Having a Ball

Perfect Pairings - Romans 12:9-10

2009-11-08T09:55:00.000-08:00

My prayer for our children:
Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle
~Romans 12:9-10 (The Message)

Follow this link to Baloney's blog and add your own Perfect Sunday Pairing!

Fire!

2009-11-07T08:29:00.000-08:00

I opened my window
and pushed out the screen.
Had to capture a picture of the
blazing fire outside my bedroom window,
while it's still burning.
Hot!

Hankoween

2009-11-05T04:49:00.000-08:00

Perhaps that post title sounds a little racy.
Just trying to be a little creative here.
The local aquarium has HallowMarine
and the zoo has Hallowzooeen.
This is the Hankins' family version! Hankoween.

One blogging challenge is how to make the same types of pictures from annual events fresh and interesting every year.

I am blogging my FOURTH Halloween! I am excited about that fact, but aware that Halloweens 2006, 2007, and 2008 could look scarily like the Halloween of 2009, just different costumes.

Traditions:
We always go to a Halloween party with my sister and her family before Halloween, followed by a grab bag of Halloween parties and decorating cookies at Granny's house. Finally, we have the visit to Granny's on Halloween Eve and then Trick or Treating in the Mackey's neighborhood, followed by a quick strike back in our own neighborhood. It is just about the most fun a kid could have. And with the weather this year, I was feeling the fun... it was absolutely gorgeous... plus there were no heavy winter coats messing with the presentation of my kids' costumes.

Speaking of that... what is up with my kids' choices of costumes?
I guess Luke's choice was pretty typical for a 6 year old boy... he always wants to be mean or scary... this year he was Cobra from the G.I. Joe show....? I have no idea who that is, really. Could be a character of a serial killer for all I know.
Then Ellie chose to be a nerd. I told her she didn't have to dress up to be a nerd. She could just go as herself. Ha ha. She was cracking us up with her suspenders, taped up glasses and pens in her pocket. She collected her Halloween candy in a backpack. Here she is with her cousins, Ana and Hallie. Look how DARLING they both look, and then, there's my nerd. One thing she does have is personality!
And Kami got this totally original idea to be duck tape girl. Duck tape seems to be "the thing" this year... the girls at school are making duck tape bracelets and covering their notebooks in duck tape. If you didn't know already, duck tape (as opposed to duct tape) comes in a plethora of colors. Even plaid. Kam fashioned her costume out of some old clothes and orange, pink and purple duck tape. The costume was actually about $ 40.00 cheaper than the Cobra dude that Luke dressed up as.... she also has a silver duck tape bow and a striped duck tape cape. Here Duck Tape Girl is with her friend Goldilocks at a Halloween party.I thought my girls both looked cute and their costumes were just right for each of them. However, for just once could they possibly look like my sister's children? Just once, put on a frilly skirt and revel in their girlishness? Pleeeease?
I call them the three pretty princesses, because that is what they are. Gorgeous. Adorable. Princessy. Precious. And such a contrast to my nerd, my duck tape girl and my... um... cobra man. Take a look at an up close contrast: the nerd and the ballerina. Sigh. I've given in to it. Don't get me wrong... I adore my kids just as they are. I am not going to squeeze their fanny cheeks into a frilly costume they don't want to wear. I might consider it though! ;-) Costume choice is just a funny part of our Hankoween.So is all the other fun stuff, like getting Boo'd. Did any of you get Boo'd? That is when someone comes and leaves you Halloween treats at night. They ring your doorbell and run away. Then, you return the favor to someone else. My kids got Boo'd and they Boo'd some friends. These lovely teeth above were from one of our fun boos. Like the eyeball cookies we made this year? Ellie called this her "Here's Looking at You" cookie.
Possibly the cutest Halloween costumes I saw were the Oompa Loompa and Willy Wonka, which further proves my point. My kids don't have to be frilly, just coordinated! That would work for me! I am not getting bitter... just sayin'....Eating some severed finger gummies. Oh so yummy.The spookiest house in the neighborhood... visiting it is a Hankoween tradition.Kami and her purple skittle of a sweet friend. This picture just kind of sums up our Hankoween. The preciousness of time with friends and family. Showing love and attention to others. Having a zest for life and breathing in each second.....

