Katy

480 Minutes

2011-11-14T21:13:00.000-05:00

So, I've been trying this new thing.

I am and always have been a "late-night" person. I average probably about six hours of sleep a night. Hey, there's a lot of life going on and I don't want to miss anything.

I decided the other night to just go to bed at a time that would give me eight hours of sleep.

Crazy, I know.

Here's the thing, though. I woke up not feeling tired.

Hmmmm.

This might not stick, but I'll take it for now.

Loving my neighbor. Adventures in taking the bible literally.

2011-10-28T14:05:00.000-04:00

"You boys need to tell your dad to come out here and fix this fence before your dog jumps over it and attacks my kids!"

These are words I overheard coming from my backyard the other day as my two boys, 10 and 12, we're playing in the backyard. I stepped into the bathroom and looked out the back window, giving me a good view of the backyard. I could tell my kids were spooked by this confrontation. I went downstairs and outside.

Long story short, I ended up at the back fence, anticipating a perhaps not-so-pleasant chat with a neighbor. She again passionately voiced her concern over the condition and safety of our sagging fence.

Granted, said fence is about as old as our 60+ year old house. It once served as a safety net to a falling tree and is indeed quite saggy and sad looking.

This is all stuff that I already knew.

She also felt the need (and seemed to find sadistic enjoyment) to tell me that my kids were HANGING on the fence, thus encouraging its sagginess.

Hanging. Can you believe it? Boys, hanging on something. Huh.

(I'd like to mention at this point that I resisted the opportunity to tell her that one of her kids, turns out it's her grandson, climbed on (actually over) the fence as well. I also could have told her that he then proceeded to urinate in our backyard before climbing back over. Again, I decided to not add that particular fuel to this particular fire.)

I think she expected my reaction to my boys hanging (I believe the word she used was "swinging") on the fence to be one of disgust. I felt a shrug was sufficient.

Anyway, back to this whole deal with my dog jumping over and attacking her kids...

Um, have you met my dog? I sincerely doubt he could hoist his 8-year-old, 85-pound body with his arthritis-ridden legs over the fence. Let's say for fun, though, that he did. The only harm that may come to them at the mercy of my dog would be being licked and befriended to death. People are his thing.

We told her both of these, but she and the baby on her hip were unconvinced.

My only recourse really was to reassure her that my husband and large son would indeed fix the fence. She assured me over and over again that she wasn't trying to start a fight - she just wanted her kids to be safe.

I get it.

And I got to thinking about it.

Jesus tells us to love our neighbor and I think I tend to take that un-literally. Our neighbor means people around us, right? Not our actual, literal neighbors? Maybe not. Will this lady feel loved if she feels her kids are safe? Probably. Will it kill us to spend about an hour, some wire and some man-power on fixing a saggy fence? No. (We probably should fix it anyway in the name of good homeownership.)

Let's say we don't fix it - just out of a desire to be right. And let's say this lady happens to see my husband preaching somewhere or me leading worship. I wonder how much this situation might lessen the effectiveness of what we say and do.

That probably won't happen. But it could...

So we'll fix the fence. And apologize for letting it fall in disrepair. And maybe bake her some cookies. And smile and wave at her a lot. And buy her a pony...

Just kidding.

waves from far off in the horizon

2011-10-02T20:06:00.000-04:00

hi

I'm coming back to the blogosphere.

You should be excited because I have a lot of interesting things to say.

Stay tuned....

Funny stuff, baby

2010-09-23T07:53:00.000-04:00

I ordered a CD from cdbaby.com for the first time (and that itself is kind of a long story which I will save for later) and they just sent me the email to confirm that it had been shipped. It made me giggle. Please read the following:

Your CD has been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.
A team of 50 employees inspected your CD and polished it to make sure it was in the best possible condition before mailing.
Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over the crowd as he put your CD into the finest gold-lined box that money can buy.
We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of Portland waved "Bon Voyage!" to your package, on its way to you, in our private CD Baby jet on this day, September 20, 2010.
We hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. In commemoration, we have placed your picture on our wall as "Customer of the Year." We're all exhausted but can't wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Sigh...
We miss you already. We'll be right here at http://cdbaby.com/, patiently awaiting your return.

This alone makes me want me to order from them again!

House Rules

2010-09-08T23:12:00.000-04:00

So we're getting there. We've got several days of school under our belts and we're chugging along.

Now, on to another matter. The HOUSE. Oh, it's bad! In the midst of our busy summer, we've let the house get a bit, uh... out of control. I don't think anyone has done an official chore in months. I mean, people will do stuff when I ask... uh tell them to but there's no order to our "madness." Now it's time to deal with all of that. We've got our scholastic wits about us and are back into the routine.

I was googling some chore charts and ideas and stumbled on a blog that had some house rules and when I started to think about it, dealing with the attitude behind the chores first may be the way to go. I edited those rules and are using them as a starting point. Here they are as they stand now:

Stevens House Rules

1. Pick up after yourself

2. No name-calling or mean words

3. Be respectful of others need for space

4. Chores and homework must be done before screens

5. Be positive and supportive of your brothers’ efforts

6. Manners! “Please” & “Thank You” will take you a long way.

7. If you say you are BORED – I will find a job for you to do.

It's a start. I'm trying to add a little more - maybe make it a nice, even 10.

Thoughts, oh wise friends? What should I add?

Ethics... and things that fall into similar categories

2010-09-07T13:33:00.003-04:00

So I'm in a book club with two dear friends (and, quite frankly, we think we're pretty cool) and my next read is due by the end of this month. I feel it necessary to highlight that there are two kinds of readers - book borrowers and book buyers. My sister, for example is a book buyer because she is a re-reader. I am not a re-reader (OK, sometimes I'll read a book more than once, but that's only if it's really good. I figure with the precious little time I have to read, I want to get in as many titles as I can) and therefore am a HUGE fan of the library. I don't even mind a fee once in awhile because I figure I own the library something for its awesomeness. Baltimore County has a fabulous library system. I am indeed enamored with it.

Our book for September is Emily Giffin's Heart of the Matter. I flippin' LOVE Emily Giffin! I just read her Love the One Your With while I was on vacation and it took me all of two days. I can't wait to get my hands on this new one.

Here's the problem - because it's a new book and because it's filled with Ms. Giffin's fabulousness, I'm like number 3,000,000 on the waiting list to get my paws on it. Here's the dealio, though. I found out another close branch has a large print copy of it available - like NOW!

My question is this - is it unethical or bad form for me to check out the large-print copy when I don't need it (though I am pushing 40 - it's only a matter of time)? What if some older, feeble, optically challenged woman wants to bask in Giffin wonder and I'm reading the LT version? I feel like it's akin to using the handicapped stall in the bathroom.

Thoughts? Permission to proceed?

Homeschooling... so far...

2010-08-31T12:25:00.004-04:00

Well, yesterday the big yellow school busses came and took my monkeys away as they do every fall. This year, though, for the first time in about six years, one monkey didn't get on. That part was a little weird but, again, after much prayer, weighing and thought, homeschooling is what we really feel is best for Mr. Micah this year. And, though we're not in full swing until next week, it will be a nice adjustment for him I believe. The very thought of going to middle school was seriously stressing him out. After his declining grades and inability to perform in the classroom well without one-on-one attention, we find ourselves peacefully here.

In the spring, when I started tossing around this idea, I happened upon www.Time4Learning.com. I poked around on the website and read several (almost all positive) reviews on other sites. The monthy price is extremely reasonable and they even offer a two week money back guarantee. Just after Micah's birthday at the end of July, I signed him up to give it a try. I figured this would give us the rest of the summer to figure out if this would be a good fit and give us time to land solidly on what we want to do for school.

The first time we logged on was actually the evening that we had his birthday party - so let me truly set the scene - we had a very fun, busy pool party that ran until about 8:30pm. Needless to say, after cleaning up and all the other nonsense that goes with parties, we were pretty tired! I was so excited to try it out, though, that around 11:30pm, I parked my 11-year-old in front of the computer anyway to see what he thought. The decision was to start with math (math is one of his favorite subjects. He was in GT math in public school last year for 5th grade so I figured it wouldn't be too stressful :-). I gave him a quick tutorial in how to get to his lessons and we clicked to start the math lesson. The loading screen came on - a monkey - and he starts laughing (admittedly, I did too). The lesson launched in about Roman Numerals using animated, cartoon-type characters and he was hooked. The lesson was fairly long and he sat there and did every problem! I did not once have to say, "Come on, keep going, let's just finish." When he was done I asked him how he thought this would be for school and he said, "This is GREAT! I really like it" and not in a say-what-mom-wants-to-get-her-off-my-back way!

We continued lessons (mostly math) that week with the same interest/enthusiasm. The following week, we left for vacation. Fortunately, we had internet access in our condo. Now get this - my son was asking to do lessons while we were on vacation! Yes, my inattentive ADHD son who struggled in school last year was doing school work by choice. Woot woot! He tried some other subjects during this time. He was a little disappointed to find that not every subject has movies and characters - some of it, like History sections, you actually have to read (heaven forbid!) and answer questions, but I assured him we can tackle those together if they get overwhelming. Another thing I really like about it is that when you enroll your child, you have access to not only the grade (s)he is in, but the grades above and below their grade as well (which will work well for my aforementioned GT math student). He also really likes the playground, which is a type of built-in "reward system" that features games, puzzles, etc. They accumulate minutes on the playground by doing lessons and then have a cyber reward for their hard work..

I'm excited about a supplement they offer - Time4Art. I believe once you have had an account for about 30 days, you get access to this too. Check that off of the homeschool checklist!

I've logged on as a parent as well and meandered around. I like that parents can look into the lessons and preview what is coming up. Unfortunately (I think because we did our trial) I didn't do quite as much nosing as I plan to, mostly because we did our trial in the summer and it's... well... summer! I didn't have a need to post to message boards, but I have been on them and read many helpful things. They even group students by state which poses some interesting field trip possibilities.

If you're homeschooling and looking for something from which to base your core or even to supplement what you're already doing, Time4Learning is high on my recommendation list. Check it out!

*I'd like to mention that these opinions all belong to little ol' me. None of this content was written by Time4Learning but the author (moi) was compensated for giving a review.

I remember you like yesterdays...

2010-08-05T09:29:00.002-04:00

"Yesterdays"
by Switchfoot

Flowers cut and brought inside
Black cars in a single line
Your family in suits and ties
And you're free

The ache I feel inside
Is where the life has left your eyes
I'm alone for our last goodbye
But you're free

I remember you like yesterday, yesterday
I still can't believe you're gone, oh...
I remember you like yesterday, yesterday
And until I'm with you, I'll carry on

Adrift on your ocean floor
I feel weightless, numb, and sore
A part of you in me is torn
And you're free

I woke from a dream last night
I dreamt that you were by my side
Reminding me I still had life
In me

I'll carry on

Every lament is a love song
Yesterday, yesterday
I still can't believe you're gone
So long my friend, so long

It's been five years since we said an unwilling goodbye to our ten-year-old, Caleb. Of course, we set this day aside to reflect, more than we do in just our daily routine because, honestly, there's still not one single day that goes by that I don't think about him.

After five years, the grieving process gets a little different. I guess the grieving and remembering are more concentrated on days like today, his birthday and Mother's/Father's Day. There are still those random things, though that creep up and kind of nab you when you're not expecting it. Sometimes having to "go there" trashes the rest of my day and sometimes I stumble a bit, get my footing and go on. I suppose it will always be like that.

I don't want it to seem like it's a big inconvenience that I have this in my life, messing up otherwise ideal or perfect days. On the other hand, though, I don't like it. I'll never like the fact that I set the table for five instead of six. I'll never get used to the fact that I should have two boys in high school now instead of one. I hate that my nine-year-old has very fuzzy memories of the brother he lost when he was only four. There's nothing about losing my son that is fair or that I like.

But when I stop and breathe in and stop banging my fists, there is this standstill peace that God is still in control. I have no choice but to trust Him until we're done here on this side of eternity and I can see my son again and thank my God for not giving me more than I could handle without His strength (though it didn't always feel like it) and I suppose maybe I'll know why. But I might not.

So today, I blog as a huge part of my process, and we Stevens will cling as we remember and continue to process our loss and heaven's gain.

Do me a favor though? Just love on those kids of yours. Not out of fear of what you could lose. but just because God put them there.

Back on the homeschool trail...

2010-07-20T21:53:00.002-04:00

Well, education is always an interesting road. I've always believed that each year is different for each kid. Years ago, we felt led to take Joshua and Caleb out of public school and homeschool them for three years. It wasn't necessarily easy to homeschool two elementary-aged boys along with chasing after a pre-schooler and a baby. But overall, it was good. Really good. Looking back, I see God's hand even more in all that because we had no idea those would be our final years with Caleb, and what a blessing it was to spend 24/7 with him the last three years of his young life.

So here we find ourselves again. That aforementioned pre-schooler is now going into middle school. To say that the last few years of school have been enjoyable for him would be a stretch. After noticing that he was really struggling with some things, Mic was diagnosed with ADHD, the inattentive type. To put it generally, he doesn't fit into the school "box" very well. After quite a bit of praying, talking to others, research, schedule juggling, etc. we've made the decision that the middle school experience for Mic will best be served at home.

I'm excited about it. It will be a challenge, but the idea of allowing him to explore and learn in his own unique style is exciting. The resources available on the internet now (verses nine years ago) offer us so much more. I'm thinking about using www.Time4Learning.com as his core since it goes all the way through 8th grade and offers all subjects. On that note, I’ve been invited to try Time4Learning’s online curriculum for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own so be sure to come back and read my experience with Time4Learning’s educational program. Click to find out more or if you would like to apply to be considered for a review.

I'm also excited and encouraged about the other homeschool moms in the area that are on this same journey. Some of us have gotten together, just to pick each other's brains. We're actually getting together again this week.

SO... stay tuned. The journey should be interesting...

PS - Oh, and tomorrow is Mic's 11th birthday :-)

Thursday Thirteen #16

2010-06-10T22:59:00.003-04:00

I'll keep this simple i.e. random thoughts that run through my mind and eventually congregate into lists. The beauty of a blog, no?

Thirteen Things People Should Try to do on a Daily (or at least semi-regular) Basis

1. Be polite - It's not that hard, people. A please here, a thank you there. Come on now...

2. Make music - whether it's a radio in the kitchen or in a symphony on the stage of a concert hall, give it a shot. I'm blessed enough to have music as my job all day long. Just pick something you like.

3. Laugh - call my friend, Kate, if you encounter any trouble with this one.

4. Own a dog - I've never considered myself to be an "animal person" meaning, I don't have an automatic love for every dog I see, but I love MY dog. He's quite wonderful.

5. Pray - God's there and He's listening.

6. Get pedicures - what a fabulous invention. Despite the scrubby part that really tickles, I love a pedicure. And there's something to be said for beautiful toes.

7. Eat some chocolate - might not be your thing, but I sure like to have a little each day!

8. Read - I've heard it makes you smarter. Just sayin'.

9. Volunteer/Serve - what better way to get your mind off of your own problems than to help take care of someone else's. And you don't get paid. Except you really do.

10. Have a best friend - this was life or death to me in junior high, but I think after 20 plus years, I've gotten this one into perspective. There is such a wonderful thing about having a friend who totally "gets" you. Why not invest a little time into making that a big, wonderful part of your life? If you don't find it right away, it's ok. Keep trying. And why not try to find as many as you can while you're at it?

11. Pay whatever it costs for a haircut you love and makes you look fabulous - I think this one speaks for itself.

12. Sleep on comfortable sheets - I prefer flannel or 100% cotton myself. I'm sure there's some statistic about what percentage of our lives we spend sleeping. Bottom line, I like it. A lot. Might as well be as comfortable as possible.

13. Be free with telling the people you love that you love them - can you really say it too much? Life is short and goes by fast, friends.

Thursday Thirteen Strikes Back (or whatever other sequel you'd like to use)

2010-06-03T17:21:00.005-04:00

Ah. My old and dear friend, the Thursday Thirteen. How I've missed you. You're glad to see me. I know, I know. Don't gush and cause a scene and embarrass me...

So as to not strain or pull anything, I'll start with an easy one. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, straight from Katy's little notebook with the purple flower, I give you (drumroll)

Thirteen Books on my to-read list

1. "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (this is our June book club pick. I have to have it done by the 29th or Ami and Kate will have my head.)

2. "Take Three" by Karen Kingsbury (the third in another engaging series by Mrs. Kingsbury)

3. "The Secret Life of Bees " by Sue Monk Kidd (The movie is currently on my DVR and Ami and Kate said I'm not allowed to watch it until I read the book. They're so bossy)

4. "Peace Like a River" by Leif Enger (upon recommendation from my sister - who actually hasn't read it yet. It was recommended to her as well)

5. "Still Waters" by Jennifer Lauck (Book club for July)

6. "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris (I bought this at Ukazoo. I love David Sedaris. I read "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim" a few summers ago and found myself laughing out loud)

7. "Winter Garden" by Kristin Hannah (Book club for August. I saw it reviewed in my Woman's Day magazine)

8. "Midwives" by Chris Bohjalian (Book club for September-ish. This was another recommendation from my sister. She reads a lot. Just sayin')

9. "Heart of the Matter" by Emily Giffin (I read Giffin's "Something Blue" in literally less than 24 hours. Needless to say, I like her and am looking forward to her newest)

10. "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Phillipa Gregory (Book club for October-ish. Another one recommended by my sister - she has practically threatened my general well-being if I don't read it)

11. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson (Kate is reading it and seems quite pleased)

12. "Parenting a Child with ADHD" by Dr. Vincent J. Monastra (because I need help!)

