Dishpan Dribble

Why do I need a schedule?

I'm going to answer Cheryls question below in a new entry since others have asked the same thing. The question is, why do I need the Motivated Moms monthly planner since I already keep a clean house? The simple answer is because it will help me do the tasks I hate.

What are those tasks? Cleaning the tubs and showers, washing the baseboards and floor trim, and moving furniture to vacum. These things I do but these things I hate! If anything gets put off it's these three things.

Other than that I like the schedule because it feeds into my nuerosis when it comes to housecleaning. By following that book you will have covered all the areas in your house at least once a month. I'm one that always feel like theirs something I should be doing but I 'm forgetting it. This way I know I'll cover all the bases.

I just like schedules. I love knowing I can tick off a chore and just work my way through the list and when the list is done, I'm done. Without a list I'm never done. My MIL always has said, " Tammy what in the world are you leaving to do tomorrow." My answer?, 'Sufficient unto the day is the evil there of." In other words tomorrow will bring all it's own evil chores and I need to take care of everything I can today. But now with this schedule I actually can call a day a day! There's an ending! My housework is like the song that never ends! Now it has an ending! Get it?

Let's look at yesterday. I ended the day feeling blah as you all know. I told my husband I just feel awful because I haven't done anything all day. As he tried to comfort me between his snores I just laid there and went over my wasted day. Wanna know what I did?

I mowed the front lawn
I mowed the back lawn
I spent at least an hour picking up apples
I raked the orchard.
I sorted apples
I washed the bathroom throw rugs
I washed all of Wallys bedding including his quilt
I changed the bedding in my bedroom
I opened all the bedroom windows to air everything while I sorted Wallys toys
I vacummed the entire downstairs
I took the head off the vacumm and did some fall cleaning in corners and behind furniture.
I sorted through some of the kids clothes and got rid of things they had out grown.
I made all the meal
I took care of the kids needs all day
I practiced a new french braid in Anna Lise's hair
I painted Anna Lise's finger and toe nails
I had my quiet time
I cleaned some shelves in the upright freezer in the garage
I put away summer toys outside
I dusted the entire living room
I took windex to all the mirrors and mirrorred surfaces downstairs
I took all the throw rugs out into the fall air for a good shaking.
I read a book on understanding your husband written by one of our church ladies
I went to bed and cried because I had done nothing all day
Now do you see why I need a schedule?

He who finds a wife finds a good thing

All of yesterdays emotions were earmarks of an impending migraine. I should have seen it coming. But I didn't and now it has hit me like a truck hitting a brickwall. Slam. Bang! Taking my migraine medicine early may help me pull out of this. I have not been taking my Migrahealth as religiously as I should. It's that old lack of discipline thing again.

I do know one thing; unless my migraine worsens I'm going to get the kids and go somewhere today; anywhere! I don't care where. Just out of here! I've already planned dinner and so I am free until four o'clock. I'm going to check and see what's happening at the library this morning, then call around until I find a friend willing to take us in. Yep, just like a homeless beggar. In some areas I seem to have no shame!

And what's for supper you ask? We will be dining on grilled chicken breasts, fresh green beans, corn on the cob, spaghetti squash, and tossed salad. Anyone's welcome to join us. For desert we are having apple crisp. Just a teensy bit you know, because of the diet. If I deny myself the fresh apple goodies in apple season I will feel deprived all year. I'll make sure to figure in the calories.

Now I have a question. I would like to help out an internet friend who needs to find himself a girl friend. If you were a Christian male, and thirty something, attending a small church that God had called you to, how would you go about finding a date? The internet has not worked for him so that is not a viable option. How would you do it? Let's hear.

the Blahs

I feel lonely. I hate feeling this way. I just feel restless and lonely. My poor kids. I don't do anything with them all day other than make them do chores. Oh yeah, I painted Anna Lises finger and toenails. I just want to go somewhere. I'm feeling like my life needs to take a different turn. Somebody told me it's mid life crisis time for me because I've been feeling a lot like this lately.

I don't think so. I don't know what it is though. I do know one thing . I'm sick of summer. I want it over and done with. I'm just so lonely right now and half depressed. These are the times I turn to food. I've gotta get a grip. I'm the luckiest woman around. Why then this feeling that I want to be doing something different with my days and with my life. Maybe it's the change of season.

If only I could sit and stuff my face. Temporarily I would feel better.

Can you tell me why

I've been doing great at my resolution to stay away from the computer-until now. I just got a call from Greg and he said he wont be home for dinner tonight as he has a bunch of errands to run.

Now I don't know why it is but whenever this happens then suddenly I grow restless. I wanna be free too. I wanna go shopping. I wanna go out to dinner. I wanna do anything but the task at hand. And what is that task? Picking up rotten apples! Sorting through for a few good ones and then making a few apple crisps for the freezer.

Oh, and get this? Greg informs me that he wants to start eating really lite for supper. He can't do that! I was going to do that. He can't just up and call me and say he's just going to eat a bagel from his lunch cause he wants to lose weight. That's not playing fair. Didn't I say first that I was going to diet? You all heard me. I said it just this morning in my entry below. It's even documented.

Now what do I do? No way is he going to start losing weight before me. It's a good thing I've stuck to my diet so far today or I would be furious. The nerve of the man. And I was doing so well on all counts until he called. Now I just want to eat. And look. He made me come to the computer again.

He's making me break every promise I made. Why can't he be supportive? Well he can just wait to diet until I get thin. That's all there is to it. Oh the unjustness of it all!

New Beginnings

I just pretty much laid around all weekend. My stomach hurt for eating the wrong foods at camp and I just felt generally lethargic and in no way able to get anything done. If you have kids you know how my house must look by today. If you don't have kids then I'll just briefly tell you that every toy they own is in the middle of the floor.

The dishes are done, but barely. The kitchen floor is sticky. Laundry needs done and all the floors need vacumed. I awoke this morning with determination to accomplish everything I didn't over the weekend and more. I was over at Captured Thoughts and found a link to a booklet on housecleaning. It's a schedule to follow so that in your monthly cleaning you are sure to hit every area of your house. It's only four bucks to order over the internet and I am so excited. I'm going to get this and follow it to the letter.

What really sold me on it is that one day it has a time to clean out your purse! What a novel idea! I envy women with tidy purses. When I stand for prayer at church I can see all the purses on the row in front of me. They're beautiful purses with everything so orderly inside; breath mints, a little compact mirror, a nail file, a little weekly planner. (I always wonder what's in those weekly planners). My curiosity knows no bounds.

Last night at church I sat beside the assistant pastors wife. On the floor she placed a Bible box with the lid held on by rubber bands. What do you suppose was in that box? It wasn't a Bible because the lid didn't fit tight. I could think of little else the entire time! I'm just a mess about mysteries!