.... even if it is with my Cobra man, my nerd and my duck tape girl.

Perfect Pairings - Ecclesiastes 3:11

2009-11-01T17:51:00.000-08:00

Leave it to Ellie, our Halloween nerd (more on that soon) to notice a miniature green spotted bug crawling lazily on a lavendar mum at Granny's house on Halloween afternoon. Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Disappointment

2009-10-28T22:55:00.000-07:00

He stands imposingly in the doorway.
Broad shouldered, darkly staring me down.
Accusing. Glaring. Denouncing.

I steal a look at him and run weakly to my hiding spot,
like an injured rabbit.
Where my eyes grow bloodshot hot
and my heart red heavy.
Foolish. Scared. Embarrassed.

It seems impossible to face him.

To go up against him nose to nose.
Confident. Empowered. Believing.

I would rather not take the risk.
And turn inward.
Quiet. Paralyzed. Numb.

Or I would rather fight him like a crazy woman.
Swing my fist into his jaw, hair flying insanely.
Wild. Angry. Hurt.

Instead.

I will pick myself up.
I will walk calmly towards him.
I will give him a steel look in the eye.
Mouth set, I will say firmly,
"Move over. I am coming through."

Faith-filled. Moving forward. Expecting God's best.

Good Dog

2009-10-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

A few years back, before kids, I asked Tom for a dog.

I wanted a Yorkie, like the cute, little, sassy girl Yorkie I grew up with, Cinci.

Tom bought me a dog.

Sweetly, he hid the puppy in the laundry basket and asked me to grab him a towel. To my surprise, there the black dot of a Yorkie lay sleeping.

It was so cute until it grew into an enormous boy dog, at 15 pounds, much heftier than the average Yorkie.

To this day, we still wonder what those AKC papers are printed on.

Although Cosmo (named after Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld) wasn't what I was expecting AT ALL, He has turned out to be a pretty good old boy.

It didn't start off on the best paw.

He flunked puppy kindergarten because he hates other dogs.
He chewed my Brookside starter house into smitherines.
He acted as though he would rather jump in a volcano than interact with other animals.
He always walked around with an apologetic look in his eye.
He didn't really understand the idea of spunk.
He ate up one of Tom's baby pictures that was really special to me.

I wanted to strangle him at that point.

But things got better. He started becoming a good boy.

His timidity towards other dogs meant that going outside was only a place to do his business, never to dig holes or harrass kittys.

He got over his chewing stage and barked at all the appropriate times.

His big body meant a big bladder. No accidents or potty problems like those 5 pound Yorkies have. Though devastated when our first child was born, he grew to love the kids. They love him back.
He makes us laugh with his quirky ways.

He wears sweaters without complaint, even though Tom takes up for him and secretly peels off the sweater when I'm not looking.He is never the agressor, yet never rude. Just silently pleading to get him the heck out of dodge.
The boy would never run away. He stands outside the door desperately waiting to get back in.

And look, can you see that he still has that humble look of apology? Like, ahem, I'm so sorry to bother you here, but I'd like to come back into the house now. Thank you.

Quite like an old English fart, he is. We call him neurotic behind his back. But he really is a good boy.

In his old age, I am starting to notice his health going downhill. He can't see too well and pees in weird (though still acceptable) places.

Last week he peed in the garage. And even when he does something he shouldn't, he is still a good boy.
He peed in the shape of a heart. Good dog.

Of Pumpkins and Mud

2009-10-16T21:38:00.000-07:00

Once again, we went to the pumpkin patch in Bixby.

We enjoyed the usual elements:
mounds and mounds of bright orange pumpkins.
Cute little girls in kitty cat shirts.Interesting farm animals. Lots of 'em.Bags of feed for .50 cents apiece. Pony rides: $4.00.
Scarecrows and other photo ops. And something new for us this year: mud. See it on the pumpkin?
Look at the ground. It was impossible to avoid the sludge of muddy soup.
The mud on this boy is just a small sample of the total amount that covered him by the end of our visit. The pictures don't do the mud justice. The upside? Not many people decided to brave the mud like we did, so we had the whole sloppy place to ourselves. I tried to ignore the fact the mud won; it took me an entire day to get the boots, the blankets and my car free from the caked on baked on mud. The kids didn't care, in fact they had fun in spite or because of the mud!

