80 Creative Dating Ideas

Lately, I’ve been looking for different date ideas for my hunny and I to enjoy together. We’re working on our 15th wedding anniversary this year!!! So, I hunted up some ideas and decided to post them here for your reading … and dating… enjoyment.  Oh, and there's a few links to Baton Rouge places.

1. Sketch your dream-house floor plan and talk about the possibilities for each room.

2. Write the story of how you met. Get it printed and bound.

3. List your spouse’s best qualities in alphabetical order.

4. Tour a museum or an art gallery.

• LSU Museum of Art

5. Notice the little changes your spouse makes in his/her appearance.

6. Float on a raft together.

• Baton Rouge Recreation Boat and Canoe Rentals

7. Take a stroll around the block – and hold hands as you walk.

8. Stock the cupboards with food your spouse loves to eat. (But ONLY if he or she ISN’T on a diet.)

9. Give your spouse a back rub.

10. Rent a classic love-story video (or go out to a movie) and watch it while cuddling.

•  Movie Date ideas (these are really cool!)

11. Build a fire in the fireplace, turn out the lights and talk.

12. Take a horse-drawn carriage ride.

13. Go swimming in the middle of the night.

14. Write a poem for your spouse.

15. Remember to look into your spouse’s eyes as he/she tells you about the day.

16. Tell your spouse, “I’m glad I married you!”

17. Hug your spouse from behind and give him/her a kiss on the back of the neck.

18. Stop in the middle of your busy day and talk to your spouse for 15 minutes.

19. Create your own special holiday.

20. Do something your spouse loves to do, even though It doesn’t interest you personally.

21. Send your spouse a love letter.

22. Build a snowman together.

23. Watch the sunset together.

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24. Sit on the same side of a restaurant booth.

25. Picnic by a pond.

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26. Give your mate a foot massage.

27. Put together a puzzle on a rainy evening.

28. Take a moonlight canoe ride.

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29. Tell your spouse, “I’d rather be here with you than any place in the world.”

30. Whisper something romantic to your spouse in a crowded room.

31. Have a candlelight picnic in the backyard.

32. Perfume the bed sheets.

33. Serve breakfast in bed.

34. Reminisce through old photo albums.

35. Go away for the weekend.

36. Share a milk shake with two straws.

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37. Kiss in the rain.

38. Brush his/her hair.

39. Ride the merry-go-round together.

40. Dedicate a song to her/him over the radio.

41. Wink and smile at your spouse from across the room.

42. Have a hot bubble bath ready for him/her at the end of a long day.

43. Buy new satin sheets.

44. Tenderly touch your spouse as you pass one another around the house.

45. Reminisce about your first date.

46. Plant a tree together in honor of your marriage.

47. Go kite flying.

48. Attend a sporting event you’ve never been to together.

49. Take time to think about him/her during the day, then share those thoughts.

50. Drop everything and do something for the one you love.

51. Dinner on the beach.

52. Eat in a jail cell – preferably not because you HAVE TO!

53. Progressive dinner – have a 7 course meal, but each course is in a different room, or house.

54. Paint balling

55. Go on a scavenger or Treasure hunt throughout town (I think this is now called Geocaching!)

56. Watch movies blind folded.

57. Go rock climbing.

58. Go fishing.

59. Set up a table and eat in the bed of a truck.

60. Eat on top of a bridge.

61. Go to a driving range.

62. Go “House Hunting” and check out all of the open houses – pretend that you are looking for a house.

63. Go hiking.

64. Go to the zoo.

65. Go Christmas Caroling – in August.

66. Do charity work together.

67. Go to Chuck E. Cheese.

68. Go mini golfing.

69. Have a picnic on top of a roof. Check out the stars while you are up there.

70. Feed the ducks or pigeons (depending on where you live).

71. Get 2 disposable cameras and take pictures all over town, then get them developed and make a mini scrapbook of your date.

72. Go to a video store. Walk in blindfolded and randomly choose a video off the shelf. Watch it.

73. Go out for ice cream.

74. Go get old fashion pictures taken.

75. Go to a fair or amusement park.

76. Go target or skeet shooting.

77. Dress up in Black-tie attire. Have dinner at McDonalds and go to a movie.

78. Get on a chat line together.

79. Get a tattoo together.

80. Make dinner together and eat it.

Hey - These are ONLY 80 ideas!  If you have any to add, please feel free to make a comment!  I LOVE Comments!

