Resolutions

I have been so encouraged by the women I have met (well, cybermet) through women at home, that I have decided to put some thought into New Year Resolutions. I have never made resolutions before. This is kind of fun.

Physical:I will be 30 pounds lighter by the end of the year. I would like to be able to run in a one mile fun run by Labor Day. I want to eat healthier.

Spiritual:I'd like to spend more time in personal prayer. I want to pray with my husband on a daily basis. I want to read through the Bible. I want to pray with my children more.

Marital:I want to get to know Olaf more intimately. (Not in *that* way) He's not an easy guy to know. We've been married almost 17 years and there are still deep secrets in him...I just know it!:)

Mama:Less force, more love. Less perfection, more hugs.

Homeschool:Relax! I want to not care what day I should be on. I want to focus on the eternal, not the academics. I want my focus to be on the reason we chose to homeschool in the first place, not worrying if my third grader can do long division. I can't even do long division without a calculator.

Well, there ya have it. I will probably add some as they come to me. I need to refer back to this post from time to time to see how I'm doing.

Josiah woke up this morning and said his belly hurt. I gave him his chocolate milk which he promptly vomited all over me, the carpet, and my Longaberger throw. He proceeded to empty his stomach twice more in the next hour. Then, just as suddenly as it appeared, it disappeared. He has been fine since 8:30 am. PRAISE GOD! That was one quick virus. He really didn't eat anything yesterday or I might have said it was something he ate. Since it started right upon waking, that tends to make me think it was a virus of some sort. He must have picked it up at the doctor yesterday or Publix. Good to know it's relatively short just in case it makes the rounds.

I haven't exercised because I think it will make me start coughing. I'm on the verge of sickness and once I start coughing, I don't stop. I really need to get out and do something though. Olaf may pick up a treadmill tomorrow that my friend is giving to me. She is going to call me back and let me know if tomorrow will work for her. She offered it to me because she never uses it. It was her Grandmother's, but Grandma had an accident on it and they won't give it back to her. Grandma used to walk on the treadmill in her bra and walking shorts. She said she got too hot to wear a shirt. Mind you, this is one spunky 83 year old woman! Well, somehow she slipped, the treadmill threw her off, she hit her head and blacked out. She called 911 when she came to and the paramedics arrived to find a half dressed old woman. She broke a rib or two I think as well. Since then she has told my friend that her worse fear is dying in the shower. She says, "It was bad enough being half dressed when the ambulance came. I feel sorry for them if they find me naked." This woman is just the sweetest thing. She is very classy and dresses to a T. Always has her make-up on. Likes to shop at Talbots and William Sonoma. But, she is very humble and giving. Very gentle and gracious. I really enjoy talking to her when I get the chance.

Happy New Year if I don't post before January 1st!

Homeschool Digest

I cannot communicate through written word well. You can tell that by reading my blog. My thought process is analytical. I am a math and science kind of girl. Not creative at all. I have lost a good friend due to my inability to write effectively. That is how poorly I communicate via the written word. So, I am really in awe of those people that can emote in words on a page. If you click the links in the sidebar to some of those blogs that I read....WOW! Go ahead! Try Dana or Stacy or Cheri. I'm amazed. Back to my point (you see how good I am?) Homeschool Digest is a magazine that I take time to read. The editor, Skeet Savage, wrote a great article called "The Truth Will Set You Free." It is about the Biblical standard of truth and not being deceived into believeing that the Word of God can be twisted to mean anything at all-or merely ignored altogether. But what hit me was this paragraph, "Hard hearts and hard heads seem to reside within the same bodies. The surest protection against being carried away and enslaved by the merciless bondage of deception--including self-deception--is to maintain a humble and contrite spirit whereby the Holy Spirit is able to deliver you from the isolating chains that are formed by the deceitfulness of satan's lies, and from the cold, dark prison of false belief and wrong assumptions." It was convicting to me because I'm the one with the hard head and the prideful heart. I have deceived MYSELF into wrong thinking. No one else deceived me. Just plain ole me. Humility is what I desire. I just suck at it!:) Saying I'm sorry to a friend is so easy. Saying I'm sorry to my husband is SO hard. Humbling myself before a stranger, piece of cake. Humbling myself before my children, much harder. Gulp! Pray for me. Pax Christi.

WARNING, WARNING PMS!

Oh boy! I am either crazy or having a major PMS day. It might be a little of both. The littlest things are really making me angry today.

Josiah woke up and said his ear hurts. Olaf is going to come home early and take him to the ENT to see if it's an infection. Everyone here is congested, but no fever. Josiah sounds like a sleestack from Land of the Lost. Remember that show? That was my favorite show on Saturday mornings. The Kroft Supershow had Shazam and Isis, Electro-Woman and Dyna Girl, and Dr. Shrinker as well as Land of the Lost. And while I'm reminiscing (it take my mind off PMS) how about Electric Company? Heyy you Guyyys! Who could forget H.R. Pufnstuf? Or the Bugaloos? Ok, I'm done!:)

No one did my meme. I'm a loser!:)

It's a meme

I just found out what a meme was thanks to Cheri. A meme is like that thing I did a couple of days ago where you answer questions about yourself, or you ponder things you normally wouldn't. I stole this one from Cheri's site, who stole it from another site. You get the idea! So, here's the Meme... It requires YOUR help so please take the time to do it for me. You can leave your post in the comment section at the bottom of this post.