13. "Saint Ben" by John Fischer (I read the sequel "The Saints and Angels Song" years ago not knowing it was a sequel. I'll probably read it again too because I remember liking it)

My hours behind the front desk at the pool this summer should help to accommodate my list. I think I read six books last summer. Yay!

Read any of these?

I'm baaaaack!

2010-05-15T16:59:00.002-04:00

So it's been over a year.

I know.

I've been a busy girl. Don't hassle me.

Truth is, I really have missed blogging and since the beginning of the new year, I've been plotting my comeback. Well, not plotting exactly, more like thinking about getting my random thoughts back on the world wide web via... well THIS. These thoughts have usually come at random and inopportune times - i.e. the shower, while I'm teaching a piano lesson, etc.

Then you have to plan your comeback, which I figure I pretty much suck at. It having to be a certain way and all. So today, on this random Saturday (not terribly random - it's actually my youngest son's 9th birthday :-) I was sitting here at the computer doing all sorts of important things like renewing library books, checking my email, giving my Pet Society pet a bath... and I thought "why don't I jump on and write a blog."

So here I am.

I promise I have lots of blog-worthy, random, semi-important (in my mind anyway) thoughts. There may not even be anybody following this anymore, but I figured that doesn't really matter. Here I am.

You may exhale.

The frugal shall inherit the earth

2009-02-10T09:11:00.002-05:00

Not only did I buy Ninja Turtle valentines on clearance after Valentine's Day last year, but I actually had the wherewithall to put them somewhere I could find them for this year.

Can I get a what what?

If only...

2009-01-29T09:53:00.003-05:00

This morning while I was still lying in bed, I overheard Jacob upstairs say,

"I had a dream last night that Caleb came back to life and I thought, 'Please don't let this dream end!'."

Amen, buddy.

25 Random Things

2009-01-28T21:27:00.002-05:00

How appropriate for my 200th post! (confetti)

I spent all of this energy doing this little thingy for my facebook I figured I'd put it on here, too. It's random. Enjoy....

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

1. Though I do it quite a bit out of obvious necessity, I really don't like cooking. I really have to stick to the recipes, unless it's something I make a lot, the success is not guaranteed, It's devoured in like five minutes.... AAHHH!

2. I absolutely love my husband. He's one of the smartest, perceptive, most resilient, loving people I know.

3. I was a major nail biter until I got braces when I was 13. Then I couldn't seem to make it work anymore. Hmmm...

4. I absolutely cannot fall asleep if my feet are cold (which is most of the time). They're caled Bed Buddies. You can get them at Walgreen's.

5. When I eat a muffin, scone, etc, I don't take bites out of it -- I break it off into little pieces with my fingers and eat it.

6. I would audition for American idol, but I'm too old. Boo.

7. My favorite swear word is "crap"

8. I have an unreasonable fear of locking my keys in my car though I've only done it like twice in my whole life. This fear is so overwhelming that if I am leaving my keys in the ignition even if I KNOW the doors are unlocked, I will roll down the window. Even if it's raining.

9. My favorite singer is Eva Cassidy. God rest her soul....

10. If I had my way, I would stay up until like 2am every night and sleep until 10 or 11am.

11. I love my boys very much. They're so awesome. Though I would never trade any of them, I would have really loved to have had a girl. Not in the plans I guess.

12. I'm a voracious reader. I have a list of favorite authors a mile long.

13. I have five holes in my ears. First one on my eighth birthday, the second a week before HS graduation and the cartilage in my left ear when I was about 26. I wouldn't mind one more, but we'll see. Also wouldn't mind a simple tattoo. We'll see about that, too.

14. I am an extremely frugal person - almost to the point that I have to tell myself to relax and just enjoy life a bit.

15. I make my own ringtones.

16. I grew five inches in three months - the summer between 6th and 7th grades. I ended 6th grade at a normal 5'2" and started 7th at a freakish 5'7". Made junior high REAL fun!

17. I'm a little OCD about returning videos. I will check the case like a million times to make sure I have the right DVD in the case. I know. Weird.

18. If given a blank map of the United States, I could identify all of the states and name the capitals.

19. Until my early 20's, I had never set foot in a salon. My hair had always been cut and permed (yes, permed) in my kitchen by my mother.

20. I have never had my wisdom teeth removed because I was born without any (as was my sister).

21. I can't rap. At all. It's amusing, actually.

22. The house in which I grew up did not have am oven. Only a stove top and a microwave.

23. I am very crafty - scrapbooking, crochet, I used to sew (and miss it)...

24. To amuse ourselves as young teenagers, my sister and I made movies (soap operas, commercials, talk shows, murder mysteries, etc.) with any unsuspecting friends who happened to be spending the night. They are...... awesome.

25. I wore glasses from the time I was ten, contacts from the time I was 13. About two years ago I got Lasik and it has been one of the best things I've ever done. I only wish I had done it sooner!

Stuff

2009-01-24T14:12:00.003-05:00

It's Saturday (I think - kinda have lost track). I'm sitting in a hotel lobby in Cincinnati (which I'm proud to finally be able to spell correctly) at a Sweet Adelines event - Region 4's Winter Warm-up. When I tell people that I sing in a Sweet Adelines quartet, it's hard to even start to explain what it means if you've never been around the organization. It's women's barbershop - 4-part a capella (without instrumantal accompaniment) harmony. I sing with my sister, my mom and my mom's best friend, Pat. We really have a lot of fun and the technique of the singing is quiet challenging. We compete once a year (hopefully twice this year if we can win the region in the spring and go on to International in the fall) and practice whenever we can all get in the same vicinity - Jen and I usually travel to Ohio from Nashville and Baltimore, respectively.

So it's fun. We're getting lots of practice time in and even a couple of opportunities to perform.

Time up to this weekend has been a blur. We took our youth group on a retreat the weekend prior to this one. It was pretty amazing - one of the best retreats we've ever had the privilege to do with a group I would say. God did so much in their lives and we got a chance to bond and have fun, too. For the retreat, we brought in a group of five young people from FL, plus our friend and former band-mate of my husband, Alton Hood. They all stayed at our house and we really enjoyed it.

Other than that, I've just been working - a lot. I'm up to about 31 hours of lessons every week, plus music classes at TCS on Wednesday mornings. I so love it, but I'm not going to lie - it's tiring. I think the hardest part is feeling like I'm keeping up with the house and the boys at the same time. Of course, it would probably help if I were a tad more organized, but c'est la vie.

That's all for now. Nothing earth-shattering and for that I am thankful.

Update on my silly phone kafuffle

2009-01-11T22:25:00.003-05:00

I look back on how panicked I was about my phone (like two blogs ago) and I feel a bit silly. Thanks to Marshella's generosity with her time and automobile, some time and a little politeness and unabashed eyelash batting at a Verizon employee, I have a nifty new phone that I love. If I thought the Chocolate 2 was wonderful, the Chocolate 3 is even better! They ended up replacing it all together because of a glich in the texting software.

That is all. Back to your lives, citizens.

I got a hippopotamus for Christmas

2009-01-11T20:57:00.004-05:00

You know, I figure if I continue to NOT blog, eventually people will stop checking -- and that just makes me sad. It's my own fault. Well, kind of. People, you would NOT believe how busy I was around Thanksgiving and Christmas. I was busy with such good stuff, though, I can hardly complain. My work load has increased immensely -- a blessing, but a crazy one. To give you some perspective, I resumed this past week with a weekly load of 48 students. I neevr imagined when I branched out to do lessons full-time that it would become what it is.

Anyway, I did all that up until the day before Christmas Eve, in addition to being involved with and/or planning three separate programs - within a week.

And youth group on Tuesday nights.

Oh, and crocheting two teachers scarves.

Oh, oh oh! And that one thing... what is it called.... oh yeah. Christmas shopping.

Christmas arrived and brought with it Mom and Dad from Ohio and Jen and Chris from Nashville -- all spending time on the road to see little old us! We had a wonderful dinner, presents and..fun! It was really a great few days.

So - new years - small party as usual. Then, somewhere in there, I turned into a total slug. And remained so until regular life resumed on Monday, January 5th.

So... here we are.

I've been thinking a lot again about blogging and how much I've missed it. All of these little random things that happen in my life cross my mind as blogs.

A good reason to be back here. To make time for it. I have to and I want to.

Plus Louise has been threatening me and Mike is bummed out! Ah, it's good to be loved.

So here we go, folks. Happy 2009. I'm ready for the best year yet. I hope you are, too.

Holy Chocolate, Batman.

2008-11-25T06:37:00.006-05:00

My cell phone isn't working properly.

This, my dear reader, is a most frustrating predicament.

I have a chocolate. I love my chocolate (not because I love real chocolate. That is totally unrelated). About two weeks ago, I made an emergency swing over to the Verizon store because my display had cracked inexplicably. Seriously. One minute I was at Bible study and it was working fine, then BAM - big, ugly cracks and lines across the display. So Verizon replaced it - for free. (Have I mentioned I love Verizon?) Anyway, I started to notice like a week later that my screen would go blank and I would have to turn my phone off and then on. Now, the screen jst randomly goes blank and sometimes turning it off and on works, sometimes it doesn't :-( This affects many functions for which I've come to rely heavily on my cell. Texting for instance. I'm a very big texter - especially because it allows me to keep in communication with my husband while he's in meetings (which is most of the time) and I'm in lessons (also - most of the time!). Not to mention it's also my alarm clock and storage for phone numbers.

AHHH! We leave for Ohio tomorrow and I really need my cell to be functional - but today I have very little time and no car. Tomorrow is not much different.

AHHH!

(Disclaimer - I know there is nothing you can do to help my plight. I just needed somewhere to vent. Thank you for your patronage)

Hair ye, hair ye!

2008-11-22T00:59:00.004-05:00

I have to preface this by telling you my hair history. I grew up as the daughter of a beautician. Well into my 20's, I had never set foot in a hair establishment of any kind. When I strayed from my mother's hair care (primarily because of distance), I had beautician friends that would do my hair in their or my homes. Relocating geographically once again found my family and I at Great Clips. It's pretty simple - you go in, tell them what you want, they cut it, you pay and go home. I've also been coloring my own hair for the last few years -- buy the box, do the color (and mess up the bathroom) and, voila - new hair. I could never understand why any woman would have the need to go to a salon and spend all that time and money.

Today, however, my eyes were opened.

I sit here and type this with perhaps the most fabulous hair I've ever had. I spent three hours in a salon today belonging to a woman I had met not quite a year ago. This quaint, little salon pretty close to where I live.

I've never had anyone let me sit in the chair and talk about what I'd like to see for my hair, what I love and hate about color and highlights, what my goals are, etc. Melissa talked about my face shape, skin coloring, preferences and maintenance. She colored, washed, dried, highlighted and cut me to awesomeness. I was (and am) amazed at how much I love it. True, the frugal side of me is freaking out a tiny bit because I spend way more than I ever have to get anything like this done -- but strangely enough, it really does feel worth it. Is there a price to feeling gorgeous?

Go get your hair done already. Tell them Katy sent you...

Goodbye October

2008-10-31T16:25:00.003-04:00

I can NOT let October slip by without blogging! I can't, I can't, I can't! It's not that I don't like blogging, dear friends -- I really quite enjoy it actually. But it's just that I get so busy (I know - everyone's busy -- but I've been SSOOOO busy!) and that "re-entry" blog is always so awkward. My dear friend, Louise, though has all been threatening to wring my neck if I don't blog soon, even encouraging no necessity for the re-entry blog.

So here I am -- sitting on my couch after a much-needed, long-awaited Friday afternoon of chizillin'. This week has been stressful to say the least. I'd rather not mess with details, but it's been stressful.

Not all stressful though. We had a lovely visit with my parents for the last two weekends (they vacationed in between) and Josh's 15th birthday last Saturday.

Speaking of Josh, he's adapted to high school and JV football well. His team is undefeated in the division and he's playing first-string offense and second-string defense. Pretty good accomplishment for a freshman! Though Eastern Tech is a fairly strict high school, Josh is really liking the higher standard to which the other students hold themselves.

Business for me has increased more than I ever thought possible. I have 45 piano, voice and flute students on my schedule right now which comes to about 24 hours a week. I'm also teaching music at the Christian school where I taught music last year and 6th grade a few years ago. It's cool. I have chapel and then three half-hour music classes with 3 year olds through 5th graders. All that adds up to a pretty busy week. I love what I do but it's busy all the same.

It's also quartet season again. We were asked to sing on both my sister's and my mom's Sweet Adeline chorus shows (in Nashville and Columbus, respectively) which were on two weekends pretty much in a row. Fun, fun but also busy just the same.

So here we are on the last day of October, huh. I've resolved this year to not complain about how fast time goes -- just enjoy each day.

That's all I have to say for now...

:-(

2008-09-07T16:12:00.003-04:00

I was cleaning the mop and bucket yesterday -- using bleach because they were... well, they were nasty. I looked down at my favorite brown shorts when I was done and saw a big spot of bleach on them!! They are totally ruined and I am totally bummed.

I am going to go back to Ross today and see if I can find the same pair because they were my very favorites.

At least the mop is clean?

:-(

Thursday Thirteen #14

2008-09-04T22:20:00.007-04:00

I woke up with great plans to do a long-awaited Thursday Thirteen... and also with a headache. So my T13 plans have been pushed into the evening.

I'll keep it light friends and neighbors...

Thirteen Splurgy, Consumable Things that I Love

1. Starbucks - Duh. Who doesn't like Starbucks. My standard is a grande non-fat mocha with no whip. Only 4 Weigh Watcher points!

2. Baltimore Tea and Coffee's Rainforest Crunch -- This is actually the splurge that saves money on the Starbucks splurge. My husband and I discovered this locally made treat a couple of years back, I think. It's pricier than just "regular" coffee, but, oh so good and oh so much cheaper than buying the number of cups you'd get out of one pound (and for every ten pounds, you get one free. So there!)

3. Clam Chowder in a bread bowl from the Boston Chowda Co. in Quincy Market, downtown Boston, MA -- I get it every time we're in Boston. So good!

4. Kraft Macaroni and Cheese -- yes, I know the store brands are cheaper, but they just don't taste the same.

5. Rita's -- If you don't have a Rita's in your town, kindly write your congressman or whomever immediately. I have been a big gelati fan for years, but have recently discovered the Blendini. Extreme yumminess! It has custard, Italian ice and either 'nilla wafers or oreos mixed in.

6. BBQ pulled pork -- I've tried it a lot of places and loved it most.

7. Crab pretzels -- you heard me right; crab ON a pretzel. Get your tail to Baltimore and try it!

8. French fries and dipping sauce from Pommes Frite in NYC -- it's not necessarily the fries, though they are delish in their charming paper cones, as much as the sauces. My personal favorite is Vietnamese pineapple. This dive is within walking distance of the church at which we stay when we go to NYC. It's become something I really anticipate when we go to the city!

9. Sushi -- Raw fish never sounded appealing until I actually tried it. We've got two places near our house that are really good. Sushi is also surprisingly affordable.

10. Paula's fruit dip -- my friend, Paula, makes this incredible fruit dip (usually for strawberries) out of marshmallow fluff and cream cheese. It's become a staple of our scrapbooking events!

11. Hazel's chocolate chip cookies - I don't know what she does, but my friend, Hazel's, cookies are amazing... and addictive. I could actually probably do a whole T13 on just yummy stuff Hazel makes!

12. Sweet potato fries -- I pretty much love anything with the words "sweet potato" in it.

13. Berger cookies -- if you're not from Baltimore, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about -- they're local fare. Picture if you will and round piece of shortbread-like cookie. Now dab a big glob of chocolate, frosting-like fudgy goodness. I know, right. Oh my...

Hungry?

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Sushi + Starbucks = awesome girls night!

2008-08-26T22:32:00.004-04:00

Oh, I love my friends. I really do. We have SO much fun and, after tonight, I am more determined to make an effort to get together with my friends on a regular basis.

It started with Ami joining me after she got off of work to accompany an after school football pick-up of the oldest boy. She also got to witness the sacred vacuuming of the family van when she arrived. Lucky girl.

Anyway, we were joined by the charming Jess and headed to our first stop - sushi! We indulged in five sushi rolls. We actually kind of devoured them -- embarassingly so. They were SO good!

From there, on to Starbucks. We met up with Louise and sat outside and laughed, laughed, laughed. We marveled over many life-altering subjects such as, why do we call everything we order at Starbucks a "Starbucks"? Is it because we can't remember what we actually ordered by the time someone asks us? What's wrong with asking random strangers for their autograph? And my biggest question; why does every situation in life have to be tied to an episode of Friends?

If you don't have friends with whom you can just laugh and be stupid, I would highly recommend you find some right away.

"Stevens is a cool freshman"

2008-08-25T09:39:00.005-04:00

I have been putting my children on big, yellow school busses for several years now. Yeah, I teared up a little two years ago when I sent my youngest off to kindergarten, but normally they (and I) are ready for school to start back up.

Today was different though...

Today I sent my child off to high school.

Yeah. High school.