First Fall weekend

First of all, please accept my apologies if this post sounds like I'm rambling. I haven't been feeling too well this weekend.

Fortunately, I got to sleep late this morning.  This morning we all got up with intentions of going to Home Depot to make a Rescue Helicopter, but I got there too late and they had already put everything away. My girls were a bit disappointed but the customer service rep gave them each a balloon to help them smile. Next weekend we'll head to Lowe's to build a Monster Machine and I'll make it on time!

After our HD visit, we headed over to the local antique district to look at the sights and people watch. It was certainly a gorgeous day to do that. My girls rode a couple of the little kiddie rides and then we treated ourselved to our first ever gelato. The Teen had a "tie - dye" flavor with blue raspberry, lemon, and lime all mixed together. Roo had just blue raspberry that turned her lips, teeth, and tongue bright blue. Birdie had Lemon and declared that it tasted just like lemonade! I stuck with strawberry. It was very good! I was really surprised at the texture. I guess I was expecting a sherbet type feel or taste but I think it was more like soft serve mixed with sherbet. But that's still not quite it.

Anyway, it was a great way to spend the day with the kids and avoid doing any mundane household tasks .... though my house is sorely in need of it. Maybe I'll do some chores on Monday.....IF I can talk myself into it.

On Sunday, we got up and went to church where I ALMOST missed my cue to play for the benediction/invitation (How embarrassing! The MD gave me the stinky eye!). Following that, I chauffered my older kids to visit their grandma (from my previous marriage). She's 82, has been ill and is now at home on hospice care. After that visit, I took DD and Monkey home and then came to my own home where I popped a movie in the tube for the girls. The Teen agreed to keep an eye on the girls for me while I indulged in a short cat nap for some headache relief.

FOUR HOURS LATER I woke up to discover they had watched ANOTHER movie and were finally hungry for dinner. I KNEW I shoulda put that chicken chili in the crockpot! Oh well, thank goodness it was already cooked and I had the microwave available to get it good and hot. It just didn't quite taste like it had stewed in it's seasonings long enough though. Bottom line is, the girls got fed. If only I had planned ahead, the Teen could've had it hot and ready to serve when I woke up! That sure woulda been nice. :D

After dinner, I directed the girls to prepare for bed, at which point Birdie requested rag curls for a curly ponytail tomorrow for school. After their baths, I sat down to comb out her hair and proceed with the rag curls. Forty five minutes after that began, she was finally ready for bed. That child has way too much hair! ..... but I don't want to get it cut ..... yet. (still thinking about it though).

NOW, I sit here at the computer, in the beginning stages of planning The Teens's Eagle Scout COH ceremony. I'm looking up ideas on the internet and brainstorming. I asked him this morning what he had in mind for it and he replied, "I'd rather not do anything. Especially if I have to make a speech." Well, I don't think that will be an option. I briefly spoke with another Eagle mom yesterday who told me that she won't be able to plan anything until next summer even though her son has met all requirements. Summer seems so far away, but I guess for a nice ceremony to go off without a hitch, 8 or 9 months of planning will be needed.

Do any of my readers have Eagle experience and could you give me some pointers?  And now I sign off to briefly browse for ideas, get the girl's school uniforms laid out, decide what to offer for breakfast, read a chapter or two of my Bible (or have it read to me via my Bible narration app), and hopefully doze off to begin again tomorrow. When I get to heaven, one of the first questions on my list for God will be, "Why not create 8 arms for the woman and 48 hours in a day?"

I'm Back with some Disney shortsets

Have I REALLY ignored my blog for 4 months?  Whoa!  I need to get on the ball!  Things have been pretty crazy around here with all the daily road running and chauffering the kiddos back and forth.  I really should get me an Iphone or notebook or Ipad so's I can keep up with the online duties while I'm sitting in a parking lot somewhere.

Another reason I haven't been on here much is because I've been on Facebook a whole lot more!  :D  I need to curb that addiciton as well.  And speaking of addicitons, I have been sooooooo busy sewing!  I'm just loving the feel of the thread and needle as it punctures the various fabrics I'm playing with.