A) First, recommend to me:

1. a movie.
2. a book.
3. a musical artist, song, or album.

B) Ask me three questions. Ask me anything you want.

C) Now go to your blog (if you have one), copy and paste this, and allow everyone to ask you the same.


Charity's questions to me are:

1. If you had a motto, what would it be?

Realistically: Get outta my way! What I want it to be: Open the eyes of my heart, Lord.

2. What are your best qualities, and what would Olaf say are your best qualities?

Thoughtful, giving, and intelligent. Olaf would say, giving (although he'd hate to do it) and my administration skills.

3. How has God blessed only you that you are singularly thankful for?

My salvation. My husband. Bearing children.

School

I need to get busy with school today. We are "behind" according to the State of Georgia, so I need to do school this week to try and catch up a bit. I have to test her this year and Tammy Pitts told me about a standardized test that I can administer at home. I am going to do that instead of making her go through the other tests that our homeschool group gives. The website is http://hewitthomeschooling.com/test/tmain.asp

Caleb is home until next week. He has a loose tooth and it is driving him nuts. It's not quite loose enough to pull, but I'm about ready to pull it anyway!

The house is still strewn with Christmas toys. I need to clean it up. I look at it and I get overwhelmed though. Olaf went back to work today, but he has Friday off. I'm glad it's a short week for him.

I am thinking about taking Camille to The American Girl Place in Chicago for her birthday. It would be expensive though, so I am not real sure it will happen. Camille and I are trying to save every penny that we can pilfer from other funds (ie any grocery cash leftover from the week, riding lessons that got canceled etc). So far we have about $60 saved. It's a start:) www.americangirl.com

Aravis is sitting in my lap wanting me to love on her. She is nudging my hands as I type this and making me misspell a lot of words. The backspace key is my friend.

Have a blessed day. I am not going to Weight Watchers this evening. I know I gained and don't want to face the music:) I'll go next week.

Happy Birthday Josiah!

Our big boy is two today. We just had birthday cake, but alas, I forgot to take a digital picture before we cut it! It was adorable though. I took a picture after it was half eaten... you'll see it below. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG BOY! Mama loves you so much!

Half eaten Thomas cake. You can still tell what a wonderful job my friend Stacy does. If you live locally, she does this for a living. Her cakes are very reasonable and taste wonderful.

Yummy! Thomas the Tank Engine cake! And it's chocolate too...

Josiah is TWO! He is eating his cake.

Spoiled

Oh everyone was spoiled this year. I got the cutest cherry apron from Gooseberry Patch. It's a half apron that ties around your waist and has cherries all over it. So 50's! I also got a pair of slippers from Lands End, some all weather mocs from Lands End, a cap for when I walk/run in the cold weather, a bundt pan (my very first one!) and a pocket calendar. The children got a ton of things. We got them 5 presents each, which is two more than we normally get them. Then Uncle Scott and Aunt Frances sent them three presents each. Then Opa and Grandma each gave them one gift. They were reeling with excitement. Tomorrow we will sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and open stocking stuffers. It will be our nice meal and our time of devotion to the Lord. We used to do a birthday cake for Jesus, but since JoJo's birthday is the 26th, we just sing. I have eaten WAY too much rugalach but it is SO yummy. Olaf enjoyed his steak tartar and he isn't complaining of a stomach ache yet. I don't know how long it takes for e coli or salmonella to set in though;) I bought Olaf this cool kit called "Dirty Old Coins" from Vision Forum. They are ancient coins from about 1500 years ago that you clean up. There is a disc that lists all the coins from that period with their value so you can see what you have found after cleaning. I also got him a pocket watch. He has wanted one for years. He also got pj bottoms from Old Navy and a travel mug. Well, I have a lot to do. The house is a mess. Wrapping paper and toys are everywhere. I'll write tomorrow sometime. God Bless.

Josiah loves his BIG Barney!

Grace got a bumblebee costume and she loves it. It has a stinger on the rear and she runs around stinging all of us.

Still fat, but getting there. Have a blessed ChrisTmas.

Caleb won't sit still long enough for a photo.

My dear husband.

Josiah riding his horsie! Well, it's actually Grace's horsie, but he loves it!

Camille got a Barbie!

Gracie got a Barbie!

LOOK AT MY BLINKIES!


Becky, from Joyful Mother Designs, made them for me. Check out her blinkies and signature tags! Very cute.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. We open our presents on Christmas Eve night and then do stockings Christmas morning. The children are excited. Uncle Scott and Aunt Frances sent the children three presents each this year. They also sent a most delicious gift basket from www.chelseamarketbaskets.com Oh my goodness! The rugelach is to DIE for. Here is a description of our basket:

Hamper holds a 1-lb gift box of Grandma’s Rugelach; a 13-oz presentation box of Leonidas chocolates; 6-oz shortbread and a 2-pack of Oaties both from Shortbread House of Edinburgh; 8-oz pistachios; 8-oz dried fruit; and 8-oz cranberry nut mix.

So, if you read this Scott and Frances...thank you so much! Your generosity is much appreciated. Of course, weight watchers went out the window this week!:) I mean, how often do you get a gourmet gift basket?

