Update - 2 YEARS!!! Whoa!

GoodNESS!!  Have I really ignored this blog for over 2 years!!  That simply CANNOT be allowed to happen again!  I blame it on Facebook which is where I have been spending all of my time and uploading all (well, most) of my photos.  I started this blog as a way of keeping a diary.  I used to write in a book that is kept by my bedside but I stopped doing that at least 10 years ago.  So, I thought I would start a blog to keep my thoughts and ideas together.  Well, shoot, then I go and ignore it!  What in the world have I been thinking about for the past 2 years?  I can't remember yesterday let alone 2 years ago! 

Let me see, (digging through the cobwebs in the corners of my brain)....I'll start with my last post.  October 2013 - we bought a FEMA trailer to refurbish and set up for my oldest daughter.  Annnd, as per her pattern, 4 months later it was no longer needed.  She had moved in with a roomie and signed a 6 month (or so) lease.  Wait, something's wrong with those dates.  Hmmm.  Anyway, Fast Forward to present day ... the FEMA trailer was sold and we no longer have it.  Moving on to the next project.

The husband is attempting to re-roof our home with that new metal roofing instead of shingles.  It really looks good!  Well, the part that's finished does.  He seems to be taking his sweet time getting to the rest of it.  I need to apply a boot to his butt I suppose.

And on that note, I have a dream!  I dream of traveling the country.  I'm currently 48 years old and want to hike the Applachian Trail before I'm 50.  The problem is that I still have school age kids who keep me at home with their activities.  SOOOO, the AT will have to wait ... at least for another 8 years.  It's still doable then too, as long as my health and body holds up. 

I'm also thinking of purchasing a used short school bus and ripping out the seats to refurbish it into a tiny house on wheels.  Then I can hit the road and take my own bed with me!  The husband is more than welcome to join me and we can see the country together.  Hopefully, by the time we leave, the mortgage will be paid off and the only worry the kids will have is to keep the lights on at the house.  I would even allow them to stay there rent free, as long as they continued to be law abiding citizens and didn't do anything that would require bail money be wired to them. 

Okidoki then.  I guess that's all that's on my mind for the time being.  Christmas is coming up next week and all that jazz so I suppose I need to get my head out of the clouds and figure out what I'm gonna do about the holiday this year.

Later ya'll.

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?"

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.

Field Trip Day to the Farm: The Beginning

My Little Bird and I woke up this morning looking forward to our first Kindergarten field trip with the school. We've been on field trips before with the local homeschool group last year, but this one was special because it's the first one with the public school.

My day started with my going into Little Bird's room to wake her up. She responded, "I donwanna." Then I said, "But you HAVE to. We're going to the Faarrrrm!" She sat straight up, grinned from ear to ear, and said with a little shake of her head, "Oh, I'm AWAKE now. Thanks mommy!"

She hopped out of bed (literally!) and went straight to the breakfast table for a bowl of Frosted Flakes. I got her school uniform ready. I had bought her some new pants just because the weather was beginning to get cooler. Skirts, skorts, and shorts were soon not going to be enough to keep her legs warm. After she ate breakfast, I instructed her to get dressed. She put the pants on and I immediately noticed that they were too big in the waist. Soooo, out comes the sewing machine for a quick alteration.

Now that she's dressed, she asks me to fix her hair the way Jessie wears it in Toy Story. That little task takes a little longer than I thought it would and as a result, we're now behind schedule...but not too badly. We head out to the surburban to hit the road. We have to be at school by 8 a.m. We get loaded up and on our way.

About 6 miles down the road, for some strange reason my thoughts turn to whether or not I have everything I need. Lunch...Check...Camera...Check...Bottle of water...need to stop at the store...Purse? Arrghhh! Where's my purse!? Shoot! I left it at home. I look around for my cell phone to call hubs to bring my purse to me. guess what!? I left my phone too!!! A quick glance at the clock tells me that I do not have time to run back to the house. I'll have to get Little Bird to the school, come back home to retrieve the forgotten items, and then try to catch up with the Field Trip caravan in route to the Farm. Yeah, that sounds like a plan!

After dropping Little Bird off at school, I hit the ground running, driving no faster than 85 mph. Once I got home, I got my purse and cell phone, double checked the address on the computer for the Farm, and made a potty stop. Great! Aunt Flo has decided to drop in on me....TODAY of all days! Early!!! This day is just keeps getting better!

