Sunday Morning

All is quiet.

I can hear Wayne waking up.

We all sleep on the 2nd floor. The boys bedrooms is right above the Den - where I'm currently sitting and typing.

Wayne is sucking his thumb and rocking in his bed. He's waking himself up. He also rocks at night to put himself to sleep. Tori said she tried that the other day -- the rocking, not the sucking of her thumb. She said it's hard work and it didn't put her to sleep. He's been rocking for years... I wonder when he'll grow out of it.

Milo turned 7 this week... I'll blog about his birthday later... but he reminded me that I would have to get rid of his blanket now. He has 2 that are identical... so he's been using a blanket to fall asleep for 7 years, but now he is determined to not use it anymore. I said, "No more sucking your thumb after you are 7." Apparently I'm a woman of my word, or at least he has been led to believe that. He brought me his blankets. We'll have to see how the thumb sucking goes. I offered Danielle a prize when she stopped sucking her thumb. She stopped herself in 1 week at the age of 4. Her thumb sucking was bothering her teeth. Milo's isn't. I wonder what he'll want as a prize.

We've noticed a difference in Danielle's teeth in photos since she has stopped sucking her thumb. Interesting.

I don't hear Tori or Danielle up yet.

I've got to get up from here and make tator tot casserole. Tator Tots, Hamburger, green beans, cream o'soups and sour cream on top of all that... topped with -- oops... I don't have those fried onion things... hmmm... I'll have to top it with cheese. I use a HUGE casserole pan, then we eat the left overs after church tonight for supper.

I need to talk to Pastor about our Children's Christmas Program. I get to spear head that this year. I'm excited.

I'm going to talk to Danielle's Sunday School teacher about her inquiring about salvation this week.

I get to stand up with my family and SING GLORY TO GOD. I love Sundays. Ü

Here we go!! the Calm before the storm. Are Sundays like that around your house? I do try to be organized. All the kiddos were bathed last night, but Tori, and they ALL have their Sunday clothes laid out. Shoes seem to be a problem on Sunday Mornings... I forgot to have them lay out their shoes last night. So -- I guess I'll get breakfast going early -- so they can all brush their teeth and find their shoes after they eat.

It's cold cereal and bananas on Sunday Mornings. We got through 1 entire box of cereal. We could go through 2 boxes, if I'd let them. LOL

Ready

Get Set

GO!!!

FIREPROOF - Jacket on E-bay

Do you recognize this photo??

Well -- this is a scene from the movie FIREPROOF. The jacket is up for bid on E-bay.

Here is the story, as told by the FIREPROOF folks on their blog.

AFR morning man JJ Jasper was on the set. One of the evening shoots included a scene where Caleb Holt goes outside to call his father. As is wont to be the case in late autumn, it was pretty chilly that evening. After a few takes, Kirk Cameron mentioned how cold it was getting. JJ graciously offered up his jacket and sure enough, that is what Kirk is wearing when he makes a key phone call.

Afterward, Kirk signed the inside panel of the jacket. Now, the jacket is available on eBay! And best of all, the full amount of the purchase price goes to AFR, the commercial-free radio network, which is in the midst of their Sharathon. The jacket auction lasts until early Saturday morning.

So, here is your chance get a piece of FIREPROOF ... and a nice jacket to boot! (btw: get well soon, JJ!)

I'm going to watch it for sure... I think the bidding has already blown my clothing budget for the month LOL But it will be interesting to see how high it goes. Let me know if you win it. °Ü°

p.s. The movie FIREPROOF is still open in 100 theaters across the country. It has been in the top 10 for the last 3 weeks. Amazing how a CHURCH produced movie is competing with these HOLLYWOOD movies.

p.s.s. Final bid... $2500. Wowza

Do I Smell Like Garlic?

How is it that I can get a sinus infection with no runny/stuffy nose? I've ran a low grade temp for 3 weeks. Never above 99.9°. But that is enough to make me want to nap in the afternoon and feel a bit achy in the evenings.

WHY I wait so long to do this, I'll never know... but last night I broke open my garlic and took down my big jar of chewable vitamin C. Can you smell me? LOL I'm hoping to kill this sickness... kill it dead.

I've got to go -- Danielle just came to ask me about getting saved. First things first.

p.s. Well -- we got the process started.

Several days ago Danielle asked me about praying for salvation. Since she is only 5, just turned 5 in September, I tend to be cautious with this at such a young age. Tori and Mansel were both saved at a young age, but Milo is still not saved, and he's almost 7. So when Danielle asked several days ago I said, "You go talk to God about this and we'll talk about it later." Then I begin to pray fervently... "Lord - if this is you calling her and not outside influence, please send her back to me." Today she came back.

I read through several scriptures in Roman, 1Cor., and Acts with her. She could explain the process to me in 5 year old terms. She told me the only sinless people were Jesus and Noah. Hmmm... Noah? So we talked a bit about Noah. Then I asked her if she wanted to pray, she said, yes... then wasn't sure what to pray about, so we talked about that a bit, then she started crying. She shut down. So... I started praying silently... I just felt like we should continue our talk another day. So I explained to her that SHE had to do the praying and not me, and she should go play and talk to God some more until she is ready.

You can bet your boots I'm still praying.

pdf

Does anyone know how to load a pdf file up to blogger?

I'VE WATCHED! FIREPROOF - Never Leave Your Partner Behind

If you are married, or you aren't. If you are thinking of getting married, or you aren't. If you have ever been married, or are never planning on getting married. In fact, if your parents or grandparents were ever married, or not... YOU should go see the movie FIREPROOF!!

It's that amazing.

My dear dear husband called me up yesterday and said, "Hey -- do you have anything on the calendar for tonight?" I plodded into the kitchen... very Eeyore like and replied, "Nooope... nothing on the calendar."