I know I'm not the only parent in the United States that sent their oldest child off the high school for the first time this morning. It has happened for years past and will continue for years to come. It's just so... weird. I mean, I remember high school. It wasn't that long ago. (OK, maybe it was :-) I've been kind of building up to it all summer, but it's starting to hit me. He's in high school.

One thing we for which we are SO thankful is the high school that Josh has the privilege of attending. Eastern Technical High School is strictly a magnet school; there is no district -- it is by application and qualification only. Only one of every three students that applies is admitted and it is one of the best public high schools in the area. Students get to chose an area of study as well. Josh has chosen multimedia communications - computer stuff, video editing, etc. It's stuff he likes (and I figure you might as well study stuff you like since you have to be in high school anyway) What a blessing that Josh has this opportunity!

Actually, if I may brag on him for a second... Josh has been weightlifting a good part of the summer to get ready for football. Then, he's been doing two-a-days (8-11, 1-4) since August 16th. After 13 JV players were cut, Josh not only remained on the team, but also made 1st string offensive and 2nd string defensive.

He's also learning wonderful lessons about seniority and hierarchy. He's been with just freshman and sophomores (the JV team) during football preparation and has seen how cocky, mouthy freshman tend to get food thrown at them and mildly harassed. He's kept his mouth shut and worked hard. Slowly but surely, he's starting to make some friends, some of them sophomores. The other day, one sophomore was asking another why he was talking to Josh, a freshman. This kid's reply? "Stevens is a cool freshman."

Ha. Stevens is a cool freshman. Yesssss. I knew it!

More than two hours after Josh got on the bus, it was time for Micah and Jacob to do the same. They are starting fourth and second grade, respectively. They were both excited about starting school, though both said their tummies hurt a little!

So the house is quiet - just Tucker and me - and I'm not going to lie -- I'm loving it! My lesson schedule doesn't swing into full gear (about 20 hours) until next week (I'm in my last week of my August schedule -- only about a dozen or so lessons). I have an opportunity to get on top of things this week, organizationally speaking. I'm hoping to make the most of my time, while also snatching some time with friends here and there.

Ah. The change of seasons and times. It's good.

Let's call the whole thing off.

2008-08-19T14:12:00.001-04:00

Growing up, I never cared much for tomatoes. In fact, I disliked them quite a bit.

Well, I just finished eating a tomato for lunch. Just a tomato. No salt or pepper. No nothing.

I think it all began to change when I realized that there are two kinds of tomatoes: the ones you buy in the grocery store and the ones you get out of friends' gardens. The first are watery and not appealing at all. The latter --- mmmmmm, buddy!

I probably discovered this years ago when we had our first garden in Ohio. Since coming to Baltimore, we haven't again gardened ourselves but fortunately have plenty of friends that do!

The tomato I just consumed was red and sweet and... well... quite wonderful.

Don't you just love late summer? Viva la tomatoes!!

Grrrrrrrr

2008-08-19T06:45:00.002-04:00

If anyone actually did their chores without being asked or even did them thoroughly the first time, I think I would fall over in a dead faint.

Seriously.

How did it get to be mid-August?

2008-08-12T23:16:00.003-04:00

Wow.

Hi.

Remember me?

I know I'm in big trouble with some of you who have been checking in regularly (thank you for doing that by the way) and finding nothing. Nevertheless, here I am! Da ta da!

As always, the easiest way to catch up is in bullets.. and backwards, I guess. So here I go:

Matt and Josh left for church camp on Sunday. I'm excited for the experience for both of them -- Josh especially. I've been holding down the fort with visitors and a delicate balance between busyness and laziness! I started back to part-time lessons last week, all the while working hard to fill my fall schedule.
My parents also left to go home on Sunday. Mom was here for a whole week and Dad drove in just this past Friday. We really had a nice time. And the weather, oh, the WEATHER has been GORGEOUS! I don't ever remember August being so non-humid and nice :-)
While my mom was here, we observed the third anniversary of Caleb's homegoing. It was a weird day, as it always is in some form. We kept the day pretty loose and mentally observed our own individual ways. We did go out to lunch and then on to the cemetery with flowers. Sorry I didn't do my usual reflective and lengthy blog. It certainly doesn't change the fact that it's still a difficult day and I still miss my boy...
The day my mom flew in, Matt and I arrived home from two full days away to celebrate our anniversary -- 16 years. We usually only go out for dinner or at the very most, away for one night and home the next morning. But this year, we had the time in our schedule and the responsibility of our 14-year-old to hold down the fort and were really able to get away. We drove to Wildwood, New Jersey (on the Jersey shore) and stayed in a charming little bed and breakfast. We had a whole little cottage to ourselves. It was really a couple of days like no other. We had no schedule or obligations, went to restaurants, walked along to boardwalk, drove around Wildwood and Cape May and, the highlight for me, walked on the beach in the moonlight (Matt even made a sand angel!). I can't even begin to explain how wonderfully relaxing it was and how badly we needed it!
About 10 days prior to our little getaway, we returned home from a concentrated month of Chain Reaction. We started in late June with our intern, Jess, arriving from Massachusetts. A few days later, Matt's mom and sister, Allayne, arrived for a week's visit as well. We were busy in our training and preparation for our first week: Baltimore. On a personal level, I was particularly excited about the Baltimore week. Not only was there a group coming from Howard county and another from a Mennonite church in Ohio, but there was a group coming from Trinity Baptist Church in Marion, OH; the church in which I grew up. Three of their leaders were people I had literally known since I was a child; two I grew up with in church and the other was my best friend in elementary school who lived down the street! Also serving as an adult leader was a woman whom I met and became friends with at a Women of Faith event last year. Not only was the week wonderful in hanging out with these old friends, but the true highlight was in the group itself. They came with such an amazing attitude to serve! They worked so hard and were truly open at the same time for God to do things IN them as well as THROUGH them. The rest of the teams were incredible too. Matt and I felt it was one of the best Chain Reaction weeks we've had to date. From there, we went to New York City to be a part of Abounding Grace Church's annual outreach -- Jesus Loves You New York. We got the opportunity to work with teams from Maryland, Minnesota and Florida. It was a hot, but good week. From there, we headed to our last leg: Haverhill, MA. We kidnapped one of the young adults from NYC, Frankie, and took him with us. This was the first year we went to the Boston area with no real service assignment, which was strange for us. We took a few days to be with the beloved Yeo family and to celebrate Micah's 9th birthday. We explored some parts of the area to which we had not yet been including a New Hampshire beach, Portsmouth and Kittery, Maine. We headed home from there sans our intern and via New York to return Frankie. We drove through a pretty nasty rain storm to come home, but were so glad to be back!

That's it in a very large nutshell. If you read the whole thing, I'll buy you a Starbucks or something!

School starts a week from this coming Monday. Hard to believe, yet true. I think the boys are ready to go back. Josh is both nervous and excited about starting high school. He's been working hard to get ready for football -- weight training since early June and starting two-a-days this coming Saturday.

OK. I'm going to finish watching tonight's installment of the Olympics and head off to bed. It's good to be back among the blogging. Big blessings to you as always...

Rolling back my mental stability

2008-06-29T22:31:00.003-04:00

They've really messed me up. I mean, you can't DO this. It has to be illegal or something.

We've lived in Baltimore for almost nine years now. In those nine years, I've been a regular, consistent patron of the White Marsh Walmart. I love it really. There's something very comforting about walking into a store and knowing roughly how much item will cost and exactly where to look for it. I mean, I could literally go into the store blindfolded and find what I'm looking for.

Until recently...

They

are

rearranging

my

WALMART!

I never knew something so simple could throw me off so much. I almost started crying the other day over the location of the bubbles. A woman asked me if I needed any help and I could only faintly ask, "Where did the toys go?"

I suppose I took for granted this simple stability. No matter what else was crazy in my life, I could walk into Walmart and still find paper towels in aisle 12.

Well, not anymore, my friend. Not anymore.

Additionally, I can't resist the urge to tell whomever I'm with what used to be in each location. I point to bedsheets and report, "This is where crafts used to be" or, "The paint chips were on this wall, not that one." And to make matters worse, they're not done yet so some things are in temporary locations so it's not even worth committing them to memory yet.

I feel... violated somehow.

Will I have an improved, more efficient Walmart when it' s all over? Probably.

Will I get used to it?

Eh.

What the... ?!

2008-06-28T00:14:00.002-04:00

So I sit down to chill after a long, wonderful week of day camp (more on that later), thrilled to soak in the first episode of a brand new season of Shear Genius.

One, small question...

What in the WORLD happened to Jaclyn Smith's face?

Seriously.

It's the middle of June...

2008-06-17T09:48:00.001-04:00

... and I still have flannel snowman sheets on our bed.

Don't hate. They're comfy.

Shopping: a memoir

2008-06-16T23:50:00.003-04:00

If you know me at all you know that I'm a person who doesn't like to spend more money than necessary. One could say that I'm cheap (thought that term is not my favorite because the words "and easy" could follow, giving the entirely wrong connotation) though I prefer the term "frugal". In any event, this information will make the following account more interesting and, I daresay, entertaining.

For Christmas this past year, I received a gift card from one of my piano/voice students and her mother. Now, I like gift cards. They make me feel... I don't know... powerful. I actually tend to hold on to them for longer periods of time than most would -- six months to a year on average. Weird, huh. There's just something about knowing I have this nice, designated money to spend that I enjoy.

OK. Back to my story. So I've had this gift card for awhile and, in a rare event, I found myself at the mall (buying a birthday present for my sister) and realized that this particular store (at which I had never shopped before - that's an important detail) was at said mall. I thought I'd stop in and make good on the gift card that had found itself a comfortable residence in my wallet for the past six months.

I was struck first by how expensive everything was. But, fortunately, it was a buy one, get one half off dealio so I became determined to stretch my $25 to buy not one, but TWO items. Oh, yes. I was walking out of there with two new garments or... well, I don't know what.

I ended up with two plain v-neck t-shirty type tops, one navy and one khaki -- nice solid staples to my wardrobe (I tend toward solid and practical -- something I should probably look into changing). I managed, without too terribly much thought, to spend exactly $.35 less than my gift card. Ha!

Anyway, when I got home, certain details from the purchase started to stand out to me. First of all, my shirts were in not a shopping bag, but more of a gift bag. And, get this, they were wrapped up in tissue paper and taped shut with a sticker bearing the name of the store. A sticker! In my world, stickers are for completed piano pieces by eight-year-olds, not clothing purchases. Oh, and there's one more part. I noticed a little envelope in the bag (also proudly bearing the store's name) that I hadn't previously noticed. What could it be? A present? Another gift card? No. It was my receipt! In a little envelope like a present. I had never seen anything like that in my life...

Now, allow me to compare that to my usual shopping experience. I'm a fan of Goodwill -- there's a fabulous one mere miles from our house. And on the last Saturday of the month, something magical happens. That's right, my friends. The last Saturday of the month is SUPER Saturday. The pool of already tantalizing pre-used clothing is an additional 50% off.

I'll give you a moment.

At Goodwill, I have to be in the mood for digging (which I usually am) and flip through various clothes sorted by color, not size -- all for bargain umbrella prices. If I'm looking at tops, I don't need price tags. I know they're all $3. When I check out, my treasures go into a plastic bag with the words "Thank You" in triplicate down the side of my bag. No tissue, no sticker, no envelope.

Interesting.

Which method do I prefer? I'd be lying if I didn't admit that the adrenaline from the hunt and the "post-bargain high" are pretty much my shopping life-blood. Whether it's genetic (I happen to be the spawn of an amazing bargain shopper) or a learned skill, Goodwill is a little more my speed. BUT, it is nice to be pampered once in awhile -- to feel like your selection time and purchase choice were celebrated is a fun change.

Of course, I can't fully appreciate that right now. I'm still little high off of finding Play Doh, two packs for $3 today...

Let's try this again

2008-06-15T20:37:00.000-04:00

Birthday video from my boyz...

I'd forgotten how much I like summer

2008-06-14T09:41:00.003-04:00

The last few days have really been wonderful -- not because of any great event but more because of the lack of one. I'd forgotten how nice it is to have nothing on the schedule. Since the boys got off of school Wednesday, I've been letting them stay up late, sleep in, watch movies, run around like crazy people, etc. I woke up this morning to a quiet house and no place to be and it was... bliss! I know it's not going to last forever. In fact, I plan Monday on getting the boys on their summer schedule, bed times, chores and those wonderful workbooks I always make them do over the summer. But for now, Jacob is watching TV, Josh and Micah are still sleeping, Matt is running errands and I'm sitting here blogging, listening to a neighborhood lawnmower and smelling the brewing coffee in the kitchen and getting ready to make banana pancakes. See? Bliss.

Last night, we ate outside (as we do very often in the summer). After dinner, the boys ran around and chased lightening bugs and rode the wagon down the hill. Matt and I just sat there and talked. I said, "Wouldn't it be great if we could just freeze this night and save it? It's perfect."

His response, "Not really. The dog is drooling on my foot."

Can't blame me for trying!

I hope you're enjoying a few lazy days of summer yourself!

Is it blogger or just me?

2008-06-12T22:23:00.002-04:00

Argh! Josh made me this awesome video for my birthday and put it on YouTube. I'm trying to embed it in my blog, but every time I do, it freezes my whole blog up (like force quit Firefox freezes).

Again I say, argh!!

I'm going to work on it. It's really cute. You should see it...

Whew!

2008-06-09T10:56:00.004-04:00

Notice anything different? Hmmm? Do I look any older? Yeah, yesterday was the ol' birthday. It was really quite a wonderful day. The was a lot of busyness (more about that in a second) and lots of people and I'm all about people.

So, yeah, yesterday. Matt preached at our church and did a wonderful job. He told our story and really used it to encourage people to trust God despite their circumstances. It was really great -- probably one of the best messages I've ever heard him preach.

We went straight from church, grabbed a bite at Wendy's, and Matt and the boys dropped me off at my next destination -- the church where I was having my semi-annual student recital. I was both nervous and excited about the recital. One of the main reasons for my nervousness was that I had almost twice as many students participating as I normally do -- 23 to be exact. I think the most I'd had up to this point was 13. I was excited about the variety we were offering in the program. When it was all said and done, everything went very well. We had our share of mistakes, forgotten words, etc. but that's to be expected.

Then we went to Don Pablo's with our friends. I got to wear a turquoise sombrero where the yelled birthday greetings at me. Matt and the boys got my a new iPod. Good birthday. I'm blessed.

I am so ready for life to slow down! Lessons and meetings and school stuff... AHHH! It has seriously been crazy. But this week, this week my friends -- school is done on Wednesday, I have my last piano/voice lesson until August on Thursday, our last youth group meeting is on Thursday... everything is coming to a blissful halt. Don't get me wrong, I love what I get to do for a living but I am ready for a break. I'm looking forward to spending more time with the boys and, honestly, I have had NO time to get this house organized. I am really hoping to do that, too before Chain Reaction kicks into gear this summer.

Oh yeah, and I may actually have time to BLOG once in awhile!

Tragedy

2008-05-22T08:37:00.003-04:00

My heart is so heavy for the family of Steven Curtis Chapman this morning as I heard the news of the accidental death of their five-year-old daughter.

I want badly to reach out to them somehow, but I don't know how. It's one of those situations where I can truly understand how they feel today. I'm familiar with the pain that lingers through the next days, weeks and years. How you wake up and the pain is still there. How you still run across pieces of laundry months later or other simple household papers that send you into tears. I want to tell and show then that they'll still be walking and breathing two and a half years from now. There will still be that hole, but God will help make it hurt a little less. Or a little more sometimes. Or a little different...

I've been praying particularly hard for their teenage son who was driving the car. They have layers of healing ahead, but I know God is able to be there every step of the way. I am praying for His supernatural presence and hand in their lives today.

I'm praying for a way to contact them somehow. I don't know if they need to hear from a perfect stranger right now, but... I don't know. I just want to make contact somehow.

Once again, friends, hold life carefully. It is precious and merely a grain of sand.

Feliz Cumpleanos

2008-05-15T12:19:00.003-04:00

Today is Jacob's birthday. He is seven.

He is my baby and I can't believe he's that old.

We kept him home this morning, cancelled our meetings and took him out for breakfast. He had French toast. Then, they let him pick a free dessert. He subsequently ate an entire banana split.

Then we went and played miniature golf - just the three of us (Jacob rarely gets Matt and I all to himself).

It was very fun. I sincerely hope he remembers it forever....

My love/hate relationship with Mother's Day

2008-05-12T10:29:00.004-04:00

So yesterday was Mother's Day.

First off, I love my mom. She's really quite cool. And besides just our genetic connection, we share a lot of common interests; music, crochet, shopping, eBay, Arbonne, DDR, chick flicks, reading (we like a lot of the same authors), etc. Plus, I have a great deal of admiration for her in the resilience department. She was a single mom for a short period of time with two baby girls, just over a year apart. As is the natural progression, I appreciate her more in my own motherhood as time progresses. So my mom is pretty superior and the right mom for me.

I was also inundated with homemade cards, flowers and other Mother's Day paraphernalia yesterday. We had to drop Matt off early at church because he had to play on the worship team so the boys were to "take me" out to breakfast (with me driving, of course). We tried Cracker Barrell first, but, as you might imagine, the line was down the sidewalk. Then Waffle House, but that looked equally crowded. So we ended up at Dunkin Donuts, which was quite fine with me, actually. As we went through the drive-through, Josh pulled out a handful of cash. My response was, "Oh, look at how cute you are with your little money!" LOL.