Anyway back to the purses. When I stand for prayer I make sure my purse is firmly closed; well, as much as is possible anyway. It snaps in the midddle so that leaves the ends open for all the Sunday School papers to hang out. If I need a mint I dig through the dark recesses of my purse, checking every gritty corner for the morsel. I get stabbed with open safety pins and my fingers get stuck together on old chocolates that are whitened and stale from months gone by. It's not a pretty thing let me tell you! So yeah, when the cleaning chart had a slot for my purse I knew it would be worth the four dollars!

I also bought the devotional Bible I was wanting at the church book store yesterday morning. The only problem is that now I can't find it! It seems to be no where! I'm going to run out to church today and see if I left on the bench. I'm so bummed. Not only was I looking forward to starting the reading plan in there, I've also lost eighteen bucks! I just cant imagine what I did with the thing.

I was also planning on hitting my diet hard this week. It's funny how I can think of so many reasons not to diet. Right now the first reason would be that I'm starting too much at one time. Even the experts know you can't do it all at once. Who am I then to think that I would be able to successfully implement a diet plan while I'm trying to incorporate a new Bible Study time and a new housecleaning schedule? It's quite easy to see that the diet will have to wait. I mean, can't you all see that too?

It would be suicide to all three plans to take on too much. Never mind that the Bible reading only consists of 15 minutes in the morning and that the weekly schedule hasn't arrived yet. I still think it's self evident that the diet will have to wait! Yep, the more I think about it the clearer that all becomes.

Now I must be off to begin my busy day. Thankfully I don't have to figure out a nutritous lo cal breakfast. You guys are just the greatest to point that out to me. I really did take on too much. What would I do without you all?

Help

Dear G~
Yes, I'm writing to you. I need a password for your blog. Everytime I try to email you it says that the recipeint does not like me! How cruel is that? No matter what I do I can't get into your blog or even get in touch with you. Could you help me? Love Tammy

The kids at the Museaum

I've made a decision

I will continue blogging, BUT... I am scaling it down. Today I have only spent an hour on the computer. I am happy. Today I spent time teaching Wally his ABC's. That makes me happy too. I had Anna Lise read the Bible story at breakfast and that took care of the morning Bible story and her reading time. I had an extra special blessing in store when Wally perked up at the name of Moses in the story. He got all excited and waving his fork in the air he yelled out how there were bad guys going to get the baby and the princess took him to her castle. I never realized before how like a lovely fairytale that story is. The neat thing though is that it's a true fairy tale! Of course, Anna Lise was mad at him because, "you're not suppose to tell the end of the story 'till I read it!"

But back to my decision. The one thing I don't like about blogging is that it consists of a lot of throwing my pearls before the swine. Many of you that come here really do care and have become genuine friends. Others are swine. The swine are here to trample the pearls. Well, I have decided that the swine shall not win. They will not silence this Christian voice on the web. My God reigns and shall continue to reign. And if the Christains become silent the rocks themselves shall cry out because my God shall be praised. Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world.

So the blog goes on. Now stepping down from my podium let me tell you about camp. It poured rain almost the entire time. But no one seemed to mind. It added to the ambiance of the whole thing. When meals were served and teachers were out playing games with the kids, the rest of the workers sat in cozy groups in the cafeteria clutching coffee and hugging mugs of hot chocolate. The coffee of the week was dark and rich, and most of us added a swig of gingerbread syrup to our cups and a little creme. Yummy.

I loved the fellowship but felt so humbled by the words of praise people had for my life and the people who came to me seeking counsel. An evangelist, who I do not know, mentioned my name in his sermon, using me as an illustration of someone who knows what they believe and holds to it. I felt unworthy.

The school principal asked me to compete in a game with another teacher with the students cheering. People were commenting that it was the old and the new coming together. "Old" meaning I was much older than the 20 something teacher I was competing against and also meaning that I was the old teacher playing against the new teacher. When I won everybody cheered and I got busy getting Wally and his stuff together to put him to bed. I thought I heard some one say something about singing for Miss Tammy but voices echoed in that old chapel and it was hard to hear.

The next thing I knew the kids were all singing, "Give me that old time religion." I hummed along as I dried off Wallys bike and tried to silence his whining. Suddenly I hear, "It was good for Miss Tammy, it was good for Miss Tammy, it was good for Miss Tammy and it's good enough for me!" I was amazed. I gave a little bow to the kids and they sang all the louder. I'm only telling you all of this because it was such a balm to this weary housewife. I was just so blessed.

The senior class of this year consists of kids I taught in the third grade. Half of the kids in the school I don't even know. So it just sent warm circles around my heart to have the kids remember me so fondly from so long ago!

I feel like this empty vessel was filled. I've had so much water this week that I do believe a rose is about to bloom in the desert of my life. I plied other stay at home moms to glean tips on scheduling and to get their tips on how to work in quiet time for Bible reading and prayer. I ended up giving counsel to others myself, but for the most part I shied away from that because I just felt to empty to offer advice to anyone.

The camp was for third grade through highschool but that didn't keep Anna Lise from joining in. She's such a social butterfly. My heart was just blessed to hear her singing all the church songs on the bus headed to the Flight Museaum. She could belt out those songs with the best of them. Meanwhile Wally couldn't have cared less. He was busy trying to figure out how the windows worked and peeking in lunch sacks to make sure the cookies were still there!

The camp was divided into the Beavers and the Ducks. Anna Lise had placed herself on the side of the Beavers and yelled out the chants as loud as she could during the rallys. It just did this old mothers heart a world of good to watch her.

Of course when the assistant pastors wife informed that Anna Lise had told her 5 year old daughter that she [Anna Lise], was sexy I almost died. The woman informed me that she just let her daughter know that they don't talk like that. Well, the old man arose in me and I let the principals wife know that I didn't allow my child to talk like that either!!!!!! Grrrr.

However, I'm sure I lost all credability when Wally spied a pop can on the table and asked me in a stage whisper if it was beer! That boy is incorrigible. He threw the ball to one of the games into a briar patch and when the principal asked him to get it Wally stood like a lump and refused to move. The principal manuevered him down to the kitchen and told me what had happened. I asked Wally to take me to the ball and he just stood there. So I made a big deal of picking out a huge Kitchen Aid paddle from the line overhead. When Wally saw the paddle he led me to the spot, but, alas, the ball was never found! That's my Wally.

All in all it was a wonderful week. I came home refreshed and with my batteries recharged. I cannot explain the joy of hour upon hour of visiting with men and women of like faith. There was no internet, no TV, no radio, just us and the Good Book and a few hymnals. It was next thing to heaven!