How about a date? Oh... my ears perked up -- do Eeyore's ears ever perk? I think I became Tiger quit quickly! I'm so pathetic. Oh a date, a date, a date, boing, boing, boing!!

Just a hint... grab a bunch of napkins when you buy your popcorn -- you might need them.

Oh yeah... it's that good!!

Milo playing Soccer!

I am doing something wrong with photos lately... I can't get any to upload here. Bummer -- so -- here is a shaky, poor quality video for you to enjoy! Trust me... ya gotta wait until the very end for the exciting part. Ü

Yeah Milo, Go Comets!!

** ATTENTION IOWA VOTERS **

Did you realize that Harkin is up for re-election again this year?

Oh MAN oh MAN oh MAN... this election is an important one for Iowa in more ways than one! Besides the obvious McCain/Obama issue.

Go here

and here

and here!!

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!

Christopher Reed... name recognition is important. Spread the Word!! Talk, talk, talk.

Lest you forget -- Harkin said, "Put all the guns on a rusty boat and sink the boat." (some what) We need to shake his boat!!

Cold Stone Creamery

Do you live by a Cold Stone Creamery??

You Lucky Dawg!!

Friday -- September 25th -- YOU could go get some free ice cream. And it would be delicious ice cream!! I've had some -- trust me -- it's amazing!!

From 5:00 - 8:00 p.m., they will be giving away 3 oz of 2 new flavors...

• Jack's Creation - Marshmallow ice cream with OREO® Cookies, Chocolate Chips and Fudge
• Emily's Creation - Nutter Butter® ice cream with White Chocolate Chips, Kit Kat® and Yellow Cake

Jack and Emily are make a wish children. I think Emily has good taste -- what do you think? Which would you choose... if you could?

ENJOY!

(Think of poor old me while you are there... far, far away from a Cold Stone Creamery... in the boonies... suffering with no free ice cream!)

°Ü°

Wordless Wednesday - video style

Anti-Virus Protection

I'm not sure if I've blogged about this or not. My new fancy smancy computer -- it's SLOW!! It wasn't slow when we brought it home... and it wasn't slow when I loaded it up with a bunch of pictures... and it wasn't slow when my kiddos played games on here... and it wasn't slow when we took it out to test the wifi (don't tell... we stole Walmart's free wifi). But it sure is slow now. We think that happened when we started using CA Security. It's free you know... well... nothing is free, I guess. Free of $$, but it was robbing my time!! It slowed our fancy smancy computer WAAAAY down.

My dh was getting very irritable when ever he had to use this thing.

So -- he did some searching.

We've switched... now we are going to use BitDefender. Ever hear of it?

Well -- I did some searching of my own and found a coupon. We got this downloaded for $18.99. (regularly $29.95) One years worth. What do you think? Was it a smart move? We'll see. So far the computer is back up to speed. It says right there in black and white... "reduces the system load and...blah blah blah" so it shouldn't slow down the computer.

Here -- read it for yourself if ya want to.

===========================BitDefender Antivirus 2009===========================

BitDefender Antivirus 2009 provides
proactive state of the art protection against e-threats such as viruses, spyware
and phishing attacks which can lead to loss of personal files, identity theft
and slower system performance.

Services:----------Hassle – Free
Hourly Updates Your copy of BitDefender will be updated 24 times a day over the
Internet, directly or through a Proxy Server. The product is able to repair
itself, if necessary, by downloading the damaged or missing files from
BitDefender servers.
FREE 24/7 SupportOffered online by qualified support
representatives and by accessing an online database with answers to Frequently
Asked Questions.

Features:----------
ANTIVIRUS, ANTISPYWARE
& ANTIROOTKIT• Protects your PC in real time against known viruses, spyware
and other malware• Blocks unknown viruses using advanced proactive detection
techniques• Detects and removes hidden threats (rootkits)• Provides a smooth
gaming experience by reducing the system load to a minimum • Monitors and
prevents potential spyware threats in real-time
ANTI-PHISHING• Protects
against phishing attempts by filtering all accessed web pages• Reduces the
risk of identity theft by preventing personal information leaks via e-mail
or web.
PRIVACY CONTROL• Blocks attempted identity theft• Prevents personal
information from leaking via e-mail, web or instant messaging.
IM ENCRYPTION•
Keeps your IM traffic private and protected from eavesdropping• Keeps your
conversartions private on Yahoo! Messenger (version 8.1 or higher) and Windows
Live (MSN) Messenger (version 8.5 or higher)
FILE VAULT• Securely stores
personal information or sensitive files.
HOME MANAGEMENT• Manages the
security of your entire home network from a single, authorized station
GAME
MODE• Reduces the system load and avoids user interaction requests during
games.
LAPTOP MODE• Prolongs battery life by tuning all products settings in
order to save power consumption
VULNERABILITY• Verifies if crucial software
on your PC is up-to-date. • Checks passwords to Windows accounts against
security rules.

Bitdefender -- found at CitationSoft.

Back up to speed... praise the Lord -- maybe I'll blog more now.

2008 LADIES RETREAT

Did I tell you I got to attend ladies retreat? My church blessed Dan and I with retreats this year. Thank You church family!

You know what happens at retreats? You get to KNOW one another.
°Ü°

I brought along my game C.O.D.A. Some ladies learned that I'M COMPETITIVE. I never just LET someone win. So they soon were cheering on the other team to beat me!! Can you believe it? ha ha haaa... it was funny. F.U.N. and we laughed a LOT!