Finally, I'm out the door.....again....and again I drive no faster than 85 on my way back to the school. Now that I have my cell phone, I call ahead to see if the group has left the school yet. Nope, they haven't but they will shortly. I breathe a sigh of relief....and hear a "ding ding ding" sound coming from my dashboard. Well, hmmph, I seem to be low on fuel. It's a good thing the gas station is right THERE!! I stop, insert debit card, key in my zip code, and put the nozzle into the gas tank. I begin pumping the gas, and look up to see the school buses and following parents going past me. Okay, no biggie....I pump about $15 dollars worth, snatch the receipt from the pump, toss the nozzle back on the pump....oops! I need batteries for the camera. That task taken care of I exit the store, jump into the Surburban, and catch up to the caravan....just like I had planned!

We got to the farm and I put my lunch on the trailer with all the other parents' lunches. I got my camera and trotted over to where the children were sitting. I turned it on and got a little flashing message, "Low Battery". Since I had just bought some new batteries, I thought, "Hopefully, nothing cute will happen while I change the batteries."

Those brand new batteries I just bought? Dead. As a doornail. What else could go wrong today? This is soooooo very frustrating! Now I have a dilemma. Should I leave my angel with her class while I hunt down a store somewhere to purchase some more batteries? I don't want to miss anything. After dwelling on the problem for a fairly short amount of time, I decide to go search for a store. I ask one of the tour guides, er, farmers where the nearest store may be. As it turns out, there's a Dollar General only 5 miles up the road! Perfect!

So, having made up my mind, I leave the field trip to get the needed batteries. Upon my return, I learn that I had indeed missed the cutest photo op ever! My baby's Kindergarten teacher had kissed a pig!!!

Oh well, the day isn't over yet. More photo ops abound and now that I have fresh batteries, I intend to make the best of it!! See Field Trip: The Rest of the Story to see the photos.

Oh, and thanks for listening. I really needed to vent after the morning I've had!!!

Immensely Valuable

I was talking with an old friend today with whom I've recently reconnected. I'd always wondered about him and his family and whatever happened to them or where they went. Anyway, as it turns out, he's been nearby nearly the whole time! Well, not the WHOLE time because he's had other places to go too, but .... well, you KWIM. Anyway, he is now a Captain in the Louisiana Army National Guard, Alpha Co., 256th BSTB.

Today, we were chatting about some things from our past, the childhood we shared, dreams for our children, etc. At one point, our conversation turned quite serious, deep thoughts were exchanged, and it was mentioned that his unit will be deploying for Iraq shortly after this coming Christmas. It struck me that I needed to thank him. First for listening to me and then for serving his country and protecting me, the constitution, and my freedom.

His reply was:

"I listen because I believe ya'll are immensely valuable. I serve for the same reason."

This statement has stuck with me for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Eventually, I began to hear another voice telling me the same message. The voice of my Father in Heaven telling me that He is there to listen to me. Why? Because He believes that I am valuable! And that is the reason that he hung on the cross for me. Because I am valuable!

And ya know what? I just had to share.

I would love to be able to write a huge essay on the importance of this statement and the realization that came because of it, but I'm not much of a writer. I just sit here with my laptop on my lap and type my thoughts into a little white screen.

The bottom line is, and forgive me for sounding like a broken record, I am Valuable .... to a friend ... to a soldier .... but mostly to Jesus in Heaven who hung on a cross, died, and rose again to save my miserable little soul. Wow.

She Lost Another One!

This is just a little post for documentation purposes. My Little Bird has lost her seventh tooth! The tooth fairy visited and Little Bird rec'd a $1 bill for her loss. The tooth is currently in my jeans pocket and it will be added to the other 6 teeth that I have collected and put in a ziploc baggie.....somewhere. When I find that baggie, I'll add this tooth to it. Hopefully, I won't lose it between now and then! LOL

Kangaroo's Big Adventure

Once upon a time, a daddy decided to take a refreshing shower while enduring the heat of a Southern summer day. While he was enjoying his respite behind frosted shower doors, his 3 y.o. daughter wandered into the unlocked bathroom.