I better go get Anna Lise a bedtime snack. She just came and asked if I would come "straightaway" and make her a snack. Do you think maybe she just came from spending a week under the sound of the Bible being read in the King James version? :)

Rethinking

Yes, friends, I'm back. I stayed longer than I expected to. It was just a great experience. Talk about the mountain top times in your life. I was just on one! I'm going to take a wee break from this blog to implement some things in my life and reschedule my days with school around the corner.

I need to refocus my energies into my home and family and get this train back on track in some areas. In other areas I will need to lay a totally new track. I may be back to share with you the insights and the things I want to implement but I'm not sure exactly what I'm doing with this weblog.

I may shut it down or I may keep it and go in an entirely different direction. Coming home and finding some bloggers still up to their old tricks is making some decisions easier, to say the least.

So for now, blessings on you my friends, and goodnight to all.

Outta here

Off to Bible Camp. Have a good day everyone and behave yourselves! Don't do anything I wouldn't do! (Ahem)

I think I'll go eat worms

Humph, I'm back. I emailed my webhost about the problems with this page and he is none too happy with me, I fear. Sigh. I guess I've messed around with the sidebar way too much for a novice. Oh, he was trying to be polite but I could feel his frustration, poor guy! He did let me know that this is the very reason he didn't want us all to be fooling with our own indexes. Oh bother, I seem to be good at aggravating everybody.

Shelly's not happy with me because I wont be here for her birthday tomorrow. Greg, like JD, my web host, is trying not to let his frustrations at me show, but again I'm astute enough to feel the vibes. I asked him to buy a pizza tonight since he's stopping at Costco anyway. He said he would but the irritation was there, ya know?

It's 5:00pm and I just got back from leaving this morning at 11:00. I got the laundry done althought there is still some to fold. I cleaned and vacumed the main floor. While I was out I bought a lovely runner rug for the entry hall. I also bought a huge spider web with the biggest, hairiest, spider for the front porch at Halloween. The kids were delighted.

I change my front porch with the season or the holiday. Right now there's a cane back chair out there with flowers woven around the canes and over the seat. An angel statue sits on the chair with a wreath of flowers hanging on the wall behind. Sometime in September I'll change it to fall. Then for halloween it's always decked out with cobwebs but this spider web will just add more pizazz. Anna Lise made a wooden gravestone that we put out there that says, "Here lies Casper the Friendly Ghost" on it. But there now. How did I get off on that topic.

Maybe I'm just subconsciously trying to forget about all the people I've managed to peeve today. Or maybe. I'm trying to forget that my lip hurts so bad I want to cry. And while I'm crying I may as well add in some tears for how awful I did on my diet today.

Shoot I should just sit down and cry about everything that's wrong with me. What a luxury that would be. But oh no, there shall be no rest for the wicked; no tears of relief. I'm off to get the packing done and to clean the last of the three bathrooms. I still need to vacum the upstairs and tonight when everyones in bed I'll finish by mopping the kitchen floor.

Now exactly where did I put that remote and that box of bon bons. What a pity. I can't find them. I think I really am going to sit down and cry.

A fly by

My goodness, do I have to move earth and sky today! I'm going to our church's school camp in Washougal Wa. tomorrow and spending the entire day and maybe the night. I haven't decided yet. I'm really not big on spending the night in drafty dirty little cabins. I'm more the motel-w/- the -maid kind of gal.

But anyway the school principal asked if I'd come up on Tuesday to help chaperone the kids to an air museum. So I told him I would. Anna Lise and Wally love it up there. We take their bikes along and they get to ride all day with all their little church friends. Since my kids don't attend school there I try to give them every opportunity to be with those kids that I can.

Today I have to get the laundry done and clean the house so everything will be done before I leave. My husband is the kind of man that really don't care where I go as long as I don't neglect the household. I can play all I want if he has food on his table, and clean underwear and socks in the drawer, ...and if the house is clean. (Okay, the next sentence is rated PG-13 so don't say I didn't warn you.) Psst! Just between me and you, sometimes I let his underwear run out on purpose because then he wears this cute, tight, little pair that I love and he hates! Okay, on to regular programming.

I also want to steam clean the floor in my Honda today. At noon the kids and I are meeting Shelly for lunch. Then I have a few errands to run. So I have to scurry along if I'm going to get everything done.

Rambling rumbles of my mind

Okay everybody, go get your coffee cups and pull up your chair because I feel like talking. It's a slow, rainy, Sunday afternoon and I just feel like writing. It's feelings like this that make me think I may just be a bonafide writer; that is, a bonafide writer without a bonafide book.

After a late breakfast of hashbrowns, chili omelettes, toast, and coffee, hubby and I retired to the living room, cups in hand, and just sat together watching the rain pour in torrents, overflowing the gutters and running rivers down the glass ceiling of the solarium. We talked about nothing as we cuddled up to each other enjoying the closeness and coziness of my new red room on a rainy day. I could feel his heart beat against my back as we sat thus and the feeling of completeness is one I cannot describe nor do I care too. Words would ruin it.

I'm going to spend the day browing through my gardening magazines and dreaming. I'm also going to thoroughly savor each page of my Home Beautiful magazine that came the other day. And hopefully by days end I will have finished Shadow Women. The library is sending threatening notices of fantastic charges on that book.

I hope to start redecorating Wallys room this week. We went to Home Depot and he picked out the cutest wall paper. The border is die cut cars. He loves cars! I bought him a truck that hauls cars at the garage sale and a fighter jet that operates with batteries. It has buttons you push and lights flash everywhere while it makes engine noises. A radio announcer comes on and says, " Cleared for take off." The next button says, " Locked on target." And the last one is zooming roaring sounds like it's flying past your head! He loves it although, as I type this Daddy has just put him in the corner for throwing his plane down the stairs. Anyway I found it in an old box of broken toys donated to the church for the youth fund. All it needed was new batteries. The youth pastor was selling it for a quarter but I gave him a dollar since it was going to good cause. But it's still an incredibly cheap toy that has kept him busy for hours.

Greg was in the middle of washing cars yesterday when I called him telling him I was ready to go and needed him to bring the truck. He couldn't come right away so the pastors wife and I retired to the pastors office and with ice cold pepsi's in hand we kicked off our shoes and curled up in big comfy chairs for an hour long chat. Such bliss. She and I see eye to eye on everything. She's just the best friend.

Anyway in the course of the conversation I mentioned the overwhelming sense of responsibility the teacher of the two year old children's church was experiencing and how she really wanted out of that particular position. She has a finger in so many ministries and was just feeling that she couldn't keep on like this. The pastors wife shared with me how hard it is to get someone to stick with the two year old class and eveybody she has asked to do the job has said no. Well you guessed it. I offered to take it. It's only every other month as their is a shared team that does it the alternating months. I'm going to try to find a girlfriend to help me do it too.