Perfect Pairings

2009-10-11T12:07:00.001-07:00

Here are Kami and her friends at "Gross Night" at Fellowship Bible. One activity included Mountain Dew, Baby Ruth Candy Bars, and an actual toilet. I will leave it at that. The final activity was the shaving cream war, below.

~Ezekiel 36:25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.

Kindergarten Confessions

2009-10-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

You may remember our struggles with Luke's FIRST Kindergarten year. We had roughs and tumbles and timeouts and even a trip or two to the Principal. I think I about used up all my tears and brain cells trying to figure out what to do with the child.

After much talking and reading and discussing and praying, Luke is now in superkindergarten, and he has an alias. He has transformed into a boy named "L.J." Before school started, we heard that his class was bursting full of Lukes, so he took it upon himself to find a different name. Luke James dubbed himself L.J.

It's been such a fantastic year so far that I may insist that he goes by L.J. every year. Now, to clarify, we haven't had parent teacher conferences yet... however, it feels better. It feels like he is NOW ready for kindergarten. There seems to be a peace and a certainty with Luke's situation that I was afraid wouldn't find me for years. It probably helps that Luke's teacher is an angel sent straight to her earthly classroom strictly for one little 6 year old stinkbug named L.J. She's beyond fantastic.

Anyway, the boy just cracks me up. I walked by his classroom this morning and observed some of L.J. and his classmates' art on the walls. The children were apparently supposed to draw a picture of what their family likes to do together.

Here is Kylie's creation. She and her family enjoy swimming in Grandma's pool.Annette and her family love to go to church. How sweet.

L.J.'s friend Wyatt has a family who enjoys boating. I love Maya's picture of her family playing tic tac toe.

and here is L.J.'s picture. Read the bottom of the page: "My family likes to have fun together. Here is a picture of us. We are on a trip on a pirate ship." There is even a cannon firing and I believe we are holding guns. I hope that is Tom up on the mast.

Perfect Pairings

2009-10-04T19:22:00.001-07:00

This weekend, Oliver Twist opened at our local children's theatre, in which Ellie played an orphan and a pickpocket. I caught this pic between scenes. She likes to hole up underneath some tables during the other kids' scenes and I thought she looked awful pitiful here - sad eyes. Though she has had fun pouring herself into a this role, the word of God says something very specific about people like Ellie's characters.
You're blessed when you've lost it all.
God's kingdom is there for the finding.
You're blessed when you're ravenously hungry.
Then you're ready for the Messianic meal.

You're blessed when the tears flow freely.
Joy comes with the morning.

The Message - Luke 6:20b

Hurtin' for a Good Laugh

2009-09-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

My bones just need it.

And it's just not just a psychological thing, though I can be quite psycho at times.

It's scientific.
It's quantifiable.
It's physiological.

Check out how humor contributes to physical health: (according to this website)

Muscle Relaxation - Belly laugh results in muscle relaxation. While you laugh, the muscles that do not participate in the belly laugh, relaxes. After you finish laughing those muscles involved in the laughter start to relax. So, the action takes place in two stages.

Reduction of Stress Hormones - Laughter reduces at least four of neuroendocrine hormones associated with stress response. These are epinephrine, cortisol, dopac, and growth hormone.

Immune System Enhancement - Clinical studies have shown that humor strengthens the immune system.

Pain Reduction - Humor allows a person to "forget" about pains such as aches, arthritis, etc.

Cardiac Exercise - A belly laugh is equivalent to "an internal jogging." Laughter can provide good cardiac conditioning especially for those who are unable to perform physical exercises.

Blood Pressure - Women seem to benefit more than men in preventing hypertension.

Respiration - Frequent belly laughter empties your lungs of more air than it takes in resulting in a cleansing effect - similar to deep breathing. Especially beneficial for patient's who are suffering from emphysema and other respiratory ailments.

Wow, do I ever need a good laugh.

I'm feeling the frustration of trying to be

everything to everybody on everyday at everymoment.