Connie and Sarah... very seriously trying to beat me at my own game. :giggle:



Connie and Penny

These first photos are all LATE at night. I started yawning at 9:30 p.m. Well -- probably 9:00 actually. I stayed up WAAAY past my bed time.
Me and my friend Debra. :hi Deb!:


More friends... Naomi and Carol


Oh... look at this. Care to take a guess what this is?

First you strap yourself into a harness...

Then you climb all these stairs. ALL of them.

Then you clip this teeny tiny little metal clip on this itsy bitsy wire here... and ZIP down to the end on that other hill. Only the insane will do the ZIP LINE a 2nd time. When my pastor's wife was done she asked, "Want to go down again?" LOL OK -- I did NOT just call my pastor's wife crazy... did I? I'm sorry Connie... well -- you know... you are crazy is a fun sort of way. :giggle:

Here is Carol -- she is the ham of the bunch. Hamming it up with some of her friends... putting on a skit.


This is who we listened to the whole week-end. She was hiding behind the mics... couldn't get a good photo that time. Didn't think of it the other times. Mrs. Tonya. Help me out here ladies -- what is her name?


Oh WHAT A BUNCH OF LOONS... well -- actually - you can pick out the loons of the bunch. Can't you. LOL

Here -- this photo is better... remember you can click on it to enlarge it. 11 of us went retreating! But we came back. Refreshed spiritually... (not physically). Some of us snore... shhh... that's not lady like, is it?

Sarah, Naomi, Debra, Carol, Connie, Beth, Beth (I'm not stuttering), ME, Toni, Anita and Penny

I'll tell you what... that Iowa Regular Baptist Camp Ground in Clear Lake is awesome! If you ever have a chance to go there... TAKE IT!

sigh... it may be too late...sigh

It may be too late -- but do you want to have to say, "I did nothing, I didn't even try." ??

I'm going to send you to a blog that I found to be interesting this morning -- Mike Morgan writes about King Henry. Do you think you know all about King Henry? Well -- go over there and see how he writes about him.

Just read a bit of this and see what you think.

This is directly from the draft he sent to Washington.

Sec. 8. Review. Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.

I added that red attention drawer. CRAZY AIN'T IT? Do something -- don't sit on your hands... at least let the powers that be know that we are paying attention!!

I've already written my servants this morning... have you?

Cat Walk

Oh Gracious -- My kiddos thought it would be fun to dress the poor kitties up in doll clothes.


She really knows how to work that dress... doesn't she?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Danielle's Turn. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIELLE!


Now she is 5.

Here is Danielle with her card from her family.


Here is her birthday cake. Do you see a resemblance? Maybe if you squint a little. LOL I used the card as a... model. LOL It's SUPPOSED to look like a 5 year old drew it, I think.


Well -- anyway... at least it was flat and not tall. OK -- it wasn't really flat. But the icing on top was flat. In fact... the cake was a little concave. If you were lucky enough to get a piece out of the middle... it has an equal amount of cake and frosting. For some reason -- the cake took a nose dive in the middle. So I had to even it out a little with the frosting. You know... so it had the appearance of a perfect cake. Be sure your sins will find you out. Once some of the kids noticed the amount of frosting on their cake they went on and on about it... I had to confess... I said, "Notice the pieces that are on the edge... not quite as much frosting is there." Oops... So -- I'm learning. My piece of cake was realllly yummy. Extra yummy.

And the words on the bottom 2 rows... they look a little extra funny... Well -- someone threw away all my frosting bags. :sigh: They thought ALL bags were disposable... not just the disposable ones. So I got out some freezer quart size bags. All went fine... for a while. They SPLAT the black blew a gasket. 2 chunks of black frosting went all over the words I just wrote. So I quick grabbed one chunk of frosting off the cake... couldn't find a place to put it -- so I stuck it in my mouth and grabbed the next chunk off the cake. Up came the words with it... only 1/2 of the words. Not 1/2 of the words I'd written... partial pieces of the words came up. So I had to play connect the dots on some of them. Talk about stress. Even a FLAT cake gave me hives. Who suggested I start making my own cakes? Oh shut up -- it sounded like a good idea at the time!!

Dani got a doll for her birthday -- eventually. It took her daddy and 3 young men to get it out of the box. WHY do they do that?? Who grabs the dolls out of the box and runs out of the store and leaves the empty box? No one?? Why are they strapped in so tight? Crazy...


She loves her Gotz doll. Remember getting that mom? I've had it in my cedar chest this whole time. I asked Danielle if she liked her new dollies perfume. :snort:

The store Tuesday Morning had them on sale years ago. Not realizing I had a Tuesday Morning close to me... OK -- not close... but in Des Moines... I had my mother go to a Tuesday Morning in Louisiana and buy me a Gotz doll for Danielle. :snort: I'm a little directionally challenged. Hey mom... Did I ever pay for that?

She loves it! She carried it around all stinking day long!! Challice -- she was so excited that she got new clothes to go with her dollie. GREAT!! They were a hit.

Now -- I've got one more birthday to go this year... and then maybe I'll accidently throw away my non disposable EVERYTHING REALTED TO CAKE DECORATING in the house.

Oh now... I'm just kidding. (maybe not)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MANSEL!

Now he is 9.

Like his cake? I made it -- first ever... ok... not ever.. but the first NICELY decorated - it looks like something - cake. Can you tell what it is?

It took forever -- I had to photograph it... it may be the last. No one told me it took forever and a day to do all those STARS!! Good grief. Next time -- a cake in a pan... no more tall cakes. LOL

Tori's First Meet

I promise -- I won't make you look at photos of EVERY meet. LOL This experience was a first for me. I've never been to a cross country meet before. Let me walk you through. They run on a 1 1/4 mile loop at this meet. Sometimes it's longer. So -- we all start here at the beginning... yes WE. They start the race... we stand here and cheer them on. She is supposed to be stretching before the race... she prefers to just stand there and look pretty -- she's a beginner... give her time. She'll catch on.


