Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

We've had a busy and good weekend.   We stayed home Friday night and I cooked a roast with gravy, mashed potatoes and baked beans.  It was nice after a crazy week, to just have a good meal and be at home with the family.  

Ted left early Saturday morning with Maddey and her family, to go to Austin for a few days.  Maddey had a choir competition on Monday (today) and her father wasn't able to travel with them due to work, so they drug Ted along.  Maddey has 3 little sisters, so with Maddey, her mom, and three little girls, Ted will probably be a basket case by the time they get back on Wednesday!   He'll finally get to see what living with girls is like, instead of his good life with just one little brother. 

Saturday David and I painted Collin's room.  After 5 years of moving furniture and putting things on the walls, it was in desperate need of a new paint job.   This, of course, led to rearranging the furniture when we put it all back together.   BUT - not only did it lead to moving the furniture - but also acquiring a new tv/video game cabinet that we were using in the livingroom, but thought he really needed in his room.  I'm on a constant search for ways to make Collin's room more efficient and not so cluttered.  This cabinet has doors that can be closed, in order to make his room look nice when it's not in use.  

Well, true for all projects that we embark on in this house; one project leads to another!  This now left us needing to do something with our tv in the livingroom.  We knew we would eventually get a new cabinet for the livingroom.  The one we gave to Collin is cheaply made (particle board) and not the most fashionable piece of furniture.    In the meantime, we put the tv on the coffee table and needless to say - it looks horrible!

I have confirmed that I officially have the inability to sit in a room that is horribly out of sinc.   This sounds ridiculous, but it's true.  Removing the other cabinet, which was actually a tall armoire, has thrown the entire room off balance, and I can hardly stand to be in there!  You can't make this stuff up, people!  

So, yesterday, after church, we headed to an antique store, in search of a replacement.  The new pieces of furniture are so expensive, so we decided to try and find something more unique, that wouldn't break the bank.    We went to an antique store that we had never been in and were pleasantly surprised.   They had such nice things but not outrageously priced.   We walked down every aisle and came upon the perfect cabinet!    They were actually using it in their tea room as a sort-of-china-hutch, but when we saw it, we both thought it would be perfect for our old house.    

Only one glitch..........no price tag.   The owner of the shop called the seller but couldn't get her on the phone, so now we're waiting for her to call back and give us the price.   I really hope it's in our range or we'll be on the road again.  In the meantime, I can't hang around in the livingroom too long or I'll break out in hives!

I forgot to add that Saturday night we went to Gator Country for dinner.  David has been wanting to eat there for a while, but the last time we tried, it was closed.   So, we headed out there Saturday night and I'm so glad we did!  As you may or may not know  - there is a new show on CMT called Gator 911.   This is a show about a crew from Gator Country, who are called to rescue gators from places around our area and put them back in the wild.   

When we walked into the restaurant that night we came face-to-face with Gary, the owner and head alligator guy.   The rest of the crew was there, as well,  and they put on a great demonstration and very educational talk about the gators.    The food was good (no, we didn't eat gator!) and we had a great time talking to the crew about their show and how they got CMT to put in on the air.     It comes on Friday nights, so watch an episode and get a little taste of Southeast Texas!

Well, that's all the news for today.  We're staying around the house today, unless we get a phone call about our (hopefully) cabinet.  

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day.   Thanks to all (family and soldier) who has sacrificed for our country and our freedom.  You will never be forgotten.

God bless!

Summer Goals

I hesitate to use the word "goals', even though goals are a good thing.  I guess I have an aversion to the word because it seems that I seem to trash more goals than I accomplish.    However......this summer I am setting some and I really hope I can reach them.

My Goals For Summer

Exercise ( I get tired of hearing myself say this, but it's always on the list)

Get organized in these areas:

 Menu making/grocery shopping

Chore scheduling

Collin's room! (also always on the list)

Routines for a productive day

Desk clutter

Kitchen cabinets

Lesson planning for next year

Projects I want to work on:

Creating areas in the front and back yards that are rustic and inviting

Painting Collin's room

Making new kitchen curtains

Catching up the scrapbooks

DeCluttering my home

Things I hope to do:

Go on a few trips with the family (and be SUPER efficient with the money!)