I am energetic PTA member

dependable soccer mom

yes lady to many a task

on-top-of-it Bible Study girl

keeper of the calendar

oh so athletic tennis mama HAHAHAHA

queen bee of the home

doctor and pharmacist

brillant tutor of math and reading

gourmet cook of many healthy dishes

yet chicken lickin skinny mini

thoughtful, loving, daughter

never-forgets-to-call grandaughter

super sister

awesome blogger

bubbly friend

adoring wonderiffic wife

supportive coach's spouse

taking one for the team

always fill in when you need her volunteer

never forget to pack a snack in the backpack kind of mom.

English Teacher Extrordiare

to put it another way....
I'm timekeeper, referee, and cheerleader.
And most of the time, the starting quarterback.
Heck, I also sell the tickets and clean up the crud after the game.

Pleaser

Parent

Prayer

Pillow
Pretty

Pickerupper

Planter of flowers

Part time Printshop

Previewer of Books, Movies and other media

Plucker of Attitudes

Player of Games

Piano Teacher

Protector of my kiddos

Passionate Preacher

Play Practice Princess

Phone Police
"Pick up Your Stuff" Yeller

Peace keeper

Party Planner

Poop Patrol

Producer of Eggs

Preventer of Accidents

PTA Phreak -(!!!!!)

Pretender to have it all together
Picker of noses

and other orifices.

Priveleged to do each and every one of these things.

But Prover of only one thing:

I can't do it all.

you can't do it all.

i know that i'm not the first one to feel this way.

So half-done.

So scattered.

So lacking.

Cause I can't effectively be all the things i really want to be.

But.

One thing I know that I am.

I AM a Child of the King.

I know the truth is that i only need to be what He wants me to be.

expectations and true desires aside.

Starting now.

And what he wants me to do right now, right this minute is laugh. Be healthy. Be happy.

Here are a few things that make me laugh:

Ellie is preparing her Nerd costume for Halloween. She found these glasses at the thrift store. She can always bring a smile to our faces.

My friend Kerry came into town from Thomas for a meeting and stayed here with us for one night. It was like having a cross between Lisa Kudrow and Anjelah Johnson in my house.

Kerry is so stinking funny.

I have always adored Calvin and Hobbes. Click on cartoon to get a closer laugh.

And finally, this guy cracks me up. Check out all his videos on You Tube.

You may just get a good laugh yourself.

Perfect Pairings

2009-09-27T04:30:00.000-07:00

1 Peter 2:2 ~ Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.

Perfect Pairings" is a fun and easy way to blog. Just find a picture you like and then pair it with a scripture...or, vice versa, think of a scripture and try to find a picture to fit its theme. Then, post your link in the comment section here. What a great way to share a picture, and at the same time, honor God with His Word!

Celebrating the Birth of a Nature Lover

2009-09-25T05:36:00.000-07:00

On Ellie's 9th birthday, we had a few friends and family come to Camp Loughridge, where we rented a slice of nature for the afternoon. Everyone fished, canoed, hiked and roasted marshmallows over a campfire. It couldn't have been any more perfect for Elle Belle, whose heart is at most at home in the Great Outdoors. I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in. ~George Washington Carver
God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars. ~Martin LutherTo me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug. ~Helen KellerIf the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive. ~Eleonora Duse I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes. ~e.e. cummings
Never does nature say one thing and wisdom another. ~Juvenal, Satires
Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars... and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful. Everything is simply happy. Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance. Look at the flowers - for no reason. It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are. ~Osho Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. ~John Muir
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~Albert Einstein

Where is that Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart?

2009-09-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

joy

–noun 1. the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation.

We who follow Christ are called upon to be joyful.... always.
1 Thessalonians 5:16.

Hmmmm. This command has been a bit difficult for me lately.

I've been witness to a dozen recent heartbreaks.
Or heartDEVASTATIONS could be more like it.

*Colleen leaves behind 3 sweet girls and an adoring husband.
The big bully of cancer wins again. Really, God? JOY?

*A best friend suffers daily from the decisions of her ex. The cross is so heavy for her.
God, where are you?

*A local family, rock-solid in their faith, perish in a small plane crash in the middle of a storied park. Mom, Dad, Older Sister, Younger Sister. Leaving behind two older siblings. My heart is so heavy. Joy is weak.

