Thursday, November 13, 2008
A MUST-READ
Please take a moment to visit a favorite site of mine today. The site is, www.audreycaroline.blogspot.com. Scroll to May 23rd and take a good long peek at the entry entitled, "The Past and The Pitcher." Make sure you mute the CCM and also take a few kleenex with you too.
Monday, November 10, 2008
7 things most people do not know about me.......
I was tagged in a friend's blog to write 7 things people do not know about me so here I am. Funny thing is, the more I thought about this post, the more I realized that the reason people do not know things about me is probably because I purposely do NOT tell them. AND I am probably not telling them for a good reason. Another funny thing is that the more you know me...the more you know that I am an open book, cry with everyone, laugh with everyone, tell everyone what I am struggling with, (Well those patient enough to listen that is..) and so really I do not have too many "undisclosed details" about myself. So read on and just pretend like you never knew k?
1. My favorite color is red. (Cranberry to be exact.)
2. I named two of my children off of Sarah Plain and Tall.
3. I have seriously thought of legally changing my middle name. (Mostly when I was in grade school.)
4. I come across much better on paper than in person, and I look better too!
5. I have more fond memories stored in my memory, that I pull from on a weekly basis, than the average person. And these memories are shared with a select few that I am permanently attached to because they have gone thru these things with me, and when I am with them we can just be together and enjoy ourselves because we have so much "history" together. We can begin talking about a memory and just end mid-sentence knowing that we are both re-living the memory in our minds. And two of these people are Tam and Patty.
6. I would like to have some published work before I die.
7. My favorite Bible Story is Jairus' meeting with the Lord and his daughter's healing.
Well there ya go.... somehow it seems to me that knowing more is really more like knowing less??? (smile)
1. My favorite color is red. (Cranberry to be exact.)
2. I named two of my children off of Sarah Plain and Tall.
3. I have seriously thought of legally changing my middle name. (Mostly when I was in grade school.)
4. I come across much better on paper than in person, and I look better too!
5. I have more fond memories stored in my memory, that I pull from on a weekly basis, than the average person. And these memories are shared with a select few that I am permanently attached to because they have gone thru these things with me, and when I am with them we can just be together and enjoy ourselves because we have so much "history" together. We can begin talking about a memory and just end mid-sentence knowing that we are both re-living the memory in our minds. And two of these people are Tam and Patty.
6. I would like to have some published work before I die.
7. My favorite Bible Story is Jairus' meeting with the Lord and his daughter's healing.
Well there ya go.... somehow it seems to me that knowing more is really more like knowing less??? (smile)
Monday, November 3, 2008
Family Photo Essay
My College Sweetheart,
My dirty-face Anna-banana,
My mischievous Nazy,
My Abby-babs,
My Da-bed,
My soon-to-be New Brother-in-law Chris and his sweetie Diana,
My MIL-and-FIL,
My Preacher.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Remains of the Day
Mom tucking Isaac in with those wonderful warm Hospital blankets. The nurse gave Isaac a stuffed dog, which he affectionately named, "Fluffy."
Bless his heart, now who smiles for a picture right after getting his IV in????
The beginning of the "Amelia Bedelia Marathon.." (And sporting the duck slippers!)
One sore, brave boy headin' home!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
What did one tonsil say to the other??? "Get dressed, the Doctor's takin us out tonight!"