Overall, the boys and Matt were wonderful with the day, offering to do things and asking what else I wanted. I so appreciate them and feel very blessed.

But then there's...

The first year after Caleb died, we made it through the big firsts - Thanksgiving and Christmas, his birthday - and in my mind, I was home free. Well, Mother's Day snuck up and "sucker punched" me. It hit me so very hard. So I guess I've been on the defense a bit since then.

Why does it have to be that my least favorite question now is, "How many children do you have?" I never minded it before. I would proudly brag about my four boys and tell about how crazy and loud it was, all with a smile on my face. Now I have to decide, do I tell them? Do I share about Cub and totally put a damper on this conversation? Or do I just offer "three" and try to move on to something else?

It's been almost three years. I still feel the void. I'll always feel the void. My friend, Bethany, just said to me the other day that when she sees our family, she still notices that someone is missing.

It's almost harder now that life has gone on so much longer without him. We've fallen into such a new normal that it's hard to remember the old one. My heart is filled with gratitude for what we have and what God has done, but there will always be that missing piece.

When I was a kid, I couldn't understand why some people didn't enjoy holidays -- why holidays made them sad. I think we all understand that more as we get older. And I always WANT to find the positive and the reasons to rejoice, but it also heps me to be able and "allowed" to work further into this grieving process.

As a family, we move on to focus on Jacob, our baby, turning seven this week. Seven! There's miniature golf in our near future by his choice and we're looking forward to celebrating a fresh year of growth for him.

As always, I wish God's greatest blessings for you! :-)

Quote of the day...

2008-05-03T20:19:00.003-04:00

My allergy-ridden husband, upon getting in the car after being outside for awhile:

"The back of my throat feels like I've been sucking on a flower."

Nice, huh.

I'm tired, BUT...

2008-05-03T01:06:00.002-04:00

...I finally finished scrapping all of our New Orleans pics tonight and they look fabulous

and Paula was acting silly, which subsequently made me laugh

and it was Lynn's birthday so we had ice cream cake

and Amber came and helped me think straight (which was quite necessary this evening)

Yea, Scrappy Chicks!!

Bow wow wow, yippee yo yippee yea.

2008-04-30T21:50:00.004-04:00

heyyyyy.....

This is Tucker. I thought I'd hijack my mommy's blog for a minute to tell you what's on my mind. I know... it's not everyday you read a blog from a dog. And, considering I don't have opposable thumbs, the fact that I'm typing this at all is pretty amazing. But, hey, that's how I roll...

Anyway, I'm really stressed out about something. See, we have this couch. It's... well, it's perfect. It's all soft and saggy and smells divine. It is where I sleep (pretty much all day) and chill. Dogs are fond of chilling, you know.

Well, I found out that on Friday THEY'RE TAKING MY COUCH AWAY! They got some "new" couch. Pooh. The one we have now is perfectly fine.

So Mommy brought home this big pillow/bed thingy that I'm supposed to lay on now. It's OK, I guess. It's soft, but it doesn't smell like anything yet.

Man. If dogs ruled the world, things would be a lot different.

Made you look...

2008-04-25T22:22:00.002-04:00

I realized today, upon catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror at Great Clips, that I looked pale. Anemic actually.

That may be due to the fact that my diet consisted largely of coffee and diet Coke today.

Possible.

I need to work on my nutritional intake.

Ich bin gesegnet

2008-04-18T11:05:00.002-04:00

If you were to come by my house today (which you are welcome to do anytime, by the way, unless you are a stalker in which case I'd prefer you stay away and, actually, stop reading my blog all together because stalking is weird..... Where was I? Never mind. I'll start over.

If you were to come by my house today, you would see the first true sign of warmer weather. This morning after getting the monkeys off to school, I hung he first load of the season on the line outside. Now, if you're a frequent reader, you may remember that I'm quite enamored with my clothesline. I love hanging things on it. It makes me feel all efficient and earthy and domestic and.. OK a little Amish. In any event, there are clothes drying on my line and I'm happy.

So the "real" quartet competition was last weekend in KY. How'd we do? Thanks for asking. we got 4th place out of 24 or so quartets. Not bad for our first time out. More importantly, we had a great time which included lots of laughs and very little sleep. We're going to go for it again next year with the hopes of winning and getting the chance to compete at International in Nashville in the fall of 2009.

Chattanooga was extremely fun as well. No pressure of competition but lots of good experience on stage. My sister's chorus (Tune Town Show Chorus) are a HOOT and did very well in the chorus competition, finishing first. Yeah, Tune Town! Also, big congrats to the two Tune Town quartets, Fiddlestix and Last Minute, which finished first and second respectively.

In between the two competitions, I came home, worked, had my MOPS friends over for board games, had a Saturday scrapbook day at my house, lead worship at Gospel Tabernacle and worked some more (then left for the second weekend). So once again, life is good and full and I am blessed (but tired!).

Tonight, Matt and I are taking 27 of our youth group kids along with about five other adults to Acquire the Fire downtown. I'm looking forward to it, having not been to an ATF since I was pregnant with Jacob. So I shouldn't even really be sitting here typing because I have a decent punch list of things to do before 3:00, but alas, I've missed blogging.

Please keep my aunt in your prayers. She's battling breast cancer. The scenarios are looking good, but she still has a long road ahead.

I hope the weather is as gorgeous wherever you are as it is here. I hope you take some time to think about how much God has blessed you today, despite your circumstances. I'll pop back on here when I can...

Be blessed! :-)

Won't you choo choo me home...

2008-03-27T10:08:00.002-04:00

Hey. I'm in Nashville. Quite the jet setter, you know.

This weekend, our quartet, Kindred Sound, is singing in the region 23 competition as mic testers and for evaluation only. In layman's terms, this is our practice competition. We compete for realsies in Covington, KY in two weeks. I'm very excited because I need the practice in front of an audience (being the only Sweet Adeline's novice in the quartet). We rehearsed for hours yesterday and are sounding pretty good.

OK. That's it for now. We're leaving my sister's in NashVegas and driving to Chattanooga so I have to scoot...

Peace out.

A traditional (well, kind of) Easter

2008-03-24T19:45:00.002-04:00

So yesterday was Easter.

Happy Easter.

Even when it's just the four of us for Christmas and Easter, we still like to do a big meal. My favorite part of Easter dinner is definitely the ham. Not the honey, pre-cut ones. Just a plain, simple ham. It tastes better in big chunks. Along with that, I made my mom's potato casserole - hash brown potatoes, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, cheddar cheese -- YUM! It's not new to make this dish. But as I was thinking about dessert, I suddenly had the longing for something I hadn't had in a long time -- my Aunt Melinda's lemon hole cake. Fortunately, I happened to have the recipe in an old write-your-own cookbook that my grandma had given me right before I got married (over 15 years ago). It's a good thing too because I checked the internet for reference and couldn't find quite the same recipe. So I happily made my list (I was only missing three things) and ran to the grocery store while the ham and potatoes finished their last 30 minutes in the oven, complete with a phone call to my mom to confirm the type of baking pan I should use.

Some two hours later after my tummy was WAY too full. I reflected on the meal itself and I realized something. Growing up close to extended family, meals had certain familiar tastes and traditions; the aforementioned lemon hole cake and potato casserole, Grandma's cherry pies, rolls, Mom's waldorf salad. My kids don't have the luxury of growing up close to grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins like I did. I realized, though, that I want to be a little more intentional about certain foods for certain meals. I want my kids to associate the memories of a holiday with a specific food. In other words, I can see lemon hole cake becoming a staple of Easters to come!

I don't think I've ever shared a recipe on my blog before, but I feel it's my duty to help immortalize Aunt Melinda's lemon hole cake (she now lives in Texas and I'm curious to find out when the last time was that she made one). Warning: it's delicious and I'm sure not kind to the hips, but enjoy anyway!

Aunt Melinda's Lemon Hole Cake

Cake:
1 pkg. lemon cake mix (like Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme)
1 pkg. lemon instant pudding
4 eggs
3/4 cup oil (I used vegetable)
3/4 cup water

Topping:
1/2 cup orange juice
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp. oil

Put all cake ingredients in large bowl and mix 10 minutes (I don't think I mixed it quite that long). Bake according to directions on the box. When done, remove form oven and poke holes all over the top. Don't remove from pan. Mix topping. While hot, pour on the topping mixture.

Enjoy!

Thursday Thirteen #13

2008-03-20T22:49:00.002-04:00

Though I feel all this posting tonight is a tad narcissistic, I wanted to get my T13 in for once. So ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, cats and dogs, in honor of the first day of spring I give you (drumroll)...

Thirteen Things I look forward to with the beginning of spring

1. Rita's actually reopened today and gave out free Italian ices to celebrate. I tried one of the new flavors -- birthday cake. Yum!

2. Here comes the sun - as much as I HATED giving back that hour last weekend, the extra daylight is nice.

3. It's almost clothesline time -- I love hanging my laundry on the clothesline and once this weather settles about 20 degrees warmer, I'm all set.

4. My azalea bushes will be blooming soon and they're SO pretty.

5. Spring break - I know I already mentioned this in my previous post. Sleeping in and staying in jammies longer is quite appealing.

6. Is it seriously ever going to get warmer? I think it might.

7. This has absolutely nothing to do with spring, but the writer's strike is finally over and the Office will be new in three weeks!

8. This is the only time of year you can buy Cadbury Cream Eggs.

9. We're getting closer to the Stevens birthday rush (everybody but Josh is late April through July)

10. Isn't the Easter Bunny coming in a couple of days?

11. I'm ready for green grass, sunshine and blue sky

12. Dinner preparation starts to move outside

13. Do I really need a reason? Spring rocks!

Multitasking = blogging and watching Celebrity Apprentice

2008-03-20T21:26:00.003-04:00

Hi.

It's me.

Yeah, I know.

I'm back though, so get off my case :-)

Wow. Life has been crazy and full and... good. I'm not even sure where to start.

This has been the first year since Caleb died that I didn't blog on his birthday (2/21). He would have been 13 this year which is really hard to believe. The day itself was really hard; more so than I thought it would be. That's all I have to say about that for now.

Business has been booming. Not only have new students been coming out of the proverbial woodwork, but I've gotten another opportunity as well. The school where I used to teach, TCS, lost their music teacher and they offered the position to me. Fortunately, it fit into my schedule nicely so I took it. I've been doing it since the end of February and we just actually put on our Easter program last night. Considering how thrown together it felt, I think it went pretty well. Anyway between lessons and this class, I'm working about 30 hours in three days each week. It's busy and tiring but good. I love what I do so I can't complain.

This past Friday, Matt, Josh and I flew to New Orleans. My mom graciously came to Baltimore to stay with the monkeys (thanks again, Mom). We were a part of a weekend in which church leaders and pastors from the NOLA area came together to pray and get mobilized for their city. There were people there from Texas, Tennessee, other parts of Louisiana and even Massachusetts as well. It was really a great weekend. Sunday, we got to spend some time doing more "touristy" things - the highlight being eating beignets and drinking cafe au laits at Cafe DuMonde! I flew home Monday, but Matt and Joshy stayed to continue to work. I'll pick them up tomorrow.

What's next? Well, spring break officially began after school today. The boys and I are going to the MOPS easter egg hunt tomorrow, the airport and then our church's Good Friday experience. Sunday is Easter, of course. Wednesday, I leave for Chattanooga via Nashville to compete for the first time with our quartet. This one is evaluation only. Our "real" competition is two weeks later in Covington, KY.

So that's the skinny for now. I've really missed blogging and want to find a way to make time for it. If that doesn't work, I have a ghost writer standing by ready to go!

Have a blessed Easter.

Peace out.

Able to leap vomit in a single bound...

2008-02-05T09:18:00.000-05:00

I was explaining to Matt last night that mommies have special powers - like super immunity. It gives us the ability to look in the face of fever and vomit and not become sick ourselves.

I have been employing mine as of late. Both of the younger set have been out of commission since Saturday. Micah holds the record for the highest temperature so far - 103 last night. They seem to be on the mend, though. I think Jacob may actually be able to go back to school tomorrow - Mic's probably out until Thursday.

So today I get to do piano lessons and sick duty at the same time. That should be interesting...

My life in bullets...

2008-01-22T08:30:00.000-05:00

Life is...

Full. Busy. Good.

If you're interested, here's a glimpse, in no particular order, of what's been going on:

I just got back from Ohio. We went to Sweet Adeline's Region 4 Winter Warmup. Though it was a bit overwhelming to not know anyone beside our quartet (my mom, her best friend and my sister) and a few faces from my mom's chorus, I feel like I really learned a lot about barbershop singing and even picked up some new warm ups and techniques for my voice students.

I got very little sleep over said weekend so I feel like a bit of a zombie today

Debbie Connelly is awesome. If you knew who she was, you'd be impressed that I had dinner with her. OK... I'll tell you. Debbie is the lead of "the BUZZ", the 2005 Queens of Harmony for Sweet Adelines International. They are hands down the best women's barbershop quartet ever. I already knew she had an incredible voice, but dinner with her allowed me to get to know her. She's a nut (like me) but an incredibly sweet and sensitive person at the same time. My sister and I had a wonderful time having dinner with her. Our quartet got to coach with her, too.

We had about three inches of snow last Thursday. The boys and I had a blast. More on that later...

I made a scrapbook for my sister for Christmas, but I just gave it to her this weekend. She LOVED it which subsequently made me happy because I worked really hard on it and it was kind of awesome.

We're dog sitting for my BFF while she's out of town. Her dog is small and cute and I call her Claire Huxtable, though that is not her name.

My husband leaves for New Orleans tomorrow to do some preliminary work on an event that's coming up in March. I will miss him, but will keep plenty busy while he is gone.

I had a girls night out/MOPS reunion at my friend Heidi's house a couple of weeks ago. I got to see a lot of friends I haven't seen in awhile and it was wonderful We had so much fun.

That's it for now. I have to get ready for lessons. More later... I promise.

Loss - part 2

2008-01-09T10:12:00.000-05:00

There is something about devastating loss that makes my stomach hurt.

Today, my mind is on an 8-year-old boy who is returning to school after losing his mother, three sisters and step-sister in a horrible car accident. This little boy goes to the same elementary school as my two youngest kids; he's actually a friend of my 8-year-old.

What's been haunting me even more is the image described to me by my youngest son yesterday. He told me that kids have been writing sad notes and pictures and putting them on the locker of this boy's younger sister (a second-grader) who was one of the victims of the accident. I've seen her picture and can't seem to get her adorable little, braided-hair smiling face out of my mind.

Both of my son's had substitutes yesterday because their teachers were attending the funeral. Teacher's shouldn't have to attend funerals! They should only be visited by students who have gone on the middle school and want to stop in to say hello.

Despite God's sovereignty and goodness of nature, nothing seems fair about a child dying. Nothing. Trust me -- I've explored probably every aspect of it over and over again. Everything about childhood is filled with innocence and goodness. When they're just "gone", it perverts the very nature of the whole thing.

Obviously, incidents like this bring me back very close to our own loss. I can't help it. And I don't know if that will ever change. There are times that fear wants to overtake me and I feel like life is an egg that I'm carrying around, hoping it won't roll off of my hand and break. Sometimes I'm fine. Honestly, I'm fine more often than I'm not, but when it hits hard, it hurts.

Jut please do me a favor and pray for this little boy. He has a long road ahead of him.

Update on my dad

2008-01-07T13:41:00.002-05:00

Hey! Thanks for all of the follow up questions and prayers for my dad. He saw the doctor on Friday. The good news is that he doesn't have to have surgery. The doctor felt that, with my dad's age and occupation in consideration, it simply wasn't the best option. The bicep will never completely be what it was, but with time and physical therapy, he should be just fine. I talked to him today and he sounds pretty good -- optimistic and all that.

Thanks for keep him in mind. He's a pretty cool guy! :-)

Thursday Thirteen #12

2008-01-03T23:33:00.001-05:00

I thought I would follow my dear friend, Ami's, lead (and by that I mean totally steal her idea) and make my T13 do double duty this week.

Thirteen Things I'd Like to Improve in 2008

1. Spend some time really focusing on God every day -- and it may look like something different each day. Something to keep my focus where it needs to be.

2. Exercise at least four times a week -- I started yoga on my OnDemand this week. It's only 10 minutes a day but a good place to start I figure (and I'm already feeling it!). Considering I lost over 30 pounds last year from just dieting, the exercise definitely can't hurt.

3. Lose those last 10-15 pounds -- I'll start with ten and then see how the jeans are fitting. I figure I'll want to go ahead and do the last five, but we'll see.

4. Get to bed earlier -- tough one. I'm such a night owl. I'm shooting for 11pm every night, though I've decided to let myself stay up later than that one random night each week (obviously, tonight's that night!).

5. Read to and with the boys more -- Micah has to do 25 minutes each night for school and Jacob is supposed to read 15 books each month. I love to do it, but it's so hard to make the time. If I can just remember they will only be this little for so long...

6. Stick to my housework list -- I have everything broken down into a miraculous plan - if only I can stick to it! In theory, the whole house gets cleaned each week. I open for tweaking if my plan doesn't work.

