Geocaching: New Year's Eve

I discovered a new hobby this year. Actually, my sister Trina introduced me to it. It's called Geocaching (pronounced Geo"cash"ing) and I've been participating since May of 2008. It's a worldwide outdoor "sport" in which one uses multi-million dollar technology in the form of a hand held GPS receiver to traipse through the woods in pursuit of tupperware or ammo cans filled with happy meal toys and other trinkets. This type of treasure is a.k.a "traditional cache". I like to compare it to a glorified Easter egg hunt. It's really loads of fun and my kiddos love opening up the boxes to find Mardi Gras beads and other items. These little boxes of trinkets are hidden EVERYWHERE! There are many variations of the game but my favorites are virtual caches and traditional caches. Oh, a virtual cache is like the traditional cache, but they don't contain a physical treasure chest such as an ammo box or tupperware container. Instead, the geocacher is treated to a special place that should be easy to recognize as the "correct location." This place might be strange, interesting, unique, or special in some way.

Me and my gang have now found 64 caches this year and we've even hidden 1 in a little park in town. I had set a personal goal of finding 100 by today but, well, fell short of that goal. So, I'm setting another personal goal of finding 100 of them in 2009. If I meet that, then I'll tack on another 50....maybe.

If you ever want to start geocaching, check out Geocaching.com to find out how to do this. I was up at midnight last night doing all my mapping and planning for today's adventure. So, this morning we left the house at around 9:30 a.m. We had to take 21 y.o. DD to work before we could start enjoying our day. If we didn't have to do that, we could've hit a lot more geos today.

Anyway, so our first geo was waaaaaay up in Greensburg, LA at an old slave cemetery. What a neat area! The following information (not the pics) comes from the site that I use to get my geocaching information.....Geocaching.com!

The cemetery.

This place dates back to way before the Civil War. Lots of graves here are marked with stones. No names at all. There is one recent marker but even that one has the name faded away. The place was once owned by a prominent local family before and after the Civil War. After the war, the owner had to set the slaves free. The majority of them chose to stay for whatever reason. The owner also gave each of the families that stayed a small piece of land and just enough lumber from his sawmill to build a small private house.

Of course, after the war, times were hard and the property was broken up and sold off piece by piece. The final blow was the Great Depression of the late 20's and early 30's. There was no money and the remainder of the property was sold to "The Company" to raise money to pay property taxes. "The Company" was Southern Timbers, which eventually became Crown Zellerbach, then Cavenham, and now Weyerhaeuser.

The gang shows off their first find of the day!

After we left this particular geocache spot, we moved on to another which was located down a hunting road. As we were driving along, awestruck by the countryside, we rounded a curve where I was so surprised by what I saw that I just slammed on my brakes and shouted, "What in the world!?" If I hadn't been out geocaching, I would never have seen this with my own two eyes. I don't know the story behind it but it sure was a funny sight to see in the middle of nowhere!

Cowfield 1942 Steam Locomotive?

Incoming!!!

The gang finds a cache!

Layne attempts to open the treasure.

Kyle says, "Lemme show ya how it's done."

This geocache also gave us our first travel bug of the day! "What's a travel bug?" you might ask. Simply put, it's a trackable tag that you attach to an item. Then the item becomes a hitchhiker that travels from cache to cache via real persons. You can track it's travels and progress on the geocaching website.

Kangaroo shows off a travel bug!

We moved on to cache #3 for the day, Camp Moore. This is the site where confederate soldiers from several states were trained, the largest camp in the confederacy. A minor engagement was fought near this location on October 5 - 9, 1864. The men who are buried in the cemetery here died of disease while in the service of their cause. The historical marker at the entrance reads, "One of the principal Louisiana Confederate induction centers and training camps during the war for Southern independence. Named for Governor Thomas Overton Moore. Over 400 soldiers buried in the camp cemetery."

Before leaving the house this morning, I was wise enough to stock a cooler with picnic items for snacks. I figured we would be looking for our treasures in locations that did not provide us with needed facilities or food. When we first arrived at Camp Moore, the place was deserted. No cars anywhere! I couldn't figure out what was going on until I found a sign that said they were closed until Friday but pedestrians were welcome to roam the grounds during daylight hours only. I figured, "Well, that's us!"

Before we could go off hunting for this cache, I needed to eat. I mentioned lunch to the kiddos and they responded by stampeding to the cooler. Very strange kids. So, I haul out the cooler, we make sandwiches, and seat ourselves in the back of the surburban (the picnic tables were too far away to haul the cooler). As it turns out, our surburban seats were the best!! A freight train came by at that very moment to amazement of the girls. We all waved at the engineer and the girls were so excited when he tooted the whistle and waved back!

The lone sentry stands guard over the fallen soldiers.

Posing with a "soldier".

Layne found it!

Sorting through the treasure.

Little Bird finds another travel bug!

Our next few caches were in the town of Amite, LA. I learned a lot about this area today. I had no idea that Amite was such a pretty little town! It's amazing what one discovers when they get away from the house!

A beautiful little church that hides a geocache.

Our last cache of the day had us enjoying nature with some cows. The smell brought back so many childhood memories! I phoned hubby and said, "Can we buy some farmland and raise some cattle?" He said, "Why would you want to do that?" I said, "For the smell!" Now, don't get me wrong, I certainly wouldn't want my home to constantly be filled with Ode de Elsie, but the scent is wonderful in it's own way.

Eat more chikin!

At any rate, we grabbed the cache for this one and headed the burb for home. I'm so excited that we found 7 out of 8 planned caches today for a total of 64 found for 2008! I really should plan another run for tomorrow and get 2009 started off with a bang!!!

Why we homeschool

We homeschool for many reasons but the most important reason is because we feel the Lord told us to. Actually, He told ME to do the homeschooling but hubby agreed. Maybe He told Hubby too but DH hasn't said anything to me about that.

How did He tell me? Did he "speak" to me? Well, I like to think that he communicated directly with me but it wasn't an audible voice or anything. Oh, gee, now I'm sounding crazy. Okay, let me just tell you what happened.

Five and a half years ago, when my Little Bird was born, homeschooling was on my heart. When Kangaroo joined our family 2 years later, the homeschooling idea demanded even more of my attention. Sometime in December of 2005, I prayed about the idea and asked the Lord to please tell me what to do. Actually what I said was, "Lord, you created me as a visual learner. You know that is the best way to communicate with me if there is something you want me to do. Please let me know if I am supposed to educate these children through homeschooling."

Between the births of the girls, I had a friend who had retired in the summer and had moved off Florida. She had homeschooled her grandchildren. Well, about a week after my prayer, she phoned me. She was coming back into town for the Christmas holidays. She asked if I still planned to homeschool the girls and if so, would I be interested in having all her leftover materials. Thinking that she had just a couple of boxes, I said sure! I planned to sort through them later to see what I could use. It still hadn't dawned on me that the Lord was answering my prayer.

