Sunday, May 31, 2009

Saturday, May 30, 2009

hmmm...

I have no idea what he is thinking about but I'm sure it spells trouble.

Friday, May 29, 2009

a word to the wise...

If you are planning on doing this with Beth this summer, you might want to get your books now. Or soon. Because they might run low in the stores....not that I would know anything about that.

As far as the study itself goes, here's my take after the first week:

1. As much as I'd like to think that the ugly parts of my past (most specifically abuse) are stored away in suitcases in the back of my closet, never to see the light of day again, it's almost impossible to keep from pulling them out and trying things on from time to time.

2. While those things have shaped me into the person that I am today, they do not define me. They are not all that I am. Or, as Jennifer puts it, "Who I am and what I struggle with are not the same thing."

So...while this might not be the most comfortable study to do, I suspect that it will be valuable. How about you? Are you planning on "cleaning out your closet" with Beth this summer?

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

20 of my favorite things...

Because there's not enough information about me out there.

Or because I'm lacking in imagination for the next few posts. (No, I don't think that's it. There's always something rolling around in my head.) Anyway, Brenda did this a few weeks ago and since I can't resist the idea of sharing, here goes:

1. Color: and I'm already stumped. I don't have a favorite color necessarily. I do tend to wear a lot of blue and black but I like purple, pink, and various other shades.

2. Dessert: PIE! or cheesecake. or chocolate cookies.

3. Smell: (what a strange question.) Probably my pumpkin spice candle. I can assure you that my favorite smell is NOT my basset hound. (what on earth does he get into that makes him smell like microwave popcorn butter?)

4. Flower: tulips! and crocuses. and pansies.

5. Animal: penguins. or puffins. I'd have a puffin farm if such a thing existed.

6. Month: April. Because it's spring.

7. Beverage: If I'm misbehaving, then it's mountain dew with caffeine. If I'm being responsible, then it's sprite. or grape kool aid. or water.

8. pair of shoes: okay, that's stranger than favorite smell. I am not a shoe person. (and it has nothing to do with residing in Kentucky. maybe my bedroom slippers? I have like 7 pair.

9. snack: might be chocolate. or cheetos. or Outback cheese fries. or peanut m&m's. It depends on the mood.

10. song: hmmm...anything by Chris Tomlin, Bebo's I will lift my eyes, Jeremy Camp's there will come a day.

11. book: because I am always reading, my favorites are always changing but for the moment...
As we forgive and mad church disease.

12. fruit: grapes, plums, pears, bananas

13. hair style: (?) um...anything that's attached to my head. because I am thankful for hair.

14. piece of clothing: um...yes, I am thankful for clothing. The more the better. pajama pants? bulky winter clothing that covers winter layers of fat? Oh, I know...the blue man suit!

15. store to clothes shop: anywhere that carries khaki skirts and maroon shirts. Since I wear LifeWay garb most of the time, it's the thing I replace the most.

16. season: spring!

17. hobby: reading. blogging. scrap booking.

18. thing to collect: dogs? (we have five.) willow trees that remind me of my children. Except my children have faces and willow trees do not.

19. movies: LOTR, Apollo 13, Mulan, and a host of others.

20. Restaurant: Outback for cheese fries, Cheddar's, Rafferty's, just about anywhere that doesn't require me to cook.

And I am so glad that this isn't one of those one word surveys. I suspect that I'm a bit too wordy for one of those.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Woo Hoo!


It's Bible Study Time!

Monday, May 25, 2009

In memory...



there is a special sadness that accompanies the death of a serviceman, for we're never quite good enough to them -- not really; we can't be, because what they gave us is beyond our powers to repay. And so, when a serviceman dies, it's a tear in the fabric, a break in the whole, and all we can do is remember.

It is, in a way, an odd thing to honor those who died in defense of our country, in defense of us, in wars far away. The imagination plays a trick. We see these soldiers in our mind as old and wise. We see them as something like the Founding Fathers, grave and gray haired. But most of them were boys when they died, and they gave up two lives -- the one they were living and the one they would have lived. When they died, they gave up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers. They gave up their chance to be revered old men. They gave up everything for our country, for us. And all we can do is remember.