7. Read at least 12 books this year -- I'm going to shoot for more non-fiction this year.

8. Spend some time on craft projects (at a minimum) once a week -- my craft room is almost completely organized and set up. I miss sewing. And along those lines...

9. Finish 40 scrapbook pages -- If Scrappy Chicks continues to get together once a month like we've been doing, that's only 3-4 pages per month. This only counts for our family album. Special things like gifts don't count. I can't wait!

10. Master a few piano pieces that are currently out of my league -- how can I expect my students to advance if I don't push my self?

11. Play board games with my kids more; let's shoot for twice a month -- they're getting to an age where they really love board games (Mic and Jay) but aren't too cool for them yet (Josh).

12. Get together with my girlfriends more -- we have a MOPS reunion scheduled for next weekend. How timely!

13. Go on a date with my husband at least once a month -- 17 years of dating and still loving it!

Nothing earth shattering here, but I feel like these are attainable and will be good for the health of me AND my family.

What do you want to do this year?

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Please pray for my dad...

2008-01-02T13:46:00.000-05:00

I talked to my mom this morning and she said that my dad tore his bicep muscle yesterday (or the day before, or something like that). He's in a sling and may have to have surgery. He's not in too much pain as long as he doesn't straighten his arm. Please keep him in your prayers, though. He's still going to work, though I'm not sure how he's going to play the organ on Sunday!

Thanks!

It's going to be worth it...

2008-01-02T09:27:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! I hope your celebration was a good one. We had a party, about which I will blog later...

I was doing my devotions this morning (and especially enjoying a quiet house in almost two weeks!). I started by praying and thinking through the whole new year thing. I find myself asking God how things like this are observed in heaven. My thoughts have been more heaven-focused in the last two and a half years because of Caleb being there. I wondered if they watch all of the fireworks from Sidney to Los Angeles, though I'm sure they don't compare with anything in heaven itself. In any event, it still helps me to imagine celebrations and birthday parties for Jesus and the like. And there's Caleb with a grand spot at the banquet table right between Grandma Dot and George Washington!

Anyway, I prayed about some more things going on in our life, especially filled with gratitude for some recent open doors. I decided to do a devotional out of the Women of Faith Bible that my mom got me for Christmas (I've enjoyed their ministry, especially after attending a conference in Columbus last April and meeting cool people like Michelle ;-). The devotional I read today was by Patsy Clairmont and was titled Freedom from Perfectionism -- right up my alley. But the devotional held something for me that I wasn't expecting. The following is a passage from said devotional:

There's something about loss that has the potential to take us by the hand and help us find a way to survive outside the context of our pain.

I have found that my mistakes often lead to a clearer resolve, my losses often bulldoze a path to untapped courage, and my limitations can teach internal liberty by God's grace.

Not only do I want to make the mistakes in my life to mess with my perfectionism so that God can show Himself in my imperfection, but I am hoping that I may also learn -- no, embrace -- this year that, through my family's loss, God can give us strength that we never knew we had. Would I give up what we've gone through to not have that strength? You'd better believe it. But that was not God's plan. His plan is to use our painful loss to glorify Himself and manifest the strength in us that we didn't even know we could possess. At first, I would say to God, "I think you've got the wrong person. I don't think I can make it through this." But God knew from the beginning what he was doing. I still wouldn't chose this for myself, but for some reason God did.

I realized a while back that everyone has their "one big thing" with which they're struggling. It may not be the loss of a child like mine is, but it's just as big to you as that is to me. It may be a disappointment, divorce, job loss, broken relationship -- in any event, there's loss. Maybe God wants to use that loss to give you strength you didn't know you could have, too.

Get your own Flash MP3 Player

Worth It All - Rita Springer

I don't understand Your ways
Oh but I will give You my song
Give You all of my praise
You hold on to all my pain
With it You are pulling me closer
And pulling me into Your ways

Now around every corner
And up every mountain
I'm not looking for crowns
Or the water from fountains
I'm desperate in seeking, frantic believing
That the sight of Your face
Is all that I need
I will say to You

It's gonna be worth it
It's gonna be worth it
It's gonna be worth it all
I believe this
It's gonna be worth it
It's gonna be worth it
It's gonna be worth it all
I believe this

You're gonna be worth it
You're gonna be worth it
You're gonna be worth it all
I believe this
You're gonna be worth it
You're gonna be worth it
You're gonna be worth it all
I believe this

Thursday Thirteen #11

2007-12-27T22:42:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I have lots of energy and creativity to put into my T13, sometimes I don't. SO in the spirit of the latter, I give you...

Thirteen reasons I'm tired tonight

1. Christmas was two days ago

2. I've eaten more in the last three days than I probably have in the last three months. Shame on me.

3. My parents are here and

4. My mom and I are avid, vigorous shoppers. So, therefore...

5. We've been to Walmart like three times in the past two days AND

6. Matt and I took them out for their 33rd wedding anniversary tonight.

7. Micah misplaced his DS and we spent WAAAY too much time and energy today looking for it.

8. I don't feel totally great. My nose is drippy.

9. The dog woke me up before the sun was up because he, apparently, had to pee or just had an overwhelming urge to chase squirrels

10. Matt and I drive to Shrewsbury, PA this morning to have breakfast with some friends we hadn't seen in awhile

11. Josh had a friend over today and it takes a lot of energy to be a cool mom (without looking like you're trying to be a cool mom)

12. Still a little salty about that darn DS being lost all day.

13. Is Christmas break over yet?

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T11:39:00.001-05:00

Awesome Graphics at pYzam.com

Well...

2007-12-22T22:04:00.000-05:00

Tree is up, shopping is done, cookies are baked, snowmen are out, fire is in the fireplace, parents are coming, boys are wound up...

It's actually starting to feel like Christmas. Finally.

Thursday Thirteen #10

2007-12-21T09:06:00.000-05:00

(Yes, I know it's Friday. I had to crochet another scarf last night)

Thirteen Obscure Christmas songs that I enjoy...

Know any of these?

1. The Little Jesus Came to Town

2. Wind Through the Olive Trees

3. Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming

4. All is Well

5. The Boar's Head (I sang in a Madrigal group in college)

6. Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne

7. The Jesus Gift

8. Christ was Born on Christmas Day

9. Pat-a-pan

10. Christmas Waltz

11. In the Bleak Midwinter (one of my favorites)

12. Bethlehem Morning

and the final one (drum roll)......

13. Crabs for Christmas (It's a Baltimore thing!)

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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My thoughts in numbers...

2007-12-20T07:38:00.000-05:00

5 - days until Christmas
1 - day I've shopped
6ish - more gifts left to get
90 - minutes it takes to crochet a scarf for my kid's teacher
90 - minutes (ironically) it takes to watch Clash of the Choirs while I crochet said scarf
3 - choirs left on Clash of the Choirs (my money is on Team Lachey)
2 - days of school left
5 - piano/voice students stand between me and a nice, long break
20 - things trying to stress me out
45 - minutes until I need to be out the door this morning
1 - kid is out the door already
2 - kids are still in bed
15 - angels and flower pot snowmen we are going to make at MOPS today
1 - toilet I just heard flushing. Guess that makes only
1 - kid still in bed
42 - minutes until I need to be out the door

OK, OK. That's it for now.

Christmas is a week from today.

2007-12-18T09:02:00.001-05:00

Holy crap. We don't even have our tree up yet!

We are the champions, my friend.

2007-12-17T20:52:00.000-05:00

I still don't get football completely, but I will try, in my non-football girly language, to describe Saturday's Maryland Youth Football Championship game between the Howard County Bruins and the often-imitated, never-duplicated Hamilton Tigers!

Even walking into the M&T Bank Stadium was cool. (we've never been there before). It was even cooler knowing that our son would be on the field shortly thereafter! Our crew consisted of Matt, the boys and I; Josh's friend, Caitlin; and Matt's brother, Dave, and our nephew, Blake, who drove in from Ohio just for this event. It was cold and so we were all appropriately bundled in triplicate.

We swung by the concession stand to get some goodies. I don't think I ever paid $4 for a hot chocolate before, but considering it also doubled as a hand-warmer, it was almost worth it! Micah chose popcorn, which he obviously enjoyed! ------->

The boys came out on the field as the announcer called their names and jersey numbers and we were joined by two more fans -- Sean and Christy volunteer with the middle school youth at our church. Josh is in Sean's small group. We really appreciated them coming to help us cheer on the Tigers!

The game started. We scored the first touchdown, but didn't get the extra point (which is strange because we usually do, but whatever). The Bruins, however, were proving themselves to be a formidable opponent, scoring after our touchdown AND making their extra points. The score: 6-8.

Mr. Mike joined us at this point. Mike and Hazel are very dear friends to our family and his presence was greatly appreciated. Plus, he held my hot chocolate while I put my gloves back on -- very necessary!

We scored another touchdown and (thankfully) made our extra point this time, bringing the Hamilton fans to their numb, little feet and the score to 13-8. That brought us to halftime. No marching band, no dancing girls, but halftime all the same.

The third quarter, unfortunately, brought us a lot of penalties and the Bruins another touchdown complete with extra points. The score: 13-16 in favor of the Bruins.

By the fourth quarter, things were not looking up for the Tigers. We were working toward our goal line but hadn't quite made it yet. If I had to name the breaking point of the game, I would probably have to call it this play: We were on about the 40 yard line headed toward out goal. It was the 4th down -- make it or break it. Though there was no clock (which was driving us crazy!) we knew there wasn't much time left. Sure enough, the refs gave us the four-minute warning. OK. Focus. Don't forget it was the fourth down. The play ensued, ending with a tackle and the ball being set down so they could see if we made it. It was SO CLOSE that they had to move the chains out to where the ball was so they could measure it. Miraculously, the refs called it -- 1st down Tigers! We continued to work our way toward the goal line, and as the announcer told us there were on :59 on the clock, the Hamilton Tigers scored our final touchdown AND the extra point! Score: 20-16

The Bruins regained control of the ball and tried to pull something out with :47 on the clock, but to no avail. The Hamilton Tigers became the winners of the Maryland State Youth Football Championship, unlimited division.
Needless to say, Josh and his team were (and still are) thrilled. This was especially significant for Josh because last year, his first year of football, the team that he played on didn't win any games. This year, his team was undefeated! I have to give a plug for the Hamilton football program, though. They have a tremendous coaching staff and really teach the skills these kids need to succeed at this game. I think Baltimore will be hearing from this program for championships to come.
After the game, we went to grab a bite to eat (in the rain -- it held out until the game was over) and then headed home as the exhaustion of the day caught up with us!

This was a real landmark event for our family. We remain thankful for everything God brings to us in the way of excitement and opportunity. I ask for support in prayer for those of you who are willing. We're in the process of figuring out where we are going to send Josh to high school next year. To explain all of our options and reasons would take too long, so if you don't mind keeping us in your prayers, we'd appreciate it!

Thanks for taking the time to read this! And one last time -- GO TIGERS!!

God does understand...

2007-12-14T16:51:00.001-05:00

Wow. I will adopt this as my thought of the day. View with a tissue... this is touching ;-)

Are you ready for some football?!

2007-12-11T21:45:00.000-05:00

Well, it was quite an exciting weekend around here in Stevensland - and BUSY, too I might add. The big news of the weekend concerns Josh and his football team, the Hamilton Tigers. They had the last of their playoff games on Saturday night. After a challenging game the previous weekend, our victory over the Cumberland Patriots was a somewhat easy win. At the end of the game, it was Tigers 28, Patriots 8.

You know what this means, don't you?

MY son will be playing at the M&T Bank Stadium (where the Ravens play) this coming Saturday! Yea! It's the Maryland Youth Football Championship.

Wanna come?

You can get tickets online here and Josh would be thrilled (as would we). His game is at 6:00pm.

As far as the rest of the weekend goes, there was scrapbooking, a birthday party to attend, dinner with friends, Matt had some preaching "gigs" downtown and I had my annual Christmas recital for my students. It was a full weekend and a reminder of how rich and blessed our life is. This coming weekend promises to be pretty much equally as busy. Then, believe it or not, things slow down a smidge heading into Christmas.

OK. That's it for now. I'll hopefully get in my Thursday Thirteen this week. Thursdays are much busier than they used to be!!

I heart presents

2007-12-05T18:25:00.000-05:00

Please feel free to leave me one!!

I'm mad at WRBS...

2007-12-03T17:51:00.000-05:00

... because they have been playing Christmas music since BEFORE Thanksgiving and I'm getting sick of Christmas music and I don't want to be because I LIKE Christmas music. I mean, Christmas is still like several weeks away and I'm going to be listening to Zepplin by then just to get away from 50 versions of "Silent Night".

Oh, and while we're on the topic, "My Favorite Things" is NOT a Christmas song. I heard some station playing a Barbra Streisand-crooned version of it while I was in a coffee shop today. It's from the Sound of Music and has nothing at all to do with Christmas or even winter for that matter. Just because a song has the word "snowflakes" in it doesn't make it a holiday song.

Sigh.

I'm in quite a mood today. I think I need a nap.

Thursday Thirteen #9

2007-11-29T21:58:00.000-05:00

As promised...

Thirteen things I've done during my blogging absence

1. Went to an incredible women's encounter weekend -- Wow. If there was a way to describe the encounter weekend at Word of Christ Church in Bradenton, FL, I would do it. I've been a Christian for like 30 years and this is the most genuine experience I've ever had with God. There were some other really amazing things that happened regarding a situation in our past. I may explain it later. I also got to hang out at my friend, Sudi's, spa and got to swim in the Gulf of Mexico.

2. Went to Ohio for a quartet practice weekend -- This was like three days after I got back from Florida - a little insane. It was a good weekend, though. We've picked our contest pieces...we think.

3. Watched my business take off -- I had 16 students last fall. All summer I've been really praying for things to increase and doing some advertising in a couple of places. As of right now, I have 32 students in my home studio. I also have picked up a gig in Harford county at a church that is starting a music academy. I have three students through them and that is looking to increase as well. I'm working about 23 hours a week and really LOVE it!

4. Had a game night with Jess, Ami and Kate -- Yeah, you should be kicking yourself for missing this one. It was really the social event of the fall. We had WAY too much fun and were very obnoxious. There's another one in the works for January (right, ladies?). You might want to put in on your calendar. I'm just saying....

5. Went to Six Flags -- We've lived in Baltimore for eight years now and this was the first time we've gone. Our friends and season ticket holders, the Pitts, had passes and graciously brought us with them. We went on the last day of the season and had a blast. I rode the Superman. I kind of rock.

6. Reached my first weight loss goal -- OK. I haven't talked much about dieting because, well, just because. But I've been on Weight Watchers since February - on and off really. When we travel, I pretty much eat what I want, just not too crazy. Then when I'm home, it's counting the points, baby! I hit the 30 lb. mark earlier this month and right now, I stand at about a 34 lb. loss. I feel great love the way my clothes are fitting -- or are too big for that matter!

7. Did the dreaded, annual summer/winter clothing switch -- Oh, I hate doing this every year, but it's very necessary. It's really only Micah, Jacob and myself that I have to switch out. The hard part is that they grow so dang much. They have to try on just about every piece of clothing for us to decide what fits and what doesn't. It's quite a circus, but it's done... until spring anyway.

8. Celebrated Joshua's 14th birthday -- can you believe he's 14? I sure can't. Of course he is kind of man-sized so it's probably not a stretch for most. Anyway, I'm so thankful for my sweet young man. He's such a good kid. And speaking of Josh...

9. Watched Josh's football team, the Hamilton Tigers, go undefeated and win their division -- YEA! They're actually still going. If they win the next two playoff games, the get to play at M&T Bank Stadium (where the Raven's play) on December 15th. Let us know if you'd like to go.

10. FINALLY got our kitchen ceiling fixed -- I never wrote about this either, but long story short, half of our kitchen ceiling collapsed at the
end of July. It had to do with getting a new boiler in the spring and the way it affected the radiant heat in the plaster ceiling, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, the ceiling collapsed rather loudly and it was scary and messy and just sucked in general. After much dealing with our home-owner's insurance company and contractors and plumbers and electricians it's done. And it looks good. We had always planned to put recessed lights in the ceiling so this was our golden opportunity!

11. Scrapbooked not once, but TWICE with my friends -- We're making it a monthly thing. If it weren't for that, I would never get any pages done! I call us the scrappy chicks and we take turns meeting at each other's houses one evening each month. There's food and all kinds of silliness. I know you want to come...

12. Went to my BFF's 25th birthday party -- We had dinner with a ton of people at a restaurant and hung out afterward. It was fun. Happy birthday, Jess! :-)

13. Went to Ohio...again -- this time for Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time and got to hang out with both sides of the family. It was a rather whirlwind trip, as being in two parts of Ohio in five days usually is, but we had a really great time. The boys got to see their cousins and we got to see our parents and siblings. My husband made an AMAZING turkey along with incredible cranberries and sweet potatoes. Seriously, you should hire him to prepare your Turkey Day celebration next year! Just a tip, though. Avoid the PA turnpike on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Yech!

Well, that's it. If you got through the whole thing, you get a cookie (one that is low in Weight Watcher points, of course). Have a fantabulous weekend and thanks for reading :-)

Pssst!

2007-11-28T21:46:00.000-05:00

Hey, remember that girl that used to blog on this page??

(da ta da da da daaaaaaa)

It's MEEEE!

(That was a heck of a women's retreat, huh!?)