Mommy was embarking on a laundry adventure in the utility room when she heard a surprised shout filled the house...."WHATRYOUDOIN'INERE???!" which was immediately
followed by the pitter patter sound of happy little feet as the 3 y.o. daughter re-entered the part of the house that had previously been abandoned.

She intercepts Mommy who was on her way to investigate the distressing sound.

Standing in the living room with a grin from ear to ear and her hands behind her back, she proudly states, "Mommy, I saw daddy's butt and he had pink poop hanging from it!!!".

This is a true story. The End.

Newly Found Proverbs?

The title of this post refers to the book of Proverbs in the Bible. As I understand it, Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings from the biblical period.

I found some books in my house. A set of "Rare Recipes & Budget Savers", first printed in 1961. At the bottom of each page of these books is a sentence or two of wise words titled "Last Blast" (thus the Proverbs reference). As I was reading through them, I laughed out loud. Others are quite profound and thought provoking. Then I thought, "I would love to share these with my bloggy friends". Thus, the following.

1. Don't be offended if someone tells you to "go fly a kite". Ben Franklin made it pay off.

2. Everyday is Judgement Day - use a lot of it!

3. If you can't sleep, don't count sheep. Talk to the Shepherd.

4. The hen is the only thing we know of that can lay around and make money.

5. People who live in a one-bathroom house should never drink their prune juice at the same time.

6. It's better to tighten your belt than to lose your pants.

7. The only people you should try to get even with are those who have helped you.

8. For some women, marriage can be a sweeping experience. It also can include cooking, baking, ironing, and serving as family chauffers.

9. Poise isthe art of raising the eyebrows instead of the roof.

And I'll leave you with a thought provoking LAST BLAST for today.....

10. The greatest danger for most of us is not that we aim too high and miss, but that our aim is too low -- and we reach it!

Ya'll be sure and stay tuned. There are many more where these came from!!

Infected Household - Lastworditis

There is another infection in my home! I really need to figure out how to disinfect my house from this horrible bacteria/virus. I have diagnosed it as Lastworditis. It has infected my oldest two children and I'm afraid it will be spread to my younger two.

It seemed to be at it's worst yesterday. I don't know yet how today will be affected since one of each age group are currently still in bed (@ 9:45 a.m.).

It was bad yesterday that I literally pulled my hair and ran out of my house! I jumped into my vehicle and went for a ride. I had some Blockbuster movies to return anyway.

I am tired of telling/asking the older kids (ages 21 and 15) to do some household chores. They absolutely refuse to do anything! I'm tired of fighting with them about it.

When the 21 y.o. is asked or told to do SOMETHING around her to contribute to the household by way of housekeeping, we get a lot of this, "What are you gonna do when I move out?" to which I usually respond (in my head, to myself), "WHEN - WHEN - WHEN are you moving out!!!? WHEN will this blessed event occur!!! PUH-LEEZ!!!" However, I don't say this to her face. Heaven forbid I would want to make her feel unwanted. (she doesn't read this so I'm not too afraid of saying it here).

Actually, she now has a boyfriend who has recently bought and house and asked her to move in with him. Although I do not condone or approve of living together before marriage, there's not much I can do about her decision other than to let her know that I dont' care for it. But that's another story.

When The Teen is asked or told to ... take the garbage out, I (and hubby) get this, "Why? Why do I have to do the garbage?". It doesn't matter if it's the garbage or load the dishwasher but we always get the back talk.

If I attempt to even answer the "Why?" I get interrupted with "mom, you're not listening to me!". How am I not listening? I didn't even get to finish what I was saying!

I know my little rant here is probably not making any sense. I'm just sooooo frustrated!! If anyone out there has any advice that I can apply here, please feel free to leave a comment.

Random Ramblings

I'm such a bad blogger. I haven't posted any thoughts on things for quite some time. I really need to recommit to this if I'm truly gonna say that "I have a blog!". I've been working on some more little "passport" projects similar to the one I did for our Epcot adventure. Only this time, I'm focusing on the Louisiana state parks. Some states already have a passport for their state parks, but our Sportsman's Paradise doesn't. Next year's family vacation is also on the drawing board (thus my passport for Louisiana).