Another Christmas Eve tradition in our house is the Christmas Eve dinner. We buy cold cuts (which includes steak tartar for Olaf) and eat them with rolls and crusty bread. I guess it's a German thing. Olaf loves it though. It's the one time a year that he gets to eat raw meat mixed with raw egg. Oh yummy! I will take some digital pics tomorrow night of the children and post them here. Christmas dinner will be turkey and stuffing. Just like Thanksgiving. Olaf will be the chef again. It turns out better that way!:)

My friend, Stacy, is making Josiah's birthday cake. She is doing Thomas the Tank Engine. Josiah loves Thomas. I ask him how old he is going to be on his birthday and he says "Thomas two." You see, we went to Party City to buy Thomas plates for his cake and he associated Thomas with being two. He is really cute. Grace has started to call Josiah like a southerner would. I can't spell it phonetically, but she says Jo-sah instead of saying the "iah" part of his name. It cracks me up! "C'mon Jo-sah! Let's go play."

Tonight at Publix I found our favorite German wine. I didn't know they had it there. It's called spatlese and it's a sweet white wine. Very tasty. I don't know what wine goes with what food, but the older I get the more I enjoy having wine with my meal every now and again. Especially if it's a nice meal like Thanksgiving or a tender steak. I should learn more about it.

It has gotten cold again today. It started out warm this morning and has gotten progressively colder throughout the day. I wish it would snow for Christmas. What are the chances of that? Snow on Christmas in Atlanta? Hmmm... Not very good.

Please comment or tag me so I know you've been here. Mary, you are so good about it! Thank you! Christmas Blessings to all of you!

Something I got from another blog...

The basics:

Born and raised in Oregon. Met and married 1-23-88 in California. Babies in 95, 96, 01 and 02. Currently live in Georgia.

A body of water, smaller than a river, contained within relatively narrow banks.

creek or stream

What the thing you push around the grocery store is called.

A cart

A metal container to carry a meal in.

Lunchbox

The thing that you cook bacon and eggs in.

frying pan

The piece of furniture that seats three people.

couch

The device on the outside of the house that carries rain off the roof.

gutter

The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening.

A Porch.

Carbonated, sweetened, non-alcoholic beverages.

Growing up in Oregon it was pop. Then it became soda when I joined the Air Force. Now, in GA, everything is Coke.

A flat, round breakfast food served with syrup.

Pancakes.

A long sandwich designed to be a whole meal in itself.

sub.

The piece of clothing worn by men at the beach.

swimming trunks

Shoes worn for sports.

sneakers or tennis shoes

Putting a room in order.

cleaning up

A flying insect that glows in the dark.

Lightning Bug

The little insect that curls up into a ball.

Potato Bug

The children's playground equipment where one kid sits on one side and goes up while the other sits on the other side and goes down.

Teeter Totter

How do you eat your pizza?

In New York you have to fold it in half. Otherwise, just pick it up and eat.

What's it called when private citizens put up signs and sell their used stuff?

yard sale

What's the evening meal?

Dinner

The thing under a house where the furnace and perhaps a rec room are?

basement

What word(s) do you use to address a group of two or more people?

Now it's y'all. It used to be "you guys."

Would you say "Are you coming with?" as a full sentence, to mean "Are you coming with us?"

I used to say that. But not now.

Would you say "where are youat?" to mean "where are you?"

No. That's pathetic grammar:)

Modals are words like "can," "could," "might," "ought to," and so on. Can you use more than one modal at a time?

No

What do you call the area of grass between the sidewalk and the road?

An island

What do you call the area of grass that occurs in the middle of some streets?

median

What do you call the long narrow place in the middle of a divided highway?

Median

What do you call the drink made with milk and ice cream?

Milkshake

What do you call the miniature lobster that one finds in lakes and streams for example (a crustacean of the family Astacidae)?

As a kid crawdads, now crawfish

What do you call the kind of spider (or spider-like creature) that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?

Daddy Longlegs.

What nicknames do/did you use for your maternal grandmother?

None

What about your paternal grandmother (is there a distinction?)

None

What do/did you call your maternal grandfather?

Grandpa

paternal grandfather?

Grandpa

What do you call the big clumps of dust that gather under furniture and in corners?

Dust bunnies.

What term do you use to refer to something that is across both streets from you at an intersection (or diagonally across from you in general)?

Katty corner.

What do you call the activity of driving around in circles in a car?

Doughnuts.

What do you call paper that has already been used for something or is otherwise imperfect?

Scratch paper.

What is your *general* term for a big road that you drive relatively fast on?

Highway

What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?

Sun shower.

When you are cold, and little points of skin begin to come on your arms and legs, you have-

Goosebumps

What do you call the gooey or dry matter that collects in the corners of your eyes, especially while you are sleeping?

Sleep or eye boogers

What do you call an easy course?

No brainer

What do you call a traffic situation in which several roads meet in a circle and you have to get off at a certain point?

Spaghetti Junction

What is the thing that women use to tie their hair?

scrunchy

Do you use the word cruller?

Only when I buy them.

Do you use the term "bear claw" for a kind of pastry?

yep

What do you call someone who is the opposite of pigeon-toed (i.e. when they walk their feet point outwards)?

Bow legged

Can you call coleslaw "slaw"?

Yes

What do you call the box you bury a dead person in?

A coffin

Do you say "vinegar and oil" or "oil and vinegar" for the type of salad dressing?

Oil and vinegar.


What do you call it when a driver changes over one or more lanes way too quickly?

Me!

When you stand outside with a long line of people waiting to get in somewhere, are you standing "in line" or "on line" (as in, "I stood ___ in the cold for two hours before they opened the doors")?

In line.

Do you say "frosting" or "icing" for the sweet spread one puts on a cake?

Both.

What is "the City"?