*Family D., plitting up. Separating. Divorcing. Moving far apart.
Little hearts are crushed.
Family M., splitting up. Separating. Divorcing. Moving far apart.
Little hearts are crushed.
Family H., plitting up. Separating. Divorcing. Moving far apart.
Little hearts are crushed.
Family O., plitting up. Separating. Divorcing. Moving far apart.
Little hearts are crushed.
Personal friends, each one of these.
My heart is hushed.

*10 year camp counselor of my beloved Kanakuk is arrested on charges of being a sex predator.
There are no words.

*And then, a local shining star of a family, precious in every way, lose their son in a terrible accident. Mom is driving, tire blows out, car flips 4 times. 8 year old Zachary is gone.

Like that.

Poof. The flame in my heart that is supposed to be joy is extinguished. All that is left is some lingering smoke and a rancid smell that makes me want to retch.

How God, can you expect JOY from your children at such a time as this.

Be joyful always. 1 Thessalonians 5:16. It stings my ears.

But then comes a letter from a dad to a son. A son who is no longer alive on this earth.
A dad whose guts feel like they are strung out on the sidewalk, all bloody and grotesque.
A dad whose tears can't come hard enough or fast enough.

His son is gone.

This dad's letter will be the last words of this post, because I find it particularly astounding in the face of such pain.

The letter to Zachary (along with discussion on this topic at our mini-church last week) helped me open my mind to a thought.... .

....the thought that JOY is not ALWAYS a feeling. It can be and often is, but doesn't have to be and many times is not at all.

Much like LOVE isn't always a feeling. If you have a 2 year old, you know that even when the little darlin' marks your new couch up with your black sharpie and you want to strangle her...

you still LOVE her.

You are not feeling the love, but the love hasn't shifted a minutia.

Similarly, it occurred to me that joy is not necessarily a feeling.

The Christian can have joy even when he doesn't feel joy.

I think that it's actually called faith -

the absolute, unwavering assurance that God loves his children, he made us from dust, is with us moment in and moment out, has a plan for our lives on this earth and also has an everlasting future prepared for us in heaven.

That kind of JOY can be my strength. Phil. 4:13

I close by asking this question:
Can you see joy in the letter below? (used with permission from Christina, Zachary's mom)

Dear Zachary Austin,

Your mom, Hannah and I miss you dearly, but we know that you have been especially called to your mission field. While it is extremely painful for us to let you go, we know that the mission that has been chosen has a higher purpose that is good beyond all measure, but is hard for us to comprehend right now.

We tend to think your mission started last Monday, it actually started 8 years ago in March. From the first day, you began to teach us how to live and to be better than who we are. You shared that knowledge not only with us, but everybody you interacted with. I still remember praying with you at night before you went to bed that you would be a light to those around you and that others would know Christ through your actions and words. That prayer was continually answered. You always rose to the challenge of that prayer.

You continually amazed us in the number of people you touched through your easy way of making friends, your infectious laugh and ability to make others laugh, and your beautiful smile that could light up a room and a life. I would walk down the halls at church or at school, and people would pass by, young and old alike, saying “Hi Zach”. I would ask you who that was and you would tell me. It seemed to me that everybody knew you and that you knew everybody. You had a competitive spirit on the playground or playing field, but you also had a compassionate heart in the classroom. It didn’t matter whether it was someone who was athletically gifted or someone who had special needs, you simply treated them as a friend because they were your friend. I now see the reason for that. God had a plan for you from the first day we laid eyes on you.

As you grew, we began to see a boy that loved being outside and loved playing his sports. While you have always been a Momma’s boy, you were growing into Daddy’s boy. You loved to snuggle up with your Mommy at night, but you liked to throw the baseball or football with Daddy after work. Physical things became personal challenges to you. I can still remember trying to teach you how to ride a bike. I was never quite able to show you what it took to stay up on the two wheels so we put the bike away for a week. I came home one day and saw you riding the bike in the driveway and street while your Mommy was watching. I asked Mommy what she did to show you how to ride. She simply said she took you to a friend’s house where you saw a friend riding his bike. You told yourself, that if your friend could ride his bike, you could ride your bike too and you got up on your bike and rode it. You didn’t need your Daddy to teach you, you simply needed a friend to challenge you. You asked for a Rip-Stick for your birthday and had it mastered by the end of the week. You didn’t stop riding it until you had it figured out. We went skiing for the first time together and you didn’t let a portion of the slope that was a “black” stop you. Moguls became something you wanted to master instead of avoid. Those times were special to us and all part of your mission. Those were times that we could really see the spirit of Jesus in you.