We made arrangements to meet up at the storage unit where she had her stuff stored. I pulled up there in my little Chevy Venture minivan that I was driving at the time. She directed me back up to a door and out comes her husband with not 1, not 2, but 15! boxes of homeschool materials! Materials range from preschool to 7th or 8th grade! Science, history, math, reading, language, and much more! I didn't say anything to her about this at the time but my thoughts were, "Holy Moly! What am I gonna do with all this?" My next thought, was "Thank you for being so direct with me God! I get it now!"

This summer, I went through the materials looking for what was needed to coorrespond with the Easy Classical method we have chosen to use. I did find quite a bit but ended up going to Ebay.com to find some others. I offered up some of the materials that I'm not going to be using for the next 6 years, then used the money made from those sales to purchase the items needed. Basically, I just swapped them out.

We've only been actively homeschooling since September but we are having SO MUCH FUN! My Little Bird is such and easy student with Kangaroo bouncing along right behind her! I think I'm enjoying this just as much as they are! :D

Curriculum We're Using

We're currently using the Easy Classical method and Everything Homeschooling. We also do lots of lapbooks using Lapbook Lessons and Creation Kids.

Days after Christmas 2008

This is my sister Dana's beautiful tree. It looks so much better than mine!

On Saturday, my side of the family chose to celebrate our Christmas at my sister's house in Gonzales. She has a beautiful home that she and her hubby are still working on. Her house also features this really big living room that has awful accoustics for family gatherings. If it was for a music concert it might actually sound good, but when you have a bunch of loud kids, well, it's loudER! Anyway, so, we gathered together there for eats and loots. I joking told my sis, "We came, we ate, let's get our loot and go!" She just rolled her eyes at me. Here are some pics from that gathering. We, well, ONE of us, decided that we were going to have a family picture made in front of my sister's Christmas tree. Here's my sister, Dana, pointing at one of the kids, ordering them to behave. Hah!

Aaaannnnd, here are my new BIL, my ds and two nephews, oh...and there's a third nephew, trying to get in place for the picture.

I think everyone is going to make it! D and I were trying to get everyone in place, set the timers on the cameras, and then run to our spots in time for the flash!

Success! Don't we make a cute bunch? From L-R: Luke, Mason, my sister Dana, Mom, Remi, step-dad Randy, Hubby (with Kangaroo & Little bird in front of him), DS, Me, New BIL George, my other sister Trina, Layne, and my brother Alex. Family gatherings are so much fun!!!!

Christmas Teeth

This year for Christmas, my older kiddos rec’d some stupid junk in their stockings. You know….practical jokester junk. Anyway, one of the items was these silly looking Bubba Teeth. Well, my Little Bird thought they were the funniest things and she put them on. She then ran to the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror and admire her “new” teeth! About this time, my dad comes over to see the kids and spend a few minutes with them. He enjoys being around when they are learning and seeing new things for the first time. While he was here, my Kangaroo started crying.

When she cries and whines, it’s a bit hard to understand what she’s trying to say. When that happens, we tell her to calm down and use her words. We tell her that we don’t speak that language and we can’t understand it when someone else is speaking it. Then she’s usually pretty good at getting a grip and communicating what she wants or needs. So, anyway, then she says it so we can understand, "Iwannaooklikpawpabutlilbudwonshare". Us adults look at each other, with this "What did she say?" look on our faces. So we asked her repeat it, using her words. This time we heard quite clearly, "I wanna look like paw paw but Little Bird won't shaaaayer!!!"

See, my dad has this tooth…one of his front teeth….that “died” and was fixed with a root canal and then a cap. So, it looks a little funny when he smiles. It just stands out a little.

Kangaroo and her paw paw teeth!

Isn’t it funny the things children see that we grown ups can't or ....don’t wanna…..see?

Christmas Day 2008

Christmas morning dawns with me sleeping sooooooo gooooood!!! My hubby is an early bird. It doesn't matter what time he finally goes to sleep. It could be 3 a.m. It doesn't matter. He's wide awake and ready to take on the world at 5 a.m.! And so it was Christmas morning. Thankfully, he let me sleep in until 7 a.m.! Woo Hoo! But he seemed to be more excited than the kiddos. He couldn't wait to get into the girls bedroom to wake them. Little Bird contemplated staying in bed for a bit but she gave in to curiosity and crawled out of bed to see what was under (or beside) the Christmas tree. When hubby told Kangaroo, "Come see what Santa brought!" she pulled the blankie over her head, rolled over, and grumpily said, "No!" LOL She's only 3 years old! My word....what will she be like in 10 years?! But, curiosity finally got her out of bed too. They entered the living room, took a look at the stuff and promptly began playing. This year, I had decided to take certain toys out of the box and pre-load them with needed batteries. So, instead of "opening" the gifts Santa brought, the girls just started playing with them. They didn't care about the other prettily wrapped stuff under the tree. They were happy with what they had.

Little Bird shows off her little cell phone!

Kangaroo is excited about her pretty, pretty dress.

By the way, there will be another blog regarding my thoughts on Santa. Be looking for it.

Christmas Eve 2008

Okay, so here's my little days after Christmas post. We celebrate every year on Christmas Eve with my hubby's side of the family. Every year we get together at the Lion's Club and have a huge potluck dinner. He has a big family. So big, in fact, that buying gifts for everyone has become quite the challenge. There were 40 bodies in attendance at this year's get together. In the past, there has been as many as 75 people! Adult family members had once agreed that gift buying/giving would only be done for the children ages 12 and under. But most times, we don't adhere to that agreement. No body believes in drawing names in this family. That's just not the way things are done here. For my part, I'm always making goodies and stuff for all the married couples (new and old) plus for the kids. I also buy or make gifts for the other 34 out of town family members. These people are all direct descendants of my parents-in-law. I have 4 step children, 4 step children's spouses, and the 6 step grandkids. I also have 5 siblings-in-law (plus their spouses), 12 nieces & nephews (and their spouses), and all their 28 children. Now, keep in mind this is only my hubby's side of the family. I also have my 4 siblings (and S.O's & spouses) and 9 nieces and nephews. And finally, I have my own 4 children. Soooo, all that being said, every year for Christmas, I HAVE (okay, so I don't HAVE TO, no one is holding a gun to my head, but that's another blog) to purchase or make at least one little gift for each individual (except the married couples who usually recieve a couples gift from me). That's a total of 74 gifts, give or take a few. Arrrrggghhh! Tell me again.......What is Christmas? and Why do we do this to ourselves year after year? Here are a few photos of all the kids and a table full of wrapped gifts. This is Christmas Eve with hubby's family.

Doesn't my hubby look like he's having fun?

After all this, we came home, threw some reindeer food out the back door for Rudolph, put on our Christmas jammy's, and crawled into bed. At the last minute, I remembered that I had a gingerbread house that I'd forgotten to work on with the girls. Sooooo, while they slumbered, I decorated the poor thing for them to see when they woke up Christmas morning.

Then I went to bed.