OK -- she's off. The runner in gold on the left. The one on her the right is her encourager. Ü Another home schooled girl.

Then -- after they take off... the parents run as fast as they can... lugging cameras and coolers, and stop watches and children with short legs to the part of the race across the field. Not quite 1/2 way, but probably close. It is VERY comical to see us all waddling around there. We see them coming -- so we start hollaring!! Some guys are veterans and start counting the runners... then when their girl gets there they say "14 -- you are in 14th -- go catch that group ahead." Ahh... I get it... I had no idea what number Tori was -- but I yelled anyway... and she glared at me. I hollared... "If you have enough energy to glare -- you aren't running fast enough." LOL

OK -- I didn't either yell that. But see her encourager there on the left? They like to run to gether in practice too. :giggle:

Now we, the parents, run back across the field to the finish line and jockey around for a space up close! I'm so excited about cheering her on that all I get is her back AGAIN, at the finish line.

Hooray Tori!! She did it. She had set a goal of finishing in less than 10 minutes... she met her goal. I'm so proud!!

She came in 44th out of 70 some. 7th and 8th grade girls ran together. Not too bad for her first ever cross country race.

A friend from church was there -- he has experience... he got out a business card and wrote down her time for us. YEAH!! He could tell I was chattering so much that I had no clue what her time was. Next time I'll know. Keep your mouth shut and watch!! Count. Encourage... hand her the gatorade. Ü

What fun.

I'm now a cross country mom. I wear many hats. LOL

Followers

Did you know you can list your followers?

I found out I HAD followers -- before I knew about the gadget. Pretty cool. What fun...

I think I'll go follow some of you.

Oh My...

Please do not watch this with children in the room.

If you are on the fence about whom to vote for -- you DO need to watch this.



Abominable. Horrific.

So very important that we be informed before we vote November 4th. And it's VERY IMPORTANT that we do vote.

If you do not agree with every issue on the one side... we need to agree AGAINST the other side. We NEED to.

We also need to fall upon our faces before God and plead for forgiveness as a nation for allowing these terrifying deeds to go on right under our noses. We must stand up and fight for those who are defenseless.

Not Blogging Much

Here's why.

We've started school. Ü Today is my REST DAY from exercising... so I thought I'd jump on here really quick. But normally I have to wait until 7:00 p.m. to get on the computer... and 7:00 p.m. has been filling up each day... I have to sacrifice my computer time. Bummer.

This week-end, a normal blogging time for me, I'll be at ladies retreat. Pray for Tori. LOL I'm Just Kidding!! She will be taking up some of the slack... but will you pray for me? I need a spiritual refreshing!

Hopefully I'll be able to blog about it when I get home. Ü

I think I'll take my camera -- is that a good idea Carol? Beth?

HUGE DAVE RAMSEY SALE!!

Mr. Dave Ramsey is having a Labor Day Sale here.

Books, Cd's, DVD's can be found for $10. If you buy more than $65, you'll get free shipping.

Woo Hoo!!

I got myself this software for $10. It's an immediate download -- no shipping!

What a deal.

I'm now ready to work on our budget.

°Ü°

Remember, debt is normal. BE WEIRD!!!
(ha ha... you know who said that.)

He pays attention to details that way -- He's that kind of a God

Recently Dan and I had a discussion -- a money discussion. We agreed... yes we did too -- stop laughing... We agreed to stop spending so much. There -- that wasn't so hard.

We agreed on some other stuff too -- but this is a family blog. LOL Rated G... so there.

But -- since we've decided to stop spending so much, I think God has perked up his ears and started paying attention.

Here are a few examples.

I went to our local farmers market to buy me a pig. Not really -- to buy some sweet corn to put up for the winter. When I saw the sticker $5/dozen, I thought they were crazy and I told them so. Not really... I said, "Thank you for telling me," and I didn't buy any. None at all. So there. How is that for sticker SHOCK!

I came home and the very next day a neighbor drove up and said, "Do you like sweet corn?"

Well -- SURE, sure we do.

We could pick all we wanted, when ever we wanted, and pay nothing. Yippee!! So I picked me some corn and put it up for the winter and I praised the Lord. He provided. We wanted corn -- he didn't give us Lima beans. Isn't that nice of God -- he pays attention to details like that. He's that kind of a God.

AND

I think I already told you about Uncle George and his fair maiden Aunt Joyce. They blessed us over and over and over again with all those baseballs, and soft balls, and gloves, and bats, and a net thingie that is still up in our garage. What a blessing. Uncle George did not bring us down a pogo stick. We are not pogo'ers... although we could probably learn, but we do play softball and baseball, and one of us is even left handed, and did you know Uncle George brought a left handed glove down here. We serve a great God... he pays attention to small left handed details too. He's that kind of a God.

AND

Some blessed soul gave us a check for $xxx.xx I'm not telling -- it's a secret and this is a family blog, and if I told you the secret -- then I'd have to kill you... that's not very family blogish, now is it? After they handed us the check -- they said, "So - how much would you think you would need for curriculum this year?" I quoted them a number. They nodded and said, "Well well well... isn't that swell." OK - not really, but it rhymes, and it's similar to what they said. After they left and we said thank you over and over again and wiped the tears from our eyes... yes we did too... we opened up the check. JUST THE EXACT AMOUNT I QUOTED TO THEM!!! Yes it was. It was too... I serve a God who likes to meet your needs to the penny. He knew the details even before I SAID THEM OUT LOUD -- He pays attention that way -- He's that kind of a God.

PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW

PRAISE HIM ALL CREATURES HERE BELOW

PRAISE HIM ABOVE YE HEAVENLY HOSTS

PRAISE FATHER SON AND HOLY GHOST

AMEN

Thank you God -- My heart over floweth with praise for you today.

Dynamic Duo

Tori and I got to do a babysitting job together. I'll tell you what -- when you babysit babies as good as these... it doesn't even seem like a job. Someone PAID me to snuggle with this little guy. Mucho Malachi. He loved our animals. He sat by Ebony for a long, long time. He squeezed our kitties. LOL He'd call for them and squeal when they would jump and play... oh it was fun to watch.

Being twins -- you'd think SAME, SAME, SAME... well -- they aren't. They are as different as two peas in a pod. HA! just kidding... They are individuals. It was very fun and interesting for me to watch.


This is Isaiah, in the blue... the go getter. I didn't get to snuggle with him much. Since he is the lite weight of the crew... Mansel usually grabbed him first. Mansel is my baby lover. Ü Malachi carried around a toy racket for a long time, and Isaiah pulled this wagon around. Having not had a baby in the house for a while, it was fun to remember what babies are like -- for a day. Danielle really pleasured in "talking" baby talk to them. Someone wondered if Ebony could understand them, since we couldn't.
Here they are together. I think they look as different as night and day -- you can see they are family, but not identical twins. My children on the other hand... they kept saying, "The one in the blue or the red?"

I did a horrible job on these photos - I'm disappointed I don't have better shots to share. I was taking them too quickly, I guess.

Thanks Bob and Necole for trusting us with your precious treasures yesterday. What a blessing they were to us. Our house was full of joy and laughter all the day long. (Well -- except when Wayne spilled his red drink on the carpet.) LOL AND... I even took a nap. Always nap while babies nap, that's my rule.

Just Because

(Click on photo to enlarge)

Isn't she pretty...

I tried to sign my blog up for "post for pay". I got declined because they said my blog was most photos -- not enough words. Hmmm... sometimes words don't cut it. Ü What can you say about this sweet little face? My thoughts are -- LORD -- help me! Give me the strength and widsom to raise her to become a lady who loves you and her main desire isto to please you in everything that she does. She is so precious.

One Big Zucchini!

Wowza... I forgot that Zucchini grow FAST overnight... this one got left for several nights, apparently.

We are liking zucchini best with garlic salt sauteed in olive oil, or grilled.

I'm thinking we need to make some zucchini bread, or SOMETHING.

CUTE KITTIES

I'm not really an animal person.
But I overheard Tori telling someone -- "My mom only likes kitties, she doesn't like any other pets."
Ü
Well -- what's not to like about kitties?

They are so stinking cute!!
And pouncy.
And CUTE!
And fun to watch.

And CUTE!! Did I mention that one yet?
Don't you agree?
Yeah -- their mommy is so proud -- or is that tired?


Well -- I'd be tired with 4 babies at one time too.

Where oh where have my matching shoes gone?

Have you ever found yourself in this spot?

1 left yellow striped. 1 left red. 1 left pink. 1 right blue striped. 2 too small shoes. Oh look... 2 slippers that match.
Well -- I chose the left pink and the right blue striped, since I was going to walk across the gravel road to the mail box.


Anyone seen any flip flops? I seem to be missing a few. (Those offensive croc flip flops were no where to be found! Weird...my daughter likes them. :loony: )

Uncle George & Aunt Joyce

Uncle George
Aunt Joyce

These dear folks are Dan's Uncle and Aunt. They have taken to us. We love them. They found out that our kiddos did little league softball and baseball this spring. Uncle George is an assistant baseball coach for Roosevelt High School in Des Moines. This man is full of knowledge.
He gave a little bit of his knowledge to our kiddos today.

He brought with him a net... a big enough net fit on our big garage/shed thing from floor to ceiling. We park our car in there. Well... now we've got a battling cage thing. I know -- my verbiage is so technical... I hope I'm not losing you. He also brought a "Tee". Tees are not just for t-ball apparently. Amazing... he stood Mansel up to the tee... showed him how to hold the bat in his hand. Hand him relax. Demonstrated how to lift the bat. Get ready. Elbow down... Relax... tense muscles are not as reactive as lose muscles. Get your bat off of your shoulder. Keep your legs relaxed. Get ready... swing... WHILE twisting your hips. Turn your back foot on the ball of your foot. Swing the bat so the heel of the bat "breaks the window" and then follow through with your wrists. Hit the ball with the sugar. Ever hear of the sweet part of the bat... that's your sugar. Let's do it again. Let's do it again. GREAT swing. Let's do it again. Good hit. Let's do it again. Did you feel that? The sweet of the bat? Let's do it again.

I mean -- he had a steady stream of information... just flowing out of his mouth. He stopped once and said, "I'm coaching them like I coach my Senior High kids." It was GREAT! He coached Tori, Mansel and Milo. When he was done... finally took a seat and sipped some tea... Milo, the 6yo was hitting the ball off of the "T" every time. He never ounce hit the rubber part of the "T". Amazing... It is amazing what good coaching does. I really am amazed.

He showed Tori and Mansel how to "soft toss" the ball to each other. One crouches down and tosses the ball and they hit it into the net. Did I mention he brought bats and balls and gloves for the kids? He found a left handed glove for Mansel. It's a Nokona brand. Leather... I did a search that glove new is worth over $100. This is stuff kids leave laying around. Can you imagine that? I can't... We were blessed today.

He left a bat bag, full of bats. One is a neat bats that is weighted so you can feel if you are swinging correctly. If not the weight slides to the end of the bat early, if so, then the weight slides to the end of the bat at the right time.

Ever hear a bat go "woosh"? Well -- if you hear the sound too early -- you are not swinging correctly...