I had been wanting to increase my ministeries. Since the kids have been born I pretty much cut out everything except working in the nursery. I want to get back to where I used to be in church involvement. So now I work in the nursery during Sunday School every second Sunday. I tell a story in Anna Lise's childrens church class every third Sunday. I've been writing articles for the womens magazine that comes out every first Sunday of the month and now I've added teaching childrens church every other month. I plan on helping with the writing of the Sunday school curriculum and am also looking into getting a committee together to oversee the nursery.

I would also like to sing in the Christmas program this year. But that all depends on hubby. All these other things do not effect my time in the home. The many practices for the Christmas pagent would infringe on family time and so far he's vetoed the idea every year. One year he did let me sing in a ladies chorus for Christmas but that was before the last two kids were born.

Anyway I've rattled on about long enough. Nobodys probably even reading anymore. I've got a marinated pork roast in the oven for dinner and the smells are most tempting. Yesterday I made a jello salad to go with todays dinner. In about an hour I'm going to take Anna Lise to see Princess Diaries II. No one can see my big lip in the theatre.

Besides, Anna Lise has been checking my lip every few minutes and she declares it's shrinking. I think she may be right. She's praying it goes down because she wants to go to Little Bear Club tonight at church. Sweet child.

Okay, Tammy, enough rambling. See what happens when you have a little time? You bore everyone half to death. Now get off that computer! Better yet, go visit you friends blogs and let them know you love em. Your magazines will wait.

A monster has been created

I will not be going to church today. I thought about taking a picture to show you why but I can't get up the nerve. I'll just tell you. I'm not going because I awoke this mornig looking like the missing link between monkey and man! Oh tis true my friend. During the night I grew a HUMONGOUS bottom lip!

You see, I sat in the sun for two days at the garage sale and did my best to keep my skin covered. I got a slight burn on my arms but because of all my outside work in the yards the burn is blending into my farmers tan. But my lips...oh people... my lower lip.

The first day I wore a bill cap. The second day was cloudy and overcast so...off with the hat! I bought a silk tree from the sale beside mine and sat in it's dubious shade most of the day. I teased to everybody that "the Lord had caused a gourd to grow up in the night" just for me. (reference to the story of Jonah and the whale)

Somehow through it all I didn't stay out of the sun enough and my lips became severly burned! Now my lower lip is swollen to a good ten times it's normal size! I kid you not. I can see it without a mirror! It's huge and it's heavy! I can hardly eat or drink. It's just in the way.

I guess I'm allergic to the sun. I'm not sure whats happened here but I'm off to google to stick in a few key words to see what I discover. Let's see; monkey lips? no, play dough lips? no, gargantuan lips? no, swollen tissue? no, big red flapper? no....how should I google this thing?

EDIT: I googled it and it appears like I have sun poisoning. I may experience flulike symptoms in the next 48 hours. If so. I'm suppose to see a doctor. Great, just great!

Bringing in the quarters

Another day of getting sunburned in the church parking lot! Shelly brought over a bunch of baby clothes to add to the stuff. I only made $60.00 yesterday but then I hardly have anything to sell. That's what I like about doing it all together. It really doesn't matter if you want to sell two things or two thousand. It's not like you make some one drive in off the road for just your piddly stuff. Almost all my money was made a quarter at at time!

Ya wanna know what's hot out there, besides me of course? (Oh mercy that didn't come out right) Okay, yeah, I'm hot. Take it however you please. Anyway as I was saying recipe books sell like hotcakes! Whodda thunk it? Gregs mom is always giving me her recipe books, be they brand new or used, she always shovin' them off on me.

Now I have more recipe books than a woman could ever need in a life time. And as every woman knows we all have our favorites. Mine happens to be The Taste of Home Cookbooks from Rieman Publications. I get their new hard back, fully illustrated, recipe book every year in January. I think I have seven of them now. But the recipes are so down to earth and just full of goodness.

Which brings me to something I would like to insert at this point. My husband and I are not heavy because we eat junk food. Oh mercy no. We almost never eat fast food or downright junk. We eat homecooked, home baked, back- on -the- farm, type meals all the time. Our problem? THERE AINT NO FARM! Bwahahaha!

Now how'd I get on that? Oh yeah, I made most of my money on little things. But every quarter adds up. Anyway, I better get rollin' here. I've gotta go bring in the big bucks today. I just realized I forgot to freeze my water bottle! Bummer.

Ffity incredible facts about me

For some reason people think that I have some major skeletons waiting in the closet. Because of that I have decided to do 50 things about me that you may not have known. And by the way if you're looking for skeletons you wont find any! By the way, these facts are not in order.

1. I was born in McMinville Oregon.
2. My mother was 18; my father 20
3. I had an 11 month old sister.
4. I grew up a Mennonite.
5. I attended a one room schoolhouse for several years.
6. I only went to the 8th grade.
7. We played house in the outhouse at school.
8. At age 22 I had left the Mennonite Church and had my first child.
9. I taught school for several years.
10. My mother had a bakery so I worked in that for about 15 years.
11. I learned how to cook before I was old enough to remember.
12. I am one of nine children.
13. At age 10 I had my first story published.
14. I've published several articles.
15. I've had 4 surgeries.
16. Wally is an invitro baby; frozen for fours years in a vial with two other embryos that didn't make it.
17. I met my husband on the radio.
18. From our first blind date to now we have never split up; not even for an hour.
19. I hate coconut.
20. My favorite food is seafood.
21. My favorite restaurant is Newport Bay.
22. The first time I ever ate at a restaurant I was 14 years old.
23. It was a smorgasboard.
24. It also was the first time I ever ate fried shrimp.
25. I ate till my gut ached.
26. When I was 18 I worked at a Childrens Home for Down Syndrome kids in Ohio.
27. I've lived in 6 different states.
28. I used to be a part of a singing tour that traveled by bus through the South.
29. I taught school in Mississippi.
30. I used to coon hunt in a canoe on the marshes in Mississippi.
31. I dated a full blood Indian when I was 19.(Yikes, where'd that come from? I had totally forgotten!)
32. My first real love was named Jim.
32. I was 19.
33. He worked with the Indians in Canada.
34. His mother broke us up.
35. At 21 I fell in love again-hard!
36. It was with a guy I had gone to grade school with.
37. Didn't fall in love again until I met Greg when I was 26.
38. We dated 3 years and 3 months.
39. I never went to high school.
40. I have an associates degree in Social Science.
41. I was the only paid columnist for the college paper.
42. In college I held down three part time jobs, carried 15-17 credit hours, and took care of my kid and my apartment.
43. With no high school, I had a college GPA of 4.00
44. Wore pants for the first time at 27 years old.
45. Saw my first movie at a theatre when I was 24 years old.
46. It was called, "Just one of the Guys."
47. I was in awe of the huge screen.
48. I abhor Science Fiction.
49. I read 292 books while I was pregnant with Shelly.
50. I don't know how to swim or skate or ski.