In order to supplement the family income, I've decided to try my hand at custom sewing projects....focusing on Disney inspired short sets.  I have recently completed 3 outfits that I'm very proud of.  I think I'll go ahead and try to expand the collection with even more shortsets for boys AND girls.

Meanwhile, enjoy these pics of my latest creations!  Each shortset is ONLY $50.  Just comment if you're interested in one.  Then we'll exchange the needed info.

KA-RAY-ZEE Day!

I'm just feeling the need to vent a little and to share with you what happened to me today.  I also want to write it down so I don't forget.  Because it was, to me anyway, just that crazy!

First of all, I woke up.  Actually got out of the bed and placed my feet on the floor at approximately 8:30 a.m.  By 10:30 a.m. my dad had come over to stick his nose into whatever I have going on check on me.  He lives next door to me (about an acre or so away) and when he gets bored he comes over to bug the tar outta me see his grandbabies, tickle them, and give them treats. By noon, he stated he had things to do and he left. 

Lemme back up a little bit, 2 1/2 weeks ago, my doc and I made the decision for me to begin weaning off of the 50 mg of Zoloft that I have been taking for 5 years.  Just a few days after that decision, I fell and hit the back of my head, giving myself a concussion.  With these two things combined, I have set myself up for a great amount of stress....and that's if everything was running like a well oiled machine!

Anyway, as a result of weaning off the Zoloft, I have been very emotional.  I know that it's because my doc and I are experimenting.  I have been attempting to use other ways to control my feelings and for the most part, it's been working.  However, by the time my dad left today, I was a wreck.  I managed to hold it in and stay in control until he was out of the house but after that, I caved....just a little...not entirely a melt down...just a few tears.

I began to hyperventilate and my sweet husband came over to me and helped me to think of more positive things.  He helped me to visualize peaceful, tranquil settings to calm me down.  He was awesome!  After that episode, I fed the kids, had some lunch myself, and then laid down for a power nap.  Thank God I did too because just 30 minutes after I woke up it seems that all hell broke loose!

I had planned to run some errands in town, taking my 23 y.o. DQ, her infant son, and my Little Bird and Kangaroo along for the ride in order to free up Dahlin' so he could enjoy the local college football game in peace.  I had the girls all loaded in the SUV, completely buckled in, when I remembered that I had forgotten my cell phone in the house.  I returned to get it, and my dad walked over as well.  

This was right at the end of the 1st quarter of Dahlin's football game.  Dad and I both entered the house and as we did so our very ADHD beagle puppy flew out the door.  Any other time, that might not have bothered me.  Let the dog run around....he'll come back.  But this time, he went straight for the neighbor's (and my dad's) free range chickens giving every available hen a run for her money. 

I have to admit that the sight of him flying through the air, the sun shining off his coat as he jumped a ditch while trying to bring down a hen in flight, was quite a beautiful sight.  If only I'd had the camera....but I didn't. 

Dahlin' paused his football game (Thank heaven for DVR!) and for the next hour he, my dad, and myself all chased that damn stupid dog around the neighborhood....eventually catching him and saving a few hens; although, they may not be laying eggs for the next week.

Meanwhile, back at the SUV, my daughters were patiently waiting for my return so that we could resume our afternoon plans.  My 23 y.o. had been entertaining the younger ones with the portable DVD player plugged in and powered through the in vehicle power port.  She thoughtfully had turned the vehicle off in order to save fuel.  Unfortunately, it never occurred to her that by doing so AND using the power port for an extended length of time would result in low truck battery.

I took my place behind the wheel of the SUV, turned the key, and heard....."Click-clik-clik-clik".   I banged rested my head on the steering wheel before getting out and heading BACK into the house where my Dahlin' had resumed position in the recliner in front of the squawk box TV to finish watching his game.   

I sat down in MY reliner, took a deep breath, and calmly said, "The truck won't start".  He not so very calmly replied, "JUST GIVE ME 10 MINUTES!"  and I replied.....well, I didn't reply.  I waited.  The girls waited.  Buddy the Beagle waited....and wagged his tail.

Ten minutes later, Dahlin' rose and proceeded to the SUV where he connected jumper cables to the battery to get us going.  Ten minutes after that, me and my girls were on the road.  Ten minutes after that, I hear a "Ding-Ding-Ding" and a flashing light on my dashboard informing me that I now need to put fuel into the vehicle if I plan to go any further.