I only used this term when I lived on Long Island. The city was always New York City.

What is the distinction between dinner and supper?

There is none to me. They are both evening meals.

Do you cut or mow the lawn or grass?

Mow

Do you pass in homework or hand in homework?

Hand it in.

What do you call the insect that looks like a large thin spider and skitters along the top of water?

water mosquito

What do you call the thing from which you might drink water in a school?

a water fountain

What do you call a public railway system (normally underground)?

Subway

What do you call the act of covering a house or area in front of a house with toilet paper?

t.p.'d

What do you call a traffic jam caused by drivers slowing down to look at an accident or other diversion on the
side of the road?

rubbernecking.

What do you call the paper container in which you might bring home items you bought at the store?

a bag

What do you call the night before Halloween?

October 30th

What do you call the end of a loaf of bread?

the heels

What do you call a point that is purely academic, or that cannot be settled and isn't worth discussing further?

Moot.

How do you pronounce the -sp- sequence in "thespian" (the word meaning "actor")?

Thes-pee-in

What do you call a drive-through liquor store?

Handy:)

What do you call food that you buy at a restaurant but then eat at home?

''to go box''

What do you say when you want to lay claim to the front seat of a car?

Dibs on the front seat!

Do you say "expecially", or "especially"?

Especially.

I found some neat blinkies today. I was looking for New Year blinkies so I could start re-doing my blog. I found some great blinkies at http://oserrato.com/blinkies1.html if you're interested.

Nothing extraordinary happened today. It was busy as usual. I wish I could say that I had my quiet time with the Lord and prayed today, but I can't. I am going on a walk in a few minutes and plan on praying then. I hate it when I feel like the children are more of a pain than a blessing. I know I need to get my spiritual life straight when that happens. There are days when I would rather be anything than a mother. Sounds terrible, doesn't it? To quote Mother Theresa, "I know God won't give me more than I can handle. I just wish He didn't trust me so much."

It has been so cold here lately. I like it!

Check out my friend Dana's Blog. She has posted the cutest pictures of her little girls. Dana is a survivor of breast cancer. She was diagnosed at the ripe old age of 23. She is an inspiration to me and I don't even know her. I also have blog envy when I visit her site. She writes really well.

Time to walk... Blessings!

I'm here!

I'm here. It was a busy weekend. We went to Callaway Gardens on Saturday. Olaf came in from cleaning up the yard at about 2:00 pm and said, "Let's go to Callaway!" Now, if you know me at all, you know I'm a very structured and scheduled kind of gal. Going to Callaway at 2:00 pm is NOT me. I like to leave no later than 11:00 am so we can be back by 3:00. So I take Olaf completely by surprise and say OK. We had a blast. We walked on a walking trail and when we got back to the van it was about 5:00 pm. They already had turned on all the lights and music for Fantasy in Lights, so we decided to drive through them...twice! It wasn't dark yet, but it was fun anyway. Then we went to the beach area that they have set up for Christmas and watched the lighted nativity story. We got back on the road and ended up stopping to eat a little restaurant that we heard was good. It was 7:30 pm when we got there! That is just plain crazy for me. My children go to bed at 8:00 pm every night of the week, so I was living life on the edge at this point!:) We got home at nearly 9:00 pm and my children went right to bed. They were pooped.

Sunday I went grocery shopping and spent a lot of money. We were out of almost everything. Dog food, cat litter, diapers, paper towels. You name it, I needed it... Then we all went to Kohl's so I could get some new running shoes. Yes, you read right...running shoes. If I'm going to jog, I need the right shoe. My keds weren't working. I jogged again today in the crisp cold air. It was nice.

I weighed in this evening and actually had a slight gain. I don't think it's a real gain though. I think the jogging has messed up my weight loss a little. It will all work out eventually. I gave 2 pair of jeans to Esther tonight. They are pants that are now too big for me. Yay!

I am listening to the best instrumental Christmas CD ever! You can get it at www.christianbook.com for $1.99 right now. It's called "Christmas Angels" by Mary Beth Carlson. It is lovely. I highly recommend buying it. It is what Olaf decided to get his coworkers for Christmas.

We have most of the presents wrapped. Actually, Olaf has them wrapped. He wrapped some last night. I didn't!:) Josiah's are still in need of being done. Since Josiah is our kid that stays up until 10, it's hard to do it.

Today Tammy Pitts came by and gave me a plate of her chocolate chip cookies. Her cookies are my all time favorite. I am not sure if it's her oven or what, but her cookies are always puffy and good. She bought me this beautiful pottery plate in PA that the cookies were on. She also gave me the Southern Living Cookie Cookbook! She went to a tearoom in Alabama and bought a recipe book for me there as well. AND, she gave me the new book by Teri and Steve Maxwell about keeping your children's hearts. It was fun just sharing a cup of coffee and gabbing awhile.

OK, I'm all caught up. Hopefully I will be back on tomorrow. Blessings!

Another late night. We wrapped a few Christmas presents this evening. We still have many more to go. When you have four children, and are wrapping presents from the grandparents, and wrapping every little stocking stuffer...whew! We'll be wrapping until December 23rd! On Christmas night I am sure we will be furiously wrapping Josiah's birthday presents as well.

Olaf went to DHL and sent our out-of-town packages today. $5.25 for overnight! He gets a Delta discount. That is way cheaper than the PO. He sent a package to Germany for $15.75. It should get there Monday or Tuesday. It's so fun to get a deal. Speaking of that...