Our oldest son Isaac had his adenoids and tonsils taken out this morning... and the whole hospital visit brought an old poem back to mind. Isaac was the picture of bravery today and each nurse that tended to him told us privately that he was just the most courteous boy. He thanked everyone for everything and even tried to turn down the nurse's offer of a popsicle for his extreemly sore throat, telling her that he "had some at home he could eat," thinking he would be putting her out! (Yes this is all Joel's doing. Kindness oozes out of him.........seriously)
On the way to the Surgery Center this morning...early... we had a great discussion with Isaac. When I first spoke to him this morning he was sitting calmly on the couch reading a lap-full of Amelia Bedelia books. I asked him how he was and he, without lifting his head from the book shrugged and told me....."I'm not scared....I just don't know what to be!" Gotta love him. Well this began the discussion about bravery that followed us all the way to the Center. We talked about Moses and how being afraid doesn't mean that you aren't brave. I just sat and loved hearing Joel explain some great Biblical examples in pint-sized bites. Today was just filled-to-the-brim with good memories. Joel bought me breakfast and I asked Isaac, once seated in the waiting room, if he would mind if I ate it....tho he wasn't allowed to eat after Midnight the night before, I think he was too nervous to be hungry anyways, still absorbed with Amelia Bedelia. We were checked in, Isaac and I got matching wrist bands....like they wouldn't know he was mine....(ever read the Ransom of Red Chief???? I digress...) then it was a jaunt to the pre-op. Our anxiety was surpassed by the ever-hilarious pint-sized Hospital gown with his fruit of the looms peeking out, not to be out-done by his "duck slippers" as we affectionately called them. I will post pics of them later... All three of us laughed at those things!!! Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz would have killed for them! Anywho.. we knew the IV was coming, told him about it days earlier..but all stashed information falls out of your brain when you see a nice lady with a needle comin at you. He kept a stiff upper lip..and so did Joel ( little inside joke...love you Honey!) and that was over. The walk to the OR was a wee bit sad, and Isaac trickled a few tears, but we kept talking about being brave and he (our little duck) walked into the OR like a little man.
Joel had to run back to school to teach and I waited in the (what else) waiting room until summoned by the Doctor who is absolutely hilarious in his own right. Not enough time to elaborate on HIM. Wow. Anyway, back I go to see my brave boy who is red eyed, swollen and has "what did I just get myself into" written all over him. And his first words to me?? "WHHHHHHERS DAAAADDD???" Bless his little heart he sounded like a Muppet. So I called Joel and told him he just had to find a way to come back up... which he did, and which commenced some more unbelievably sweet memories. Just the three of us, well four if you count Amelia Bedelia, and we took turns reading aloud to Isaac, with all of us laughing.... a sweet time that I will forever remember. Joel called it an "Amelia Bedelia Marathon." It was fun because we were together. It was fun because Amelia Bedelia really is a hoot. It was fun because we were relieved that everything went well. It was fun because Donna (who I am indebted to) snuck in a great cup of coffee which Joel and I shared. It. Was. Fun. Proving that we Royalty's really do have a blast in the weirdest of situations. Sweet time sipping hot coffee, reading Amelia Bedelia ( which I still can't figure out WHY the author insists on making the reader say her FULL name EACH and EVERY SINGLE time she is mentioned!!! Can't they say, SHE, HER,.... MELIA! for Pete's sake??) and belly laughing.
I made Isaac a notebook with pencil that hung around his neck. It came in handy. I am going to show him that pad of paper someday and the scribbles and we will laugh some more. He has eaten his weight in yogurt and finally zonked out on the couch. What a day. I must add that my sweet MIL, Mother in law, made us a delicious dinner and my Hubby picked up the kiddos from her house late in the afternoon, giving me a few hours of quiet time with just Isaac. Who was taking the sore throat oath of silence by this time, allowing me to get the whole house in ship-shape, watch my favorite parts of "Sheffey," get some fall candles burning (my trademark after cleaning) and do some punch needle embrodery. (Lest you think I am "all that" refer to previous post..) God is good to us, and Isaac is on the mend.
Dr. Johnson's Picture Cow
Got a sliver in my hand
An' it hurt to beat the band,
An' got white around it too;
Then the first thing that I knew
It was all swelled up, an Pa
Said: "There's no use fussin', Ma,
Jes' put on his coat an' hat;
Doctor Johnson must see that."
I was scared an' yelled, because
One time when the the doctor was
At our house he made me smell
Something funny, an I fell
Fast asleep, an' when I woke
Seemed like I was goin' to choke;
An' the folks who stood about
Said I'd had my tonsils out.