Next stop, the gas station!  I filled up the tank, started the truck, put it in gear, only to hear "Ding-Ding-Ding" and see a message flashing "Check Tire Pressure".  By this time, I'm ready to explode!  But I didn't.  I stayed calm, and drove over to the air tank to plug 4 quarters into it for 15 pounds of air pressure. 

Got that done and I'm back on the road. 

I was able to run my errands and make the purchases I needed before returning home to vent through the blog world and to all my bloggy friends (all 5 of the them) so that I may cool off and calm down before running myself a bubbly bath and turning in.

Thank you all for reading, enduring, and listening to my rant.   How would you handle such a day?  Please comment below and give me some new coping ideas!

Today's Excitement

Whew! Wadda day! I took my kiddos out to a Library Storytime and on the way home, in stop and go traffic (about 10 - 15 mph), we were rear-ended!! The poor guy who rear ended me was actually from my church but he didn't recognize me until I gave my name to the deputy. The he repeats my name and says, "That sounds very familiar!". I thought to myself, "Well, duh, it should. I am the church pianist!" but I didn't say that to him.

You should have seen his eyes get wide as saucers though when he saw my pregnant daughter in the front passenger seat! She had waved out the window to get my attention and then told me that she had felt a gush and thought her water had broken. She's due to deliver my grandson in 4 weeks!

I called 911 and the fire deparment arrived within 1 minute! The sherriff's deputy was right behind them but it took the ambulance FOREVER to get there! I guess that was due to the backed up traffic that was already accumulated before I was hit.

My girls were very concerned that big sister went off in an ambulance, but the deputy was so nice and talked to them, calming them down. All of these guys were outstanding and I failed to get any one of their names.

The only vehicular damage done was to my back bumper and trailer hitch. When the church fella hit me from behind, he hit my trailer hitch and bent my bumper under a little bit. His wife told me later that he had not be driving for the past 2 months (she didn't give a reason) and this was his first time out. He was very worried about my daughter and told his wife that he was not going to drive anymore.

My daughter has been released from the hospital and is now at home resting as comfortably as possible. I'm exhausted from all the stress today and still have to go play piano for the church choir practice tonight.

I wonder who's gonna get voted off of this week's America's Got Talent?

My new grandson, Due in August

Presenting my new grandson. He'll be joining the family this August. He is our blessed surprise baby and is currently snug and safe inside his mommy. Pray for my daughter as she approaches this new phase in her life.

Just look at these sweet feet!!!
I can't wait to meet him!!

I am Stressed Out!!!

Please pray for me. I'm feeling a bit drawn and quartered right now. I forgot to pick up my Little Bird from school today. Isn't that something? I totally forgot! What the heck is wrong with me?

This past week, my best friend's husband died, my pregnant 22 y.o. DD is going through some stuff with her so-called "friends"...(seems they don't have time to hang with her anymore), and Little Bird's teacher called me in for a conference due to her "bossiness". The child is very bright and is a "know it all".

My husband also isn't working as much right now, so he's "underfoot". He's a 3rd party welding inspector and at this time, there just doesn't seem to be much going on for him to inspect. It sure would be nice for him to get a little job in Alabama or something somewhere so that I wouldn't have to cater to him too (in addition to the kids).

On top of that, the lady who has served our church in the pianist position for 49 years, suffered a stroke last Sunday during her offeratory performance. Isn't that sad?

As a result, I have been called in to pick up the slack. I'm actually thrilled to be able to do that, playing for the church; as I feel that it's a type of stress release therapy for me. However, it also means that my focus will soon change to more practice time at the keyboard.

I know that I'm not the only person in the world who is stressed and going through junk...but I sure feel like I'm alone here. I'm tempted to take a little bit of my hubby's hard earned moola and go get myself a massage tomorrow.

Anyway, thanks for listening and remember us when you speak to the Father.

Spring Break in Natchez

Just before Easter, our family took a little retreat up to Natchez for some quality family time. You can read all about it over here, starting with Day 1.

Enjoy!!!

Easter Sunday 2010

Happy Easter everyone! Christ is Risen - He's alive!! He is not dead or in the grave but ALIVE!!! Hallelujah!!!