I need to go grocery shopping really bad. Maybe this weekend.

Grace has been waking up with bad dreams again. She thinks there is bugs in her bed. She wakes up screaming a few times every night. Olaf doesn't know which way is up when that happens. He stumbles around looking at his alarm and batting the air. What a dork!

Caleb is home from school. He didn't ask to eat too much today. BUT, everytime I went into the kitchen he followed me in there. I'd just point toward the living room and he'd turn around and leave. The kids all get so wound up when he's home. He is so hyper and that revs up everyone else. You'd think Camille would be old enough not to get so hyper with him. Not so my friends. She can be the loudest in the bunch.

I took supper to Charity this evening and saw her baby. I love newborns. They make the funniest faces and are so....well...scrunchy! I held her for about 20 minutes. It was nice. I wanted to smell her, but I thought that may be a little weird.

I started my jogging routine this evening. I really want to be able to run in a road race (even if it's just a mile fun run) by Labor Day Weekend. So, I took Olaf's watch, and walked then jogged, then walked then jogged, for 20 minutes. I hope to be able to eventually jog the entire time. Sharalyn just happened to give me a book all about running today. It was perfect timing. I grew up in the running capital of the United States. Eugene, Oregon, home of the University of Oregon. Well known for it's track program...and hippies!:) And marijuana...

OK, I need to get to bed. Olaf is standing behind me rubbing my shoulders. He actually fell asleep standing here. He was STANDING and he fell asleep! Do your husband's do that????? This man can fall asleep anywhere at any time. Amazing.

Blessings!

How many song writers can use the word exhumed in their lyrics? Ever since I wrote about Dan Fogelberg (in my 100 things about me), this song has been stuck in my head. See, I told you I remember every lyric to every song!:) The only way to get it unstuck, is to write out the lyrics and sing it as I go! So get ready...

Now that we love
Now that the lonely nights are over
How do we make love stay
Now that we know
The fire can burn bright or merely smolder
How do we keep it from dying away

Elusive as dreams barely remembered in the morning
Love like a phantom flies
But held in the heart it pales like the empty smile adorning
A statue with sightless eyes
Moments fleet taste sweet within the rapture
When precious flesh is greedily consumed
But mystery's a thing not easily captured
And once deceased not easily exhumed

Now that we love
Now that the lonely nights are over
How do we make love stay

Moments fleet taste so sweet within the rapture
When precious flesh is greedily consumed
But mystery is a thing not easily captured
And once deceased not easily exhumed

Now that we love
Look at the moonless night and tell me
How do we make love stay

OK, I feel much better! Thank you.

Grace's ears looked fine today. Josiah started crying as soon as we walked in the doctor's office. Camille ended up sitting in the van with him. They weren't out there too long though. Maybe 10 minutes by themselves. It is COLD here in Georgia. I had to run to the grocery store this evening and BRRR!

Lots of stuff to do tomorrow. I have to run to the PO, Caleb's school, and make cookies for the cookie swap at Bible Study. Whew! I'm tired thinking about it. I know I won't sleep well tonight because of all the things I need to do tomorrow. I'm like that. My brain doesn't turn all the way off. Praise God the work week will be almost through tomorrow...Caleb starts his vacation on Friday. Pray for me. I really want to enjoy this time with him home, but sometimes it's hard. He asks to eat every 5 minutes (and I'm not exagerating!) It can really grate on my last nerve.

Need to get to bed. Once again, I am blogging late. Maybe I can catch up on Friday. Tomorrow I will be too busy to get online at all. Blessings!

This will be short and sweet...OK just short...because it's late and I need to get to bed. I posted my 100 things about me. The link is right under my profile in the sidebar. I'm still begging for people to put a pin in my guestmap. How about it Mary? Tammy? Tony? Penny? I know you're reading this!:)

We watched "The Amazing Race" this evening. That is a fun show but there is a real jerk on it. This guy os SO mean to his wife. I would personally like to strangle him and then hit her for being so stupid for hanging around!:) See, I told you this wouldn't be sweet.

My friend, Charity, had her baby this morning. She had a baby girl and named her Grace Natalie. She had her unassisted at home. Her husband caught the baby. How precious is that? Next time we get pregnant, I think we will go unassisted as well. I have her blog linked to mine, so keep checking it for the birth story.

Nighty night!

Camille did great in her performance. She looked a little nervous, but she sounded fine. There were many "mistakes" in the play which just made it more endearing. A little boy in one of the lamb costumes about fell off the stage but his shepherd saved him by pulling him up by the tail. It was hilarious. I guess when you have about 100 homeschoolers that practice once a week you can't expect perfection:) Their choir director, Karen Moore, does a great job with the children though.

Today is the coldest day of the year so far and it's also riding lesson day. I am not looking forward to it. It's already 7:30 am and we leave at 8:50 am. No one is up yet either. I need to stop and get gasoline too.

Tomorrow Grace has to go back to the pediatrician for a recheck on her ears. I am hoping we don't get sick while we are there. I haven't told her that she has to go back to the doctor. Oh please let the infection be gone! I don't want to put her through a third set of tubes.

~Break~

Kids got up and I'm in a rush to leave! Check out my Weight Loss Blog!

Blessings!

Where did the weekend go?