At first I wanted to take another "road trip" to some far away place like Glacier National Park or Yellowstone National Park. However, I was rethinking it and thought visiting every state park at home. Then move on to the "neighbors" of Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas. We can still have great vacations without all the time on the road. Once these places are knocked off the traveling list, then we can to another big road trip. Yellowstone would definitely be a two weeker for us since I just can't stand to be in such a beautiful place and only spend a short day there.

I'm also planning for my Christmas gifts this year. Some projects I've made in the past include:

1. A queen sized Family Tree quilt complete with hand embroidered individual family names on the "tree".
2. A double sized denim quilt with fabric painted hand prints from some of the grandkids, for my dad.
3. Stuffed letter pillows.
4. Personalized pillow cases.
5. Personalized camoflage velcro fastener wallets - bought from the Dollar Tree and then personalized with a gold paint pen.
6. Baskets with 1/2 pint jars of homemade Mayhaw and Blackberry jelly and a package of Martha White biscuit mix and muffin mix.
7. Baskets with jars of bean soup mix and a handmade hot rice pad that releases a sweet smell when a hot pot is placed on it.

I know there's more but I can't remember what they are at the moment. I really should start keeping a list so that I don't "repeat" gifts! LOL If I can find some pictures of what I've done, I'll post them at a later time for you to see.

First Sunday Museum Play

After church this morning, we visited the Louisiana Art & Science Museum in downtown Baton Rouge. This is a great place to kill some time on a hot Sunday afternoon! I have a Kodak Easyshare Z712 digital camera that I enjoy taking pictures with. One day I'll take a photography class to learn how to use it better. In the meantime, here are some shots from today.

I call this one "Concentration"

This was an interesting looking boot that I just HAD to take a picture of.

Posted above the display was an explanation about the Hurst Middle School Wetland Watchers of Destrehan, LA.

Taken from the Wetland Watchers website:

The Traveling Shrimp Boot Project
White shrimp boots are a Louisiana staple. Often referred to as “Cocodrie Converse” or “Swamp Nikes”, these popular boots are more of a symbol of Louisiana than merely the boot shape. They represent the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of commercial fisheries that are dependent on Louisiana wetlands. Louisiana contributes a great deal of the nation’s commercial catch as well as other valuable resources. As part of this project, students paint the boots themed after what they love most about Louisiana. Students design activities to place in the boots that help students in other states realize how important Louisiana wetlands are to them and that the coastal land loss in Louisiana affects all of us – not just Louisiana residents! These boots will be loaned to classrooms throughout the United States. Participating classes will complete the provided activities and then use the included webcam to interview my students via Skype video conference calls. My students will answer questions about the wetlands and also ask questions about environmental issues the cooperating students may have in their area.

Moving on to other areas of the museum.

"Dr." Kangaroo? The Old State Capitol building.
Inside the Old State Capitol on the staircase.
Looking up from the staircase.

I laid down on the step below the girls to get this one. It isn't the best picture, but I was trying for an unusual angle. I was absolutely fascinated by this stained glass window.

My flash didn't work but I ended up with a pigtail silouette....almost. Little Bird strikes a beautiful pose.

Kangaroo doesn't want to be left out.

"Look, Kangaroo, flying skirts!"

A wrought iron angle.

Well, that's it. That's what we did for the afternoon. If I'd had more time, I would have visited some other locations for photos as well. Oh, well, there's always next Sunday. Hmmm,I thinkI might look up some geocaches as well!

Lunch Date with Siblings

This morning at approximately 9:30 a.m., while on the verge of awakening but not wanting to because I really wanted to see how my dream, my bedside telephone rang. It was my only brother inviting me to share brunch with him and our baby sister. I was excited and hurriedly dressed to join them. I had visions of scrambled eggs, bacon, and other carbs. By the time I joined them, it was nearly 10:15 a.m. We decided then to just wait for lunch. We went to my brother's office where he introduced our baby sister to his co-workers.

One of his co-workers suggested wego to Chookie's in Hammond for lunch. It's a little hole in the wall place that really good seafood!!! I ordered a grilled shrimp salad, fried shrimp pistolette, and a seafood gumbo minus the rice. It was all so good!

Afterwards, my sister and I dropped the brother off at his job location and then we went on into Ponchatoula for some sightseeing. I showed her where a micro geocache was located and then we went into the Collinswood museum for a history lesson on the area. It was really intriguing.