There now I will stop. That is more than you'll ever need to know about me. I usually don't do these list things but I have just returned from the garage sale and am sunburned and tired. I wasn't going to post anything. Than I looked at my site counter and realized I've had around 120 readers here today and I felt sorry for you all so I decided to post something for you.

Aren't I just too thoughtful? :)

aCHILD OF HOPE IS BORN

Wally again

Wally is fascinated with meat since he found out it actually came from animals. Tonight he had a little bit of steak on his plate. A tiny piece of fat was hanging off the side. He jabs his fork at it and says, "Ew, mom, him's tongue is sticking out."

I like to puked right there!!

Kids for sale

Just returned from the store wherein Wally had a huge meltdown! He cried all the way through the store. He had insisted on wearing a long sleeve shirt and it's a hot day. I let him deciding it was not a battle I wanted to fight. Well, he got hot and he got cranky! He wanted a toy, and he wanted candy. He wanted to ride the little car at the door ( a pox on the people who placed it there!) and he wanted a donut. All of which he was denied because of his bad behaviour.

We get to to the car and he turns to me and says, "Mama, you don't love me." His hair is matted to his face with sweat and he's rubbing the tears from his eyes with dirty little hands. ( I had no idea his hands were so dirty when I left.) Streaks of brown ran down his face drying before they reached his chin!

Anna Lise gets in the car and says, " Wayey (her l's are y's) just be thankful for the things you have. You have a nice house and a nice mama and a nice Daddy... and you have a nice sister... sometimes!"

I laughed outloud in the front seat and Anna Lise says, "Now you hurt my feelings." Then she too began to cry! I'm just a bad mom! :)

We got home and Wally went straight to bed;...that is...after we prayed and told Jesus we were sorry for being so disobedient in the store!

Now this mama must go price garage sale stuff. I wonder how much I'd get for the kids at the sale.

No title

I vote yes!

In the land of decision

I'm getting ready for a garage sale. The church is having a community parking lot sale this weekend so I'm going to lug my junk over there and see if I can make a few dollars. They do this sale every year and every year I wish that they would do it in September. If they did it just a month after I could get rid of all the children's stuff from the summer. Now I have to hang on to it through the winter to sell at next summer's sale. Bummer.

There's a bunch of toys I'd like to get rid of but I continue to keep them around so I can give them to Hailey some day. That means I need to store them until then.So today is going to be spent pricing everything and getting it into the garage so Greg can load it in the truck for me tonight.

There's a baby sitting job I could have in September for 100 bucks for three half days of sitting. It's the same little boy I had last winter only this time he has a baby brother! So I'd have the 3 month old baby, a two year old and my three year old, MTW from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm. Thats just 15 hours a week for a hundred dollars. Am I nuts for turning it down?

I really want the money, especially with Christmas around the corner, but I don't want to be tied down like that. Here I am 44 years old and finally getting a little freedom. Wally is three this winter and I want to put him in a neighbors little preschool two days a week. He wants to go so badly and it's only 2 1/2 hours twice a week, at my girlfriends. I figured that I would use one of those slots to help in Anna Lise's classroom.

But now the lady I baby sat for called last night and the job is still open. We're talking a hundred dolllars for 15 hours! We're talking Christmas money! Hey, we're just plain talking MONEY! What's wrong with me? Have I totally taken leave of my senses? Oh what should I do, what should I do?

Would you choose money over freedom, my friends? Help! I told her 'no' in July and now I'm thinking of taking the job again. Oh, oh, oh, I'm a woman torn.

Tonights activities

Daddy and Anna Lise are reading on the couch.

Meanwhile heeeeeeeeres Wally!

God and cancer

Okay, you guys, don't think me weird or anything but I want to share something with you. I've been saved for 38 years but some things I wonder about. I don't know if I should say this or not but confession is good, right?

Okay..

It's just that...

MMmm...

Alright, I was wondering if....

No, let me put it this way. Sometimes I think that the motivator for me to get closer to the Lord is so He wont give me a sickness or a death in the family to get my attention. Nononono! Just stay with me a minute. I know God's not up there with a big stick but I guess...okay... I'll spill it.

I'm incredibly afraid of cancer. Now anyone that knows me well knows that about me. The words strike terror to my heart. My great aunts, uncles, grandma, friends-all have died of cancer. It's like I'm just waiting for the boom to fall.

But here's what bothers me. Do you think that God allows people to get these awful diseases because they haven't been walking close enough or spending enough time in prayer or Bible reading? I mean, if I got cancer I'd spend hours in prayer and be searching my Bible every spare minute for comfort and verses on healing. So maybe if I don't get all my ducks in a row and if I don't start spending more than 5 minutes in Bible reading, maybe I'll get cancer.

Part of me says I know better. God don't work that way. But then again, maybe He does. You hear people say all the time that God needed to allow this or that to get their attention. I wing prayers heavenward all day, and God is a constant in my thoughts and in my heart. But what will he have to do to get me to be a prayer warrior or to get me to spend hours in Bible reading?

Ach! This matter is to great for me. I just don't know what to think. Now I've gone and made myself incredibly vulnerable and I could just not post this but for some reason I know I will. Just go easy on me. Okay?

Who can find discipline?

Ya know, I think I'm just a blogging fool. In real life I never shut up and I never shut up here either. I like some of the suggestions for this blog that were given to me in my comments yesterday. I do have to wonder though why so much of life is discipline.

Mr. Discipline and I just do not get along most of the time. He tries to tell me to do things that my ole' bod' just dont wanna do! In some areas I really am disciplined. But then I wonder is it discipline or is it just that I love to do it therefore it gets done. Or that the result of being undsicplined is so awful that it doesn't take much to get me at it.

Take the laundry for example. My laundry never gets out of hand. Each child has their own hamper and Greg and I share one. When the hamper gets full that person gets their laundry done. Wally and Anna Lise's hampers only hold one load, so you see I really don't have trouble in that area.

Dinner is on the table at 5:30 pm without fail, every night. The kids are put to bed on schedule every night. Yeh, okay, these things really matter to me so I don't think that's a thing of discipline.

I am undisciplined in my use of time, my nutrition, and my quiet time. So how unbalanced is that? The truly important things don't get done.

I read many weblogs where moms are doing daily crafts and activities with their kids. I hate crafts with a pure hatred. To do anything crafty or artsy takes miles of teeth grittting discipline for me. Even when I taught school I had the moms do the craft days. Shiver my timbers, how I hate it!

I love to garden and bake and cook. I even love to clean house. But I need discipline badly. I don't have much of a house cleaning schedule because it's so important to me that I just do it without scheduling it in. But it looks like I'm going to have to get a schedule for some other things in my life.