He pointed out that good coaching is about teaching young kids correct technique. He named a baseball coach who didn't even play professional baseball... but he is a wining coach. That reminded me of Tony Dungee... he wasn't a FANTASTIC football player, but he IS an OUTSTANDING coach. I'm pretty sure Uncle George has athletic ability -- but I know for SURE he is a great coach.

I found an article in the Des Moines register about his Roosevelt Team. He was an assistant coach... he helped turn that team around.

I feel so blessed that we could squeeze a little bit of wisdom out of him today. In just a few short hours he poured himself into our kids! Thank you Uncle George.

Those photos above -- they totally capture their personalities. Uncle George -- layed back, deliberate, OK -- what's next. Aunt Joyce -- happy go lucky, laughing and hugging!

We really enjoyed their visit!

We can't wait to see the fruit from the seeds you planted today.

PLAY BALL!!

Fresh

I know I show these boys with fresh hair cuts often. I love seeing how they grow. Usually in the middle of the summer -- I'll shorten the sides again and leave the top long. Then it looks like a real hair cut... not just a buzz. Sometimes we add some gel. I love these boys!

Imagination

This is one of the best investments I've ever made. Buying a parachute for Danielle.

It has become a universal toy -- all the kids love to play with it.

One of the favored things is making a tent. Usually we do this indoors. But the kids decided to do it outside this day.

They ALL were involved.

Pretty colors.

What is your favorite toy that they whole family enjoys?

Brrr.... Funny Girl

While we were working outside the other day -- Danielle wandered into the basement and started digging through the snow clothes box.

She came back outside -- ready to go!!

She pretended for about 30 minutes it was SOOO cold outside. She would shiver, say brrrr... all the while sweating in 80° humid Iowa summer weather.

She kept asking us if we were cold.

No -- silly girl... but we are having fun laughing at you!! She seems to love the sound of our laughter, because she stayed in it way longer then I would have.

Wordless Wednesday

Bent Chimneys

We recently had a storm -- and the wind blew -- and the chimney did NOT withstand. The frame that holds it in place is bent.

So - we put up some scaffolding.


And gathered our helpers.
Recruited some haulers.


Some more helpful then others.

And got to work. Actually we mostly stood around and watched Dan work -- but that's par for the course around here... just ask him.


I did get to go to the top and hand him a nut or too.

Did I get a photo of the finished project? No...

But it's done.
Whew... now we'll be set for another year of burning wood for heat.
Praise the Lord.

A Few of my Favorite Things

You know that song... Da da da da... OK -- I only know the tune.

Ok -- so forget that song... I'll just tell you about a few of my favorite things about the Iowa State Fair.

4H - when we got to the state fair, one of the first things we did was stop at the outdoor horse arena and watch the 4H competition. One good thing about that is when the judge declares the winner -- she told us why and how the others could improve. What she was looking for. We got inspired. After that show we walked through the horse barn and saw some folks we knew from Knoxville. They told us about the 4H clubs in Knoxville -- there is one for girls who DON'T have horses, but want to do 4H with them. WOW - that would be Tori. So we are going to look into that. See... we never would have known that if we didn't go to the fair.

Story telling - you know me... always love to tell a good story. LOL We sat down in the afternoon for some story telling. The adults got up and held a mic and just told stories. There were some famous names... famous in the story telling circles. Lee Klein was probably my favorite.

Animal Learning Center - This is what the Iowa State Fair web-site has to say about that building. This agricultural education exhibit features live births of various species including cows, sows, nanny goats and ewes. Fairgoers of all ages will be drawn to the chicks and ostriches hatching, along with the baby ducklings.

Little Hands on the Farm - Little Hands on the Farm teaches children the importance of agriculture and how it affects their daily lives in a fun and interactive way. Children become farmers at this hands-on exhibit. Children obtain a gathering basket and proceed along a path that includes a garden, grain bin, apple orchard, chicken coop, tractor shed, sheep barn and dairy barn. After gathering particular items along the way they get the chance to sell these items at the Little Hands on the Farm Farmers’ Market for a Little Hands dollar to spend at the Grocery Store for such items as a piece of fruit, a granola bar or an ice cream sandwich. I think my kids favorite thing was driving the little tractors.

Sun Shine - clear skys with a high of 85. Beautiful... couldn't ask for any better weather to be at the fair.

Normally -- I hate the state fair. I'll admit it -- I'm not very rural. Walking through the swine barn isn't really the most exciting thing I would choose to do. Walking around all the delicious food that has an exhorbant price is depression. Pork chop on a stick... $6. Can you believe it? Crazy. One fried oreo -- $3.50. You know what? I did pretty good on my diet actually -- because I bought NOTHING. Who can afford that? You'd have to take out a loan in order to feed a family of 7 a pork chop and an oreo. Then they would still be hungry.

I suggest you pack a lunch. That's what we did. Went to the car for lunch, then left the fair grounds at 8:00 for supper.

So -- there are some minuses... but the fair has improved much in the past few years, I'll admit. I can now say -- I enjoy going to the fair.

When I say that - do you picture me in bib overalls? LOL

WORLD RECORD - kind of corny

The Iowa State Fair decided to break a record this year. The most people simultaneoulsy eating a corn dog. Hey locals -- if you click on that link -- you can see my friends Earnie and Anetha in the DM register video. Ü Someone decided to have free addmission to the fair from 5:30 - 8:30 a.m. to get peole to come to the fair to help break this record. They had made 8,400 corn dogs in anticipation of the crowd.

Someone underestimated the greediness... um, I mean... the FRUGALITY of Iowans. LOL!!

We got up at 5:00 a.m.
We were on the road by 6:00 a.m.
We hit University Avenue at 7:00 a.m. the exactly same time as 10,000 other people, I think.