An' my throat felt awful sore
An' I couldn't eat no more,
An' it hurt me when I'd talk,
An' they wouldn't let me walk.
So when Pa said I must go
To the doctor's, I said: "No,
I don't want to go to-night,
'Cause my hand will be alright."
Pa said: "Take him Ma," an so
I jes' knew I had t' go.
An' the doctor looked an' said:
"It is sore an' red --
Much too sore to touch at all.
See that picture on the wall,
That one over yonder, Bud,
With the old cow in the mud?
"Once I owned a cow like that,
Jes' as brown an' bug an' fat,
An' one day I pulled her tail
An' she kicked an' knocked the pail
Full o' milk clean over me."
Then I looked up there t' see
His old cow above the couch,
An' right then I hollered 'ouch.'"
"Bud," says he, "what's wrong with you;
Did the old cow kick you, too?"
An' he laughed, an' Ma said: "Son,
Never mind, now, it's all done."
Pretty soon we came away
An' my hand's all well to-day.
But that's first time that I knew
Picture cows could kick at you.
The delightful - Edgar A. Guest
P.S. Isaac's name means, "Laughter." :-)
On the way to the Surgery Center this morning...early... we had a great discussion with Isaac. When I first spoke to him this morning he was sitting calmly on the couch reading a lap-full of Amelia Bedelia books. I asked him how he was and he, without lifting his head from the book shrugged and told me....."I'm not scared....I just don't know what to be!" Gotta love him. Well this began the discussion about bravery that followed us all the way to the Center. We talked about Moses and how being afraid doesn't mean that you aren't brave. I just sat and loved hearing Joel explain some great Biblical examples in pint-sized bites. Today was just filled-to-the-brim with good memories. Joel bought me breakfast and I asked Isaac, once seated in the waiting room, if he would mind if I ate it....tho he wasn't allowed to eat after Midnight the night before, I think he was too nervous to be hungry anyways, still absorbed with Amelia Bedelia. We were checked in, Isaac and I got matching wrist bands....like they wouldn't know he was mine....(ever read the Ransom of Red Chief???? I digress...) then it was a jaunt to the pre-op. Our anxiety was surpassed by the ever-hilarious pint-sized Hospital gown with his fruit of the looms peeking out, not to be out-done by his "duck slippers" as we affectionately called them. I will post pics of them later... All three of us laughed at those things!!! Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz would have killed for them! Anywho.. we knew the IV was coming, told him about it days earlier..but all stashed information falls out of your brain when you see a nice lady with a needle comin at you. He kept a stiff upper lip..and so did Joel ( little inside joke...love you Honey!) and that was over. The walk to the OR was a wee bit sad, and Isaac trickled a few tears, but we kept talking about being brave and he (our little duck) walked into the OR like a little man.
Joel had to run back to school to teach and I waited in the (what else) waiting room until summoned by the Doctor who is absolutely hilarious in his own right. Not enough time to elaborate on HIM. Wow. Anyway, back I go to see my brave boy who is red eyed, swollen and has "what did I just get myself into" written all over him. And his first words to me?? "WHHHHHHERS DAAAADDD???" Bless his little heart he sounded like a Muppet. So I called Joel and told him he just had to find a way to come back up... which he did, and which commenced some more unbelievably sweet memories. Just the three of us, well four if you count Amelia Bedelia, and we took turns reading aloud to Isaac, with all of us laughing.... a sweet time that I will forever remember. Joel called it an "Amelia Bedelia Marathon." It was fun because we were together. It was fun because Amelia Bedelia really is a hoot. It was fun because we were relieved that everything went well. It was fun because Donna (who I am indebted to) snuck in a great cup of coffee which Joel and I shared. It. Was. Fun. Proving that we Royalty's really do have a blast in the weirdest of situations. Sweet time sipping hot coffee, reading Amelia Bedelia ( which I still can't figure out WHY the author insists on making the reader say her FULL name EACH and EVERY SINGLE time she is mentioned!!! Can't they say, SHE, HER,.... MELIA! for Pete's sake??) and belly laughing.