Have fun with the kids

Invite friends over for coffee/dessert more often

I have been feeling so overwhelmed at my disorganization lately that I actually bought the "Fly Lady's" book "Sink Reflections" and an organization book that lists each area of life and home, and helps you check things off as you get organized.

What are your GOALS for the summer?

Interesting Day

When you wake up in the morning and ask God to orchestrate your day, you just never know what's going to happen.  

That's what my Monday was like.

My day started out normal - woke up, got ready for the day.  I was expecting a friend, whose mom died on Saturday, to bring her son over for the day.    He was staying for the day while his mom took care of things at home.

While waiting on my friend to get here, I received a phone call from my dad, who was sitting in a doctor's office.  He informed me that he had been in and out of the emergency room over the past few weeks, and was now waiting on the doctor to give him some allergy medicine.   This led to a day filled with more calls to my sisters, who live near my dad, trying to get answers to the many questions I had.

Turns out, my dad is suffering from severe anxiety.   He was calling me to ask if I would come stay with him for the weekend, while my step mom and sister went to a wedding.   Now, I live 6 hours away, and all my sisters live within 30 minutes from him, so I felt this was a strange request.   After talking to 2 of my sisters, several times, I realized that he's been suffering from anxiety and a fear of being alone.    He's going to the doctor today and hopefully something more can be done for him.    It's really tough being this far away from my family.

In the midst of trying to figure out my dad's situation, I'm dealing with my teenager, who is having trouble with his girlfriend.   Everytime I would get off the phone with one of my sisters, my son would appear and want to talk about his situation.   This went on the entire day!  I'm so thankful that my son wants to confide in me and wants my advice, but this all day event was wearing me out!

Then David comes home and starts to work outside.  I'm thinking that the day is about to start winding down into a nice, relaxing evening - but I was wrong!   

The man building our fence has shown up to move his supplies down into the woods so he can start working back there, and he brings his teenage daughter.   That's no problem, except she's too hot to sit outside, waiting on her dad, so she ends up in my livingroom!   It's about 4:30 when she comes in and 6:30 when she left!   This wouldn't have been so bad, but the girl is deaf, so communicating with her took an immense amount of time.  She had to write everything out on paper and we did too.

In the meantime, I'm waiting on Collin's friend to be picked up by his dad at 5pm and I have to cook supper too.  So, I have a girl in my livingroom that wants to write notes to me on a pad of paper,  I'm trying to get supper on the stove, and wondering when this day is going to start slowing down.    Thankfully, Ted (my teen) was there, having conversations with her when I wasn't,  but when her dad came inside to get her, she didn't want to leave!   I assured her she could come back one day, and she finally left.   I enjoyed getting to know her, but that was a long visit. 

I finally did get to sit and relax after dinner.  Ted left to visit with his girlfriend, David and Collin were outside working on the front porch, and I planted myself on the couch to watch the finale of Dancing with the Stars.    I finally had a few moments to myself.   

Whew!  I don't even know what was on my to-do list for Monday, but whatever it was, I can probably be sure - it didn't happen!  

That's what happens when you give your day to God!


 Dare I ask HIM to orchestrate this day?

Hello Saturday!

I'm so glad it's Saturday!  Saturday just has a different "feel" than the rest of the week.

Today David and I are going on a breakfast "date".  

Then, on our way home, we'll pick up some supplies at Lowe's and head home to work on my kitchen cabinets.   For 5 years I've had NO cabinet doors, but today's the day!

It's the little things in life that thrill me!

Last night our support group had our end-of-the-year program called Night at the Museum.   It was a great night of showing off projects, drama, and even a graduation ceremony.    It's a great group of families.  What a blessing!

Things on my mind

Today I'm just going to write about several things that are on my mind.  

It's been an interesting week.  I've had a hacking cough since Mother's Day due to (I think) allergies.  That has slowed me down a little this past week, which was really nice.  I enjoyed being home for several days in a row.  Today I stayed home from church; just figuring that no one would want to sit next to a woman with a hacking cough. 