During the last year, I got the privilege of baptizing you. It is something that I will never forget and always cherish. You had no problem publicly accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior because you had privately made the decision long before.

I won’t lie. It will be hard to go on without being able to touch you, but you are always in our hearts and live on in those people you touched. You continue to have an impact on people in the few days you have been gone, but I suspect that is all part of your mission and will not change in the days to come.

Mommy and I know that we are called to do God’s work where we are in this world, but we desperately look forward to the day that we can join you on your mission and you can show us around.

Love, Daddy, Mommy and Hannah

P.S. Give Nanna our love.

Perfect Pairings

2009-09-20T07:06:00.000-07:00

Waiting for the school bus, my little man turns into a little monkey.

Thank God for Psalm 139:7-8:

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.

Find more perfect pairings here!

Surrounded by Women

2009-09-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

Well, not women yet, but girls and therefore,
a ton of
estrogen,
emotions
and lipstick.
How will such a
singular
testosterone bomb
fare around five (5)
female cousins and sisters
with no other boy
to speak of
in his immediate family?

Just bein' a momma
and wonderin'.

In With The New

2009-09-10T06:41:00.000-07:00

New Things can happen at New Life Ranch.

We went there for a Labor Day Retreat

with the new church we are attending.

Take a look at the New: New place for our family to enjoy... New friend that God has given me.... New look at the egg toss...
New game to play with an egg... New canoing partners...
New water activity for Luke...
New horse to Ellie (Hadi)...New buddy for Luke... A new day at the Ranch... And, most excitingly, a new life in Christ!!!!!

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, she is a new creation;

the old has gone, the new has come!!!

Congratulations Tiffani

and I count it as a privelege to not only have met you,

but to witness you beginning your new relationship

with God through Jesus Christ.

It is the single most important decision anyone could ever make...

to accept Jesus into their heart as the way, the truth and the life.

(John 14:6)

If the Quilt Fits....

2009-09-08T18:07:00.000-07:00

Dream big for just a moment....

If you had a quilt custom-made
JUST FOR YOU,
what would it look like?

If you could thoughtfully pick out the fabrics
that would be used in your quilt,
what patterns and shapes and images and hues would you choose?

Shades of turquoise and brown?
Ahhh, my favorite colors right now....However, God knows that the crazy quilt below
is actually more befitting me at this point in my life!
Kind of cool looking though, huh?Tea... if you only knew the amount of tea I drink a day....
you'd be surprised my skin isn't turning GREEN!
(green tea is sooooo soothing!)
This tea quilt would be apropos for me.As I googled quilts in Google Images,
I noticed that there is pretty much a quilt for everyone.
Here's one for The Okie.And The OSU fan. (GO POKES!!!!)The tennis nut.
(side note: I am taking tennis lessons
and it is quite hysterical.
My sister got all the athletic ability.
Maybe getting the quilt would help me!
Then again, maybe not.)Those who love to read.Those who love snakes. Snakes!?!The Elvis Presley quilt.And gracious me, the Twilight quilt, as in Stephenie Meyer Twilight.Luke would dig this skateboarding quilt. Apparently, there is quite a quilting following of arcade games.
Remember Q Bert? I really loved Q Bert.And a Donkey Kong quilt, who knew?Tom may like this basketball quilt... ? .....And even a quilt for president Barack Obama. But....
Guess whose dream of sleeping under a hand made,
custom designed quilt came true?

Ellie won granny's Labor Day quilt drawing!!!!!!!
Here she is under her DOG quilt
(every little piece of fabric is wagging with a different dog design)
with her dog stuffed animals and her real dog resting right beside her.The Quilt fits!!!