We're surrounded today by the dead of our wars. We owe them a debt we can never repay. All we can do is remember them and what they did and why they had to be brave for us. All we can do is try to see that other young men never have to join them. Today, as never before, we must pledge to remember the things that will continue the peace. Today, as never before, we must pray for God's help in broadening and deepening the peace we enjoy. Let us pray for freedom and justice and a more stable world. And let us make a compact today with the dead, a promise in the words for which General Ridgeway listened, ``I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.''


In memory of those who gave the last full measure of devotion, may our efforts to achieve lasting peace gain strength.

— President Ronald Reagan, Remarks at Veteran's Day ceremony, Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, Virginia,
November 1985

Friday, May 22, 2009

perhaps...

...you might have noticed in my twitter sidebar that I was frustrated this morning. You will be happy to know that I did not spit. Nor did I scream. Or beat a certain child about the head and shoulders with a stick. Although, for the sake of full disclosure, I did consider all three. And perhaps a few other options as well. This is my story.

Picture it.

The last day of school.

Only four hours of "classes."

Finals are done. Grades are posted.

Today was the final celebration to finish out the school year. The boy has been distracted this semester. Perhaps it's his preoccupation with a certain girl. Perhaps it's the stupid Xbox Live. Perhaps it's because classwork interferes with his social calendar. I'm not sure. What I am sure of is that I have monitored his grades (through Power School) for weeks, nagging about papers and tests and projects.

We have sweated bullets over a certain math grade. (He passed.)

This morning, I got up and just randomly checked grades to see if his history final had been posted. It had not. However, his English grade had dropped.

To an unacceptable level.

On the last day of school.

With four hours of celebration. Argh!

After yanking him out of bed, I sat him down in front of the power school page and asked for an explanation for the three (THREE!) missing items in this class.

Let me clue you in on something, "I have no idea what that paper is" is not the appropriate response when I'm asking about a missing English paper.

On the last day of school.

With four hours of classes.

When finals are done and grades are posted. Argh!

So, this afternoon when he got home from his final day of school, he wrote a paper and emailed it to his English teacher. (We're thankful that she is compassionate and understanding. Or perhaps she just doesn't want him in her class again next year.) We'll see how it goes.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Our dear sister Bev is battling cancer.

She had surgery last Thursday and we were all hopeful for a beautiful outcome. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone. Psalm 33:22

While I am still hopeful, it appears that her road to recovery may be a bit longer and harder than first thought. And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you. Psalm 39:7

If you have a moment, please stop by here and leave her an encouraging word. Then take another moment and read the comments that are already there. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

There is something so encouraging about our brothers and sisters in Christ lifting up one another in prayer. It brings hope to my soul. (and honestly, tears to my eyes. Especially Blair's comment.)


Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him. Psalm 62:5

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

My totally random life...

1. I forgot to announce the final "making of the school lunch." This occurred on Monday. No more hunting up bottles of water, appropriate snacks or making peanut butter sandwiches in the early am til fall. While this currently thrills me to no end, I suspect next spring I will have a different assessment of the task.

2. Apparently I missed the last "wearing of the chapel dress shirt" last week. Unfortunately, the boy has mostly outgrown the aforementioned chapel dress shirt and probably needs a new one. (He's been wearing this one for multiple years.) Of course, you realize that he only has (hopefully) one more year of high school and if he gets a new chapel shirt, it will barely be broken in by the time the school year is over.

3. I am currently making/baking two different flavors of muffins for breakfast so that all the delicate palates within our home will be satisfied.

4. I realize that I failed to wax poetic about the Preakness but in case you were wondering, I was thrilled to see Rachel Alexander win and was equally pleased to see Mine that Bird do so well. I would have been happy if the outcome had been reversed as well. (I know that's a departure from my usual desire to have a triple crown winner but this is the type of story that has a happy ending either way. At least in my little world it does. And we all know it's all about my little world. :D )

5. The world is full of strange people. And sometimes they come and visit me. That's all I am going to say about that but if you spoke with me yesterday, you know what I'm talking about.