We celebrated at our church today where my girls looked so pretty in their new little dresses.

Then we went to eat dinner with my mom and stepdad.

Now it's time for me to update some other posts.

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

"Whatcha want fer yer birthday Mom?" I asked.

She replied, "A million dollars!"

"Yeah right. I'm just not that blessed. Sorry. Hey, pick a color!"

"What?"

"Pick a Color...one of the basic ones...like from an 8 count box of Crayons."

"Oh, okay. Well, Green! Money's green right?"

"Mom, I can't guarantee that I'll have money for you. Sorry. But I can guarantee that it will be green."

So, today, on my way home from church, I stopped by Dollar Tree and ran down each aisle collecting anything that looked green. I was happily surprised to find some chocolate bars wrapped in a million dollar wrapper!

What you see in the above picture is a feather duster, some cans of Green Beans, Mom's totes (for collecting stuff floating around in the car), and the candy bars dressed as a million bucks. In the basket is some hand sanitizer (green apple), a magnetic shopping list, a candle, kitchen sponges, snack cups, a small laundry rope, a manicure kit, and that's all I can think of. Oh, and of course, everything was the color green.

Then, we went to meet my mom, stepdad, and brother at the Santa Fe Cattle Co. restaurant. (By the way, I have a restaurant review for this place too. It was my first time there.)

As you can see from the following photo, my mom absolutely LOVED the green gift!

She ESPECIALLY loved the million dollar chocolate bars!

The couple shot!

A table shot (well, okay ... half a table).

An after lunch photo op!

My brother gave mom a bunch of roses too! Isn't he sweet?

Happy Birthday Mommy! May all your wishes come true!! I love you!!

Questions from the Little Ones

Not long ago, my little ones began asking questions about babies, where they came from, and how they get out of where they are. Since that time, we learned that my oldest daughter, DQ, is expecting. Due to the many conversations that DQ and I have had, my little ones now have new questions that I honestly am not sure how to answer. I'm hoping that someone out there will be able to help me answer the questions of very inquistive little 4 y.o. and 6 y.o. girls.

A bit of background, our family is a blended family. My husband, DH, has 4 grown children from his previous marriage. They have blessed us with 8 grand babies. I was also married to another man many years ago and my DQ and The Teen came to us during that marriage. Then I met my husband, got married, and 5 years later welcomed our Little Bird and Kangaroo.

Now, I'm baffled by how quickly the questions have come. Here are a few:

1. Why did DQ's Daddy give them up? When I answered that he didn't GIVE them up, we had DIVORCED...that led to the What is divorce? question.

2. Mommy, Sissy has a baby in her tummy. Where's the baby's daddy?

4. Is the baby gonna come out AFTER Sissy's married?

5. You mean you don't HAVE to be married to have a baby?

6. Is the baby gonna live with us?

There are many more but I'll leave you with these for now. If you have any advice on how to answer my little ones questions, please help. Especially the ones dealing with morality.

Was Broken Heart, Now DQ Update #1

Sometimes it amazes me how quickly we adapt to stressful and trying situations. I'd like to give you an update on the situation here. As you know, we received the news, not quite a week ago, that there will be a new family member joining our household. At first, I was disappointed in my daughter (age 22), but now I'm slowly looking forward to sharing this experience with her and helping her as she adjusts to single motherhood. She's got a lot of growing up to do in a short time.

My husband finally warmed up enough to speak to me about the situation and we were able to have a productive discussion. He's still upset with DQ and hasn't spoken to her yet. She expressed to me how hurt she's feeling by his silence. When I brought it up to him during our separate conversation though, he explained that he's just trying to get his thoughts together before he speaks to her. He wants to say it "just right".

Yesterday, we had a discussion about what she's going to do in order to make a living and support herself. He did have some input there that she REALLY listened to (for a change).

She currently works as a "beverage server" at a local casino...not a job that's really conducive to pregnancy and impending motherhood. We took a few minutes to pray about the job situation. I specifically reminded the Lord that when He created me He gave me a visual learning style. Then I reminded Him, that in order to communicate with me He will have to literally write on the wall (in really big letters surrounded by flashing lights).