The Last Sliver of Summer

2009-09-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

In LOVE with Laura Ingalls Wilder

2009-09-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the summer, on a hunch, I gave Ellie the box set of The Little House on the Prairie Books, all 9 of them. I thought maybe she'd find an interest. Well, as a parent, you think that quite a bit. Always looking for things that might strike your child's fancy. Right? Unfortunately, if you looked in the closets of our house,
you would find...
barely worn dance shoes,
unread books
lonely leotards
and even a couple games that have never been played.

NOT THIS TIME.

The books became her obsession this summer. Every spare moment she had, she'd come beg me, "mommy, can I pllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaase go read my book?"

Hmmmm. Let me think. Engross yourself in a set of classic sequels, many of which have been named Newberry Honor books?

Delve into a multi-layered story that was dear to me as a child?
(though I didn't read the books, I LOVED the TV show)

Well.... OK.

So read them she did...
one by one soaking up the details of Laura's life.

From childhood to marriage and everything in between,

Little House in the Big Woods
Farmer Boy
Little House on the Prairie
On the Banks of Plum Creek
By the Shores of Silver Lake
The Long Winter
Little Town on the Prairie
These Happy Golden Years
The First Four Years

and by mid-August she had tearfully shut the last page.

Like a great movie you never want to end, so felt Ellie as her dear story came to a close.

Thank goodness my cousin Ronda came to the rescue.

They themselves had been on quite a summer Laura quest... visiting all the Laura Ingalls Wilder houses in America, traveling to places such as North Dakota, Minnesota and Missouri!!! Wow!

The last piece of their puzzle was the Little House on the Prairie in Independence, Kansas. Graciously, they asked Ellie to go with her cousin Ana, and here are Ellie's pics!Thanks Ronda and Cousin Ana for taking Ellie along on your trip!!Post Note: While at the library, looking for something else to grab her interest, the librarian told us about some books by Roger Lea MacBride. They are the fictional account of the life Rose Wilder, Laura's daughter. So, she's at it again. Waking up early so she can read before school, reading while eating breakfast, reading in the bathtub, reading with a tiny flashlight in bed at night. Poor girl, she can't help it. Her obsession with reading is a genetic trait!!

Our American Idol

2009-08-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

Do you remember Granny's 97th birthday party a year ago???

The horse-drawn-wagon-prairie-lovin'-hoe-down of a celebration?

How could THAT be topped?

Well, hang on folks....
it doesn't get any more rockin' than this!!!!!

We celebrated Granny's big 9-8 with an American Idol themed party.

Granny, of course, was game. We had singers and dancers..... see some of our acts below....Hallie and Ellie did a cool Miley Cyrus inspired number.I was so impressed with Ana's confidence and choreograpy!Luke the breakdancer. (Ok, we stretched the rules a little bit - should have been a So You Think You Can Dance party!)Shae rocked the electric guitar!Wo... no kidding, we even had a hula hoop duo... too funnny!For the grand finale, Granny, who does have problems with her ears, sang "How Great Thou Art."

Kim and I stood up there with her and mouthed the words, but by the end all I could do was grab her hand and let my tears fall.

Then everyone in the room sang it again and we would have all been crying if not for the humor of granny's loud and off-key voice singing "Then sings my Soooooooooooooulllll, my savior God to theeeeeeeeeeeeeeee." It was such a moment.

To top it off, when our emceee Uncle Lewis (not pictured) interviewed her afterwards, like he did all the other contestants, she popped off to our judges (pictured below), "do I get to go to Hollywood?"

It brought the house down. Our judges, from left, Jim (Randy), Jami (Paula) and Melissa (Simon). The audience was all smiles.
There were a few non-performers too. But aren't they cute?Granny blowing out the candles on her American Idol cake. Granny and her greats.Granny and her great great.Proud daughter and granddaughter of the birthday girl.Ida Pondarae is a shining star.

What a celebration of the birthdate of our true idol.

Cause it is NO LIE:

We all want to be like Granny.

**credit goes to Ronda, Kim R. and Judy for putting this party together! Girls, it was a ton of fun!

Astronomical

2009-08-17T06:25:00.000-07:00

Tom and I took a little getaway to Las Vegas this summer. That vacation destination is not on my top ten list of places to go, however, due to a free plane ticket for me and Tom already traveling there on business, it was a way for us to have a nice mommy-and-daddy-only outing.
We stayed at a great hotel and went to some shows and slept in and ate out and enjoyed our time together.