I've missed blogging and have thought about it for about the last three weeks solid. But, it's like the first blog back after an absence is so... awkward. It's like saying a big, emotional good-bye to a friend who's going overseas and then running into them at Walmart before they leave.

I'd be lying if I said it wasn't nice to be missed. To all of those who've asked about the status of my blog... Mike, Michelle, My mother-in-law, Lauren... thanks. You make me grin. See --> :-)

I was talking to my friend/piano student, Louise, the other day and she helped me realize something. There are no "rules" to having a blog. You can blog about whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want. I think with my perfectionistic, slightly OCD, anal, etc. personality, I tend to set boundaries that don't need to be there.

So I'm back. I'm going to use the Thursday Thirteen tomorrow to tell you about all of the busyness that has been happening while I've been absent from the blogosphere.

On a final note, our Jacob earned his Bobcat badge in Cub Scouts tonight. Isn't he adorable?!

See ya.... SOON!!

(Comment please)

Thursday Thirteen #8

2007-09-20T23:39:00.000-04:00

Oh, I really don't have time to do this, but I can't resist slipping in my T13. I'm flying out first thing in the morning to Tampa Bay, Florida to drive to Sarasota to attend a women's encounter weekend. I am looking forward to God doing some really great things in my life as well as others that will be there. My husband attended one for men back in the spring and it was really incredible. I'm a little ansy because I'm not a big fan of traveling sans a companion, but I know I'll be OK.

So right before I head downstairs to finish my stuff, I give you...

Thirteen things I did today while getting ready for my trip.

1. Took a short nap - that was early today. I knew last night's sleep wouldn't cut it.

2. Took a shower and washed my hair

3. Organized a one-woman search party for 52 library books.

4. Found all but three of them.

5. Taught three piano lessons.

6. Ate at Arby's with my family.

7. Did two loads of laundry (need to do one more before I go to bed)

8. Dropped off and picked up my son from football.

9. Went to the grocery store.

10. Talked to my mom on the phone.

11. Helped with homework.

12. Returned the aforementioned library books (and checked out more. I'm so bad!)

13. Cleaned my sons' bathroom, put away laundry, returned a call to a prospective student, picked up my son's medication, laid out the boys clothes for while I'm gone...

Get the idea? Due to my being gone, I'm going to have to forgo visiting anyone else's T13 or doing Friday's Feast this wekk. C'est la vie.

Notice "pack my suitcase" wasn't anywhere in there. I'd better head downstairs. Hope you have a terrific weekend! Looking forward to giving a good report from mine.

The First Day of School

2007-09-17T08:37:00.000-04:00

OK. So the first day of school was almost a month ago now - August 27th. I have FINALLY gotten the pictures off of my camera and onto my computer so they are ready for your viewing pleasure.

You may exhale.

Josh leaves first. He's pretty hot stuff as an 8th grader this year. We were excited for him because this is the first time in about five years that he has gone to the same school the second year in a row. Between our public to homeschool to private Christian stints over the last several grades, he's had to make adjustments pretty regularly. I must say, though, that he's done extremely well. His average grades from last year were all A's and B's and he made lots of friends. He's gotten involved in the school's Bible club, is playing percussion in the band and is looking forward to trying out for the school play this year.

As you can see, Josh has grown a bit from last year. Since school has started, Josh has come to realize that he's not only the tallest kid in the 8th grade, but is taller than all but three of the teachers and administration as well!

Micah is in third grade this year. He thrilled to have some of his friends from last year's class in his class this year. I met with his teacher the week before school started just to let her know a little about what our family has experienced in the last few years and to touch base with her about his inattentive ADHD. She is an experienced teacher which set my mind at ease a bit. So far, he is doing great and really loving school.

Jacob was pretty sure at first that kindergarten was more fun than first grade. I think he's been won over, though, as he is learning a lot and really having a good time. He also has a lot of friends from last year in his class, which is nice. Jacob lost his first tooth a few days before school started, and his second last weekend. He's so cute, I could bite him!

The night before school started, we went to Friendly's to celebrate. We opted for the obnoxious 12 scoop, 6 topping sundae to share! It was so much fun and quite delicious.

Amazing Race won another Emmy!

2007-09-16T22:50:00.000-04:00

Yea! One of my very favorite shows!

Flubber

2007-09-15T11:24:00.000-04:00

I had some plans last night, but, unfortunately, they fell through. We all ended up at home with a blissfully open evening. After dinner, I decided that we should all watch one of the DVD's that I had gotten in the mail from blockbuster.com.

We watched the 1961 black and white version of the Absent-Minded Professor. When we sat down to start it, I realized that Micah and Jacob had never seen a black and white movie before. I had my doubts about how much they would really be into it because it's quite "dated", but they really enjoyed it -- Micah especially. Jacob did say halfway through that he enjoyed movies in color better, but overall, it was really fun for them -- us as well.

I dare you to give it a shot. Find an old black and white Disney flick and see what your family thinks!

Friday's Feast #6

2007-09-14T11:49:00.000-04:00

Appetizer
When was the last time you visited a hospital?

The last time I visited was when my friend, Kate, had her baby, Jonas. That was in March. The last time I was IN the hospital was last June when I had my whole, stupid kidney stone episode!

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how ambitious are you?

Well, I guess it would depend on the situation. When it comes to a craft project, I can be pretty driven. If it's something I don't want to do, I have to really push myself! In the traditional meaning of the word "ambitious", I guess I'll go with a 6.

Salad
Make a sentence using the letters of a body part. (Example: (mouth) My other ukelele tings healthily.)

Everybody loves blessing our world!

Main Course
If you were to start a club, what would the subject matter be, and what would you name it?

I've tried to do this several times and it hasn't really taken off. I would love to have a weekly or biweekly time and place for women to gather and work on their individual craft projects while we hang out. I'm trying to think of a clever name, but I've got nothing!

I've also always thought it would fun to be in a book club.

Dessert
What color is the carpet/flooring in your home?

We are very blessed to have hardwood floors. They are in really good shape because they were covered with carpet for years. In the basement, we have dark blue carpet.

Join in the fun at Friday's Feast

On my honor...

2007-09-14T11:29:00.000-04:00

The dynamics of siblings is an interesting thing.

Jacob is our youngest son. He's six.

When Joshua and Caleb were younger, I couldn't wait until they were old enough to start doing sports, school, story hour at the library... you name it. I'm finding with the younger "set" (AKA Micah and Jacob) that finding the activities that suit their tastes is a little more of a challenge. I don't know if we're just tired or what.

The other day, someone came to the boys' school to talk to all of the boys about scouting. Something clicked in Jacob. Now, mind you, my three other boys have all heard the same spiel and... nothing. We've never heard another word about Boy Scouts until now. Jacob would NOT stop talking about scouts. His words were, "It is WAY fun. You go camping and fishing and all kinds of stuff."

So after my lessons on Wednesday, Matt, Jacob and I headed off to the scouts open house at a local elementary school. After talking with some very nice parents, we got our little man all set up to join Pack 124 and become a Tiger Cub.

I'm looking forward to seeing how much Matt and Jacob enjoy their scouting times every Wednesday evening. I'm sure he'll be a great (not to mention adorable) little Tiger Cub!

Thursday Thirteen #7

2007-09-13T22:45:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's Thursday again already! I'm pretty wiped so I'll keep it relatively simple.

Thirteen of my favorite songs on my iPod
(in no particular order)

1. Put Your Records on - Corinne Bailey Rae

2. Still I Will Worship You - Willow Creek

3. Walk Away - Kelly Clarkson

4. All of Me - Selah

5. Dance Floor - Alton Lee and Dee

6. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiago? - Rockapella

7. Climbing Uphill (from The Last Five Years) - Sherie Rene Scott

8. My Tribute - Allan Lust (my dad)

9. How Deep is the Ocean - Kindred Sound (our quartet)

10. A Song for You - Elliott Yamin

11. Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Eva Cassidy

12. Comfortable - Fleming and John

13. I Wanna Know Your Ways - Fred Hammond and Radical for Christ

Oh there are SO many more. I have over 2,000 songs on my iPod. I'll have to do this again.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Friday's Feast #5

2007-09-07T22:00:00.000-04:00

I just got home from a Tastefully Simple party at my friend, Paula's, house. Though I ate almost all of the Go Go Asiago dip all by myself, I still have a little room left for...

Appetizer
Using only one word, how does grocery shopping make you feel?

Ummmm... Inspired

Soup
What is your favorite part about the season of Autumn?

Leaves, leaves, leaves... I LOVE the leaves changing colors. Our yard and street are so beautiful.

Salad
Have you ever had any bad experiences online?

Not really. I've had some frustrating bidding wars on eBay, but that's about it.

Main Course
Name three things that make you happy daily.

1. My husband - I enjoy him so much - his sense of humor, his smile, the way he works so hard. You name it, I like it about him!

2. My kids - if you don't know them, you're really missing out. They're the coolest!

3. Playing the piano - playing really relaxes me. I'm so thankful I get to make a living doing something that also brings me joy.

Dessert
What one household cleansing or organizing item would you not want to be without?

I'm a big fan of LOC cleaner. I like the way it cleans and smells

Join the fun at Friday's Feast.

Thursday Thirteen #6

2007-09-06T22:02:00.000-04:00

*sigh*

I SO wish I had time to blog this week. Life is a bit upside down right now. They're working on our kitchen ceiling so the kitchen is a bit out of commission, my piano lesson schedule started full force this week, etc. etc. I've been a little touchy mentally and emotionally, too. Not sure why. Nevertheless, it's Thursday (thank goodness for Thursday or Friday or else I'd NEVER blog!).

Thirteen reasons I really like Thursdays

1. It's almost Friday - need I say more?

2. I have MOPS (first and third Thursdays of the month) - I have been involved in Mothers of Preschoolers for years -- probably since Josh was about two or so. For a long time, MOPS was my social life and friends base! To this day, women I've met here are among those that I consider some of my dearest friends. Anyway, this is a monumental year for me as far as MOPS is concerned. I am officially no longer eligible to go to MOPS (according to MOPS Intl. my kids are too old - youngest is in first grade). This year, though, I am honored that the St. John's MOPS group has asked me to still be involved as a Mentor Mom. How cool is that?

3. I finish up my teaching week - the last of my 27 students comes on Thursday afternoon. As much as I love to teach, it's nice to be done for the week.

4. It's Matt's day to get up early with Josh - I get a break on Tuesdays, too :-)

5. I get my AC Moore weekly specials email - hey, I'm easy!

6. Did I mention it's almost Friday?

7. The Office is on - ah, yes. And in just a few short weeks, they will all be brand new!

8. ER is on, too - yeah. I'm sticking with it until it's over.

9. It's trash night - now, if I took out the trash, this would probably not be on the list. But, alas, this is why God made 13-year-old boys! There is something quite refreshing about getting all of that stinky, nasty trash out of the house and onto the curb.

10. It's NOT Tuesday - Tuesdays are very busy and much too far from Friday. So there.

11. I was born on a Thursday - so no Thursday? No Katy! (OK. I used the internet to confirm this fact, but I was pretty sure!)

12. My mom is off work on Thursday - this means I can call her at my leisure. How lovely!

13. One day closer to the weekend, baby!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Friday's Feast #4

2007-08-31T22:30:00.001-04:00

I've been so caught up in trying to get my office/craft room painted that I almost forgot about...

Appetizer
Who is the easiest person for you to talk to?

Definitely my husband. I also have stimulating conversation with my sister, my mom and my BFF Jess...

Soup
If you could live in any ancient city during the height of the quality of its society and culture, which one would you choose?

Can I go back to bible times? THAT would be cool, though I would try to avoid being stoned to death.

Salad
What is the most exciting event you’ve ever witnessed?

Ummm... Probably the four births of my boys. I've never gotten to be there for anyone else's delivery.

Main Course
If you were a celebrity, what would you do for a publicity stunt?

Driving with a baby on your lap is so last year! I think I would parachute naked into a big pool of pudding (can you tell I'm tired?)

Dessert
What do you consider the ideal age to have a first child?

Well, I was pretty young - only 21 - with Josh, but it's nice now because we will still be young when our kids are grown and out of the house. I guess it worked for me. I'll tell you one thing, though. The first pregnancy at 21 was much less tiring than the last one at 29!

Join the fun at Friday's Feast.

Thursday Thirteen #5

2007-08-30T21:39:00.001-04:00

Thirteen Places in which I've lived...

1. Section-Line Rd. - Caledonia, Ohio - This is the house I lived in until I was five. My grandpa had a stroke, my grandma moved into an apartment and we into her house.

2. An ambiguous trailer park - Colstrip, Montana - I like to throw this one in just to be obscure. I was very small and we only lived there for like two months. I vaguely remember the plane ride, but little else.

3. Barkswood Rd. - Marion, Ohio - This is the house of which I spoke in #1. Ah, good old Barkswood Rd. I lived in this house until I left for college at 18. Lots of good memories there. My parents sold it and moved about 10 years ago.

4. Fir Hill - Akron, Ohio - the apartment my sister and I shared in college. We lived there for two years. My favorite memory was the bible study my now-husband and some of our friends and I started. We crammed about 50 or so people into that little one-bedroom apartment!

5. Ellsworth Dr. - Stow, Ohio - Matt lived here and took care of his elderly grandmother before we got married. She passed a few months before our wedding. This was our first home and we lived her for about a year before moving to...

6. Wyandotte Dr. - Huntsville, Alabama - What a cute little house this was; a tiny three bedroom ranch that we rented from a couple in the church where Matt worked. This is the house we lived in when Joshua was born.

7. Wells Rd. - Meridianville, Alabama - again, a brief stint. We actually lived in our pastor's basement for a short period of time. It was actually a good experience because both families had enjoyed each other. Their son, Jonathan, was only five weeks younger than Josh.

8. Thurman Rd. - Huntsville, Alabama - our first apartment. We refer to this one fondly. It was 1100 square feet for only $340 a month! We brought Caleb home from the hospital to this home.

9. Valerie Ln. - Hudson, Ohio - another transition. We had moved back to Ohio and, in the process of looking for a place to live, stayed with Matt's parents for a few months.

10. Harper Rd. - Streetsboro, Ohio - we were actually just talking about his house this other day. It was so tiny and crappy! The yard was incredible but the house left a bit to be desired.

11. Mordred Ln. - Streetsboro, Ohio - we lived in our trailer for about 4 years. It was actually really nice and fit our little family well. I started my piano lesson business out of this home and Josh started school when we lived here. Micah was born, but only three months before we moved to...

12. Deanwood Rd. - Parkville, Maryland - this townhome was the first house we actually owned. We lived there for almost seven years. Thinking of this house is very bittersweet. I home-schooled there for three years, brought Jacob home from the hospital and added Tucker to our family, too. Sadly, it was also where I received the news that my Caleb was gone. Leaving it was hard, but healing at the same time.

13. Here - Parkville, MD - TA DA! Here we are. We moved into this house a little over a year ago. Though it hasn't been without its challenges, I love it here. We've been blessed with a huge yard and room for everything we need to do.

Isn't it cool that I've lived in exactly 13 houses?

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Friday's Feast #3

2007-08-24T20:46:00.001-04:00

Appetizer
Say there’s a book written about your life. Who would you want to narrate the audio version?
Ooooo. I'll go with James Spader on this one. I love his voice!

Soup
Take the letters from your favorite kind of nut and write a sentence. (Example: Perhaps every avenue needs understanding today.) Can animals see him eating watermelon?

Salad
If you could go back in time and spend one week in another decade, which decade would you choose? The '80's baby! After all, girls just want to have fun.

Main Course
Name a song that brings back memories for you.
There are so many. I'll go with.... uh, I'll come back to this one.

Dessert
Do you prefer to wash your hands in cold water or warm water?
Warm, almost HOT water. My kids use cold and it makes me batty. I'm certain they're not killing any germs!

Join in the fun at Friday's Feast.

Thursday Thirteen #4

2007-08-23T23:05:00.000-04:00

OK. Lots to blog about, stressful week, no time, yada yada yada... I decided to keep my T13 on the lighter side this week.

Thirteen Reality Shows I Enjoy

1. The Amazing Race - this one is hands down my favorite. I would love to be on it someday, though I won't bungee jump or sky dive which may prove to be a problem.

2. So You Think You Can Dance - my summer favorite! Sabra won this year and I'm so thrilled. How cute was she?

3. American Idol - Oh yeah. Talk about the stereotype of reality shows. I have a tendency to favor the third place contestant; Elliot, Melinda. I'd audition, but alas, I'm too old!

4. Project Runway - I admire these folks and their abilities with fabric, feathers, seashells, you name it. I am tempted to say "Bless you," every time Heidi says ""Auf Wiedersehen" to the eliminated contestant. Bravo has other great shows like...

5. Top Design - "See you later, Decorator". Oh, and one more...

6. Shear Genius

7. Fat March - a new one for me. It is interesting to see how well these folks are doing from just walking and eating right.

8. America's Top Model - OK. Tyra is annoying. I don't set the DVR for this one, but if it's on, I'll watch.

9. Celebrity Fit Club - mixing one mentally unstable former-star into every cast is a winning formula.

10. Supernanny - makes me feel a little better about my own kids?

11. Wife Swap - ah. A show based on extremes. Josh always asks me if i would want to be on Wife Swap. I just smile and shake my head.

12. The Pick-up Artist - thanks, Jess, for getting me addicted to this one. It's like a train wreck; I'd love to look away but I just can't.