A few hours later, LITERALLY, a friend of mine (who didn't yet know of my impending grandmotherhood) called me up and asked if my daughter might be interested in a temporary job paying $13 per hour!!! It's only a 4 - 6 month position but it's closer to home! I told her, without hesitation, a huge YES! Then I told my daughter, who was also very excited about it and at the same time learned that God is really there and listening.

As for now, she went to the Health Unit for a pg confirmation followed by an application visit to Medicaid. Next week, she'll be meeting with a counselor (or helper) at the Women's Hope center. I've told her several times that I love her and she is not alone. I have also warned her that the next couple of years are gonna be real tough but she just has to pull up those boot straps, dig in, and she'll be fine.

Keep praying for us. We have a long two years ahead of us but I'm getting excited to see what the Lord has planned.

My Heart is Broken

My 22 y.o. daughter lives in my home with my husband, The Teen, Little Bird, and Kangaroo. She's currently working as a "beverage server". It isn't the best job around. Her hourly wages are only $2.75 and she gets to keep whatever tips she makes. Basically, she's driving all the way to the job (71.2 miles round trip) for tips. The vehicle she drives is not hers. It belongs to my husband and I but we allow her to use it until she can save enough money to get her own car.

She has no ambitions to go to school or anything. She likes this job because it offers all the perks of a "real" job.....i.e. 401K, health insurance, etc. She really doesn't want to leave this job.

Then, I got the phone call this morning. It looks like I'm gonna be a grand-mother. She had stopped on her way to work to get a home pregnancy test. When she got to work and took the test, it was positive. She called me immediately, crying and blubbering and saying, "I didn't want it to be this way" and "Momma, I'm so sorry".

I told my hubby about it and he just clammed up. Didn't say a word to me all day. Kept a chip on his shoulder. When he came home and I said to him that I needed to discuss it with him, he replied, "I don't care and I don't want to discuss it. There is nothing to discuss."

I'm really feeling torn apart right now. This is my daughter! My child! My first born! I can't just throw her to the wolves! She needs me!

I know there aren't many people who read this blog, but if you're out there....please add my family to your prayer list and add a specific little ditty there for some extra enduring strength for me. Thanks.

Date Night: Catfish Charlie's

NightOn Thursday evening, our family went to a little restaurant out in Hammond, La called Catfish Charlie's. It's located at 14256 W. Club Deluxe Road. Their specialty is seafood...mostly fried. However, there are a few healthy selections on the menu. We started out with a little appetizer of Gator Bites and salad. The waitress then brought the rest of our foods. The kids weren't in a seafood kind of mood so they all ordered standard kid's fare.....fried chicken tenders. Hubby ordered the Soft Shell Crab platter and I ordered the Grilled Shrimp and mushrooms dinner. Yummy stuff!!!

The food is good but the prices......well, not so good. For our family of 6, our evening out set us back $110.00!!! Maybe they'll come down on prices but I don't think it'll be any time soon.

Catfish Charlie's decor

The best part of enjoying a meal at Catfish Charlie's is the duck, turtle, fish feeding experience. The restaurant provides buckets of leftover biscuits for the kiddos to take out to the back deck and throw into the water to the wildlife.

And here's a shot of the wildlife! Before we even exited the building, they heard the footsteps on the hardwood floor and came running....or swimming ....or flying. They wanted some biscuits!


Does this look like a duck? At first my son yelled "Otter!" but it is in fact, a nutria rat. They are not native to Louisiana, having been imported in the 1930's for the fur farming industry. They were release, either accidentally or intentionally into Louisiana's coastal marshes.

Where do babies come from?

My girls asked me that question last night while getting ready for bed!!! Can you believe it!!!? I was stunned. I'm not ready for this sort of "Facts of Life" lesson yet!

DQ (my 22 y.o.) was listening (i.e. eavesdropping) from another room as I explained to them that when Mommy and Daddy show each other how much they love each other, God gives them the gift of a baby and puts it in a special place inside Mommy's tummy. They seemed satisfied with that answer. They looked at me with their big eyes and this "Oh, OK!" look on their faces.

DQ laughed at me when she heard the explanation.

I shore wasn't prepared for the "so, how does the baby get out?" question, even though I knew that it was inevitable and would definitely be next in the line of questioning.

I chickened out. Changed the subject. Just decided it was bath and bedtime and who wanted to get in the shower first. They followed blindly and I was able to avoid it for the time being.