Then we went down the road for a Sno-Cone and sat and visited for a bit before I returned her to her vehicle. I had a truly blessed day visiting with them.

The Shower Blowout Saga

I didn't wake up until 10 a.m. this morning. Sleeping in is nice but can be painful if you lay there too long. Especially after you've entered the 4th decade of your life.

The first thing I did was use the restroom, drink some water, and get dressed. Then I got my bicycle and set out for a ride. Here in South Louisiana at 10 a.m. on the first day of July, it's pretty hot. As I type this only 2 hours later, the current temperature outside is 93F. The high today is predicted to be 97F.

Anyway, as I rode, my first thought was, "Hey, this is pretty nice today. Not too hot....the birds are singing....I feel good!" When I got to the 1.5 mile mark, I noticed a rhythmic Thlap, Thlap, Thlap, on my front tire. Paying closer attention to it, I also noticed a small knot in the middle of the tire. Stopping the bike to closer examine the issue, I noticed the outer tire had a cut and the inner tube was protruding through it.

I got back on the bike and rode a couple of more Thlap Thalps. I don't know what I was thinking. Anyway, that exposed inner tube just couldn't compete with the hot asphalt so it exploded.

Oh, well, I'll just walk back to the house and push my bicycle. During the walk back to the house, I was sweating so hard! It was dripping into my eyes and stinging. I began thinking about a nice long shower when I got back home. I walked my bike up to my dad's house with hopes that he'd be able to repair it when he got a chance. He noticed how red my face was (it gets REALLY red when I exercise) and commented that I looked bit hot. I said, "Yeah, I'm looking forward to a shower."

He responded, "Oh, you can't take a shower!"

I looked at him like he was crazy. I said, "Annnnd why not?"

Then he proceeds to tell me that while he was working around the house today, he ruptured the water main. See, out here in the country, we have a water well. Dad has run all the water lines to the house, the chicken coop, the dog pen, the garden, etc. But today, he has another project going on and when he drove a stake into the ground to mark the territory of the project, he hit the main line.

Yay. Can you just hear the sarcasm there? Yay

So, I sit here now, cooling off in the A/C at least, typing my blog, until the line is repaired and water is restored. THEN I'll go take that shower and wash all the dried sweat off of me.

Seeing God's Hand

While participating in choir practice a while back, our music minister asked us a question. I can't remember his words exactly but it was something about how we approach God when there's a problem that needs solving. How many times do we approach or call out to Him when there AREN'T any issues? How often is it that God calls us to serve or do something for Him and our response is usually something like, "I'll do it Lord, when I can squeeze it into my schedule." or "I'll gladly serve you Lord, as long as I can do it between this activity or that activity."? Well, I pondered that question for a while and realized that I would serve the Lord, gladly, with all my heart and soul....as long as there is no pain involved. I'm all about PAINLESS servanthood!!!

Anyway, all that being said, let me tell you about the tiny, trivial challenge I was faced with today. I had a doctor's appointment that could not be changed. Well, it could but it would be rescheduled for 3 months down the road. I couldn't wait that long so I kept this appointment. My Little Bird has been participating in a music camp at a friend's church this week. It just so happens that the time to pick her up from music camp clashed with my doctor's appointment time. So, something had to give.

Fortunately, I have a 21 y.o. daughter who could drive to pick up Little Bird from music camp and pick up the Teen from driver's ed on the way. My concern was about the vehicle she would be driving. It hasn't passed inspection since we've had it back on the road. My other concern was the Teen and his ability to be very distracting. Despite these concerns, I had made arrangements last night with DQ to pick up both kids and bring them home since I was unable to do so.

After this discussion with DQ, I went to bed and read my little devotional book, "Jesus Calling". I read ahead to tomorrow's devotion. All devotions in this book are written in first person, as if Jesus Himself is speaking directly to the reader.

"Welcome the Challenging Times as opportunities to trust Me. You have me beside you and My Spirit within you, so no set of circumstances is too much for you to handle. When the path before you is dotted with difficulties, beware of measuring your strength against those challenges. That calculation is certain to riddle you with anxiety. Without Me, you wouldn't make it past the first hurdle!

The way to walk through demanding days is to grip My hand tightly and stay in close communication with Me. Let your thoughts and spoken words be richly flavored with trust and thankfulness. Regardless of the day's problems, I can keep you in perfect peace as you stay close to Me."