It has flown by! Yesterday I cleaned the master bath and then went out Christmas shopping for about three hours. We went through the children's presents and Josiah still needed two more presents to open on Christmas Eve. (We open all our presents on Christmas Eve and stockings on Christmas morning) It was fun shopping by myself. I went to Old Navy and TJ Maxx. At Old Navy I bought the little two some pj's and slippers from Grandma. I bought Caleb and Camille slippers there as well. I also bought Cami a pair of gloves for her stocking. I bought Josiah and Grace socks because they needed them. I had the most fun at TJ Maxx. What a fun store to be in without children. There are so many breakables in there I get nervous with the kids. I bought Olaf some German chocolate as well as toys for Josiah. Today we went and exchanged our new TV for another. The red was bleeding. It was really odd. HH Gregg exchanged it for us with no problem. That was a blessing. We stopped by Target and bought Scotch Tape (finally) and some gift bags. We found tube socks there for Tante Babel too! WooHoo! We have looked and looked for tube socks. Do you know how hard they are to find? They were so popular in the late 70's and early 80's. She actually wants the ones with the colored stripes around the top. Remember those? Speaking of the 70's, I watched this great thing on PBS a couple of weeks ago. It was ALL disco. Original artists coming back and singing their hit songs to raise money for PBS. Old fat people (like me) trying to dance all groovy. They were doing the bump and the hustle and the snake. Hey, I can snake with the best of them:) It was hilarious watching them, but I loved the music. KC and the Sunshine Band, songs from Saturday Night Fever, Taste of Honey, Peaches and Herb, Irene Kara... you name it, they were there singing their disco hits. "And for a gift of $500 to your local PBS station...blah blah blah...you can have this CD." No thanks. PBS is such a liberal media outlet, I could never give money to them.

Weigh in is tomorrow and I am hoping I lost weight through thinking positive thoughts! LOL! I know I didn't lose any by what I ate.

Need to sign off, but I'll leave you with the lyrics from a disco hit since they are now swimming in my brain.

If you're thinkin' you're too cool to boogie
Boy oh boy have I got news for you
Everybody here tonight must boogie
Let me tell ya' you are no exception to the rule

Get on up on the floor
Cuz we're gonna boogie oogie oogie
Till you just can't boogie no more (boogie)
Boogie no moreYou can't boogie no more (boogie)
Boogie no more, listen to the music

There's no time to waste, let's get this show on the road
Listen to the music and let your body flow
The sooner we begin the longer we've got to groove
Listen to the music and let your body move

Now get on up on the floor
Cuz we're gonna boogie oogie oogie
Till you just can't boogie no more (boogie)
Boogie no moreYou can't boogie no more (boogie)
Boogie no more, listen to my bass here

Get down, boogie oogie oogie
Get down, boogie oogie oogie
Get down, boogie oogie oogie
Get down

This day has really flown by. Tonight Camille does her choir performance at Christian City. Olaf is going to take her. Gracie will probably end up going as well. I will stay home with the boys.

I still haven't bought any Scotch tape. Which means, I still haven't wrapped any Christmas presents. Wow! I need to get going. I also need to send out Christmas cards to Olaf's shop. Olaf asked me to make some sort of gifts in a jar for all the guys on his team, but I'm not sure if that's going to happen or not. The least expensive thing to make is Cinnamon Pancake Mix, but Olaf didn't seem too hip on that idea. I thought it would be neat to attach a $5 Blockbuster Card to a package of microwave popcorn. All I know is I am going to have to do something because Olaf will never make up his mind.

Josiah is napping in his bed. That is incredible! I usually hold him when he naps. Yes, he's my baby and I'll hold him until he's 22 if he lets me. I would love to have another baby. I need to keep that thought in my mind and lose this weight. Maybe it will motivate me to get it off faster. If I could weigh what I weight right now...when I deliver...would be SO awesome!

A lot of the blogs I read have certain things in common. One of the pages is called "100 things about me" and they are bullet statements about that person. I want to do that, but will have to create another blog and link back here. Watch the sidebar for it. Also, NO ONE has signed my guest map. Will someone PLEASE put a "pin" in my virtual map??? Look for the link in the sidebar. PLEASE!

Done begging for now! Blessings!

Tonight is Bible Study and I haven't completed the questions. I did read the chapter through a couple of times. I don't have my memory verse memorized either. As a matter of fact, I don't even know what it is.

Molly is here today. The day always goes by smoothly when she is here. The children love her and keep very busy playing. That leaves me to actually get some cleaning done. Speaking of which...toilets and tubs are calling.

Aravis is back to her old self. We haven't let her outside again, but she is wanting out. She is in my lap as I type this. She loves me! She makes biscuits constantly and purrs like crazy. She is sweet.

Josiah's nose/eyes are still swollen. Please pray for him. My thoughts run wild and my anxious heart ruminates on the "what if's." It's so hard for me to believe the best about a health situation. For some reason I am always thinking that God is going to give me something to test my faith. I know that He isn't this bully in the sky waiting to beat me over the head with His faith stick. But knowing it and truly believing it is hard for me.

I need to get going on those chores. Blessings!

Today was just another day. Camille got her school done. She had a dress rehersal for choir today and then they took photos afterwards. Olaf picked her up after work. We had baked ziti for supper. It's easy and good. I have been playing with the Works Spreadsheet because I am in charge of the Pizza Kit Fundraiser for Cami's choir this year. I have never done a spreadsheet before in my life, so I need to figure it out. Olaf says he can help me. I'm grateful for that. The Fundraiser isn't until the spring, but I'm so anal about things. I wish I had more computer skills. I took woodshop instead! LOL! Dovetail joint? No problem.