My priorities are messed up. I think what really has me upset is that all summer I have been trying to get my Bible Study in before the kids get up. So I get up and shower and get my coffee. I'm all ready to read my Bible and what do I do? I go to the computer. This is the biggest issue in my life right now. Well along with finding discipline to control my calories! Sigh .

Delving into all this is just making me tired. It's all too mind boggling. There's just so much I wish I could do and so many people I wish I was like! Someone said the other day that their mom always woke them up to spiritual songs being played throughout the house and how it just set the mood for the day. I would love to do that. I could do that; but I don't!

I would like to have the kids do more Bible Memory. Then why don't I just do it? Lack of discipline. You see it's like the apostle Paul said, "The things I would not that I do..." KJV It's time for me to move from Romans chapter 8 into Romans chapter 9 and experience some of that victory and renewing that Paul speaks of.

It's just doesn't seem right somehow that one has to work so hard to be disciplined! Well I guess I'll just have to start working on this stuff. Why couldn't I have just been born with self discipline? It would have made things so much easier!

Something new

Hey, hey, hey! I've added a photo album to my site. Just click on the photo link to your right to view my pics!

For those who enjoy Wally's World

You know, Wallys just like his mother in that he just says whatever needs to be said regardless of who might be listening. I mean poop, has to be assessed whether a visitor is here or not.

A minute ago calling at the top of his lungs;

"Mama, come wipe me! There's a big one and a little one!"

Reconsidering

Some times I just get sick and tired of the internet. Sometimes I wish I didn't even have a computer. And the blogging is really quite addictive and time consuming. Today I was browsing through weblogs and it just hit me how many people are blogging. I really wonder what I did with the time before I blogged. Maybe this weblog is why I feel so rushed and over loaded all the time. There just aren't enough hours in the day to do it all.

In September I will have blogged for a year. I'm thinking about hanging the weblog out to dry. I wonder how it will effect my days. Will I miss the creative outlet? Will I miss interaction with other adults?

Maybe I should take up a hobby for winter; something to channel my creative energies into. But then again there's nothing I enjoy more than writing. Maybe I should start on that book I've been meaning to write.

Looks like I have a lot to figure out in a few short days. In some ways I feel like I have lost track of who I am and what I value as important because of the time spent blogging.

I don't know. I'm confused. I don't want to quit but could it maybe be the prudent thing to do? What keeps you all from folding up? How do you justify the time involved?

"Come home, Come home , it's suppertime"

Hi everyone. I'm not in a really good frame of mind right now but I wanted to let my readers know how much I appreciate them and I thank you all for the kind words of encouragement.

I guess I need to make this blog so boring that the riff raff stays away. So lets see; I've done about five loads of laundry today and I'm just getting ready to steam clean the living room carpet. I want to get the last little things done so I can start canning applesauce about midweek.

I'm hoping to password this blog soon but I must wait for my webhost to get back into town. I just want you all to know that if you come here and you find this gated and locked just email me and I will gladly give you the password. It will be open to everybody that comes in peace.

I just cannot imagine what half the people that come here actually find to interest them. For example those trouble makers that plague me; why don't they just not come over and read me? I just don't get it. How can I be such a threat to these big guys! Isn't it rather like bullying the weaker person in grade school? Here I am typing out my page from my humble abode and these fellows that want to think they're so smart and politically and socially suave come in here and get their tails in a twist over a Baptist stay at home mom who can never compete with them in the political or news arena due to young children needing her care, and yet, here they come, like locusts, ready to mow down the entire prairie, dishpans and all! It's the biggest irony.

I wonder what sociology would tell us about this sort of mentality. Could it be that these know-it-all's actually find a bit of old fashioned home comfort around my dishpan? Could it be they are actually longing for a little nurtering and so like the naughty kid they are lashing out in negative ways to get what little attention they can? Do they long for a simpler life and a functioning home and family? Do they perhaps miss the traditional dinner table where grace is said and the days activities are shared over steaming plates of homemade food?

Could it be that in reading tales of my childrens bedtime prayers, they are remembering their own halting prayers at their own little beds and secretly wishing to return to the faith of their father's? Do they wish they were back home with their own mamas' doing crafts and reading stories by the lamplight?

Could it be that the bullys come here because here they can get in touch with their inner child and for just a few minutes escape the confusion and corruption of their adult world?

Could it be that at my weblog they hear the call for supper ringing down the halls of time and the words cause them to remember the little boy they used to be; the little boy that dreamed of growing up strong and noble just like Daddy?

Could it be...?

I don't understand this at all

Seems like a certain person over at Blue Hole has quite a problem with my values and my beliefs. If this kind of stuff don't stop I may have to quit blogging. I will not have my childrens names and my families principles drug through the mud like this.

In scrolling through the main weblog I see Blue Hole has another entry on Sin City where once again my kids are used as pawns. Blue Hole, I have no idea what has inspired you to be so mean. If your goal is to get me off the web you may have accomplished it.

I'm sorry friends, but this may end my blogging. Intellectual debate on both sides is one thing but stooping to downright meanness and poking fun is quite another. It is unacceptable.

Ode to the end of day

Well so the painting is done but this woman is exhausted! I am now behind on the laundry and the yards, and the watering, and the apples, and, and, and....! It's amazing how quickly the work falls behind. I have apples all over the ground and they are so yellow and beautiful - just perfect for sauce. I have to get them done.

I am so tired tonight that when I went to pick up the kids from Awanas I was a little early so I reclined the seat to rest my eyes and lo and behold I awoke twenty minutes later which made me five minutes late in getting the kids. It's only 9 pm but this old lady has to go to bed.

When tiredness overwhelms me like this I just hit a wall. It's hard to explain but there is just nothing left in me to function. It's like I don't have any reserves anymore. Greg wants to go to the Enchanted Forest tomorrow with the kids so I have to burrow in if I'm going to recharge these batteries of mine.

It's awful to say, but I wish he would just take the kids and go without me. I would soooo love a break from everything! But that isn't really fair to the kids, poor things. It's not their fault their mother had them when she was too old!

Alright this time I truly am going to bed. Those pillows are calling me. I love to go to bed. It's the greatest thing I do all day! Oh blessed sleep! Oh sweet oblivion! Oh night so dark! How do I love thee; let me count the ways...zzzz...zzz......z.z.....z....z

Bedtime

This is my upstairs living room. The kids are vegging out and need put to bed. So anybody beside JD tired of all my pics yet?

Trials and tribulations

Today I have to quit playing on my camera and clean my messy house! While I've been learning how to use that thing I've also been pouring over paint samples at Home Depot. Decisions, decisions. I finally found a paint that matched my Dragon Red in the living room. I've painted 2 gallons of paint in the last two days, made up of three different colors. I'm wearing all the colors to prove it!