What struck me this year wasn't the grandiose hotels, the slick and quick neon signs or even the casinos and their neverending beeping, humming and whirring with the occasional ding-ding-ding. It wasn't the entourage of media surrounding Blake Griffin when I saw him walk by or the live taping of Wheel of Fortune that I attended. (PARQUET was the winning word in the bonus round)It wasn't Blue Man Group (though that was the HIGHLIGHT of the trip) or the magical acts of Penn and Teller. It was the people.
The lines of people.
The crowds of people.The gargantuan scope of the human race came at me with full force while in Las Vegas.

People there, people here. Tall people, short people, brown people, yellow people, smiling people, sad people, people with blank stares, people alone, people in groups, people lost, people found. The old. The young. The hopeful. The confused. People from faraway. People who never moved from their space of cement.

There were so.many.people.

It is overwhelming and quite honestly unfathomable for me to consider the amount of lives represented in the city of Vegas, much less Nevada, much less the United States, much less North America, much less the world.

The world.

So how does God balance the sheer number of people on this earth with the innate need each of us have to connect with other human beings?

Friendship.

And that's when it hit me....

out of 6,706,993,152 people in the world (i looked it up)
He chose YOU to be my friend.
YOU to interact with.
YOU to laugh with.
YOU to raise my children with.
YOU to cry with.
YOU to have fun with.
YOU to ask questions.
YOU to be the object of my admiration and respect.
YOU to inspire me.
YOU to help me.
YOU to be helped.

Even my blogging buddies, who I have not met in person, but have met in heart.

So, if I know you, I'm not taking this thing lightly.

I'm thinking, with the amount of people currently in the world times the amount of years the earth has held human kind.... the chance that I know you and that you know me....

is pretty Astronomical.

September Babies

2009-08-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Kim was one of my two best friends during high school and throughout college.

We have been through just about anything you can imagine together.

Even pregnancy.

One day in early 2000, unbeknown to us, little cells were splitting like crazy inside of each of us.

Those little cells grew into embryos that turned out to be Will and Ellie, born only 4 days apart.

Kim lives in another state. We don't get to connect too often. Our kids have only been around hers a handful of times.

But it doesn't matter.

There is a familiarity and bond that only time, experiences, and God could forge.

I got to see my friend Kim a few days ago; she brought Will along for the visit. Ellie was the only one of mine home. So we took them to lunch. They talked about Bakugans and Wii games. Fishing and fun.

Kim and I talked about life, love, family, faithfulness, children, changes, surprises, school,
.....and our Super September babies.

Dog Days of Summer

2009-08-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

A new dog park opened in our town and it has been a huge hit with everyone around here. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to enjoy the park because our dog Cosmo not only doesn't think he's a dog, but he loathes other dogs of any size. Going to the dog park would be tantamount to torture for him. Luckily, Nana and Papa have newly adopted two adorable Yorkies into our family, Rae Rae and Rocko. They brought the dogs out to Biscuit Acres and we all had a great time, dogs and people alike. Rocko is on Papa's lap and Rae Rae is Nana's dog.Kami, Ellie and a couple of their friends romped with the dogs for a long time, running around with bright eyes and wagging tails.
One hilarious aspect of being at Biscuit Acres is taking in all the dogs... their shapes, sizes, colors and personalities. Here is Jack, getting a handle on the situation... oh so cautiously. He looks a little concerned.And Pete, he's one happy-go-lucky guy. Couldn't miss him with his head sticking out the back of the truck.
This white dog was one of Ellie's favorites.Our own Rae Rae is enjoying some frisky exercise.Now that the Dog Days of Summer are nearly over, we'll have to see how it is over in Biscuit Acres during the Dog Days of Fall!

firsts/lasts

2009-08-14T10:44:00.001-07:00

first
day of sixth grade
last
year before she is in middle schoolfirst
day of third grade
last
day before she really has to memorize the times tables (eek!)
first
day of school
last
time my baby will be in kindergarten