They're so sweet and innocent. Must they begin asking about the bird and the bees at such an early age? For I am NOT READY!

From the mouths of Babes

Hubby and I have been sitting around just relaxing today. He has finished a bookhe's been reading and I've been researching our upcoming summer vacation. It was just us here .... and Kangaroo.

Kangaroo rose wide eyed and bushy tailed at 6 a.m. this morning and boy, was she raring to go! She ran and played all day! So sweet! She eventually pulled out her make up kit that she received for Christmas from our babysitter.

She sat and primped and got herself looking all pretty. Then she presented herself to us. Well, to her daddy anyway. Not to me.

She approaches her daddy, blinks her sweet little blue eyes, and coyly gushes, "Daddy, do you think I look pretty?"

He chuckled and responded, "Yes, honey, I sure do! I think you look just like mommy!"

Kangaroo is a little takin aback and says, "Mommy!? You gotta be KIDDIN' me!!!"

I wasn't sure how to feel as I sat here listening to this little exchange. I recognize that hubby was paying me a compliment...in a way. But her response? I don't know if it was taken as a compliment or an insult from her daddy. Is my own appearance so horrible that my child doesn't want to look like me?

Oh well, she's a sweet little cherub anyway and I love her bunches! :D

Paul B. Johnson Trip Report

Well, I've got the first day up for the State Park Trip Report. Here is a post about the cabin we rented.

Day 1 report is divided up into 2 separate posts. The first one is about our Bald Eagle experience. The second one is about our trip to the Hattiesburg Zoo that same afternoon.

I still need to post our Day 2 report but I don't have the time at this very second. I will post an update soon.

December Recap

What a busy month!!! I apologize again for leaving ya'll hanging all this time! I have been neglecting all my bloggy duties! But I have an honest excuse. I've been busy!!! However, I am here now for a brief synopsis of what's been going on in the lives of the Oxbow Gang.

On November 27, the girls, DH, and I went Christmas Tree hunting. We found this cute little tree that the girls insisted on helping to cut down. We got it home and immediately decorated the bottom half of it. As the girls slept later, I went in and put more decorations in the blank places.

The next evening, we gathered around a large bonfire at my dad's house, sharing stories and hot cocoa. Then we wrapped the evening up with some stringing of the popcorn for the tree.

Dec 3 - The Teen performed a Christmas Concert with his high school band. Earlier in the day, I was at the school to practice with the high school choir. The band director and I talked a bit. Upon realizing that I could not be there that night for the band performance, he invited me to sit in the class while my son went through the songs they were playing. I thoroughly enjoyed the private concert! What a cool teacher to allow me to observe!

Dec 4 - Little Bird performed in her first local Community Choir concert where she learned to sing a couple of songs in German and Spanish! I'm so proud of her!!!

Dec 6 - Little Bird AND Kangaroo both performed in the church's elementary and preschool choir Christmas program. It was Kangaroo's FIRST choir performance and she was such a pro! My chest is just busting with pride for both my girls!

The weekend of Dec 12/13 was my church's Christmas production of "The Splendor of Christmas". It was performed in our Christian Activities Center. The church provided a dinner of Vegetable Beef soup and Ham and Cheese Sandwiches accompanied by a big glass of iced tea and followed by a plate of Red Velvet cake. Yum Yum!

On Dec 14, Kangaroo and I went to the local library for some Christmas storytime and fun. While we were there, Santa came by for a visit! Kangaroo got to sit on his lap and tell him all about what she wanted for Christmas. She was so happy!

Dec 15 had us at the Boy Scout meeting hall for a Christmas party and Court of Honor to see The Teen receive some more merit badges for all his hard work. Soon, he'll be sporting that Eagle badge!!!


Dec 17 was Little Bird's FIRST school Christmas Program where she participated in a skit about the "Gingerbread Man" and sang "Must Be Santa" and "Jingle Bells". She was so cute!!!

The weekend of Dec 18 - 20 had the family dealing with the flu and other ailments. Little Bird was out of sorts and kept a fever for a few days. Kangaroo also had a fever but she's always so happy and it's difficult to tell when she's feeling bad. During this time, I went to Walmart and purchased one of those little Gingerbread House in a box kit to try and cheer them up. When the girls began feeling better, we decorated it. I had added too much water to the icing mix, making the "snow" slide right off the gingerbread roof. We ended up eating it as fast as we could decorate it!!! Yummy!!