I'm trying to make mental notes of things I want to do around the house before my mom comes to visit.  She and my aunt are coming in June for the first time in 4 years!  Funny how the anticipation of visitors can get you moving!  We've spent the last few months focusing on our fence, so we now have several projects on the inside to work on. 

I have to take a moment to break off into the world of celebrities.  Let's talk Miley Cyrus.  Here's a girl that has made a living off  Disney.  Even I started to enjoy her show Hannah Montana, after watching a few episodes.  That has all changed though, now that she's trying to turn herself into the next Brittany Spears.     The music videos, pictures, attitude and "leaked" home videos that are now coming to the surface are really disturbing and what's sad is that her parents are "ok" with her "art".   Why? 

Why does every young girl in Hollywood have to turn into a sleeze?  Is it the money that does it?  The environment?  The lack of supervision at such a young age?  Too much freedom?  I mean - her parents let her get her own place this year at the ripe old age of 17.  Of course - once you've tasted the world, I guess there isn't any reason to hold her back now.    As random as this is - it bugs me!

The next thing on my mind has been a situation we've been dealing with lately - Christians who act like buttheads.   Ok - I know - not real intelligent - but sometimes it just fits the description of some people.

Recently my entire little family has been shunned by another family we go to church with.  We used to be friends with this family until my husband hired the woman to work in his office.   He did it as a favor to her - she was looking for a job - he had an opening - so he allowed his Assistant manager to make the decision, so that he wouldn't be accused of hiring friends.   Ultimately she was hired by the Asst. mgr. and began her job. 

Within weeks of being hired, she began to fill my ears with numerous complaints about the job.  At first I politely listened, thinking she was just trying to adjust to working.  But, after she repeatedly called me and talked about the office and company in a negative way, I began to lose patience.  Doesn't she realize I'm married to her boss?     Apparently that didn't matter.  Maybe she thought I'd be her go-between, and take her sorry complaints to the boss.   Either way - she was wrong.  I eventually told her that we couldn't talk about her job anymore.

Fast forward 3 years (and several other strange happenings on the job) and they finally had to dismiss her for lack of job performance.   Basically, she stunk at her job, so they offered her a lower paying job to stay with the company.   She refused the nice gesture, quit the job, and began her "cleaning house" of anyone and everyone associated with the office. 

She "de-friended" anyone on her Facebook account that had anything to do with the job.   She even "de-friended" my son.  Then her kids defriended my son (teens that have been friends for years).     The next thing we know, we're being defriended by that family's best friends (another couple from our church).    WHAT? This is ridiculous!  Oh, but it gets better!

About a week after all the FB defriending took place, my husband receives a letter from this lady's husband stating that their family has "decided that it is no longer beneficial to have a relationship with the (my) family."    He added that our family needed to "not speak" to his kids or his family and we needed to cut all ties with them.    I guess that included their friends, who were too ignorant to make their own decisions.

Sure enough, the very next week, I came face-to-face with the teens from that family at church, and every one of them shunned me.   Now, isn't that a nice Christian thing to teach your kids?  "Now kids: mommie and daddy can't get along with these people, so rather than forgive the grievances we have, let's all act like 2 year olds and ignore them, every time we see them."    Wow!  And, these people work up in the YOUTH department at church.  That's comforting, huh?

Well, call me a rebel, but that just makes me want to "kill them with kindness"!  So guess what?  Next Sunday, when I see them at church, I will have a HUGE smile on my face, a spring in my step, and a big ole' HELLO on my lips!    It's a free country BUDDY!  Get over it! 


Hmmmm.  Let's see....anything else on my mind?

Just the fact that the next few weeks are going to be busy.  We have our co-op's Night at the Musuem this Friday night.  The kids are going to perform a drama on the 10 Commandments and display some of the projects they've worked on all year.   I'm looking forward to that!

Well, I think I've spewed enough at you:)  Time to get productive doing .........something. 

Take care for now.  And remember:  don't shun people.   Jesus said to talk about it and get over it.  Not hold on to it and turn it into a pet.