Colombian Christmas Traditions

I was chatting with my step-mom the other day about the Christmas traditions in her hometown of Bogota, Colombia. I found it very interesting that the focus is on family and the Christ Child vs. Santa Claus. She was telling me that they start celebrating on Dec. 7 by honoring the Virgin Mary. They'll light 100's of candles (approximately 100 candles on the sidewalk area). During nine days beginning Dec. 16, Colombians usually gather together at night around the Nativity scenes to sing and pray to the Virgin Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. My step mom was telling me that Santa does exist in their culture and people to have Christmas trees but it's the Nativity that gets the most attention.

The focus is also more on Christmas Eve than Christmas Day and gifts are given at midnight after a long Christmas Eve party. The Christ Child brings the gifts although Santa Claus is also well known. My step mom says that the gifts are left at the child's bed so when they wake up in the morning they are surrounded by presents! When I heard that, I thought, "What a NEAT IDEA! The kids can open their gifts without waking up the sleeping parents!"

You can read more about these traditions at http://latin-caribbean-travelblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/colombia-christmas-in-bogot-1987.html and http://www.interpretermagazine.org/interior_print.asp?ptid=43&mid=11687&pagemode=print.

I had never heard of the Christ Child bringing gifts to the children. According to my stepmom, the children write letters of gift requests to the Christ Child instead of Santa. I asked her if that was to teach the children dependence of Christ for our necessities. She said she thought so but wasn't sure. All that led to even more discussion about the different traditions. Although, not one tradition is any better than another, I found it interesting that Colombian traditions are less confusing about the true meanings of Christmas.

After all, isn't the ultimate gift of Salvation brought to us by the Christ Child?

(BTW, I apologize for my writing style on this particular topic. I've been getting tugged at quite often during this post.)

Cajun Christmas Gifts, pt. 2

Continuing the Cajun Christmas Gifts...I decided to do 2 separate posts because #1: I was getting tired of all that typing and #2: separate posts make for easier reading...(you're welcome!)

Day 7: Seven Fleur De Lis...How hard is it to find THESE in Louisiana? So this is what I sent my sister to help her keep her wine glasses or water goblets from getting confused!

Day 8: Eight crabs a brewin' .... oh boy. What am I gonna give her now? Can't send her eight crabs now can I? I go back to Ebay and do a search and "to what do my wonderin' eyes do appear?" This beautiful bracelet for my sister to wear!

Day 9: Nine oysters stewin'....Well, now HERE'S a dilemma! I search and google all over for SOMETHING but I keep drawin' a blank. Finally, I find an oyster platter but it only has 6 wells for 6 oysters. I need a 9 well. Do they make those? Well, yeah, but not for cheap! In fact, after googling and ebaying, and finding everything from a 6 well to a 24 well plate, I decided that if it can't be found....then it can be made. I sent hubs out again with the chainsaw to cut a plate size piece of wood in which he can rout out 9 wells. This task turned out to be not so easy. In the end, he purchased a wood cutting board and did the routing on that. It wasn't as pretty as I would've liked but it was much less $$ than the $2000.00 I kept seeing for antique platters. In the end, I guess I could've found a 9 inch oyster!? Also, wouldn't cha know.....This is the one gift I didn't get a picture of!!! So you'll just have to picture it in your mind. Sorry! :(

Day 10: Ten pirogue paddles. Hubby easily solved this one for me. My dad has been building his house next door and doing much of the finishing and trimming work with cedar. Dad gave hubs a plank of cedar just big enough to cut some small, ornament sized, pirogue paddles out of. Then I tied a pc of red ribbon to it and stuck ten of them in a box for sister. I figured she could hang them in her closets now that she has that house full of smelly kids! (Her new hubs brought 5 children (ages 7 - 17) with him into their blended family!) This picture is of the first one. It was damaged so hubs had to start all over but you get the idea.

Day 11: Eleven duck decoys. After searching Ebay, I found some duck decoys, I but wasn't happy with sending her eleven of them. I mean, she's already picking up after seven children now....did she want to keep up with eleven duck decoys? I just couldn't do that to her. I finally ran across this beautiful print featuring a pair of children feeding a mother duck and her ten ducklings. Then I purchased a Walmart frame to put it in. I figured my sister could hang it in her bathroom or something.

Day 12: Twelve shotgun shells. Okay, well, all I could come up with here was this. I made twelve of these and sent them off to her. I'm sure there are some other really cool crafty things to do with shotgun shells, but I was at the end of my rope....not to mention DEADLINE! I needed to get this stuff packed up and shipped off to Olive Branch, MS!! This picture came from the http://www.shotgunsanta.com/ website. I didn't make mine exactly like this but it was pretty close.

So, there you are. The Cajun 12 gifts of Christmas. I did this for my sister because just love her sooooo much!!! Sadly, I can only do this for one family member at a time, so hopefully, my other sisters can be patient and know that they will get their turn eventually. Although, I'll have to change up the gifts a bit to keep the element of surprise!!!

Cajun Christmas Gifts, pt. 1

In honor of my little sister's (I have 3 little sisters) new family and her celebrating their first Christmas together, I decided I would gift them with the 12 gifts of the Cajun 12 Days of Christmas.

Day 1: A Crawfish in a fig tree.....minus the crawfish.

So, I send my sister and her new hubby a fig tree. When it arrived, my sister didn't know exactly what it was she was looking at. She called me up and asked in this accusatory tone, "You love me so much that you sent me some poison ivy? What's this about?" I just responded, "Sis, it's a FIG TREE!" Still sounding puzzled, she says, "A fig tree? What am I gonna do with a fig tree?" To which I answered the obvious, "Plant it!" Then I went on to explain that I couldn't find a crawfish to send with it (As a matter of fact, I found a crawfish TODAY at Hobby Lobby!!!) and would she just accept the little fig tree and plant the thing in her back yard. It took her a minute before she exclaimed in my ear....."Ooooooh I get it!!!" I swear, some people are just sooooo slooooow!




Day 2: Two voodoo dolls. So I sent them these in honor of their new marriage. My new brother in law phoned to say he'd never rec'd a voodoo doll from a Baptist before! LOL

Day 3: T'ree stuffed shrimp. Well, now, here I drew a blank. I had no clue what to do for 3 stuffed shrimp. I toyed with the idea of phoning a restaurant in her area and just having 3 stuffed shrimp delivered to her office for lunch. Then she went and took 10 days off from work so she could decorate her house. So much for having lunch delivered to her office....and I couldn't have it delivered to her house because I had no idea whether or not she'd even be there. Then her cat would end up eating the shrimp. Oh, yeah, she has a CAT!!....so I purchased 3 little pkgs of Meow Mix, Ocean Explosion, for my sisters kitty. I later rec'd a text that said, "You're a nut!" followed shortly after by another text telling me that she treated kitty with one of the little morsels and he was going crazy looking for the rest of them. Awww, sweet puddy tat!