Christmas Eve had us all down at the In Law's for vittles and gifts. One of the cousins had organized the gift exchange game where you draw numbers and then choose a gift with the cooresponding number. Before you open/unwrap the gift, you must first decide whether or not to keep it. If you don't want it but spy another one that was previously opened, you can then take the gift from that recipient and give them your unopened gift in exchanged. If all the gifts are gag gifts, then this is even that much more fun!!!

Cousin Blaine looks around for a gift to steal.

When we got home from the In Laws on Christmas Eve night, I sat down at my computer and discovered that Santa had sent my girls a very special Video email!! They were very excited to hear from him and see their names and photo in his big book of good little boys and girls. I read the Christmas Story of the Nativity to the girls, said prayers with them, and they went straight to bed and fell sound asleep without another peep!!! It had been a long and beautiful day. DH and I made sure that we assisted Santa before we turned in for the night.
Christmas morning dawned bright and early with the girls waking us at 6:30 a.m.! They were so excited that Santa had brought them each a beautiful little bicycle and other goodies. After a breakfast of monkey bread and hot cocoa, we dressed for comfort and warmth, loaded the new bikes into the surburban and drove up to the park (where there are paved paths) for a bicycle test ride. The girls did great on their first ride! Hubby and I got some much needed exercise while The Teen jogged along to fill in where we couldn't (as we stood aside gasping for breath). We old folks are sooooo out of shape! (note to self: must make new Year's resolutions!)

On the day after Christmas, my sister showed up with her 2 kiddos. We loaded the entire gang (and their bikes) up and went to the St. Tammany Trace to get some much needed playtime and bike riding in. We then decided that since no other activities had been planned for the next few days, we needed some R&R.


So, on Monday, Dec 28, we packed up and headed north to Hattiesburg, MS where I had reserved a lovely little cabin at the Paul B. Johnson state park. There will soon be another post and more pictures regarding our little mini-vacation. We returned home on New Year's Eve, just in time to ring in 2010!

Happy New Year and may the King richly bless each and every one of you!!!!

Christmas Procrastination

I am stuck in a rut. There are only 10 shopping days left until Christmas and I haven't even gotten started! I have so many people in my family! I have toyed with ideas of handmade gifts, but at this point it's a bit late to start any projects. I have explored the idea of restaurant gift cards, but after a bit of math decided it would be too extravagant. I have explored the "gift in a jar" idea, but can't seem to come up with any new/fresh ideas.

I had a brainstorm this morning but am not sure how it might go over. I have decided that my gift to everyone in the family would double as a gift to myself! My gift to them would be my commitment to my health so that I could stay around and visit with them, teach them, learn from them, a bit longer than statistics say I should. AND the $$ that I would be spending on them would go towards a health club membership as part of my "Health Commitment" gift. I know, it sounds selfish and goofy.

I guess the biggest part of all this is that I'm hoping to avoid the crowds of stupid people at the stores. I shoulda started shopping online much earlier this year but also postponed doing so due to a bad debit card comprising experience a few years ago.

There are 21 Married Couples, 7 Single Adults, and 44 children under the age of 16. Anyway, the bottom line is that I'm feeling a bit Bah Humbug about this whole shopping, gift giving thing.

Prayer Request for my Sister

I'm a little hesitant to post this because it's pretty personal and if my sister knew that I'm discussing her situation here she'd be livid....I think. So, to make a very long story short, she's going through some difficult times right now and is in tears nearly everytime I speak to her. Her marriage is falling apart, as well as other appliances and things around her house. When it rains it pours, right?

I try to talk to her and lift her up. I try to be encouraging without badmouthing my brother in law. I try to let her know that she's a strong woman etc. She's not a very strong Christian but seems to be turning to the church for comfort.

At any rate, pray for her please! Pray for her eyes and heart to be open to whatever the Lord has in store for her. Pray for strength to endure. Pray for peace in her heart and with herself. Pray for clarity. And just, please pray for whatever else you can think of that might apply to her situation.

I have talked to her until I'm blue in the face and sounding like a broken record. I don't know what else to say to her. Pray that the Lord gives me the right words and right time to say them to her.

Thanks for reading and "listening".