We DID get into the fair for free, at 8:15 -- saving us $38.00 -- but we did NOT get in line to eat a corn dog. We had heard on W.H.O. radio that they had only made 8,400 corn dogs. We also heard that the grand stand was getting full. We decided that at 8:15, we didn't have enough time to get over to the grand stand to try to get in on the corn dog eating event.

We are glad we decided that.

10,000 people in the grand stand, that means some people were just watching 8,400 people eat a corn dog, and 5,000 people were standing in line LISTENING to 8,400 people eat a corn dog.

3, 2, 1, CHOMP.

So -- they broke the record... 8,400 people simultaneously eating a corn dog and A TON O' CHEAP PEOPLE who got into the fair for free.

°Ü°

STUPID SHOES!!

We went to the Iowa State Fair yesterday.

I'll blog about that later...

but for now...

I'd just like to rant a little.

MY FEET WERE NOT READY FOR THESE SHOES!!

Oh My Word.

I got them on Friday -- Woo Hoo... won them off of e-bay... thought I was so smart... wore them every day including to church on Sunday -- to get my feet (toes really) ready to wear these comfy shoes to the state fair.

They would be cool... flip flops are not hot -- are they?

They would be comfy... I'm always hearing how comfy crocs are. UGLY but comfy...

Good marriage - crocs and flip flops... oh... my feet would be in heaven .

WRONG...

my TOES are crying today. I've got 5 blisters total between my 1st and 2nd toes. Oh waaah.... how do these little kids do this? Wear these flip flops all day long and run around and not blink a wink at their toes.

I'm too told for this stuff... give me my tennis shoes. they are hot, heavy, and ugly -- but they never give me blisters.

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TORI!!

08/08/08
Today is Victoria Joy's 13th Birthday. I have entered the phase of having a young adult in my home. Tori!!! We love you and look forward to how God is going to use you. She is beautiful. (I'm so jealous of her hair) She is loving. (Oh how she treats the animals around here - it amazes me) She is kind. (She really helps me with the babies, she will make a wonderful mother some day) She is a peace maker. (I often hear her working with the youngers to help them learn to get along)
She is full of joy. (She isn't like me with my out loud LAUGH! But when she looks side ways at me in the car and laughs out loud at me -- it's a picture I want to always remember. He face GLOWS!) She is patient. (One thing about an old house -- it's not sound proof. In sharing a room with her 4yo sister, I often hear her showing patience with Danielle. She is so gracious sometimes!)

Oh -- I could go on and on... but I'd rather spend the day with my new teen. 13... I can't believe it.

SLOW DOWN!! I don't want t miss anything!

°Ü°

Chapman Interview

Many have probably seen this already, but for the few who haven't... this is amazing.



I could only pray that I would react as Mr. Chapman did in the midst of crisis.

"Will Franklin - YOUR FATHER LOVES YOU."

What comes out of your mouth is what is in your heart. I truly believe that.
May God bless the Chapmans for their transparency.
May He continue to heal them and comfort them.

New Blog

Well -- I've gone and dun it...

I'm started YET ANOTHER blog!!

I'm going to do this to hold myself accountable.

I love to blog.

I hate to write myself notes about what I've done for school that day, or trying to remember -- just what DID I do all day, when my dh asks me that infamous question, or keeping any symblance of MEMORIES of my children's education.

So -- here it is... my attempt at killing several birds with one stone.

Johnston Academy

Catchy Title... huh?

I know -- the creativety was just oozing out of my pores this morning.

I've got a start on it.

I'm supposed to update it weekly.

Yeah -- I've got a family blog I'm supposed to update monthly... that I forget about... so I'm praying you'll BUG ME if I forget.

Oh hey... I've got a google calendar -- I just might schedule this. Hmmm...

Good Bye Netflix - Hello Direct TV

During the summer -- we suspend our Direct TV. We don't watch much TV during the summer normally. But we do like to have family movie nights, once a week, and sometimes a date night for dad and mom. So we do Netflix.

This summer -- summer is ending early. Well -- sort of.

The Olympics are starting Friday. My dear husband got the TV up and running so we can watch the Olympics this year. I'm SO glad he got it going early -- Track and Field is my most favorite sport to watch EVER!! I think that was developed at an early age, due to my Dad and Mom taking us to the Drake Relays annually. Hooray... I'm one happy momma.

So - I'll suspend Netflix (you can do that for a while), and Let the Olympics Begin.

What's your favorite Summer Olympic Sport? Are you going to be watching?

Sunday School Lesson Continued

Oh wow... Romans 5.3 Normal every day verse -- until you start digging.

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

Robertson says: It is one thing to submit to or endure tribulations without complaint, but it is another to find ground of glorying in the midst of them as Paul exhorts here.

OUCH! ... glory in tribulations. :sigh: so THAT's why the Word of God is called a SWORD!!


OK -- does glory mean what I think it means?

Here is the Strong's definition.

G2744
καυχάομαι
kauchaomai
kow-khah'-om-ahee
From some (obsolete) base akin to that of αὐχέω aucheō (to boast) and G2172; to vaunt (in a good or a bad sense): - (make) boast, glory, joy, rejoice.

Webster says:

Glory
GLO'RY, n. [L. gloria; planus; hence, bright, shining. Glory, then, is brightness, splendor. The L. floreo, to blossom, to flower, to flourish, is probably of the same family.]

1. Brightness; luster; splendor.

The moon, serene in glory, mounts the sky.

For he received from God the Father honor and glory,when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory. 2 Pet 1.

In this passage of Peter, the latter word glory refers to the visible splendor or bright cloud that overshadowed Christ at his transfiguration. The former word glory, though the same in the original, is to be understood in a figurative sense.