Day 4: Four pousse cafe'. For this one, I had to do some internet research. I didn't even know what a pousse cafe' was! I learned that it is a sweet, striped drink made from a series of liqueurs poured in succession so that they float upon each other. It's a "chaser" to enjoy after dinner and after your last cup of coffee. I also learned that bartenders absolutely HATE to make this drink as it requires a bit of tenacity and patience. Since it's layered, the alcohol must be poured with care, the heaviest liquor first, then lighter liquors poured over the back of a spoon so it doesn't mix with the previously poured layers. The end result is a lovely looking layered cordial. Personally, I think it's too pretty to drink....not that I would or anything. However, my daughter tells me that it will knock your socks off! She also says that when she ordered an 11 layer pousse cafe, the look on the bartender's face was absolutely priceless! Anyway, the fourth gift my sister received was pousse cafe cordial glasses I found on Ebay for $10! Woo Hoo!

Day 5: Five poules d'eau....a.k.a. American Coot. Another gift I had to do some research on. This little bird looks like a cross between a chicken and a duck. It has a white, duck like bill but not webbed feet like a duck. It can also be found in stews and other southern Louisiana cuisine. On Ebay again, I found a collector's plate (Only $5!) with 5 of these critters on it. I bought it and sent it on to mah sister.....since I didn't know how else I would fulfill this particular gift.


Day 6: Six cypress knees. Now here's a little story. First of all, I don't know if there's a law against this or not, but I sent hubby out to cut the tops off some tiny cypress knees. I needed them to be about 4 to 5 inches in heighth. I wasn't sure at first what I was going to do with them. I'm not a wood carver or even a very good painter so I debated whether or not to deface these beautiful pieces of wood. Anyway, I finally decided that they'd be the perfect heighth to make unique Louisiana Christmas ornaments for her tree. I started out by boiling the cut knees in order to peel the bark off. This is my first time ever crafting with cypress knees so this entire craft was quite an experiment. To my surprise, the bark just slid right off the wood, leaving a perfectly smooth surface eliminating the need for sanding to paint or polyurethane. I sat them out in the sun for a couple of days to get good and dried out before I sealed them. Then I sat them up on my kitchen counter and..... Do you see what I see?

I see the nativity. Now the really cool thing about this is that these knees were just randomly picked and cut by my hubby down in the woods behind my house. I imagine when he was looking at them all covered in mud and bark, he didn't see the nativity. It was only after they were cleaned that the nativity was revealed. My sister thinks this is the coolest of the 12 gifts so far and instead of hanging them on her tree, she opted to set them up like in the picture.

See Cajun Christmas Gifts, pt. 2 for the rest.

My long lost little sister

Recently, I was contacted by my long lost little sister. My siblings and I have known about her since before her birth. She also has older siblings on her mom's side who knew of the circumstances and situation that prevented my dad and her mom from getting married. I won't go into all the details here. Last year, she learned about our side of the biological family tree and she made contact with us. At this time, she has no desire to meet or contact my dad. She feels that the man who raised her is her real daddy. She has stated that she knows that one day she'll need to cross that bridge, but not right now. My siblings and I are in complete agreement with her. We completely understand how she feels. I don't know HOW we understand, but we do. If someone were to come to me and tell me that my dad is not my dad, I would probably respond by shrugging my shoulders and replying, "So?"

Anyway, so my little sister is back in my life. I say "back" because as I previously mentioned, I've always known about her and have always had the desire to meet her and get to know her. This summer, when she made contact with us, that became a reality! I met her in July. This is the first Christmas that we'll get to spend with her. I got her a gift, an essay/photo book entitled, "Sisters". I am inscribing a poem in the front of it for her.

I'm posting it here because I know she doesn't read or know about my blog. So, I won't be giving away any secrets or surprises. So, here goes. If anyone has any suggestions for improvement, please feel free to say so!!!

Never will forget that day in July
You walked into my life
Wrapped your arms around me
Felt like you just come home
Couldn’t think of what to say
Didn’t want you to go away
Wanted to ask all about your life
Where you went to school
How you learned to drive
You’re always in my heart
Though miles and years apart
You mean so much to me
Your returning has made me happy
Missing puzzle piece has been found
Long lost sister
Safe and Sound

Stupid Christmas Songs

I didn't realize how long it had been since I've posted. Sorry about that. I've been busy with a Thanksgiving wedding and other Christmas activities. During my runnings around I have had my surburban radio tuned into to 96.1 for all their Christmas tunes. Last night, they played that catchy little tune "Last Christmas". My 21 y.o. daughter turned to me and said, "That is the stupidest song I think I've ever heard". I have to agree with her. If you listen to the lyrics, it's just stupid.

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart
But the very next day, you gave it away.
This year, to save me from tears,
I'll give it to someone special.

Ooookaaaayy, well, didn't you do that last year? Gave your heart to someone special? And then they went and gave it away.....so you're gonna do it again this year? COME ON!! This song has absolutely NOTHING to do with the Christmas spirit.

Just my little old opinion.

How We Met

At the ripe old age of 27, I had just gone through a divorce and was feeling kinda lonely. Our local newspaper used to have a personal ad section where one could place an ad and be assigned a voice mail box. Interested persons could call the listed phone number and access the voice mail box to leave a message. Well, I placed an ad. Actually, I placed a couple of ads. The first one read something like:

Scarlett seeks her Rhett – SWF yada yada yada

I had a strategy when I would respond to the fellas who responded to my ad.
Step 1: Use a payphone to return their call in order to prevent any weirdos from finding my residence through Caller ID.
Step 2: If he sounded nice, agree to a meeting. If he sounded strange or had strange ideas, end of conversation.
Step 3: Meeting the fella involved some deception, yeah yeah, I know….what a way to start a relationship, but I felt justified due to the many weirdos I had met. Anyway, they would usually suggest meeting over a cup of coffee at McDonald’s or Denny’s.

I would tell them to meet me outside by a newspaper stand, or something else that I had previously chosen, at a certain time. I would tell them I’d be driving a brown Chevy Nova. The truth is, I was driving a tiny baby blue Toyota Corolla. When I pulled up in the parking lot, I could spot him looking for me. He wasn’t hard to miss. If he looked a bit odd or creepy in anyway, I kept going and never looked back. Since he was looking for a Chevy Nova, he didn’t know it was me. He would also never hear from me again. I justified this move by telling myself that I’ve been stood up so much, why not turn the tables a bit?  What's good for the Gander is good for the Goose, right?

If he appeared to be an okay guy, then I would stop and go through with the meeting. I’d explain the different car by telling him my Chevy Nova had issues and I had to borrow my sister’s car or something like that. It wasn’t exactly a lie. I did have a Chevy Nova sitting in the back yard at my dad’s house. It didn’t run anymore. I hadn’t driven it in over a year.

Okay, so, we’d meet and talk etc. Usually, I’d see him again once or twice but then I’d find some flaw I didn’t care for.