See ya!

Debbie

Fundraising

Every once-in-a-while we need to vent about something.....today's my day to vent.  

We had our last 4H meeting today and several times throughout the meeting, we were reminded to volunteer for the "Fundraising BarBQue" (we're in Texas, hence the BBQ).     Earlier in the year we were told to take a handful of tickets to SELL for the event.   Here's my confession - I did not and will not do either one of these things - the selling or volunteering.   Here's why:

I HATE FUNDRAISING!

Since when is it ok to sign your kid up for extra-curricular activities and expect other people to pay for it???   I have never understood this concept.  

The local baseball team, asking for support so they can go to Disney World.  Hello? 

The drill team doing car washes so they can go to Disney World?  Nope!  

The local 4H group selling food so all of their entry fees can be refunded back to them?  I don't think so!

What ever happened to the concept that if you couldn't afford to go - you didn't go?

What is going through the minds of the parents that send their kids door to door, begging for money, just so they can buy new bats for the school team.   WHAT?  That's why we pay taxes! 

My kids took TaeKwonDo for YEARS in order to get their Black belts.   I paid $120 a month.  Guess what?  We never went to the tournaments because they were always out of state and I couldn't justify spending money on hotel, food, gas, etc.  just to haul my kids to a tournament.   Why would I beg for money off other people to pay for MY kids entertainment?

If you're one of those parents who are not ashamed to send your kid begging, then I'm stepping on your toes - sorry.   But it's not my job to pay for your kid's fun.  I have my own kids to entertain.   And guess what?  I'm the only one paying for it!

Good morning God

I have been in the presence of God this morning.  It wasn't a burning bush or a talking donkey.  It was about 30 minutes spent in Bible study and it was clear.

Last night I began searching my shelf for a Bible study I would like to spend time in this week.  I pulled one of the shelf that I started a while back, but had not finished.  It is Beth Moore's The Patriarchs, and it is, true to her style, involved.   Although her studies are always long and lean on the Bible drill style rather than sticking with one passage, I knew I would be getting plenty of scripture and that's what I am hungry for.  

So, this morning, with coffee in hand, I sat down to The Patriarchs, beginning where I had left off, months ago.    It was the story of Isaac, on his journey as an adult, and some of the similarities between his father Abraham, and himself.   

The study helped to point to some of the generational blessings and sins that we pass on to our children.  She also points out that we pick up some generational lessons from our parents, and that it is our choice whether we carry on the blessings or the sins.  

All parents have bad choices that affect their children - even Patriarchs in the Bible.   But, just as Isaac had a choice to carry on with the good and the bad, so we have a choice to carry on in the same way.

I finished the portion of the study for today and turned on the computer to check my emails.  Daily I receive an email titled "Encouragement for Today".   I clicked on this message to see what encouragement it had to offer, and what do you know?  It was about our "family tree" and choosing to lean our trees in a different direction.    Basically the same reminder that I had just received from the Bible study.  God, very often, speaks to me through things I read.  I think this is one of those times.  

I was reminded of how important every word I speak, every habit I have, is important in the lives of my children.   It's  important for us to take inventory of ourselves and determine which aspects of our parent's habits and personalities we have chosen to carry on to the next generation.   Some need to be purposely stopped and some will be ok.   Point being - we will carry some on, good and bad. 

Some of us will determine to be the opposite of what our parents were; some of us will carry the bad choices right on into our children's lives.

What are you passing on to your children?  It's worth thinking about and it's never too late to make a change.

Blessings to you today!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all my HSB and Blogger friends!  Hope this day brings many blessings to you!

Tuesday Tuesday

Well, this is the 2nd day in a row that I've had to leave the house in the morning.  I don't normally like to do that because I feel like we get off track in our responsibilities, but sometimes you "gotta do whatcha gotta do! "

Today I had my "yearly" check-up.  Seriously, I would rather have 4 teeth pulled!  I can't emphasize how much I dread this yearly visit.   But.....I don't need to convince any woman of that, now, do I?