Anybody know how to get paint off of a driveway? I think I'm going to try to pour straight bleach on it. I was cleaning up the paint supplies at our outdoor faucet there and I thought I had the driveway all rinsed off. Was I wrong! It dried and now it looks like I murdered somebody there and did a poor job of cleaning up the evidence!

I've been keeping my migraine at bay by using perscription migraine drugs but I hate to do that. They don't take it totally away even then. Nothing like Migrahealth! Suzanne, I do so envy you. Our Walmart takes about 20 minutes to get to and I just never get up that way. It seems so far! Next time they have it in I'm buying several bottles at a time. That stuff really works! I don't think the painting has helped my headache one bit. Those fumes are killers!

I have to go get Anna Lise up for school. One more day and that will be over. Thank the Lord!

And just let me put a plug in here for hubby, who, I might add, is not very happy about my latest painting spree. He can't figure out what's wrong with white! He would have all the walls white; beside, I've clutterd up his workbench, dripped red paint on his ugly rug in front of the bench and stained the driveway that he so carefully scrubs every oil spot out of! I'll never be as meticulous as that man.

Take my painting for example. I was painting on the stairs and growing weary I decided to lean against the wall. Well. It was just for a little. Don't gasp like that. I mean, my back was killing me! Yeh, my butt got covered with paint, you're right. Okay, okay. Dumb move. Greg would have never done something so blonde!

Well, there was nothing to do but shuck off my red shorts and wash them in the kitchen sink before the yellow paint had permanently dried on them. Being a hot night and everyone else in bed, I discovered the joy of painting in my... yeah... well... yeah... er.. yeah that's it. You got it! Hey, it was so cool and liberating I should have done it sooner! It was the midnight hour when no body was astir and nary a breeze was blowing in that stair well. Youdda done it too.

As I was saying, I'm so proud of my husband. He subsribed to House Beautiful for me. Much as he hates my decorating sprees, he still did it. There lay the magazine on the center island in the kitchen when I stumbled in for my coffee! He's a good man.

Waiting forever on the page to load?

How many of you still have dial up and how long is this page taking to load now that the pics are on it. I have DSL and mine is taking longer even. Maybe I should delete them after I post them. How about it folks? Are you losing patience with loading time here? Let me know.

Angry

Have I said I HATE SUMMER SCHOOL? It just doesn't fit into our schedule around here! Who ever heard of getting the kids up at seven on a summer morning. If it wasn't the last week I'd just pull Anna Lise out and not finish! This is just ridiculous! Arrrgh! I do not feel like this school bit today! Why me? I never had a bit of trouble in school so why does Anna Lise have all these reading problems? Sometimes I can get resentful of this whole thing. She must have gotten her problems from her Dad because I know I passed down excellent reading genes! You'd think he could have done his part!

the Prayer of a Migraine Sufferer

Here I am Lord with a splitting migraine. Don't know how I'm going to be able to function today, Lord, but these kids need somebody to take care of them and I have to do it. There's nobody else! So shrink those blood vessels back to their normal size, if you please. I'd really appreciate it and I'll do my part by getting away from this brain splitting computer light. I mean, I'm willing Lord, to drink an extra cup of coffee to help get rid of this but I do want to ask you something. You see God, you know all and are above all and in control of all. That being so dear Lord, then why didn't you put just one bottle of Migrahealth on those Walmart shelves for me?

Okay, Wally can be quiet now

I'm walking ahead of Wally into the school:

Wally: Mama you're fat!

Me: Shhh. Don't say that.

Wally: Why? Cause you are, ya know.

Does somebody want this kid! He'll tell you all you ever didn't want to know. I had just decided to start my diet again today too. I basically just watch my calories. I'm so sick of dieting I could just scream. I'm sick of chicken and salad! I'm sick of lemon water. Who's stupid idea is it to put lemons in water anyway! It's just a gimmick to sell more lemons. Water tastes bad any way you look at it!

Bah! Now I'm in the dumps! Why even bother? Does anybody want my "Wally boy?" Depressing little kid!

And so the day disappears

Okay so today I say, "No dawdling sistah! You must get straight to the painting." Well, that's easier said than done. Of course I have to shower, have my quiet time, write in my weblog, get the kids up and fed and dressed, start a load of laundry, make the beds, have Anna Lise to summer school by 7:50 am. come home, do the watering , and finally start thinking about painitng.

Need I tell you it will be ten o'oclock by the time I get everything done and figured out? Let's see, where's the paint? Is there enough left? Find the masking tape. Take the stuff off the wall. Line the floor with something to protect it. Find the brushes. Make sure we have rollers and a pan. I already know I need a new pan liner.

I want to have everything done and assessed by 9:30 am because then I have to go pick up Anna Lise from school and on the way home I have to stop at Home Depot to buy what I still need. When we get home it will be 10:30 and time to throw in another load of laundry. I better empty the dishwasher at this time too and throw something into the crockpot for dinner. It's too hot to turn the oven on.

And ooops, I about forgot I need to get some paperwork sent up to the University today in lieu of Anna Lises upcoming reading evaluation there on Saturday! At the same time I might as well fill out Wallys preschool forms and get those sent.

By now it's really to late to start the painting before lunch. It will be much easier to just get the kids something to eat before I get into the mess. So then I'll make lunch and clean up the kitchen. The load of clothes will be done now so I will take the clothes out of the dryer and throw them on top and put the second load in. No more washing today. As it is, the load in the dryer (once it's dried) and the load on top are going to sit there all day until I have time to fold them tonight. I'm sure none of you pull such stunts but, hey, the painting must get done.

Finally I am ready to paint and it'll be about one pm. This is what my husband doesn't understand; why it takes me all day to get something done. If he were doing the painting he would get up, have his breakfast pre made by me, leave the table and go start painting. No fumbling and looking for stuff because he already knows exactly what's there. No laundry, no taking care of the kids etc. sigh! The life of a mom!

If I'm lucky I should get about three good hours of painting in today. Wish me luck!

EDIT Phoof! Out the window goes my idea of painting. Greg says it's too hot today and since the air conditioners are running we can't open the doors to let the fumes out! So I have another plan! I will get everything together and have it all taped and ready to go tonight after it cools off. Then he can help me! How cool is that? That's one thing about Oregon, you can usaully count on cool (if not cold) nights! I've already been to Home Depot and bought everything I need so now I'm ready to go.

Anna Lise's bedtime prayer

She has said this prayer since whe was 4 years old:

Dear Jesus; Help me not be afraid of monsters and bad guys under my bed and in my closet and in all the corners of the room. Help me not think about all the monsters and bad guys under my bed and in my closet and in all the corners of the room. And help me not dream about all the monsters and bad guys under my bed and in my closet and in all the corners of the room. Help me not be afraid of Shelty or Kya. (the neighbors dogs)Keep me safe. Help me not to go poop or pee. And send ONE angel to watch over me. In Jesus name, Amen. Oh and Jesus, be with all the poor people. Amen!