Fast forward a year, I had placed another ad. This one read, “Husband Wanted” and I listed the specifics I was looking for in a man.  Things like, "must make $60,000 + per year", "must love children, pets, and outdoor activities, etc". You know, specific criteria that he must meet for the job of being my husband. Sort of like a classified ad for a new employee.  I got a LOT of replies to this ad and to my surprise many were from police officers or men in other areas of caregiving (i.e. firefighters, paramedics, etc.). BUT there was this one man who called and left a message on my voice mail. There was something about his voice, about the way he spoke with calmness and assurity that attracted me.

I called him back, using my previously mentioned telephone routine. After a few pay phone conversations, I felt comfortable enough to give him my home phone number. For two weeks, we conversed every night after I put my then 7 y.o. daughter and 1 y.o. son to bed. Finally, he asked me to meet him for dinner at Mulate’s. I was so excited! MULATE’S! I was so impressed! He was the first to ever suggest a REAL restaurant vs. Denny’s, McDonald’s, or Waffle House! Although I was a little hesitant, I agreed to meet him. We prepared ourselves for a disappointing first meeting….well, I did anyway. We decided that if “sparks” didn’t fly, we could still consider ourselves good friends having a dinner together.

At 8 p.m. that Friday night, I drove up in my little blue Toyota Corolla. I saw a nice looking gentleman sitting on the tailgate of his pick up truck in the parking lot, under one of the lights, just as I had requested.  I parked across from him but positioned my little Toyota so that I could adjust my rear view mirror to check him out a little more while I touched up my lipstick.

I looked around the parking lot and didn’t see anyone else looking like they were waiting for someone. I decided this must be the man I had been conversing with on the phone. That …. and the fact that he was sitting on the tailgate of the truck he described to me.

Finally, I got brave enough to exit my car and approach him. He was looking at his feet. He was wearing cowboy boots, Wrangler jeans, and a nice striped Wrangler western style shirt. No hat. He was a bit taller than me and made me feel small and delicate. So far, so good!

So I walk up to him, ducking my head a little to look up at him and I say, “Are you the one I’m looking for?”. He looks up, smiles at me with a twinkle in his bright blue eyes, places his hand over his heart, and replies, “God, I sure hope so!”. Wow, that was it. I was sunk. Right then and there!  I had passed the point of no return!

We went into the restaurant and took our sweet time eating our dinner. I can’t remember what he ordered, and I can’t remember the name of what I ordered. However, it was fried catfish smothered with crawfish etouffee’. Yummy! We ate some, danced a little to the music that was provided by a Cajun band, and we talked a lot more. He asked me about my Toyota and why I was driving it instead of the Chevy. There was just something about him….I told him about my scheme. I didn’t feel the need to lie to him at all. Just tell him the truth, openly and honestly. Though he didn’t approve of a false beginning, he did understand my position.

We had previously agreed that if there were no “sparks” when we met, then we would end our date and consider that we had made a new friend. If there WERE “sparks”, we would continue with our time together by going to see a movie. As we left the restaurant, I was feeling a little like this attraction was only one-sided even after the positive beginning to the evening. He was walking ahead of me, not beside me, and I was beginning to turn toward my car. As I took a few steps in that direction, I told him that it was nice to have met him and I said good night. He got this “What?” look on his face before reaching for my hand and asking, “Weren’t we going to see a movie?” to which I replied, “Well, sure, I guess!”

Leaving my car in the restaurant parking lot, we rode in his truck off to the movie theatre to see Forrest Gump. I had already seen the movie three times but I was looking forward to seeing it again with him. We arrived at the movie theatre a bit early. We bought the tickets and went to our seats where we waited until the lights went down and the movie began. While we waited, we had yet another deep conversation …. about footwear! All kinds and styles of footwear!  Boots, tennis shoes, sandals, heels, hiking shoes, etc.  During the movie, since I'd seen it 3 times, I kind of knew the script a little and kept leaning over to say the words just before the actor said them.  He didn't say anything to me about it but kept giving me one of those  "I'm gonna get you back for that" looks.  After the movie, we went for dessert at yet another restaurant, walked on the river walk downtown, and spent some time at the casino. Suddenly it was 3 a.m.!! It was time for this Cinderella to go home!

To make a long story short, we were married on his birthday, Nov. 15, 1997. He said he couldn’t ask for a better birthday gift. Now isn’t that just the sweetest thing!?

Faith of the Christian Heroes

I recently rented The Hiding Place about the holocaust experiences of Corrie Ten Boom. As I watched the movie, I thought about the end times and what's in store for Christians of the future. I let fear get the best of me and I began to be anxious.

I wondered if I am a strong enough Christian to endure what Corrie has endured. Am I strong enough to see God's hand in the tribulations? Am I strong enough to offer forgiveness to those who wrong me? I don't know. I've been told that God gives us the strength needed to endure troubled situations. I guess I would have to be in the situation before I know whether or not I'd be able to endure it and I wonder if I be able to spread His word and lead others to Him in such a situation.

I also wonder if I'm even truly saved. I grew up in church (thanks to my Mom). I even remember spending some fun times in the nursery!!! When I was 16 years old, I said the "sinner's prayer" and I asked Jesus into my heart. I sincerely meant it at the time, but then life got in the way and I was distracted with a boyfriend (later my first husband) and children. Years passed, I went through divorce and remarriage. Now, I'm a church musician and as such am in church constantly. Every week I hear the sermons and read the scripture references. Honestly, I'm sure I could do more about my Bible reading.

Anyway, in reference to my "am I really saved" question....I once heard Micheal Youssef speak on that. He said something to the affect of giving a gift and having the recipient continually question it. He said that after a while the gift giver may feel insulted that his gift wasn't so well received. For example: I invite someone to my house for a steak dinner. They gratefully accept but a few hours later they phone me up and ask if I really meant it. Then I would reply, Yes I really meant it and they'd be satisfied with that answer yet would still phone me up a few hours later to ask me again. This would go on and on but eventually causing me to feel like they haven't truly accepted my invitation.

Well, I certainly don't want to be that kind of gift recipient. I have no intention of insulting my Lord. I guess I am one of very little faith when it comes to my salvation. It's just one of those things that make me say "hmmmmm" once in a while.

Play Day

The girls and I got up early this morning and made pancakes in anticipation for our trip to the River Center to see "If You Give a Pig a Pancake and other stories". They were so excited to be attending their first ever play! Little Bird sat mesmerized throughout the entire performance! Afterwards, we drove home for lunch and a nap before leaving the house again for dance class and church. Whew, what a day!

If you get a chance, go see one of these little plays! They're too cute! In fact, King Tut will be playing tomorrow, November 6, 2008. Then, The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe will be on stage on March 4, 2009 followed by Aesop's Fables on March 31, 2009. All plays begin at 10 a.m. Oh, and you can click on the links to go to a Theatreworks page where you can download study guides for the plays.

Coon hunting

Today is my daddy’s birthday. I need to go get him a gift or something. He can’t stand to have someone buy him a gift. If I ask him what he would like for his birthday or Christmas he’ll respond with something like, “If you HAVE to get me anything, a piece of fruit would be nice.” So, today, I plan to stick a candle in an apple and take it to him.