I made Isaac a notebook with pencil that hung around his neck. It came in handy. I am going to show him that pad of paper someday and the scribbles and we will laugh some more. He has eaten his weight in yogurt and finally zonked out on the couch. What a day. I must add that my sweet MIL, Mother in law, made us a delicious dinner and my Hubby picked up the kiddos from her house late in the afternoon, giving me a few hours of quiet time with just Isaac. Who was taking the sore throat oath of silence by this time, allowing me to get the whole house in ship-shape, watch my favorite parts of "Sheffey," get some fall candles burning (my trademark after cleaning) and do some punch needle embrodery. (Lest you think I am "all that" refer to previous post..) God is good to us, and Isaac is on the mend.
Dr. Johnson's Picture Cow
Got a sliver in my hand
An' it hurt to beat the band,
An' got white around it too;
Then the first thing that I knew
It was all swelled up, an Pa
Said: "There's no use fussin', Ma,
Jes' put on his coat an' hat;
Doctor Johnson must see that."
I was scared an' yelled, because
One time when the the doctor was
At our house he made me smell
Something funny, an I fell
Fast asleep, an' when I woke
Seemed like I was goin' to choke;
An' the folks who stood about
Said I'd had my tonsils out.
An' my throat felt awful sore
An' I couldn't eat no more,
An' it hurt me when I'd talk,
An' they wouldn't let me walk.
So when Pa said I must go
To the doctor's, I said: "No,
I don't want to go to-night,
'Cause my hand will be alright."
Pa said: "Take him Ma," an so
I jes' knew I had t' go.
An' the doctor looked an' said:
"It is sore an' red --
Much too sore to touch at all.
See that picture on the wall,
That one over yonder, Bud,
With the old cow in the mud?
"Once I owned a cow like that,
Jes' as brown an' bug an' fat,
An' one day I pulled her tail
An' she kicked an' knocked the pail
Full o' milk clean over me."
Then I looked up there t' see
His old cow above the couch,
An' right then I hollered 'ouch.'"
"Bud," says he, "what's wrong with you;
Did the old cow kick you, too?"
An' he laughed, an' Ma said: "Son,
Never mind, now, it's all done."
Pretty soon we came away
An' my hand's all well to-day.
But that's first time that I knew
Picture cows could kick at you.
The delightful - Edgar A. Guest
P.S. Isaac's name means, "Laughter." :-)
Friday, October 24, 2008
The Bad News Blog Post
At long last the much anticipated bad news blog post is here! Ok.... SLIGHT exaggeration.....slight. After weeks of blog surfing I muse on one common thread..... Why does everyone want to appear to have the "perfect family?" Martha Stewart-ism at it's finest.....(soapbox please, Henry) Why do we need to appear to be "all that and a bag of chips?" (You have NO idea how long I have waited to use that quip!...I digress) In the tone of the voice of the woman from the Test of the Emergency Broadcast System I say, "No one is perfect!" I then repeat.... NO ONE is perfecut! (Yes, perfectionists I spelled that wrong to make a point! Relax would ya?) So, after surfing and looking at pictures of perfect hair and perfect children making perfect loaves of fresh ground whole wheat bread I have decided to take a stand. Right here and now I am posting a bunch of "less than normal" stats about my humble existence in hopes that those weary bloggers who, like myself feel like they can never match-up to perfection, will have a place to feel normal again. So stop setting-up activities to photograph for the sole purpose of making you look like you have it all together and posting it on your web page. Stop running to your computer the minute your darling daughter says something funny instead of calling your darling husband and telling him and only him, forgetting that it does not matter if no one ever found out how cute she is.... Stop!!! Read. Laugh. Walk away feeling just as crazy messed up, saved by unbelievable grace just like me.