13. Scott Baio is 45 and Single - I'm totally kidding! This show looks completely stupid. I just couldn't come up with a 13th show!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Friday's Feast #2

2007-08-17T12:41:00.001-04:00

Appetizer
Describe your laundry routine. Do you have a certain day when you do it all, or do you just wash whatever you need for the next day?
Well, the way I lined the chores up for the boys is that they empty their hampers and the laundry chute on Saturdays and Wednesdays and I do laundry on Mondays and Thursdays. I ususally do about three loads each of those days. During football seaon, that increases a little!

Soup
In your opinion, what age will you be when you’ll consider yourself to truly be old?
Wow. I really hope to be like my Grandma and never consider myself truly old. She traveled, volunteered in nursing homes and took line dancing into her 80's!

Salad
What is one of your goals? Is it short-term, long-term, or both?
I'm pretty focused on goals with my business right now (private music lessons from my home). I am starting the season with about 26-27ish studetns and would love to have 35 or so by the holidays. It would really help us meet our family budget -- plus I get to work with more wonderful, fun people!

Main Course
Name something unbelievable you’ve seen or read lately.
I guess I'm always unpleasantly surprised by the violent acts I hear of on the news. Unfortuately, Baltimore has the second highest per capita murder rate in the US and we're praying God uses us to do something.

Dessert
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how happy are you today?
I'll give it a 8.5. I've got a lot of tasks on my mind and it's a little uncomfortably sticky, but overall, I'm a blessed girl!

Join the fun at Friday's Feast...

Thursday Thirteen #3

2007-08-16T21:46:00.000-04:00

It's been a long day, but I can't retire until I share...

Thirteen things that make my kids really cool

I have four great kids -- three on earth and one in heaven. My angel will be ten always and my three down here are 13, eight and six. I love my little men with all my heart and the following are some things that make them extra cool.

1. They're funny. It's fun to watch their sense of humor develop. Joshua is getting rather witty in his old age and Micah comes up with the most random stuff. Jacob just knows everything.

2. They're cute. Matt and I constantly look at each other and shrug, wondering how we produced such adorable children.

3. They're smart. Josh managed an average of all A's and B's in his first year back in public school in four years. Micah's reading improved greatly this year and Jacob got smileys all the way across!

4. They're polite. Yes, we have to coax occasionally, but the manners are there!

5. They are troopers. We drag them all over the east coast doing ministry for five weeks every summer. They sleep on air mattresses and sit through services and eat all kinds of different food. Overall, they don't complain and keep a good attitude (better than me sometimes!)

6. They love music. Obviously, this is a family thing!

7. They're silly. Tickle fights, ear eating, pretending we're puppies... you name it, we can be a pretty silly bunch!

8. They're loving. I get three wonderful good night kisses, three hugs and three "I love you, Mommy"'s every single night. Aren't I a lucky girl?

9. They're creative. Joshua and Micah are really into drawing and they're both good at it. Jacob likes to make things out of other things i.e. cardboard, toilet paper tubes, pipe cleaners, etc.

10. They love Jesus. Joshua's relationship with the Lord has really grown over the last couple of years. They all ask so many great questions and we have some conversations that really make ME think!

11. They help out around the house. Josh is especially good at keeping up with his chores. They all help out though, from sweeping to laundry to taking care of the dog.

12. They like and appreciate the humor of the Muppets. It's important. The Muppets are an acquired taste and my kids get them. Yessssss. Micah walks around the house saying, "Good grief, the comedian's a bear!"

13. I love them. I just do. For every reason and no reason at all.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thrilling

2007-08-15T21:51:00.000-04:00

Sarah Jessica Parker is my new hero.

It all started the other night when I was up later than I should have been (as usual) and Amanda Bynes was on Conan. I like Amanda. Joshua and Caleb were just the right age for the Amanda Show on Nickelodeon and the movie Big Fat Liar is a family favorite.

Anyway, Amanda was talking about her new clothing line called "Dear" that will be carried at a store called Steve and Barry's - never heard of it. She was saying that her line was geared at young women -- college student types -- and nothing in the line cost more than $19.95.... well, THAT caught my attention. She went on to say that she was inspired by Sarah Jessica Parker's line "Bitten" that was sold at the same store and aimed at the 30 and over crowd.

That would be me.

I went online and Googled it. Sure enough, SJP's line not only has adorable clothes, but they're ALL $19.95 OR LESS TOO! AHHHHH! I also found out that there is a Steve and Barry's very close to me at Eastpoint Mall -- not a mall I frequent, but close by.

So tonight, I picked up my BFF Jess, we dropped Josh off at football and drove to Eastpoint Mall. I knew ahead of time that I wasn't going to buy anything because money's a little... tight. It's OK, though. Jess needed some things for work and I was more than willing to help her find some stuff. And if I happen to try on a few things in the meantime, so be it.

Well, we were not disappointed in Miss Parker's (OK Mrs. Broderick) clothing. It was so cute, sporty and comfortable and, as promised, everything was extremely affordable. Jess was able to get what she needed for the cost of what she would have paid for one item somewhere else.

Now, because God likes me so much, He gave me a little bonus. As we were on our way back to the fitting rooms, we went by the shoes. Now get this - they have athletic shoes for $14.95!! I'm serious. They are a line by NBA star Stephon Marbury called "Starbury". My big-footed son needs shoes for school and get this -- they had up to size 15 (accomodating his size 14 foot nicely now and for a few minutes after that). Automatically, I thought that Josh probably wouldn't like them and that they wouldn't be acceptable socially in the world of Pine Grove Middle School. SURPRISE! When I mentioned them to him, he had already heard of them, seen them and (bonus) thought they were cool.

Ahhhhh. Life is good. I feel like it's a dream from which I don't want to wake up!

Nothing like saving money (or future money) to make a girl happy!

Friday's Feast #1

2007-08-10T11:47:00.000-04:00

I was going to revert back to "Happiness is..." Fridays in August (I may move it to another day), but I just saw this meme on mama pajama's blog and I really liked it. So, for now, I give you my first installment of...

Appetizer
What is your favorite kind of pie?
Oooo. Peach. And I don't find it very often.

Soup
Name something that made you smile this week.
Seeing some of my piano and flute students again

Salad
What do you do to cool off when the weather is hot and humid?
We either visit a friend who has a pool, or visit the aforementioned $3 movie theater!

Main Course
You receive $1,000 in the mail with a letter that says you can only use the money to redecorate one room in your home. Which room do you pick, and what do you buy to spruce it up?
I would probably spend it on my craft room that is still under construction. I would get my big work counter, but lots of storage stuff and get a big TV/DVD player!

Dessert
Fill in the blank: My _________ says __________, but I __________.
My scale says keep going with your diet, but I ate the ice cream last night anyway!

To join in the fun, go to: Friday's Feast.

Thursday Thirteen #2

2007-08-09T17:28:00.001-04:00

I know we're still fairly early into August, but my mind is already on school starting and all of the things in store for autumn. With the heat surge lately, it would be easy to be in a complaining mode so I thought I'd list...

Thirteen Things I Like about Summer

1. No socks. If I've never mentioned it before, sock are my nemesis. Seriously, if I were a super hero, Dr. Sock would be my sworn enemy. Especially with kids, socks are the worst. if you do take the time to pair them up from a load of laundry, inevitably there are always about three that don't have mates. They end up in the "sock basket" (I hope I'm not the only person who has one of those!) and stay there until someone becomes desperate. In the summer, it's sandals, baby, or better yet, no shoes at all!

2. Popsicles. You don't have to be six years old to know that popsicles totally rock. Especially the orange ones!

3. Sleeping in. Boy, this one is going to be hard to give up once school resumes. It's so nice to be able to just chill in bed, snuggle with the boys, or better yet, go back to sleep. This one segues nicely to...

4. Staying in your pajamas most or even all of the day. Now, before you decide we're just all a bunch of bums, just let me tell you that this one applies to the boys more than Matt and myself. But if you're not going anywhere that particular day, why the heck not! It's always comical when I tell the boys, "OK, time to get your pajamas... oh. Never mind."

5. Free movies at the $3 theater. We haven't been home enough to take advantage of this one as much as we have in years past, but we're hoping to catch a couple before the end of the month. Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, they show a free kid-friendly movie. It's usually one we've already seen, but it's fun all the same and a nice relief from the heat to sit in an air conditioned theater for 90 minutes.

6. My clothesline. There's something about using the clothesline that I really love. As soon as the weather starts to get nice, anything that's not socks, jeans, panties, briefs or towels hangs out in our backyard to be dried by God. The stuff smells so good and I'm saving energy to boot.

7. Open windows. The one perk about not having central air is that we get plenty of fresh air from having the windows open. The birds chirping through in the morning is a nice thing to hear when you wake up. Late spring/early summer this year we were blessed with some really perfect, beautiful days.

8. So You Think You Can Dance. OK. Stop snickering. I really LOVE this show. Last year, I was a die-hard Benji fan. This year my money is on either his sister, Lacey, or Sabra. We'll find out next week...

9. Dinner outside. Our grill gets a workout most of the year, but especially during the summer. We have our patio all set up with tables, a canopy and our nifty mosquito candle torchy thingies. There's nothing like eating steak and potatoes out there, cooked masterfully by my husband.

10. Rita's. I'm not sure how far the Rita's empire spans, but you really need to get your self there. They have frozen custard, Italian ice and, when they are put together, wonderful things called gelatis. Fortunately, the closest Rita's is just down the street and we frequent it whenever possible.

11. Sweet corn on the cob. How did I move into a food theme here? But, seriously... corn on the cob... need I say more?

12. Long days. I can remember when I was a kid my sister and I used to throw the softball back and forth until we couldn't see it anymore. We'd head inside, always surprised to find how late it was. I haven't touched a softball in years, but I still enjoy waking up to sunlight and enjoying it well into the evening.

13. Flip flops. How do they engineer a piece of foam and some plastic to be so comfortable? I have a pair of pink ones that I bought at Wal-mart over two years ago and they are my comfort footwear of choice to walk around New York City (Matt is actually insisting that I retire said pair because they are getting, in his words "nasty." OK. They are a little bit. I bought a new bright green pair this year). Seriously, flip flops are a fantastic invention. My mom still calls them "thongs", which makes my sister and I laugh very hard, of course.

Hope your summer has been happy!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Start spreading the news...

2007-08-08T23:26:00.000-04:00

I left our Chain Reaction adventure off somewhere in Massachusetts a few weeks ago. I figure I should add another installment and fill in the blanks.

We drove to NYC (under my superior navigational skills) from Mass on Saturday the 14th. We've been staying at Abounding Grace church on each trip to New York that we've made there for the last five or so years. Being there is honestly like being with family. We have a deep love and respect for Pastors Ricky and Arlene DelRio. Their son, Jeremy, is not only my husband's ministry partner, but one of his closest friends as well.

Abounding Grace has done an outreach called "Jesus Loves You New York" for many years. This year, instead of bringing a Chain Reaction to NYC, we decided to add the efforts of our team to the JLYNY outreaches. They consist of basically throwing a block party at a different park every day. It was a great deal of hard work, but we really enjoyed it. I was so proud of Matt and our interns and the way they put in many long hours and did a lot of challenging tasks.

Fortunately, doing outreach in NY every year always allows us a free day. In years past, we've done the Staten Island Ferry, Central Park, Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State Building. This particular free day was on what started out to be a very rainy Wednesday. Luckily, the rain went away and we hopped on the subway (which included our first experience with changing trains. We did well, though we almost accidentally ended up in Queens!) and went to the Museum of Natural History. Yes, this is the museum from the movie "Night at the Museum", though we found very few similarities in the appearance. We had a great time and saw about 2/3 of the huge museum before it closed.

We then met up with intern (and nephew!) Zak and his girlfriend, Whitney, who had flown in for a few days, and intern Jesse and his wife, Rachelle (also joining for a visit) for dinner in Times Square. We ate at a great Italian restaurant by the Ed Sullivan Theater where the Late Show with David Letterman is taped.

We jumped back in the next day with more outreach events. We continued through Saturday, which happened to be Micah's 8th birthday! I've always felt a little bad for Micah because his birthday always falls during Chain Reaction, but I realized to turn eight at a park in New York City with a moon bounce, cotton candy, a live band, etc. is not so bad!

A real highlight of Saturday's event was something that happened at the school by the park in which the party was held. Some of the young adults from the church teach at this elementary/middle school and have been able to build good relationships here. That coupled with the fact that Generation Xcel, the ministry's after school program, is located in the housing projects just across the street set the situation up for God to open some cool doors. There are several well-known artists and graffiti artists that are a part of Abounding Grace. They were able to paint some incredible murals on the columns in the school's playground. The messages weren't overtly Christian, but positive all the same.

We hung out for church Sunday and a few extra days to help with some of the post-outreach clean up that needed to be done. On Tuesday, Jeremy took us to the oldest pizza place in the country. It was a yummy way to end our New York adventure this year.

I am trying flickr.com to show you my New York pics. Jeremy uses it a lot on his blog and I thought I'd give it a shot. I like it because you can scroll through and look at individual pictures instead of having to wait through a slide show. Let me know if you like it.

Peace out -- for now anyway...

Shorts

2007-08-08T16:06:00.000-04:00

I don't like to wear shorts. There's something about parading my 35-year-old alabaster legs around that is very unappealing to me. I would much prefer capris or even a skirt.

However, the last week or so has been so hot, that I feel I have had no recourse. I only have one pair of shorts that I really like -- a Old Navy jean pair that I got at Plato's Closet a few years ago. So I've been practically living in those for the last several days.

Truth be told, not having central air here at the house is not THAT bad. There are a few weeks out of the year that are pretty nasty, but I think we'll survive. Matt and I both grew up in houses that didn't have A/C and we made it. We have a window unit in the used-to-be-garage/ Matt's office/ our bedroom so we hole up there when we start to melt. As a matter of fact, I'm there right now :-)

So to everyone in Parkville, I apologize for that streak of glowing white you may see passing by. The weather will cool down soon and you life will return to normal.

Two years...

2007-08-05T19:54:00.000-04:00

“You can shed tears because he is gone,

or you can smile because he has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that he'll come back,
or you can open your eyes and see all he's left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see him,
or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember him only that he is gone,
or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back.
Or you can do what he'd want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.”

My sweet, little friend, Emily Kopp, had that on her myspace with Cub's picture. I'm not sure where it came from; if it's a lyric to a song or a poem. I just know I liked it.

Yes, today marks two years since the car accident that ended our son, Caleb's, life at the age of ten. It's still a painful fuzz even after so much time and so many events. I have a lot on my heart today so, if you wish to ride along today, hang on.

Is Caleb still ten years old in heaven or has he celebrated the last two birthdays and turned twelve? Does he still like to skateboard, play soccer and draw pictures like he did here? Does he get to hang out with all of our relatives that have already passed on? Did God tell him how many freckles he has on his face? I tried to count them once. Did his teeth ever come in? Were they as crooked as they looked like they were going to be? I know. His earthly body is still here (we were explaining that again today to Jacob at the cemetery). It's just helps to speculate, I suppose.

To those of you that remembered that today was what it is, thank you. It blesses me so much when people remember. It keeps him "alive" in a weird sort of way? Sometimes, I worry that other people forget he was here altogether (though I know they don't) and when other people mention him, it makes me happy that he's still in their mind and heart.

Last night, I sat and listened to a song that I normally avoid. As I did, I pictured him in each stage of his life. It's SO hard to remember sometimes (with any of my children, really). My favorite part, which is the hardest to hear, is the end. I love the way it's worded.

"Weak and wounded sinner,
Lost and left to die,
O, raise your head for Love is passing by

Come to Jesus,
Come to Jesus,
Come to Jesus and live

Now your burden's lifted,
And carried far away,
And precious blood has washed away the stain... so

Sing to Jesus ,
Sing to Jesus ,
Sing to Jesus and live

And like a newborn baby,
Don't be afraid to crawl,
And remember when you walk sometimes we fall... so

Fall on Jesus,
Fall on Jesus,
Fall on Jesus and live

Sometimes the way is lonely,
And steep and filled with pain,
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain... then

Cry to Jesus,
Cry to Jesus,
Cry to Jesus and live

O, and when the love splills over,
And music fills the night,
And when you can't contain you joy inside... then

Dance for Jesus,
Dance for Jesus,
Dance for Jesus and live

And with your final heartbeat,
Kiss the world goodbye,
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side... and

Fly to Jesus,
Fly to Jesus,
Fly to Jesus and live"

When Caleb passed away, someone gave us a copy of L.B. Cowman's daily devotional, "Streams in the Desert". Matt and I have read it together on several occasions. It's almost scary how this book coincides with our lives. Date for date, the words are always timely.

We keep it in the car which might seem strange, but for us it works. The boys and I were waiting in the car to leave for church this morning and I happened to pick it up, realizing that I had never looked at the August 5th reading. I turned to the page. The following is what I found there:

God was "pleased" (I Cor. 1:21) to take my youngest child from this world, under circumstances that caused me severe trials and pain (note - I don't remember reading before that she had lost a child). And as I returned home from the church cemetery, having just laid my little one's body in the grave, I felt a compulsion to preach to my people on the meaning of trials.