After my doctor's appointment I had a few errands to run, such as picking up a book for Ted, buying some new make-up, and getting a small load of groceries.   Well, at least it was supposed to be a small load of groceries, but ended up costing me $84!  Sad thing was, I was using a small shopping cart, and although I had it packed, it was only half the size of the regular cart!  But.....it's not how much you buy, but WHAT you buy.   Organic and healthy cost more than junky and junky.

I'm really trying to eat healthier.  My doctor told me today, in a very kind way, that losing weight will only get harder as I get older.  Ya think?  In my mind - I want to walk and lose, but in my reality, it's just not happening!

I would love to lose weight before the summer (ha), as we are taking another trip to Florida this year.  Thankfully, we'll be on the Atlantic and not the Gulf.  Who knows what the beaches along the Gulf will look like in the next few months.    But, don't mistake my wanting to lose weight before then for anything as insane as me in a bikini or any other revealing bathing suit.   I would just like to lose some weight to feel good about myself.   I usually stay pretty covered up, regardless of what I look like.  It's just what I'm comfortable doing.

David was supposed to be gone for 2 days this week, but he called today to say he's coming home tonight instead of tomorrow night.  He didn't sleep well last night and he's suffering with allergies, so he wants to be home instead of in a hotel.  Yay!  That works for me!

Collin and I (and James) are going to a drama tonight, put on by the local homeschooling co-op.  They are doing Narnia and I hear it is wonderful! 

I am not going to tell Collin that Dad will be here when we get back.  I'll see how long it takes him to notice the car in the driveway when we get home. 

Ted will be visiting with Maddey and her family tonight.  They have basically adopted him, which is a blessing to my heart.   So far, so good, with those two.

Well, I'm off to get my mother's day card in the mail, then do something productive. 

Blessings to all of you!

Debbie

Monday Monday

I can't believe it's May!  This year is already almost half over!

We had a great weekend.  Friday night at Gator Country didn't happen because, even though their website says "open Fridays", they are actually only open on Saturdays and Sundays.   So, after meeting some friends in the very empty parking lot, we moved on to Joe's Crab Shack.   And....since I don't eat sea food, Collin and I enjoyed sharing a hamburger with a side of black beans and rice.


Saturday we enjoyed an evening with some friends.  The kids fished in their lake, while we moms ate chips and dip and talked.   It was a great evening.  Once again - I love being with my homeschooling friends!

Collin caught a fish and David caught a salt-water crab, which is highly unusual in a lake.  The crab was evidently a transplant from Hurricane Ike, which pushed the Gulf of Mexico up into their back yard.   Interesting stuff around here.....since then.

Sunday was church and a VBS meeting. 

Today was full of all kinds of things......some expected and some not.   

Last night, as I'm about to go to bed, Ted informs me that his driver's license is expired (since his birthday in April!) and that we'll have to go to the DPS office tomorrow (today) and renew it.   OK! This was not on my "to do" list for today!   David was leaving today for a 2 day trip, Collin needed to get some schooling in, and I had about 5 loads of laundry to do. 

So....this morning when David asked Collin to ride to the lumber store with him, Ted and I took off for the DPS office.   We were in line for an HOUR!  Thankfully we were not harassed this time, like we usually are when we go there.   We've had a few unpleasant experiences there in the past, so I'm always nervous going in.  Today I started panicking when the lady asked Ted if he had his VOE (Verification of Enrollment) form from school.   He said "no maam, I'm homeschooled" and I was holding my breath!  Thankfully she pulled a form from a file and had me sign it and that was that.   I was so afraid we would have to go home and get something and come back, which would mean more standing in line.

Collin didn't get started on school until after lunch, when David left.  But, since he wanted James to come play, he worked surprisingly fast. 

Believe it or not, I'm still not done with the laundry, but the last load will have to wait until tomorrow. 

I've got several books to read and review, so hopefully I can catch up on those while David is gone.
I'm also researching curriculum for a few classes that Ted needs for his final year.    Did I mention that Math is a thorn in my side?

Well, I'm off to read and review.  I wonder how long I'll last before my eyes start to close?
My guess is.....not long.

Good night friends!