After I read that, I thought, "Hmm." and then I went to sleep. I got up this morning and headed out, taking Kangaroo with me and dropping Little Bird at Music Camp. Then I made my way over into town for my doctor's appointment. At this point, I'm still concerned about the pick up arrangements but feel confident that all will work out. DQ is a good driver and I knew everything would be okay. After all, God is in control!!

I made it to my appointment, made the hike from the parking lot to the doctor's office, and signed my name on the little list at the counter. Normally, I would have a seat and wait, wait, and wait some more until they called my name to go to another waiting area. However, today, that wasn't the case. I signed my name and was immediately directed to the 2nd waiting area. Upon arriving there, I briefly sat (by briefly I mean, my butt JUST touched the seat!) when the nurse called my name! I commented, "Wow, THAT was quick!". Then she took my vitals as she needed for the records and told me that room was available already and I could go on in and wait for the doctor. I was pleasantly Surprised! So, me and Kangaroo went in and the doctor arrived about 5 minutes later!

Doc's visit over, I head back out to my vehicle. On the way I realized that the ENTIRE ordeal from parking my truck-signing in-seeing the doctor-getting back to my truck took all of 30 minutes!!!! I had PLENTY of time to pick up Little Bird and the Teen myself and not have to depend on DQ to do it in that other vehicle!

Calling DQ and cancelling her services, I went on and retrieved the other kiddos. I got to the music Camp only 1 minute after they finished! PERFECT timing!

On the drive home from the music camp, I reflected on the devotional I had read. OF COURSE, it was PERFECT timing! Because EVERYTHING he does is PERFECT!

Oh, ME of little faith! What else will it take for me to see His handiwork in ALL things?

BTW, if you've read this entire thing...thanks for reading.

Date Night: Robbery Excitement

DH had been calling me several times during the day. Did I want to go out with him tonight? I was excited! Usually, I'm the one planning our dates. However, today, it was him! We decided to go out to a local restaurant that's been in the area forwhat seems like FOREVER! Brunet's Cajun Restaurant.

This place has wonderful fried seafood with a Cajun flair. The service is great, the atmosphere is relaxed, the food is outstanding, the helpings are overwhelmingly generous! If you are a fried seafood fan, this is the place for you. Although, there are SOME healthy options on the menu as well.Your waiter will start off with your drinks, followed by a bowl of hot hush puppies (fried bread). Then she/he will take your dinner order.

One of my FAVORITE appetizers is the Little Stuffed Bread. It looks like a dinner roll stuffed with a filling of crawfish or shrimp and then deep fried. Absolutely to die for!!! If you want a simple meal without all the calories, just ask for the Little Stuffed Bread with a salad and a bowl of gumbo and you're set!

I LOVE the shrimp dinner. It comes with a shrimp salad, bowl of gumbo, shrimp etoufee, fried shrimp, boiled shrimp, shrimp au gratin, 1 stuffed shrimp, and another bowl of shrimpy something but the name escapes me right now. Be sure to ask for a to go box when your meal is served because there is no way you're gonna clean your plate in one sitting.

Our tummies full of not so healthy fried Cajun seafood and several glasses of iced tea, DH and I exit the restaurant to head home. Since he'd been driving all day for his job, he opted to be a passenger instead. We got to my surburban where I got into the driver's side seat. He opened the back passenger side door and noticed the glass. My purse was gone. The purse that I had THOUGHT about taking inside with me but decided against because....after all....there's nothing in that thing that anybody could actually want! Hah!

He says, "Where's your purse?" and I turned to see him and all the glass and I say, "Where's my purse!!!???" Then he says, "Cynthia, go inside and talk to the manager. I'm calling the police." An hour later, we're still patiently waiting for an officer to arrive. In the meantime, hubs had his copies of all credit cards so we spent our time on the phone getting all accounts closed/cancelled. That part wasn't that difficult. It's a good thing he had his cards with him. I was more concerned about my checkbook, son's social security benefit check that I hadn't deposited yet, and much, much later I remembered that my wedding ring was in that purse! I didn't have much cash in the purse as I had just emptied it of all pocket change. My GPS navigator was also taken. My bank debit cards were in my back pocket since they are what I use MOST of the time.