1. I have eaten Oreo cookies for breakfast more than I can number......YES of course, with my kidds as well!!
2. I still count on my fingers under the table.
3. I have stayed in my robe until my husband came home from work.
4. I have "Played" the part of the "Lowly Housewife" in order to get Chinese take-out for dinner.
5. I have spanked the wrong child.
6. I still cannot multiply in my head higher than the 6 family...and I am not blaming it on my Public School...
7. I cannot fit in my wedding dress. (Ok I can hear the sighs of relief!!)
8. I make my children take an oath of silence whenever I roll out a pie crust.
9. I hide in the bathroom to eat candy bars so the kids don't hear the crinkle and attack me.
10. I can not make a pumpkin roll. (the last attempt is still in the yard of a house in Mongolia, frozen, wrapped in the pillowcase that someone was given as a wedding present....)
11. I sold a Princess House chip and dip bowl at a yard sale for a dollar. (Re-read to grasp the dumbness of this.....and NO I did not know it was Princess House, and YES I still think it was dog ugly!!)
12. When I turned 30 I seriously stopped caring what people think and how they like my hair.
13. I run from confrontation, like far away.
14. I cry when I get lost, see a Hallmark commercial, when old people sing, when I can't get a cake out of the pan, and at too many other things to list.
15. I have at least 2 cross-stitch projects that are started and am noting right here and now that they will never get finished. (Embrace freedom, crafters.)
16. I have shopped at Goodwill for secret sister gifts....and still do.
17. I sing songs that are way out of my range in the shower and even there I still sound bad.
18. I never learned phonics and so I have called my husband to ask him how a special sound was pronounced.
19. I have eaten candy given to my children "for later" by people at church several times.
20. I leave clean clothes in piles, making it a game to see who can find clean underclothes first, instead of putting it away.
The list could go on...and my point is that, we are all under construction. Failure to recognize that makes us impatient, frazzled, mean and nasty. Stop keeping up, and just keep on. Be real, and love life. Love your husband, children and friends....even if no one ever notices, takes your picture or writes about it. "Kids...get the Oreos..................."
1. I have eaten Oreo cookies for breakfast more than I can number......YES of course, with my kidds as well!!
2. I still count on my fingers under the table.
3. I have stayed in my robe until my husband came home from work.
4. I have "Played" the part of the "Lowly Housewife" in order to get Chinese take-out for dinner.
5. I have spanked the wrong child.
6. I still cannot multiply in my head higher than the 6 family...and I am not blaming it on my Public School...
7. I cannot fit in my wedding dress. (Ok I can hear the sighs of relief!!)
8. I make my children take an oath of silence whenever I roll out a pie crust.
9. I hide in the bathroom to eat candy bars so the kids don't hear the crinkle and attack me.
10. I can not make a pumpkin roll. (the last attempt is still in the yard of a house in Mongolia, frozen, wrapped in the pillowcase that someone was given as a wedding present....)
11. I sold a Princess House chip and dip bowl at a yard sale for a dollar. (Re-read to grasp the dumbness of this.....and NO I did not know it was Princess House, and YES I still think it was dog ugly!!)
12. When I turned 30 I seriously stopped caring what people think and how they like my hair.
13. I run from confrontation, like far away.
14. I cry when I get lost, see a Hallmark commercial, when old people sing, when I can't get a cake out of the pan, and at too many other things to list.
15. I have at least 2 cross-stitch projects that are started and am noting right here and now that they will never get finished. (Embrace freedom, crafters.)
16. I have shopped at Goodwill for secret sister gifts....and still do.
17. I sing songs that are way out of my range in the shower and even there I still sound bad.
18. I never learned phonics and so I have called my husband to ask him how a special sound was pronounced.
19. I have eaten candy given to my children "for later" by people at church several times.
20. I leave clean clothes in piles, making it a game to see who can find clean underclothes first, instead of putting it away.
The list could go on...and my point is that, we are all under construction. Failure to recognize that makes us impatient, frazzled, mean and nasty. Stop keeping up, and just keep on. Be real, and love life. Love your husband, children and friends....even if no one ever notices, takes your picture or writes about it. "Kids...get the Oreos..................."
Sunday, October 12, 2008
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