I found that the verse "My grace is sufficient for you" was the text of next week's Sunday School lesson, so I chose it as my Master's message to the congregation, as well as His message to me. Yet while trying to write the sermon, I found that in all honesty, I could not say that the words were true in my life. Therefore, I knelt down and asked the Lord to make His grace sufficient for me. While I was pleading in this way, I opened my eyes and saw this exact verse framed and hanging on the wall. My mother had given it to me a few days before, when I was still at the vacation resort where our little child had been taken from us. I had asked someone to hang it on the wall at home during my absence but had not yet noticed its words. Now as I looked up and wiped my eyes, the words met my gaze: "My grace is sufficient for you."

The word is was highlighted in bright green, while the words my and you were painted yet another color. In a moment, a message flashed straight to my soul, coming as a rebuke for having prayed such a prayer as, "Lord, make Your grace sufficient for me." His answer was almost an audible voice that said, "How dare you ask for something that is? I can not make my grace any more sufficient than I have already made it. Get up and believe it, and you will find it to be true in your life."

Life is hard. The bible says it will be. But we serve a God who has sufficient grace. Do I always feel so much at peace with this fact? No. I still have nights that I scream out in my head to God about my loss. Whether I chose to live in His grace or not, it's still there be offered.

I love and miss my son and can't wait until I get to hold him again. Until then, I want to seek God out for my purpose on this grain of sand and will really try to live in that state of offered grace.

Blessings and love.

My first Thursday Thirteen!

2007-08-02T23:23:00.000-04:00

Well, as promised (it is August, you know), it's time for me to finally start doing the Thursday Thirteen as inspired by my friend, Ami.

Thirteen Things about Katy


1. I am not an animal lover in particular. I always felt like I SHOULD be because my sister is, but I tend to only love an animal if it's mine.

2. I am a "people person". Though I like time alone now and then, I really prefer to be around others and tend to function better that way.

3. I would really like to be on a game show before I die.

4. I am VERY good at French braiding hair, though I have no girls. Weird. I know. A friend's mom taught me at the campground we frequented when I was in middle school and it worked for me. I make them nice and tight and they stay in for awhile.

5. I stink at most sports. The only one I'm even remotely good at is foosball (table soccer) which may not even be a real sport.

6. I have no wisdom teeth. I was born without them, as was my sister. Jealous?

7. I am so freaked out by bats that I can't even walk by their display at the zoo. I've gotten a little better, but I'm still not a fan.

8. This may be over-sharing, but I have a tendency to pee my pants as a result of laughing too hard. It's happened on several occasions. I don't want to miss out on what's going on enough to go use the bathroom. That's just sad.

9. I am a board game freak! I've had to put myself on restriction from buying any more. I wish I had more time and people around more often who liked to play. Cranium anyone?

10. Creating things is very life-giving for me. I love a lot of crafts especially crochet, sewing and scrap booking.

11. I am not fond of my middle name (sorry Mom). It's Kay and kind of boring. Plus, it only sounds right if you use my full name, Kathryn, which no one does. I have kind of an obsession with names, especially long interesting ones. Truthfully, I've always wanted to change it to Elizabeth.

12. I've realized that I'm a bit of a picky eater, though I used to not consider myself that. There are a lot of foods that normal people eat that I simply don't care for. Some include iced tea, watermelon, pickles, mustard, green peppers and cottage cheese.

13. I like to sing and play the piano. You might have already known this!



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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Yesterday...

2007-08-02T22:11:00.000-04:00

Fifteen years ago yesterday, I married the man who continues to be my best friend. He's smart, funny, resilient, sweet, thoughtful and cute!

I never realized that day how much we would be required to go through together as a couple, but God is true to His word; He would never give us more than we could handle without His help. Together, Matt and I have driven seven different cars, moved about six times, been through four labors and deliveries, bought two houses, had three pets (not counting numerous carnival goldfish) and kissed probably a million times (yea!).

We've been though highs like getting something for which we've prayed, moving to an area we love, releasing a CD and celebrating birthdays and other special days. We've been through lows ranging from disappointments and financial distress to burying our son.

When we started dating, we decided to take life one day at a time and, though we (especially I) get tempted to rush ahead in our minds sometimes, this thought still seems to work.

We're excited and thankful about the first 15 years together and look forward to what's ahead...

The whole tooth and nothing but the tooth...

2007-07-12T12:16:00.000-04:00

I don't know if he's afraid they won't come back or something, but Micah HATES to lose teeth. He seriously will fight it to the bitter end. The last two came out in June -- one coming in contact with a sandwich (yeah, that's how loose it was) and the other with a little help from Daddy.

Well, the last front tooth was hanging on by a thread, and despite how gross that is, I mean it literally. We were hanging out in Harborplace mall, trying to keep dry on the Fourth of July and Jess told me she and Micah had a "secret". He showed her that his tooth was just barely in. I, of course, pretended like I knew nothing (which for me is unfortunately easy sometimes!) and we went on our way.

So just before the fireworks didn't happen (see previous post), Micah's tooth made it's timely exit.

There's something just so darn cute about both front teeth being gone. Caleb had his out for his first grade picture and it was too cute.

Oh, and I did NOT forget to be the tooth fairy this time. Ha.

More to come about Micah. He turns eight in nine days in New York. How cool is that?

Somebody PLEASE stop this train…

2007-07-09T15:51:00.000-04:00

…so I can at least take a nap or something! OH MY GOODNESS, the past six weeks have been CRAZY busy. (Do you like my incessant use of caps?). I am so sorry I haven’t blogged. Thank you, oh faithful ones, who have continued to check up on here, though all you’ve been finding is the same blog about rain. Boring, I know.

I figured I’ll recap at least, so you won’t think I’m just slacking and making all this “busy” hosh posh up. Buckle up and please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times.

I’ll go backward which, for my little mind, is much easier!

As I type this, I’m sitting in the music room of Community Christian Fellowship (CCF) in Lowell, Massachusetts which is our home for the next week. We’re beginning week three of our summer missions tour. We’ve done a Chain Reaction (CR) week at CCF Lowell for the last two years, though this is fifth year of doing a CR week in this area – we did two years in Haverhill, MA previously. This time, CCF has taken it upon themselves to do the event and we were invited to come and be a part of it. They’re calling it Caleb’s Dream, which is also an honor. Matt was the first speaker last night and was able to share about Caleb’s life. It’s all another step in the healing process. We’re looking forward to being a part of this week.

We kicked off in Baltimore this year which is actually quite monumental. We’ve attempted to do a week in Baltimore for the last two years and have run against obstacles that have stopped the event both years. We had a great group from Howard County. There were about 20 of them and they already came with a servant attitude. They embraced the CR concept quickly and whole-heartedly and were a joy with which to work. We were also thrilled to be joined by Lee and Debra, Jeremy DelRio and Ramon – all good friends and fellow ministers. Our fun day was Wednesday which happened to be the 4th of July. We went downtown in the afternoon and attempted to see the fireworks. However, God thought it would be really funny to see us all soaking wet before the night was over. About 15 minutes before the fireworks were scheduled to start and after managing to stay dry through intermittent sprinkles throughout the day, the day completely opened up on us and we got SOAKED! I mean, we’re talking all the way down to the underwear soaked. We still managed to have fun, though. My BFF Jess and her roomie Ali came with us and they are the very definition of fun.

CR Baltimore actually ended being more tiring than I thought it would be. Micah, Jacob and I stayed at the house so it was early out the door, come home late every day and we even had a family from Ohio that came staying with us two of those nights. I did crowdbreakers/scripture songs each morning and worship with our intern/staff dude, Jesse, each evening. By then end of the week, I had NO voice left. It’s all good, but was exhausting all the same! (Click on Jeremy's link in the right column. He has lots of pics on his blog... and his blog is cool to boot. You really should be reading it anyway)

We have three interns this year; Josh, Jesse who is a young man that we’ve known for awhile and our nephew, Zak. They stayed at our house all last week training and preparing for the next month of ministry. OK. Come a little closer. I have to tell you a secret… the most awesome thing about the past week was that I didn’t have to grocery shop OR cook! Matt decided that part of their process included meal planning, preparation, etc. so Katy did NOT have to cook at all this week! Yea! Happy me.

OK. Before that, I flew to Ohio for a weekend. My mom and sister have been involved in an a capella (that means no instrumental accompaniment for my non-musical friends out there) women’s barbershop singing organization called Sweet Adelines for years – seriously, my mom has been singing with them like all my life. Anyway, Sweet Adelines has competitions for quartets (that’s four women for you math whizzes) and my mom and sister have competed in various quartets over the years. Well, we’ve always wanted to sing in a quartet together and have decided, with many factors under consideration, that with the addition of my mom’s friend, Pat, now is the time for us to do a quartet. Now the challenge comes with the fact that we have one in Baltimore, one in Nashville and two in Ohio. So we’re practicing hard on our own and getting together quarterly (roughly). I’ll keep you informed…

Before that, it was the last week of school. The boys were very glad to be done. They all did well this year. Actually, just a few days ago, we got Josh’s final report card. He did very well, especially for his first year back in public school after three years of being homeschooled and one year or Christian school. He got all A’s and B’s as his final grades. We are very proud!

This takes us back to the weekend of June 15-17. I like to refer to this weekend as my “Kamikazee” weekend! Thursday, my parents came in for a visit. My mom and I both had had birthdays leading up to that and wanted to celebrate, along with an overdue party for Jacob’s birthday on Saturday. What my mom didn’t know was that my sister was flying in Friday night to surprise her (and we pulled it off, too which is HUGE because my mom is suspicious and hard to surprise!). Saturday, we had Jacob’s party and then took Mom and Dad out to a nice dinner for her birthday and Father’s Day, respectively. The next day (Sunday), we went to church and then, since I didn’t have anything ELSE going on that weekend, I had a recital for 13 of my 29 students! It actually went very well and my sister was able to stick around and be featured as a guest artist. We even sang a duet together. How fun.

My birthday weekend was before that. We had our friend, Lee, who Matt was in DOC with many years ago, and his wife, Debra, and their two boys here. They did a concert Friday evening at Moravia Assembly of God (incidentally, where we had the Baltimore CR) and ministered at New Covenant Tabernacle on Sunday morning. In between, we did Ft. McHenry and Annapolis. The day of my birthday (Friday the 8th), my friend Lynn picked Debra and Jess and I up early and we went out to breakfast and then on to see Joyce Meyer. It was really wonderful and the perfect way to spend my 35th birthday (I know, I’m old).

Whew.

Well, I think that catches me up. If you read all of this, I’ll buy you a coffee or something sometime! I hope my blogging can get regular once we’re done with the next three weeks; this one in Lowell, next week in New York City and then back to Massachusetts to Haverhill for one more week. We are looking forward to company in August, along with returning to teaching piano part-time, football for Josh and of course, one more month before we return to the routine of school and full-time work.

I’ll get back to my Happiness is… Fridays and actually want to do the Thursday Thirteen as inspired my my dear friend, Ami.

Hope you’re all having a great summer so far. God is good.

(Thanks for reading. It means a lot to me ☺ )

Rain

2007-06-04T15:12:00.000-04:00

I am SO glad it rained yesterday. We got a little smooch from tropical storm Barry. Everything was looking so dead and feeling so brittle, but now the grass, trees and flowers look refreshed and alive again. Not quite as green as they should yet, but more alive all the same. It's so nice. Plus, it's like ten degrees cooler than it was and the humidity is much more bearable.

I like weather. God is smart.

(PS - only 4 more days until my birthday!)

Happiness is...

2007-06-01T21:54:00.001-04:00

...having a sister!

I never told you what happened to the van.

2007-05-20T22:54:00.000-04:00

When we came home from spring break in Ohio about a month ago, we stopped at Westfield Dodge in Westfield, New York to trade in our van for one with a little less mileage and some other extra niceties. We LOVE our new van! It has the Stow and Go seats, automatic opening doors, power locks that work(!), ponies, confetti... OK. Maybe not the last two, but it's cool all the same. Micah named the van Sally.

About two weeks ago, Matt was driving home from a prayer meeting on route 70. The car beside him lost control of her vehicle and started to fishtail. She ended up with her front end in our passenger side. Fortunately, Matt was alone in the car and no one was hurt (he was a little shaken and stiff the next day, but is fine). The other driver totally admited fault and felt bad for what had happened.

On another fortunate note, the other driver also has great insurance coverage. Our van is in the shop until the beginning of June and we are driving a Chrysler Town and Country that is even a little nicer than our new van.

So, though this made a few days particularly stressful, I am also very thankful for God's grace and all of the "best case scenarios" here. Even though we only got to drive our new car for about three weeks, I still have a husband who is in one piece, I am driving a car even nicer than the one we bought and all is generally well with the world.

So be blessed little campers.

And be careful out there.

Happiness is...

2007-05-19T00:00:00.001-04:00

...my husband catching the biggest fish he has ever caught on Tuesday! He got to go out in the bay on a fishing boat compliments of his friend, Richard.

Needless to say he was a happy camper... er fisherman.

And I might add that we had a delicious fish dinner that night!

Way to go, babe!

Six years ago today...

2007-05-15T22:38:00.000-04:00

...this little monkey came into the world.

Now, mind you, if he had come on time, his birthday would have been over two weeks ago! But, alas, today my baby, my final-born turned six. (See how much he's grown since last year.)

Jacob pretty much thinks that the world should stop and do whatever he commands on his birthday. He didn't have school yesterday. Because of conferences? No. According to him, because of his birthday. We actually had to have a little talk last night to clarify that having a birthday does not justify acting however we want. Believe it or not, I've spanked on birthdays before (gasp!).

Now here's the slightly amusing part. We were a little rushed tonight because Matt and I were going to the Youth for Christ banquet (more about that later) but we didn't want Jay's special day to go by without doing anything to celebrate. We are going to have an official party in a few weeks, but really wanted to commemorate today... well, today. So after the boys got home from school, Matt went to Baskin Robbins to get an ice cream cake. Meanwhile, I fed the boys their dinner and got ready for the cake. Now, even though I've used them since we moved, I couldn't find my candles anywhere. Blast! The only thing I could find were the special number candles: 0, 1 and 5 (which can conveniently be made into any combination of 1, 10, 5, 15, etc.) I was starting to panic a little. I had to have something for this kid to blow out! I discussed my predicament with Josh and he suggested, "Why don't we just use the 5 and 1 because 5 plus 1 is 6?" Time was running out so that was exactly what we did.

So even though it looks like my son turned 51 today, he really is only 6! Oh what a wacky, weird life we lead!

Happy birthday, Jay Jay!

A favor...

2007-05-12T22:26:00.000-04:00

Hey friends.

Just a quick favor.

I was wondering if you happen to read this before Sunday morning, if you could pray for me. I've been asked to sing and share at our friends Pastor Tom and Rosalind Swind's church tomorrow morning. I don't mind the singing part, but speaking always makes me nervous -- plus Mother's Day can be a bit of a difficult holiday for me. I am actually going to share about Caleb tomorrow and tell my story of God's goodness and faithfulness in the midst of sorrow. Please pray that God speaks to the hearts of the people beyond my words.

Thanks... and a very beautiful Mother's Day to my mother (of course;-) and all my mommy friends out there!

Happiness is...

2007-05-11T23:46:00.000-04:00

...ordering pizza online. Not having to mess with human contact on this one is kinda nice :-)

Katy

480 Minutes

Loving my neighbor. Adventures in taking the bible literally.

*waves from far off in the horizon*

Funny stuff, baby

House Rules

Ethics... and things that fall into similar categories

Homeschooling... so far...

I remember you like yesterdays...

Back on the homeschool trail...

Thursday Thirteen #16

Thursday Thirteen Strikes Back (or whatever other sequel you'd like to use)

I'm baaaaack!

The frugal shall inherit the earth

If only...

25 Random Things

Stuff

Update on my silly phone kafuffle

I got a hippopotamus for Christmas

Holy Chocolate, Batman.

Hair ye, hair ye!

Goodbye October

:-(

Thursday Thirteen #14

Sushi + Starbucks = awesome girls night!

"Stevens is a cool freshman"

Let's call the whole thing off.

Grrrrrrrr

How did it get to be mid-August?

Rolling back my mental stability

What the... ?!

It's the middle of June...

Shopping: a memoir

Let's try this again

I'd forgotten how much I like summer

Is it blogger or just me?

Whew!

Tragedy

Feliz Cumpleanos

My love/hate relationship with Mother's Day

Quote of the day...

I'm tired, BUT...

Bow wow wow, yippee yo yippee yea.

Made you look...

Ich bin gesegnet

Won't you choo choo me home...

A traditional (well, kind of) Easter

Thursday Thirteen #13

Multitasking = blogging and watching Celebrity Apprentice

Able to leap vomit in a single bound...

My life in bullets...

Loss - part 2

Update on my dad

Thursday Thirteen #12

Please pray for my dad...

It's going to be worth it...

Thursday Thirteen #11

Merry Christmas

Well...

Thursday Thirteen #10

My thoughts in numbers...

Christmas is a week from today.

We are the champions, my friend.

God does understand...

Are you ready for some football?!

I heart presents

I'm mad at WRBS...

Thursday Thirteen #9

Pssst!

Thursday Thirteen #8

The First Day of School

Amazing Race won another Emmy!

Flubber

Friday's Feast #6

On my honor...

Thursday Thirteen #7

Friday's Feast #5

Thursday Thirteen #6

Friday's Feast #4

Thursday Thirteen #5

waves from far off in the horizon