Josiah woke up with a bruised nose bridge and swollen eyes. I am hoping it's just an injury that I don't know about. We are going to watch it for a few days and see how it goes. Grace has to go back for a recheck on her ears Tuesday. We are going to Dr. Osako instead of Dr. H. She doesn't like any doctor, but Dr. H is her all time worse fear. I guess it's because he wears that thing on his head with the big light. It probably scares her.

That's it for today. Fairly mundane...

I gained

I weighed in last night even though I didn't stay for the meeting. I gained a pound. My period is due, so hopefully it's not a "true" gain! LOL! I know better though. I went grocery shopping last night. Olaf hates it when I get home because we don't have enough room in our fridge or freezer to put the food away! I feel guilty even writing that sentence because so many people have nothing and we live in abundance. I spent $150 total and bought a lot of junk food that was on sale. That total includes diapers, wipes, cat litter, cat food, and a host of other things aren't edible. I must say the best thing about coupon shopping is NOT going to WalMart. I don't miss going there in the least. I do not like crowds, but will tolerate them for the sake of my family i.e. Disney World! If I can avoid them, I will. Mostly because people drive me insane. I'm a type A kind of gal. Let's go in, get it done, and do it fast. I have no desire to dawdle and meander. Yep, I'm a perfectionist. That certainly isn't news to any of you who know me.

I have SO much to do before Christmas comes. I haven't even started wrapping presents. I need to send packages to our out of town relatives. I'm out of Scotch Tape. I'm overwhelmed at the thought of it all. Christmas isn't supposed to be this way.

I need to list some more stamps on ebay. I just spent my earnings from the last batch on my WW membership. I buy the 10 weeks for $99. I'll probably need to buy another 10 weeks before I make my goal weight and become lifetime. I know if I don't have the accountability I'll let my self slowly slip into my old habits. That isn't saying much for my self control.

Josiah did not nap today. I hope he doesn't want to take one at 6 pm. We'll be in for a long night if that happens. He pooped on the potty again today. What a big boy! I have never had a child potty train this early. He asks to go on the potty if it's poo, but he could care less about pee. Although, Olaf hasn't showed him the whole "stand up" thing yet either!;)

Oh, I have a funny Gracie story... Olaf was scolding her for trying reach for something breakable and she just wouldn't let up. After a couple times of him saying, "Grace, don't touch that!" he finally sent her to her room. On her way to the bedroom she passed Caleb in the hall. We heard her tell him, "You go touch it." Olaf looks at me in complete disbelief and says to me, "Who is she? John Gotti running the mob from prison?" The way he said it made me laugh so hard. His New York accent came out when he said it and I was rolling. Gracie, needless to say, will be the one to watch as she grows up.

OK, need to get busy. I could blog all day, but alas, motherhood calls!

Blessings!

Deep Sigh...

Camille got a full day of school in today. She is learning about invertebrates, which she is NOT too thrilled about. Her chapter from JMG is all about insects, so she is getting hammered from all sides. In math today she started having 7 as a divisor and story problems that use division and multiplication. Her story problems thus far have all been addition and subtraction. She is working on contractions now in Language Arts which is all review for her. She gets her worksheet done in 5 minutes. We didn't do history because we did Science instead. I gave her a spelling test and she missed two out of 26. Overall we had a good day of school. She is outside right now with the little ones. It's kind of damp and cold out there, but they wanted to go out and play. Needless to say, she did not want Aravis going outside today. Aravis wants out though.

I am going to weigh in this evening but not stay for the meeting. I need to go grocery shopping instead. I may just try the Core plan this week instead of counting points. The only drawback I see is not being able to eat the same things as my family. I can't eat pasta or casseroles on core plan. Its basically a low carb diet except you can eat all the fruits and veggies you want. I just need to get going again. I have taken the last month off and gotten real lazy.

Jeannie stopped by today. Audrey usually wants to stay and play but she was more than ready to go home today. I'm not sure why. She had fun while she was here though. Grace likes to play with her. So does Josiah.
I didn't have many groceries to send home with her today. Just a few bags of Lenders Bagels.

Our chapter in "Calm My Anxious Heart" is about relationships. The chapter starts out with a story almost identical to my story of my internet friend that parted ways with me. I harbor absolutely no bitterness toward my friend and would gladly resume our friendship again if she wanted to. But the chapter was about unforgiveness and bearing with the "weaker brother." To go beyond forgiveness and do special things for the one that has hurt you. Not only in prayer, but in actions. It is hard sometimes to turn the other cheek when everything within you yells out, "I DON'T WANT TO FORGIVE YOU! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE FORGIVEN!" Then I think of Jesus who forgave me before I even knew I needed it. I know I take advantage of His forgiveness a lot of times. I get up and claim the Scripture "Your mercies are new every morning!"

I need to get something tangible done. I better go. Blessings!

This is Aravis. She has since grown into her ears! As you will read below, we almost lost her Friday night.

An eventful weekend

Friday evening Aravis, our cute little calico kitten, was chased by a Great Dane. She climbed 30 feet into a tree, went into shock, and plummeted to the ground. We thought she was dead. Olaf ran her to the Emergency Vet (it was 6:00 pm on Friday) that is located about half hour away. Praise God, she survived. They had to keep her overnight because she has bruising around her lungs due to the fall. It was such an awful experience. Camille was distraught because she thought her kitten was dead. It was so hard to watch her mourn like that. Aravis is home now, but a different kitty. She is very nervous and really doesn't want to be around any people. I am hoping that she will get over that. You can tell she is still in pain which is understandable when you fall 30 feet. I just am so thankful to God that she is alive.

