...got it."
Elysa: "Laura, do you see formula for kittens?"

chatter about staying in the car or going in the store, English roast and day time theraflu.

Me: "Lizzie, get up. Get off the bottom of the buggy."
Elysa: "Laura, bring the buggy back, darling.This cat food is heavy."
Me: "LIZZIE! UP!"

Chatter about tea...

and theraflu...sounds of more laughter and camera clicking.
Chatter and laughter and giggles all the way home.

Laura: "Mom! Can you please talk quieter?"
Elysa: "No, but you and Lizzie can move to the back row of the van."

Me: "OH! Someone's at the house! Do you recognize the car Liz?"
Lizzie: "Mammaw and Pappaw!!!"

Sound of footsteps on hardwood floors, greetings, cheers for caketime and welcome home.


2:30ish
Me: "What time is it? Did you eat lunch?"
Elysa: Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Roberts!"
Abby: "Is it my cake time??"

Sounds of "goodbye" and "thank-you"and "happy Birthday!"

Wyatt: "What can I do to help?"
Me: "Umm...let's get the table cleared off. I'll throw this stuff in the oven."

Sound of knocking at the door.

Several people: "Come in!"
Pick a child:" Uncle GARY!!!!"
Gary: "hey! Hello, hello."

Sounds of greetings, welcomes and birthday wishes. More Uncles and Aunts and entering. more greetings.Chatter of big gift bags, cake and ice cream, and spicy party mix.

Wyatt Henry: " We need the candles! We need the Abigail candles, Momma."
Ben: "Momma, can I light the candles?"
Me: "No Baby, a grown-up needs to do that...OK! It's time to sing happy birthday. Wyatt, Liz, let's go! Come on, let's sing to Abby."

Ben: "Can I light the candles? Can I light one?"
Me: "No Ben, sit down. Let's sing."

Sound of everyone singing "Happy Birthday....make a wish, blow out the candles." Sound of camera clicking and laughter, chatter about cake and sherbet and ice cream.
Sounds of wrapping paper tearing, tissue paper crinkling, exclamations of joy and surprise...ooohs and aaahhhs....and laughter.

Sam: "Can i have more cake?"
Ben: "I'll have sherbet."
Bob:"Cake and mint chocolate chip...just a little."
Ann: "That's ALOT of ice cream!"
Wyatt: "Here! Take it."
Me: "Who wants coffee?"

Sounds of chatter about facebook and exercise and loved ones. Sound of children playing and footsteps music playing.

Wyatt Sr.: "Abby, let's go potty."
Me: "There's plenty of cake and ice cream...have more."
Ben: "Can I have a piece of Abby's candy?"
Sam:"Mommy, can I have more ice cream?"

Sound of "Good bye" and "thank you" and "drive safely".."i love you"...
Sound of water running in the tub and more giggles and playing...then crying.

Sam:"Abby is not sharing."
Abby: "No SAM!"
Me:" OK, time to get out...pjs!"
Ben:"Can i have a shower instead?"
Wyatt Sr.: "Wyatt and Liz...pjs."

Me:"Ok...now is your chance to have something to eat before bed. Not cake or candy or ice cream. You can have a sandwich or pizza, or.."
Liz: "Can I have a banana sandwich?"
Everbody else: "PIZZA!!"

Sounds of eating and cleaning up.

Me: "Why am I insisting on fitting this big ol' colander in the dish washer? I can wash it myself in 3 seconds"
Wyatt Sr.: "BINGO!"
Ben: "Abby, is your sock monkey named George?"
Wyatt Henry: "Betsie named a tree George.Over in the woods, where I made that fort."
Lizzie: "I am the bubble fairy and the spiders are my servants!"
Me: "OK! 8:00...everyone to bed."
Sam: "Can I sleep with Abby?"
Me: "No, everybody sleeps in their own beds."
Sam: "Can I sleep with Baby Alive? Abby says I can."

Wyatt Sr: "Want to watch a movie?"
Me: " Sure, whatcha got?"