6. Do you feel like Memorial day is coming too early this month? I mean, there's an entire leftover week of May after Memorial Day this year. I'm having a difficult time wrapping my mind around the fact that it's this weekend. Which is probably a good thing because I am working it and we have a coupon which usually means lots of opportunities for excitement. So when Saturday/Monday finally arrive, I will be surprised rather than filled with dread.

7. Only three more days of school and then we will begin our summer schedule. Which is pretty much like the rest of the year schedule only there's no making of school lunches and no discussion about why we didn't mention the night before that we had no clean school uniforms.

Oops...the muffins are done and I'm off to do whatever it is that I normally do on a totally random day. Have fun!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

good stuff...


Did you know Travis has a new CD coming out June 2nd? And you can hear bits of it here. (though I must warn you, listening to snippets of it may cause you to covet it which I've heard is a sin.) Oh, and to make life even more exciting, Boo Mama is giving away 20 (that's TWENTY) copies before the street date! So be sure to pop over there and register to win a copy. (but if you win, don't tell me til after the 2nd. I'm trying to give up coveting...)

Monday, May 18, 2009

It's good to have friends...

Friday, May 15, 2009

It's prom night...

...in the 'ville. Actually, it's Junior/Senior Banquet. We don't do "prom." Sort of. They attend a Christian school on a Baptist campus and Baptists don't dance. More or Less. So, they hold a banquet (sponsored by the school) and then afterwards, the parents host a dance. So...they are off to the Frazier Historical Museum to have a "Night at the Museum" themed evening. Their limo pulled out just ahead of some thunderstorms but I'm guessing I would have gotten a call if they had any problems. Anyway, the girls looked gorgeous and the young men looked so handsome. (It's really weird, I've known these boys since they were small. Suddenly they look like men. They still act like boys though!)

LPM Scripture Memory Verse 10

I had originally chosen a different verse for this round of memorization but as I read my chronological readings for Thursday, this particular verse just spoke to my heart. We received some unpleasant news today on the economic front and my heart was heavy. As I read through the selected readings, this verse was waiting for me. Because my God knows me. And He knew what I needed to hear. (and isn't that just too cool?!?)

Monday, May 11, 2009

a most glorious day!




Once upon a time...

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Happy Mothers Day

I've been sorting through pictures the past few days for a project I'm working on and I ran across some photos that I hadn't seen in a long time. I thought it might be appropriate to share what makes Mother's Day special for me...these two beautiful babies. I love you guys!




Thursday, May 7, 2009

This is it...

Kelly is hosting Show Us Where You Live Fridays and this weeks theme is the living room. Since the living room was mostly clean at the time these pictures were taken, I thought I'd share. (You'll notice there aren't a lot of shots of the floor. That's because a certain African grey can't seem to quit throwing corn and sunflower seeds on it. The dogs don't mind, though.) Anyway, here's the view of the um...couch. And the living room is mostly plant free at the moment. That's because plant liberation day occurred a week or so ago.

Honestly, most of the time this is the scene in the living room. Except you can add a few more dogs to the picture. I'm not sure where Wolfgang and the two small weebeasties were but you can bet that if the Dynamic Duo sent out the bark signal, they'd all be dashing to the window to see what was going on.
The tv is Josh's toy. That's not to say that I don't watch tv, I just don't care what I watch it on as long as it's in color and is big enough that I don't need reading glasses to see it. However, being a guy, Josh appreciates electronics. Which apparently includes bigger televisions. And surround sound.
This would be the top of the DVD cabinet. I have a collection of Charming Tails that I have been switching out seasonally (so that everyone has a chance to play outside the curio cabinet.) It also has one of my favorite pictures of Jessi and if you could see the multi picture frame, you would see Jonathan asleep on a box. Because that's what little boys do. Sleep in boxes. Or laundry baskets. Or maybe that's just Jonathan. And I can't forget my beloved pumpkin spice Yankee Candle. (because it reminds me of pie. And we all know how I feel about pie.)
Oh, look. The dog is in the chair. Imagine that. I guess the funniest thing is when Josh tries to sit in their chair and watch tv. Sometimes I'll come in the room and there he'll be with three dogs laying on top of him. (and two of them are not Yorkies.) Hmmm...if you're going to sit in their chair, I guess you'd better learn to share.
Well, thanks for visiting my living room. Be sure and check out the other rooms over at Kelly's. And if I can get my house cleaned up, we might play this game again next week!