Saturday was busy as well. Camille sang on the court square and did a great job. She stepped right up to that microphone and sang her solo with no hesitation. I was very proud of her. After they got done singing, I pulled back Gracie's hair and noticed her ear canal was full of blood and puss. I hurriedly called Newnan Pediatrics which closes at noon on Saturday. It was 11:55 am. They told me to come on in, praise God! Gracie has a ruptured ear drum due to an infection. She didn't complain that her ear hurt! She doesn't have a cold, or congestion... There was no reason to even think she may have an ear infection. Now she is on oral antibiotics as well as ear drop antibiotics. Once we got home from the doctor...

We went and got our Christmas tree! They had the bunnies again. I think the picture of Josiah is below this post. That was fun for the children. After the children went to bed last night, Olaf started decorating the house for Christmas. He's much better at that than I am. We don't have a lot of "things" but he does a good job with what we have. Christmas was always special for Olaf growing up. His mother made a big deal out of the holiday and Olaf still has that inside him. It's funny because he wants everything to be perfect and always ends up getting super stressed. That makes no sense to me.

Today is the Christmas parade. Camille has to be there at 2:00 pm and the parade starts at 3:00 pm. After the parade we need to run to WalMart for a few things. Tante Babel wants tube socks and we cannot find them anywhere. We are hoping WalMart has some. We also are out of Scotch Tape. I guess my grocery shopping will have to be put off until tomorrow. I really wanted to go back to WW since I didn't get to go last Monday.

OK, I am going to try to post a few more pictures. Blessings!

This is Gracie with a bunny at the Christmas Tree Farm.

This is Josiah holding the bunny at the Christmas Tree Farm.

Buckling Down!

I need to start counting my WW points again. I have been so lax since my birthday. That was a month ago! Today I am counting points. I am already at 12, so I have 12 more to go. Olaf wants pizza for dinner, so I can have 2 slices of veggie pizza. I think they are 6 points each. No snacking today! Well, unless its veggies.

Camille did math, language and spelling today. I think ABeka math can be a little extreme sometimes. I don't think a public school third grader is learning the crazy things she is learning. Converting pecks to bushels??? C'mon! I mean, it's good to know...but in the third grade??

I am so happy it's Friday. My dear husband will be home. Maybe we'll get our out-of-town packages wrapped so we can ship them. We want to get our Christmas tree this weekend too. We cut it down at a local tree farm. It's a family owned farm and they have fun things for the kids to do there. Last year they had baby bunnies that they let the children hold. They had a pit to roast marshmellows and a walking trail around a lake. It was fun for everyone. Camille has to sing downtown tomorrow and then has the Christmas parade on Sunday afternoon. We'll probably get the tree after Cami sings on Saturday.

Did you see my cool new graphic in the sidebar? I LOVE it. If you click it it will take you to a real neat website for women. Make sure to register and check out the bulletin boards.

Arrrggghhh! I'm hungry and I just ate lunch!

Blessings!

Chaos!

My life feels like chaos a lot of time. Does yours?

Camille is currently in her room doing math. I am in my pj's. I am in the process of washing clothes. That is one chore I enjoy. I love doing laundry. I even enjoy ironing Olaf's shirts for work. I love that clean laundry smell. I really need to be more diligent to work with Gracie on her numbers and letters. I haven't even started. I started homeschooling Camille in the first grade so she went to school for pre-k and Kindergarten. I didn't have to teach her the basics!:) I think the little ones have picked up a lot just being around Camille. They count when they play hide and seek and they sing the ABC's together. Gracie certainly doesn't sing the ABC's perfectly, but she gets most of the letters correct. She can count up to about 13 or 14 before she mixes up the rest. I think I'll seriously start homeschooling her next Fall.

Tonight is the ladies Bible study. It's been two weeks since we have met because of Thanksgiving. My memory verse this week is, "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransome for many." Matthew 20:28 The chapter is about being content with our roles. And serving is certainly the biggest thing a mom does. Ms. Mike quoted someone as saying, "The true test of a servant is acting like one when you're treated like one." I know I fail that test. I fail that one BIG TIME.

Can you believe it's ?? I can't!

Blessings!

After much irritation...

I finally got that dern picture to post. I tried and tried last night, but our computer was acting goofy. So, I cleared the cache and it worked. Our computer still cannot run a scandisk without stopping. I told Olaf last night we just need to buy a new one! If we could afford one I'd be on the phone with Dell!:)

I took that picture after the children had been outside playing in the dirt. Actually, Camille had been planting Hosta and the other children were literally playing in the dirt. Caleb and Josiah were sitting in a pile of dirt with buckets and shovels! It was cute watching Josiah and Caleb together. Caleb's mental retardation places him at about Gracie's age, so it's a delight to see him interacting with the younger children. Camille is still his best friend though. He adores her.

Today is choir. Another two hour practice. Olaf will get off early to go pick her up. They will be performing in downtown Newnan this Saturday on the court square. Then Sunday is the Christmas parade. Then next Friday night they perform at Christian City. Then Monday the 13th is their actual performance at the church. Busy. I think we have JMG today too!

I put a GuestMap in the sidebar. Please put a post on the map for me!

Blessings!

This is our Christmas photo this year! Too cute!