I’d like to share with ya’ll a little tidbit about me and my dad. I’m the oldest of 4 children. Mom had us all within 6 years. I wonder how she kept her sanity! LOL

My dad is an eccentric sort of fellow. He enjoys backpacking, camping, and just about anything outdoorsy. When I was growing up, his hobby at the time was what we called coon hunting. I still vividly remember my first hunt with him.

I recently found a poem of sorts that my dad had written and I’d like to share it with ya’ll. It really describes our nights in the woods.



“Music of the Night Woods”
by S. Gilford Bush

The night is bright, the air is cool, and the wind lay down.
We loaded the mules, Ruth and Seymour, followed by the hounds.
We picked this night, with much delight, of a full moon
to enjoy the sport of pursuing some raccoon.

As my daughter and I pull out of the driveway and head for the woods,
I think to myself, “What will it be tonight?
A waste of time or a hunt turned good?”.
We continue driving on for thirty minutes or more;
anticipation and excitement starting to soar.
We enter the woods and turn down the old, familiar road,
then to the end as far as we can go.
Off with the engine, and out for a listen,
not wanting to turn the dogs out on some one else.
We hear no other, and the dew on the grass is now starting to glisten.

We quickly turn loose the hounds, Eagle, Beulah, and Cricket, too;
putting them down a ditch that runs through to the old slough.
It isn’t too long before we hear the hound Cricket,
open with a bark in the middle of a thicket.
There’s no telling what she’s running, she’s young you know.
It could be a ‘dillo or maybe a toad.
Now she seems to be on the old logging road.
She’s quiet at last and I begin to wonder,
“Where are Eagle and Beulah? Have they gone yonder?”
It’s now been a while, ten minutes or more,
so I say to my daughter, “Let’s unload the mules, Ruth and Seymour.”

And we ride down the old logging road, hoping to hear,
Maybe they’ve struck and gone too far,
when down deep in the woods we hear Eagle’s cry, loud and clear!
Tightening saddles and getting the lights, we’re ready to start.
It sounds like Eagle has struck a good track and now Beulah is in there, too!
Do I hear Cricket? Is she coming back to us?
No, she’s definitely in there with the team,
coming along real well, it would seem.

Now, it’s picking up and the race is on!
They’re headed northeast and will soon be gone.
We prod the mules, can’t take too long, they’re moving on.
They have old ringtail on the run!
We stop and listen to the music. Oh! What a thrill!
I wonder, “Should I have brought my gun?”
They’re gaining on him now, closing in for the kill.
Now they’re headed north into water and bad terrain.
Alas, do I hear thunder in the West?
Yes, I see lightening also! I sure hope it doesn’t rain!
Who cares what weather comes, this is the best!
Through the briars we go, hoping to not stir up a wasp nest!

We stop and listen; it’s been thirty minutes now or maybe an hour.
Seems as if the race is still on and now headed west.
I know they’re across some water.
“Oh, well, I guess we get to go swimming, too!” I jest.
We’ve been in some bad places before, so it really doesn’t matter.

Do I hear a change of the tone? It’s been awhile and I think they’re due.
Yes, I do believe that’s a locating moan, come from my dogs of blue.
As I speak, I notice a change again as Eagle and Beulah begin to tree.
I hope its right and they remain. Now I hear Cricket and we hurry to see.
Through the mud, briars, water, and vines
we go to our destination of the beautiful treeing sound.
They’re definitely locked up tight; it would seem so,
as we get close to see what they have found.

On top of a ten or twelve foot long snag,
lay a huge ‘coon with eyes of bright!
I’ve seen some beautiful things in my life but, Oh, what a sight!

Eagle, Beulah, and Cricket, too;
All treeing solid, looking for fur to chew!
We hook the dogs up and start out.
We’ve had a good hunt, that’s what it’s about.
There’s never two times that it’s all the same,
when we come out to chase this elusive game.
Back through the briars, vines, and muck;
then to the old logging road and back to the truck.

Now after many hunts I have come to believe,
as we look back at the raccoons we did leave,
Not to measure the enjoyment of the hunt by the amount of game you kill,
But rather, by the music, to be blunt, and lest we forget, the dog’s skill.

Happy Birthday Daddy!!

Creative and Frugal Dating Ideas

After having just finished a bible study at church (Men are like Waffles, Women are Spaghetti), I felt inspired to share a few ideas on creative dating. If you’ve read any of my earlier posts, you will find that I tend to whine about my husband’s faults. However, he has his good points too. After all, I wouldn’t have fallen in love with him if he didn’t. He is a good man and provider for our little family. He’s also pretty romantic and makes time for us to have date nights at least once a month. Here are some ideas for other couples out there who have gotten tired of the same ol’ dinner and movie type dates.