2. Splendor; magnificence.

Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one

of these. Mat 6.

3. The circle of rays surrounding the head of a figure in painting.

4. Praise ascribed in adoration; honor.

Glory to God in the highest. Luke 2.

5. Honor; praise; fame; renown; celebrity. The hero pants for glory in the field. It was the glory of Howard to relieve the wretched.

6. The felicity of heaven prepared for the children of God; celestial bliss.

Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel,and afterwards receive me to glory. Psa 73.

7. In scripture, the divine presence; or the ark, the manifestation of it.

The glory is departed from Israel. 1 Sam 4.

8. The divine perfections or excellence.

The heavens declare the glory of God. Psa 19.

9. Honorable representation of God. 1 Cor 11:8.

10. Distinguished honor or ornament; that which honors or makes renowned; that of which one may boast.

Babylon, the glory of kingdoms. Isa 13.

11. Pride; boastfulness; arrogance; as vain glory.

12. Generous pride.

GLO'RY, v.i. [L. glorior, from gloria.]

To exult with joy; to rejoice.

Glory ye in his holy name. Psa 105. 1 Chr 16.

1. To boast; to be proud of.

No one should glory in his prosperity.

Look at #9. Honorable representation of God. Hmmm... am I close? I think that's it. During tribulations (which mine are so puny, I really shouldn't even be mentioning it) glory, or be an honorable representation of God. Can't be done in my own power. That much I know. I think I'll start praying in that way... Lord - help me to be an honorable representation of You in the midst of stuff.

Just A Reminder to Self

Maintain an Attitude of Gratitude

That is the title of this week's Sunday School lesson.

I was instructed to read Philippians 4.8. Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Then the workbook says, "What things should the believer think on?" I think we all KNOW what we are to think on. I was more interested to see what "think on these things" meant. I want to know HOW.

So I looked up that verse on e-sword. Ooowww... I found some interesting things.

Henry says: think of these things - imitate them in what is truly excellent among them, and let not them outdo you in any instance of goodness.”

Gill says: think on these things: meditate upon them, revolve them in your minds, seriously consider them, and reason with yourselves about them, in order to put them into practice.

Robertson says: Think on these things (tauta logizesthe). Present middle imperative for habit of thought. We are responsible for our thoughts and can hold them to high and holy ideals.

Imitate the excellent. Let not them outdo you. Meditate on them. Revolve them in your minds. The kicker... WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR THOUGHTS.

How do you do Philippians 4.8?

My First 4k

I DID it!!! Woo Hoo!! I ran in the Knoxville Dollars for Scholars 2nd annual 4k.

Tori (my 12yo) did GREAT -- she got 21:00 (something). She stopped a few times. This was her first race, so she didn't know about pacing herself. She was at 8:54 1/2 way through. She slowed down a bit at the end.

I didn't stop (that was my goal) and I got 29:29. Hooray! Less than 30 minutes. So I'd have to work a bit to do a 5K under 30 minutes. I was at 16:48 1/2 way through. So I picked up at the end, apparently. But we were running down hill the last 1/2 more so then the first. There were a few hills... but not anything like the ones I run here at home. I was talking with Rachel, a girl from church who does cross country, and she mentioned how long her stride was going down those hills. DOH! I didn't even think about that. So I'll add that to my plan for running hills... STRETCH!! LOL

I can't wait until next year -- I'm going to do it again. August 8, 2009.

That will be incentive to STAY IN SHAPE through the winter and be able to beat my time next year.

Most of the time I ran with my friend Connie. At the end I said, "GO CONNIE!! Beat last years time!" and she took off. What fun!! I think she said she DID improve over last year. That's fun.

I didn't cry, like I thought I would, but I sure felt elated!!

OK -- enough about me.

I'd really encourage you to try something like this -- make it a goal. I started c25k in March. I couldn't HARDLY run the 1 minute time... I REALLY was huffing and puffing at the beginning. PRAISE GOD!! It is so fun to see the improvement. DO IT!! Find a race and DO IT!!

One funny... there was a 4k and a 1/3 marathon today. The man who won the 1/3 marathon yesterday came in before the LAST people finished the 4k. AMAZING!!! I think he may have had a 5:23 minute mile pace. WOW!

It was a small race -- only 250 people... but Knoxville is a small town... only about 7,500 people altogether. The 2nd year the race was run. It'll be fun to run this every year.

LURKERS COMMENT DAY

I've got a friend - Tawna -- she just told me she reads my blog all the time. Who knew??? Not me -- why? Because she never leaves a comment.

So today... today I declare it to be LEAVE A COMMENT IF YOU ARE A LURKER day. Ü

I KNOW that you are out there... I see the hits all the time... I don't know who you are... usually just what city and state or even country you are in... but a friend? Are you a friend? THAT information, I don't know.

Some people stop me and say, "I read your blog." Oh YEAH!!! An in real life comment... that's always fun... but today -- you have to come out of that closet and TYPE "I Read Your Blog."

That doesn't mean you have to LIKE my blog... LOL just say -- "Hey."

Ok -- Tawna... you going to be first?

(I realize... you may be lurking for a reason... so there may be very few comments today.) LOL

Oh well -- I'll just through this challenge out there anyway... give it a try. It'll make my day.

p.s. You can always comment anonymously. No one will evah know who you are...

Bzz About an Action Scrubber

I'm a BzzAgent... Just so ya know.

The next thing I'm bzzing about is a Action Scrubber.

Do you ever use them?

I found a $2.75 coupon for an Action Scrubber. Check it out!

So - do you ever use one? Like it? Love it?

I'm looking forward to getting one -- I'll trying just about anything that would make scrubbing easier. Ü