National Day of Prayer


if my people,
who are called by my name,
will humble themselves
and pray
and seek my face
and turn from their wicked ways,
then will I hear from heaven
and will forgive their sin
and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

an invite

You may have seen that Beth is planning on doing Me, Myself and Lies online this summer with anyone who is interested in participating. (Last summer's study No other Gods was fantastic!) Interestingly enough, the women's group at church is also planning to do this study. So, here's my proposal: I would love it if any of you would be interested in joining me in doing the study on Tuesday nights at Southeast. (actually, I'd love it if all of you would do it with me but I realize that the logistics are off a bit for that.) Jennifer will be speaking at the kick off event on May 12th and then the study will start on Tuesday, May 26th. If you are interested, please let me know. Also, I'd be interested in forming an online forum like we did last year (Cheri!) What do you think?

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

I always knew...



...we were a little "batty" but this is ridiculous! I guess everybody wants to hang out at LifeWay.



.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

who's my favorite?


General Quarters
I'm always a sucker for a wonderful story and this horse has a great one. Or maybe it's his owner who has the fairy tale. Seventy five year old Thomas McCarthy has been dabbling in horse racing for fifty years. I suppose his real job was a science teacher and then later, a high school principal at three different Louisville schools until he retired in 1990. Over the years, he hasn't had a lot of success (He hasn't had a winning horse since 2006 until this year.) General Quarters caught his eye in 2007 but he was unable to purchase him at that time. In 2008, the colt was entered in a maiden claiming race (A horse race for non-winners who are eligible to be claimed. Maiden race: A race for race animals that have never won a race.) and McCarthy claimed him for $20,000. McCarthy is owner/groomer/stablehand and all around everything for his colt. Until the Bluegrass stakes, McCarthy's horses had only earned around 200,000 over the past 50 years. ($120,000 was won by General Quarters at Tampa Bay Downs.) McCarthy collected the $460,000 prize at the Bluegrass Stakes and suddenly found himself Derby bound.

Hooray for the underdog!

(Oh, apparently Mr. McCarthy says that General Quarters loves running on a muddy track. And it is certainly that today.)

derby hats and fans
































a derby week story...


Seven year old Rachel Mattson has aplastic anemia. After her diagnosis, she apparently fell in love with horses. Her father says that she read every book in the library about horses and has "seen a million horse movies." Because of this, Rachel's wish from the Make a Wish Foundation was to attend the Kentucky Derby. While they are attending the Derby today, I suspect the best part of her trip occurred yesterday.

Perhaps you've heard of a horse called Rachel Alexandra?

Rachel (the girl) met Rachel's (the horse) trainer on Wednesday. After hearing Rachel's (the girl) story, Wiggins (the trainer) allowed her to go into the stall and pet the three year old filly. Afterwards, Wiggins invited her to the paddock for the Oaks and told her that if Rachel (the horse) won the Oaks, they would want her to be in the winner's circle with them to celebrate.

Well, in case you missed it, Rachel Alexandra won the Oaks by 20 lengths. (You go girl!)

Rachel (the girl) did get her photo op with Rachel (the horse) in the winners circle. Wiggins presented her with the pink leather halter that Rachel (the horse) used to walk to the paddock.

(Oh, did I mention that the Oaks was pink yesterday? For breast cancer awareness? Too cool.)

Miss Rachel (the girl) left the Downs yesterday with a pink hat proclaiming Alexandra the great and an abundance of memories. That's just one of the amazing stories during Derby Week. It's probably my favorite part.


(If you are following the Derby, rumor has it that the favorite "I Want Revenge" has been scratched. We're waiting on an update now.)