1. Go Hiking. Bring a picnic lunch or dinner.
2. Pretend you’re looking to buy an expensive house and go to open houses. You may want to research for some ahead of time.
3. Explore a local flea market.
4. Get disposable cameras and go sight-seeing in your town.
5. Ride the bus around the city.
6. Have a dinner of miniature foods. Eat on small plates.
7. Read children’s books to each other at the library.
8. Have a progressive fast food dinner (Breadsticks @ Fazoli’s, Salad @ Wendy’s, etc.)
9. Create thank you cards and mail them to servicemen.
10. Go to the parish courthouse and watch a trial in session.
11. Take a tour of a local factory. Call ahead for an appointment.
12. Go out to breakfast on a weekday before work. To save even more, take breakfast with you for a picnic.
13. Go to a wedding reception for someone you don’t know.
14. Take a nature walk and collect bits of what you see. Make a collage or vase arrangement.
15. Use the internet to find an interesting museum.
16. Donate blood together.
17. Go to an interesting location like a gazebo, a park lake, or parking lot and order a pizza.
18. Buy flowers, take them home, and make arrangements together.
19. If you have a downtown area in your city, hang out there on a Saturday. Visit a café for lunch and browse the shops.
20. Fly kites.
21. Be kids again. Play hopscotch, go to a park, order happy meals, etc.
22. Put together an obstacle course or crazy Olympics.
23. Go to a conservatory if there is one in your area.
24. Take a drive – If you live in a big city, drive out of town to a more rural location. Have a picnic or eat at a small café.
25. Watch the stars. You could go on a normal night or plan ahead to see a meteor shower or comet.
26. Go to a farm where you can pick your own fresh fruit. Take what you picked back home and make a pie or other dessert.
27. Write a script for a short movie, play, or musical. Videotape your production and watch your performance together.
28. Go to a performance at your local bookstore. Borders and Barnes & Noble both have small musical groups performing periodically – and it’s free!
29. Attend the local high school’s musical.
30. Chalk attack someone’s house. Use sidewalk chalk to write funny messages and draw silly pictures on the driveway and walkways.
31. Browse art galleries. The galleries that sell their art are usually free.
32. Take a visit to your state’s capitol. Take a guided tour, or just walk around and read monuments.
33. Go for a bike ride.
34. Go to a public place. Take turns painting pictures of each other, while the other person poses as the subject.?
35. Take a video camera with you and interview people off the streets. You could make it funny by asking questions everyone should know the answer to, like: “Who is the vice president of the United States?” You might be surprised at the answers you get!
36. Play a sport together (tennis, soccer, basketball, etc.)
37. Volunteer together at a homeless shelter or food bank. Look for listings in the phone book or call to ask if they need help.
38. Take turns teaching each other something new. For instance, one person could teach how to change a flat tire, and the other could teach how to make a favorite dessert.
39. Find a muddy area, dress in shabby clothes, and have a mud fight.
40. Go to a poetry reading. You could even participate if you want to.
41. Wash your cars together.
42. Play video games.
43. Go to the mall or a thrift store and try on outrageous clothes that you would never buy.
44. Have your own decathalon. Some ideas for events are: hula hoops, jumprope, foot-racing, crab walks, etc.
45. Have your own private dance in a parking lot. Turn the music on in your car and leave the doors open. (My honey actually did this in the middle of a country road on a sunshiney day...the song was Tracy Byrd's "Keeper of the Stars!")
46. Go to a video arcade.
47. Feed the ducks at a lake.
48. Have a night-in watching a romantic movie and feeding each other strawberries.
49. If you don’t have kids of your own, borrow someone else’s! Take a kid to the park to play!
50. Visit waterfalls – Put a map together of nearby waterfalls and spend your day hiking to each one. Bring a picnic lunch and eat beside a waterfall. (Tunica Hills has waterfalls!)
51. Go Fishing in the Dark – Head out on a boat for romantic fishing by moonlight.
52. Spa Night – Have a spa night together, complete with massages, oils, and sensual bubble baths.
53. WalMart Toys – Go to a 24 hour walmart late at night and play with the toys and chase each other around (with toy guns, etc.)
54. Garden Together – Get outdoors and dirty. Gardening is peaceful, relaxing, and a perfect activity to share with someone you love. If there’s still a chill in the air where you live, move the gardening indoors. Plant something together and watch it grow, just like your love for each other. Awwww.
55. Ice Skating is always fun!
56. Football on TV – Pick up some takeout and cuddle on the couch during the game. Sneak a kiss for every first down. Or, for every point scored, take a pc of clothing off!
57. Play Tag – raise the stakes a with a game of strip tag. Whenever your tagged – a pc of clothing comes off!
58. Visit fountains – Put together a map of all the fountains in your city or a nearby bigger city then spend the afternoon visiting each fountain
59. Race remote control cars in the park – Winner picks your lunch date..
60. Send your honey on a scavenger hunt with him/her ending up at a hotel for an evening of romance for the two of you

There’s also a couple of really cool websites for you to browse for more ideas. Check out http://www.lovingyou.com/ and http://www.coolestdates.com/. Enjoy your time together!!

Roadside Political Signs

What a beautiful time of year! Clear blue skies, cool weather, and....road-side political signs everywhere. I hate them. They mess up the beauty of God's creation. They're nothing more than garbage thrown fromt he window of a moving vehicle. However, they can be useful.

I was thinking of ways to advertise my upcoming Yard Sale and thought that maybe I'd be doing a community service by removing, oh say....4 or 5 signs. Then I had a question. Is removing said signs illegal? I wasn't sure because most of them are placed on public property, right? So, technically, I'm cleaning trash off public property by removing these eyesores? Especially if there's like 12 signs for the same candidate on the same intersection corner?

Well, just to make sure, I phoned the local Sheriff's office. Now, I don't know about the rest of the country or even the rest of our lovely state, but this is what the detective I spoke to told me.

Detective: How can I help you?

Me: (little giggle) I have a silly question and I apologize for wasting your time with this one but I just wanted to get a clear answer in order to act with a clear conscience.

Detective: Mmm Hmmm

Me: You know these political signs on the side of the road? Everywhere I look I see them. There are even those that look like they've been run over. Is it okay if I stop and grab 4 or 5 of them to relabel for a Yard Sale? I just wanted to make sure.

Detective: Your answer to that question is No. By taking those signs, even if an election is over, you are committing the act of theft. The signs are bought and paid for by the candidate and it is their responsiblity to pick them up when the election is over. I suggest you place a phone call to each candidate whose name you see on the sign and ask their permission to retrieve a couple of those signs. If permission is given, then it's okay. Otherwise, it's theft.

Me: Okay, thank you.

I hung up and thought about the issue for a few minutes. If I stop and pick up one or two signs on a country road who would really know? Answer: Me and God. If I hadn't phone the sheriff's office and asked my question, would my taking a sign or two be a sin? Which leads to another question, if I do something that is a sin, but I don't know that it's a sin, is it still a sin? Answer: I believe so, because eventually I would find out that the act is still a sin and I would be faced with the consequences and need to repent. Therefore, it is my conclusion that I need to be well informed before I make such a simple (or silly) decision as to whether or not my act would be breaking the law or commandments.

That being said, I'm now at home, typing on my bloggy thing, preparing to search for some cheap Yard Sale signs that I won't have to staple gun to a light pole. It's also a plus if they're in good enough shape to hang on to until my next Yard Sale so I won't have to deal with this issue again!

Now I have come to the end of my dilemma for the day and will no longer bore you all with this issue. I'm off to do some sign hunting via the informational highway!

Garage Sale Stuff

From some silly reason my sister and mom decided to have a multifamily garage sale at mom's house this weekend (Nov. 1). However, they didn't tell me about it until Sunday! Soooo, I told them I'd be happy to contribute to this garage sale and set about stripping out my master bedroom, bathroom, and closet. It has taken me 2 days to get the junk out of that room! I still have the rest of the house to go through (kitchen, utility room, living area, kid's bathroom, and 2 more bedrooms + closets!). The big day is in 2 more days, I have to get my trailer loaded up and at mom's house for Halloween night. I'm really working on a deadline here! I can't BELIEVE the junk that has come out of just one room! Isn't it amazing what one can collect over the years? I can't believe this stuff is JUST from my master bedroom area!

Monday, Monday

I never know what to title these bloggy things. I've been hesitant to post the past couple of days. I've been in a funk I guess. The weather was so beautiful yesterday but I couldn't really enjoy it. See, Saturday night my girls both had a bad dream. So, around 1:30 or 2 a.m. my Little Bird comes crawling into bed with us and Kangaroo was about 3 seconds right behind her. Good thing we just got a King sized bed!! Anyway, they were very restless sleepers at that point. Several times during the wee hours I woke up with a foot in my face or in my back or in my stomach. They like to lay across the bed instead of down the bed like your supposed to do.

Okay, well after all that, I had the alarm set for 7:30 a.m. to get up and get dressed for church. DH got up and took the 21 y.o. work (she had to be there at 7 a.m.). As he left, he woke me up and said he'd be back about 8. Well, I was thinking that when he got back, he could wake me, and I'd get myself dressed and go on to church. I'd skip out on getting the girls dressed because they'd had such a restless night. So, I closed my eyes again and drifted back into my lovely slumber.