The officer arrives, we file the report, officer R. Simoneaux goes down into the canal that runs alongside the restaurant. He shines his flashlight around a bit and looks for my brown purse that's gonna miraculously appear in the dark weeds.

At this point, I'm livid and shaking. I even felt a bit nauseous. If I could only get my hands around the neck of the jerk, kid, drug addict, whoever.....Why do I feel this way? It's only a purse! I can certainly relate to the vigilantes of the world now!

The report filed, the theories discussed, we said our goodnight's to the officer and headed home. FINALLY. Arriving home, the very first thing I do is sit down at the computer and began researching what to do about stolen social security numbers. Learning that there's NOTHING you can do through Social Security . gov, I start looking up the credit bureau info.

I'm concentrating on that at 11:45 p.m. when my house telephone rings. Not recognizing the number on Caller ID, I ALMOST didn't answer it. But curiosity got the better of me.

"Hello?"

"Is this Mrs. Cynthia?"

"Yes it is"

"My name is Chris and my wife and I found.....Did you lose a purse?"

Me, excitedly...."YES, YES I DID!"

Chris proceeds to inform me that he and his wife were looking for moving boxes in dumpsters and he found my purse sitting on the top of a lot of garbage about 3 blocks away from the restaurant!!! He told me that he had gotten my phone number off the checkbook.

So, anyway, to make a long, long story short....My purse was returned to me approx 4 hours after it was stolen. Checkbook, credit cards, and son's undeposited Soc Sec check were still in it. My wedding band, ALL cash (even down to whatever pennies was in there), and the GPS navigator are still missing.

Now, off to file a claim with the insurance company to get that back window replaced.

Ahhhh, date night with hubby. I think it'll be a while before we go out again.

Full Moon

No, it actually isn't a full moon tonight. However, as I was driving through the local Wal-mart parking lot this evening, I swear I saw one. Excuse me a moment, I have a few words to say to someone.

"Hey you, Man-Boy, Look....dude, you're way too old...what are you anyways? 30? At least? Whatevah, anyways, dude, you're too old to be wearing your pants that low. On top of that, you're white! A little fashion advice ala Stacy & Clinton...this is not your look. It just doesn't work for you. PUH-LEEEEZ Pull your pants up!"

I'm thinking of having a camera surgically implanted specifically for such photo ops. I kid you not! This guy was bending over to put groceries into his car. He was parked in a handicap spot so he was right there by the front doors of the store. I was driving past looking for a parking spot when there it was. A Full Moon, Bright and White!! Not a crescent moon, not a quarter moon, not even a half moon. A FULL MOON!!! It nearly blinded me!!!

Now, my son, The Teen, is 15 1/2 years old. I'm not ignorant to the style of low-riding pants. It's a fashion thing and I get that. I'm not saying that you need to wear your pants up high on your waist, Urkel style. But let's face it, if the belt is fastened BELOW the butt, there is no way those pants are stayin' up! You're better off takin' the pants off and just wearin' a dress!

It seems there was once a Mayor in some Louisiana town that had passed a law (or signed something to make it a law) that made wearing saggy pants an act of indecent exposure. If you expose your private parts, you get fined $500 and risk 6 months of jail time. Hmmm, I wonder if there's something like that locally.

Oh, and just a side note; fortunately, my girls were in the backseat tuned in to a DVD and they never looked up to see the moon.

I'm signing off tonight to the old Police tune, "Too much information....runnin' inside my brain." People, make sure you're completely dressed before heading out to Wally World!

Things that make you go "hmmmm"?

1. Why are butterflies called "Butterflies" and not "Flutterbys"? After all, don't they just flutter by?

2. When I get to heaven, I'm gonna ask God why he created moms with only 2 arms. Then I'll ask Him why he gave us only 24 hours in day.

3. If we evolved from monkeys or apes, why are the monkeys still here? why is it we don't see any humans/monkeys in mid-evolvment? Isn't evolving a type of metamorphasis? Why don't we see anyone morphing?

4. Why does someone believe you when you say there are 4 billion stars in the sky, but they have to doubt you and check when you say the paint is wet?

And finally, (for today anyway)
5. If a doctor suddenly dies while he's doing surgery, would the other doctors work on the doctor or the patient on the table?