I kid you not. It's the same prayer every single night for three years now! So tell me what you think? You think she needs a shrink?

We are cousins!

Hailey on the left and my niece on the right. BTW, this gives you a glimpse of my kitchen at the same time.

the life and times

This morning I went to my cousin, jd's, place and toured his new home. He and his wife let me pick out some rose bushes to transplant since they have over 130 of them! He has a stately old turn of the century home and it was quite fun peeking into all the nooks and crannys.

From there we went to Walmart to buy my Migrahealth and to my great dismay they were sold out! How dare they not keep it in stock! Didn't they know I was coming today? Grrr.

We dropped by Wendys for a quick bit to eat before my hair appointment and Greg successfully spilt a large pop all over me when his cup collapsed! I was already late for my appointment but now I had to change clothes. Botheration!

Anyway now I'm home and my husband says my hair looks like a duck! How crummy is that?

Anyway my brother is coming tonight with his wife and baby so Shelly is bringing Hailey. My neice and my granddaughter are only two months apart in age. This happens because I am next to the oldest of nine kids and this brother coming tonight is the youngest of the nine kids. So while he's just getting started on a family I'm having grandchildren! Go figure!

Anyway, I'm heading into my kitchen to make a fresh apple crisp for a snack tonight when they are here. My sis-in-law is bringing her camera and we are taking pics of the kids. I do believe I'll be posting them here shortly. I do so want you all to see my terror baby!

Gotta go. The apples don't peel themselves, ya know.

Everybody welcome

Tonights dinner menu at the Dishpan:

Potato pancakes
Fresh homegrown, homemade applesauce (it's to die for, the apples are so sweet this year)
Grilled country pork ribs

After dinner Anna Lise and I are going to take in a girly movie at the theatre and return for a desert of:

homemade brownies and icecream

Free!

Can you tell me why?

I awoke this morning to pouring rain! Bummer. And I had so wanted to go garage saleing! Oh well, this is Oregon. If you don't do things in the rain you don't do them at all. So I packed the kids in the car and took off.

Now my kids hate going to garage sales. They were okay for about the first three. Then the whining and fighting began. I felt like pulling my hair out! It was all more than I wanted to deal with. Wet and bedraggled I pressed on.

I was just lifting up a tarp full of rain to see what was underneath when I heard, " Hi, why are you so wet? Is that from garage saleing?" I turned and accidently let the tarp down spilling water all down my skirt and into my size 9 1/2 New Balance tennis shoes I had worn to help my aching back.

There stood a lady from church, dressed neat as a pin in her little denim skirt and her hair tucked back into a saucy little pony tail.

"Uh yeah, I'm pretty wet. I've been out a while," I answer as I frantically swipe my wet hair out of my face.

Honk, honk! We both turn to look. "Isn't that your Expedition?" she asks.

"Yeh, the kids are impatient I guess."

A blood curdling scream rends the air sounding suspiciously like Wally. I look around at the stuff pretending I don't hear. About that time Anna Lise comes tearing out with Wally in hot pursuit. They're chasing a tiny basketball that minutes ago was attached to a stuffed animal.

I quietly step back a little and place my big shoes surreptitiously over the little ball that was rolling downhill toward me. The church lady turns and sees my kids barreling full steam ahead down the hill, Anna Lises hair streaming out behind in a soaked and matted mess. She turns and gives me a little sympathetic smile.

"It must be nice to be out garage saleing without your kids," I say by way of conversation. Wally has reached me by now and is crying that Anna Lise broke his ball off his dog. I clap my hand over his mouth and retrieve the ball from under my wet New Balance you -know- whats.

"Oh no," the church lady says, my kids are with me."

"All four of them?" I ask.

Yes, there's my daughter over by the books. The others are in the car."

I turn to look. Yes, indeed, There's her daughter, all of five years old, quietly looking through the books. Her hair is neatly combed and she sports a big red bow on the top of her head.

I turn to look for my own daughter. She's back at the car and it seems she has soaked herself in a mudpuddle. She's crying and yelling at Wally to open the door. Sounds like Wally has locked her out. I look back at the church ladies Explorer wherein sits her three little kids. There are no sounds coming from the car, no screaming or honking and no rainsoaked child hanging onto the doorhandle jumping on one foot like a crippled goose.

"I'd better go." I say apologetically.

"Well, good luck," the church lady chirps.

I turn and slog off in my water soaked New Balance tennis shoes. Which reminds me; what is the church lady wearing on her dainty feet? I give a quick glance over my shoulder.

She's wearing tiny little denim sandals.

Wally again

I'm off to the doctor. Wally ran a huge sliver into his finger and he is not letting me take it out! He has cried and cried. He fought it so bad that he got himself all sweaty! Finally, as I'm doing my best to get him to sit still enough to get it out, I hear him say in a tiny, teary, voice, " My heart is broken."

That was it! I was finished. How can I hurt him anymore? To the doctor we will go. I can't have my three year old lying on the couch with a broken heart! Poor little fellow!

Sauce and School

Today I work on the backyard. The ground is thick with apples. I need to pick them up and sort them to make sauce. I don't want to make sauce today but it's raining and so I really have to, what with the kitchen heating up and all.

What I really had planned to do today is to paint. When we remodeled we painted our 16 ft living room wall a red called, "Chinese Dragon". The contrasting wall was a taupe color. I left two other walls because they need to be hammered into to reach plumbing and things that still need done on the remodel.

Well, it is now a year since I painted the red wall and I have given up on the remodel for the time being. So I'm going to go ahead and finish the painting just as if we are done. Paint is cheap so it wont be the end of the world.

Today looks like an unlikely day to accomplish the painting as the back yard will most likely take me all day. We're also going to a friends house for lunch.

Anna Lise hates summer school. She did her math, which was counting money, and she got every one wrong. She knows how to count money. I think she just wrote down whatever came to mind! sigh So this morning I sat down and did it all over with her. I discovered that one of them she had right but she had written it backward. Another one she had written sloppily and backward so it looked like a two instead of a six. She'll be eight years old in a few months and she still writes backward. It's not a good sign!

I'll leave you with another Wally quote:

"Mama. see all the hair on my arms ? The sun and the moon made it grow there!"

Gently evening bendeth

I worked in the front yard all afternoon and got all the dead flowers out of my beds. Things are taking on the look of fall. Then tonight a gentle rain began to fall. I opened the kids windows while they slept and let the soft breezes blow over them. They looked so sweet in their little beds. Thank you God for peace in my heart and at my hearth.