I awoke with a start at 8:20 a.m. and realized DH wasn't home. I jumped out of bed and proceeded to get myself ready to go. I had to have my booty on the piano bench at church no later than 9:30 a.m. As I'm getting dressed, DH comes in. He'd stopped at the store for coffee and the Sunday paper. He took his time and enjoyed the crossword puzzle for a bit before deciding to come on home. At any rate, by 8:45 I'm ready to walk out the door. Imagine my eyes rolling back in my head as my girls sensed my leaving thus waking up with a roaring, "I wanna go to church!!!".

"Okay, but we need to hurry!" I say and I proceed to look through their things for clean dresses. Yes, Yes, I've been neglected my laundry duties. Finally, I found something for them, got them dressed, tossed them each a biscuit for the ride, and loaded them in the SUV. By the time I actually got on the road, it was 9:25!

I drove about a mile when my SUV starts beeping at me to "Check Tire Pressure". Arrrgghhh!!! Could anything else delay me? I placed a phone call to the church to let the music minister know I was on my way but running later than usual. Stopped and checked the tire pressure. Everything was fine. I was again on my way.
I got there in time to rehearse the worship invitation/benediction. The music minister wasn't very happy with me but **shoulder shrug** oh well!

Got home after church and laid the girls down for a nap. I hopped in bed with them for a short one for myself and we all woke up at 5 PM!!! Great! Now we won't sleep tonight! To my surprise, they were ready for bed and dozing off by 9! Yay!

Today, we started our homeschool lessons and were finished earlier than I thought we'd be. Then I proceeded to tackle the master bedroom for garage sale items. My mom, sister, and I are doing a multifamily sale at mom's house on Saturday. I have 3&1/2 days to get my stuff together!

It's amazing how overwhelmed one can get when they decide to declutter their house. I couldn't do anything today! I stood in my bedroom doorway and just stared! I had somehow hoped that the items would just jump out and scream "Take me! Take Me!" but that didn't happen.

After a run down to St. Amant to visit the in-laws, I made a short detour past the Dollar General and Family Dollar for some boxes. Got home and borrowed a tandem trailer from my dad and began loading the boxes on it. Things will be much easier tomorrow as I begin loading boxes and setting them on the trailer. Friday night I'll drive it all over to mom's and start setting up.

I'm not feeling so funky anymore. I finally feel like I might actually get something accomplished!

Spiritual Leadership

I got up this morning about 8:30 a.m. I've been feeling a little down the past couple of days and blame it on the weather. However, today, I can't blame it on that because it's a nice, crisp, beautiful day outside. Anyway, I've been craving spiritual leadership in my home. I feel like I'm the only one doing anything around here. I don't mean to put down on my husband or anything. He's a good man, hard worker, does his part around the house, likes his Budweiser, Copenhagen, and LSU games. The stereotypical redneck fella. He's definitely not a spiritual man much less a leader. He's one of those Easter/Christmas christians.

I sat down with him to have a talk this morning. I told him that I'd been needing something from him for quite some time. Then I paused while I got my thoughts together. At the same time, I could feel him getting defensive. Then I told him what it is I've been needing....Spiritual Leadership in our home. His response? "You know that church just isn't my thing...." and then he started this "If you want me to do this for you then you have to do some things for me...." and off he goes on the housekeeping rant. Then he tells me to stop pushing. I have never pushed. I just mentioned it this time because it's been heavy on my heart lately.

All I want is daily prayer and devotionals with the children. Is that really too much to ask? I could do it myself but (and here's my excuse) I'm afraid I won't do it "right". Besides, I don't think that was the original design.

I guess I hope that later he'll start feeling convicted and WANT to go to church with us on a regular basis. I don't know. I told him that if he felt embarrassed to be in church that he could sit on the back row where no one will see him, except the other hubbies sitting back there.

Okay, that's all for now. I need to get off my behonkus and start cleaning house. We're planning a big yard sale next weekend at my mom's and I have a lot of work to do now. I wonder if I do a really good job today, will he go to church with me tomorrow?

My Friday

Okay, well, there's not much going on here. I've been playing around on my blogspot and looking at others. I got out of bed at 9:45 a.m. this morning. The girls and I had a late breakfast and then I did some online Christmas shopping before finally getting away from the computer to practice some music on the piano. At around 3 p.m. I decided to get out of the house and distract myself by going to Wal-Mart. I asked Martha to ride with me just for the company.

We didn't get very far when the girls started hollering that they needed to go potty. I asked both of them if they could hold it until we got to Wal-Mart and they both said yes. However, once we arrived at Wal-Mart, I had forgotten all about them needing to go to the bathroom. We went straight over to the Health dept and got some items I needed and then we went to the Toy dept to look and play a little bit. While I was looking at a toy, I heard Kangaroo say, "She tinkled!" and I turned to see Little Bird squatting in the aisle with a huge yellow puddle underneath her. To my horror, I looked up to see another Wal-Mart shopper standing right behind her with this mortified look on her face. What? She'd never witnessed a child have a tee tee accident? I guess not!

At any rate, I grabbed Little Bird's arm and firmly spoke to her, "You're supposed to TELL ME!" and thinking at the same time, "She DID tell me and I ignored it!" feeling like a horrible parent! I raced to the bathroom with her squishing footfalls behind me. On the way I detoured through the little girls' dept. for a fresh pack of panties and a $1.00 pair of shorts.

After the bathroom visit, we headed on out of the store. I'd figured that at this point I needed to just get back home.

So, to home we go, and here I sit now typing a silly blog that no one is prob'ly gonna read. I hear the girls playing in the bedroom, the son is watching "I, Carly" in the living room. Little Bird comes in and tells him to "put it on a kid's show!" to which he yells, "I did!".

I look at these other blogs and wonder how in the world these women with the 25 kids can do it all! I have only 2 that I'm chasing after and I feel that I'm failing miserably.

According to the blogs I read, these women jump out of bed, bright eyed and bushy tailed, every morning! They have a strict, daily schedule that they follow in order to run their household and educate their children. I have had good intentions for many years but can't seem to take the step to get it all together! What's my problem? Why is it they seem to do everything right but I don't?

First time Blogger

Well, let's see. I'm not really sure what to write at this point. This is my first time doing a blog. So, I guess I'll just say "Have a blessed day!" for starters.

I obviously don't know what I'm doing here on Blogger. I have some blogs and pics up on Myspace and Facebook but I'm thinking of deleting those and incorporating everything into one place. I'm getting confused with trying to keep up with all the other sites and places that I post. I also have a page at http://www.geocities.com/celestialtones but that is costing me a little bit and since Blogger is free I think I'll delete that page as well and incorporate it here also. I haven't figured out how to upload pictures or videos or any of that stuff yet. I'm also not a great writer but I'll just try to share my stuff as it happens.

Thanks for reading this much ya'll!