Wyatt Henry: "Mom, Sam and Abby are out of bed."
Liz: "Hey mom,I think you should tell Daddy about where Abby fell asleep last night."
Sam: "Abby stop!"
Wyatt Sr: "GO TO SLEEP!"
Me: " Abby fell asleep on the floor, on top of the AC vent."
Lizzie: "How do you spell "our"
Me: Go to bed. Wait. Our as in 'It's our house' or as in 'In one hour from now?"
Lizzie: It's one hour from now.
Me:" H-O-U-R....now go to bed."
Ben: "Momma, my nose feels weird."
Me: "Go to bed."
Ben: (groan)
Wyatt Sr.: "Ben, do what your mother said right now. Go, right now. Walk straight to your room."

Wyatt Sr. "Ok...according to netflix, this has 4.5 stars for me...It's called God On Trial. Jews in Auschiwitz decide to put God on trial."

Sam: "Abby undressed Baby Alive. Now, Abby has to dress Baby Alive."
Me: "You need to go to bed"
Sam: "ABBY, YOU NEED TO DRESS BABY ALIVE BACK UP!"
Wyatt Sr. "SAM! Go to bed."
Wyatt sr.: "What do you think? You want to watch it or should I keep looking?
Me: "It sounds ok, what else you got?"
Sam: "Mommma will you help me?"
Me: "No, go to bed." (mean momma)
Sam: Baby Alive's diaper came off.
Me: "She's fine, go to bed."
Sam: "But..."
Me: "NO! BED!"
Sam: "Well then...(thud! baby alive hits the floor)
Sound of spanking. sound of crying.
(lots of crying)
Ben: "Will you tell Sam to stop fake crying?"
Wyatt Sr: "Go to bed."

several minutes pass

sounds of fan blowing, dishwasher running and me typing.

Liz: "Abby's poopy."
Me: (SIGH!)
Wyatt Sr.: "ok."

Me: "Ok, you want to just watch that?"
Wyatt: "Uh-huh...give me a minute."

sounds of fan blowing, crickets chirping and fingers typing.

The Passion of Mary-Margaret

Honestly folks, I Think "Embrace Me" just got bumped. It was my favorite book by author Lisa Samson, who regularly rocks the bookshelves here at Casa de Roberts. It is a truly amazing and beautiful story, and if you haven't read it, you're really missing out. However, last night I finished another book by Ms. Samson that might be my new Samson Fav. It's called The Passion of Mary-Margaret, and it is just lovely. Mary-Margaret is simple and complicated, bold and humble, ordinary and fantastic. I wish she was real so I could sit with her and listen to all her wonderful stories....and you know she's got ALOT to tell. She'll take you down roads you may never travel otherwise, and somehow you can understand her situation. She shows you true faith, true friendship, and true love. She has faults and she struggles but she trusts and obeys, and honey, it ain't all smiles and sunshine. And isn't that how it can be with the Lord? Read this book, folks. You'll be SO glad you did!!!

hmmmmmm.....no excuse, really.

Wow, has it really been that long since I've blogged? I'm such a SLACKER!

(sigh)

I'll be better, I promise.

But not yet, because I just picked up a new book by Lisa I'm Awesome Samson, so....give me few days and then I'll be back.

Really.

While I'm gone, check out this great movie Wyatt and I watched last night. You won't be disappointed. Well, they do use the F word once, and that's disappointing, but I still recommend it highly. It's called "Something The Lord Made". And no, it's not about religion.


Check it out.

The Heavenly Man by Brother Yun

A few weeks ago while at the library, the librarian recommended at book to me. I'm so glad she did! This was by far the most amazing book I've read. It's the biography of a Christian man in China, the persecution of the church there and what it looks like when you follow the advice of James and "consider it pure Joy when you face trials."

Here's an excerpt:

"Once I spoke in the West and a Christian told me, 'I've been praying for years that the communist government in China will collapse, so that Christians can live in freedom.' This is not what we pray! We never pray against our government or call down curses on them. Instead we have learned that God is in control of both our lives and the government we live under. Isaiah prophesied about Jesus, ' The government will be on his shoulders.' Isaiah 9:6

God has used China's government for his own purposes, molding and shaping his children as he sees fit. Instead of focusing our prayers on any political system, we pray that regardless of what happens to us, we will be pleasing to God.

Do not pray for the persecution to stop! We shouldn't pray for a lighter load to carry, but a stronger back to endure. Then the world will see that God is with us, empowering us to live in a way that reflects his power and love.

This is true freedom!"

-from "The Heavenly Man" by Brother Yun, pp.286-287.