Why is Santa so shy?

"Why is Santa so shy? It would be better if he delivered gifts on Christmas Day. Then we could see him, and thank him." - Nicholas age 6

This speared a debate among the boys (age 8, 6 and 4) about how long it would take to stop at each house. How they would greet him, the parties Santa would go to at different houses... This would certainly throw off the Big guys schedule.

Amongst all the Christmas chaos, I feel very lucky today.

Sunday fidgets

"Avoid excess. Excess will detract from what is important."
Great advice.

Thanks and Giving... holiday to remember

We had a great Thanksgiving at my sisters house. The boys and I rode a train to her town, and she picked us up at the train station. I love riding the train, and thrilled to share that with my boys. They have been building and rebuilding wooden train tracks on my living room floor for the past 7 years. Finally they know what it is like on the real thing. During the ride, we made a trip to the dinning car to spilt a candy bar and share a soda. They loved every minute of it.

The next day was Thanksgiving day. We walked a 5K together. This is becoming a Thanksgiving Day tradition for my sister and I. We usually walk in separate towns. What a treat to walk and talk together. The boys came along for the walk and were real troopers. Like most 5Ks the money for the walk went toward a charity. If you were fast...You could win a pie to take home for your thanksgiving feast. With 3 boys in tow we were happy just to cross the finish line.

My brother in law deep fried the turkey. Everyone pitched in by bringing the side dishes. My sister and her husband were gracious hosts. It was so nice to get together with my family. It was nice to catch up, talk, joke, and laugh. My younger brother and his wife announced that we will have another addition to the table next year. We look forward to the happy event. Meanwhile, we missed my older sister. She lives too far away to make the feast. I hope to see her soon.

Christmas is only weeks away. It is hard to shake away from Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for. We will just have to count our blessings for now.

Sunday Fidgets

We were present for a baptism Sunday. Welcome Baby Allison! We are glad you are here. We are happy to witness your baptism, to be a part of your special day. We welcome you to the Catholic Church. Congratulations!

Where's the remote? hit pause.

I feel like my life is in fast forward. School is in session, and I thought things would settle into a routine. I guess we are in a routine. Its just that it seems to move at the speed of light. It's almost 8:00 p.m. Time to see if I can get three boys to go to bed. (I have hidden the Halloween Candy...that should help:)

Why is the sky blue?

Donald, "Why is the sky blue?"

Before I could answer....

Nicholas responded, "God made colors so you can see things. If everything was the same color, everything would be camouflaged. You wouldn't be able to find anything. That's why God made colors."

Finaly, I think we are on the way to well. Keep well, will write soon.

Hard to believe, but we have yet another bug going through the house. (No big worries, just the normal back to school stuff. We kicked the fevers, and now we are on to the stomach bugs.) As soon as all the household duties are through and all is well, I will try to reconnect with writing. Hope you and yours are staying well.

shoot and miss

My goal was to have a quote from St. Terese for each day of the novena. Sick kids, late nights, early mornings = missed goals.

Words of a Saint

"You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much

at the greatness of our actions,

nor even at their difficulty,

but at the love with which we do them."

-St. Therese

visit catholic by grace to read the novena to Saint Therese.

words of a saint

"Let us see life as it really is...

It is a moment between two eternities..."

-St. Therese

Sunday Fidgets

Today the sermon ended by father saying, "Live the life of a prophet, spread the good news of God's love. Live your faith."

I was talking with a friend this week about St. Therese and the quotes I had found on line. In particular, "Jesus does not ask for your accomplishments, He only asks for our love. He thirsts for our love." I told her that she shares her love of God with such grace, that it is inspiring. She is the mother of 4 young children, and is an active church member. She joins groups, leads groups, encourages others to share their love of God. Not all of us are inclined to lead a Church group, but there are many opportunities to be involved. From adoration chapel to St. Vincent De Paul. As Saint Therese said, "a word, a kindly smile, will often suffice to gladden a wounded and sorrowful heart." We all touch the lives of others everyday.

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted" -Aesop

words of a saint

"Above all, it is the Gospel which gives me support for all of my prayers. Through the Word, all the needs of my poor soul are met. "

- Saint Therese

words of a saint

"So that is all that Jesus wants from us, he does not need our accomplishments, only our love. He thirsts for Love."

- Saint Therese

October 1st is the feast day for Saint Therese

Visit Catholic by Grace to read the Novena prayer in her honor.

butterfly

Today was a stress filled day. I felt like I had a "Kick Me" sign taped to my back.

There was a moment of peace. I had stopped at a light. While we sat there, a butterfly danced across the front of the car. It swirled and fluttered a full circle around our Suburban. Donnie and I were mesmerized by it. It was surreal.

A moment of peace...Like that butterfly....beautiful...and out of reach.

It was a moment that ached for prayer.

Guinea Pigs are better then brothers because....

Top 10 reasons Guinea Pigs are better then Brothers...

10) They will eat your carrots.

9) They never get tired of pretending to be Pokemon.

8) They never interrupt you when you are telling a story.

7) They never give bad advise.

6) They don't give wedgies, or wet willies.

5) They don't mind if you eat the last piece of Birthday cake.

4) They don't loose any of your toys.

3) They don't change the channel on the TV when you are in the middle of a show.

2) They never tell on you.

1) They never get tired of pretending to be Ben Ten Alien Force.

Novena to St. Therese

I have a soft spot for St. Therese. I stopped by CatholicByGrace today. She has listed a Novena prayer to St. Therese. Please take time out of your day and pray with us.

Prayer is a gift from God.

"Yes, all is well when we seek only the will of Jesus."

- St. Therese of Lisieux

Happy Birthday Baby

Celebrating the baby's Birthday today. (P.S. Don't tell him he's the baby.)

Happy Bday Donnie!

Meet Frank and Fred

I finally broke down.

For over a year, the boys have been begging for Guinea Pigs.

Frank is the one that looks like a skunk with out a tail.

Fred is the brown one with white spots

(note: his eyes are not red in real life, its just a bad camera shot.)

sunday fidgets

Your faith is shown through your actions.

frog friend MIA

So...If you were a frog, and loose in a house where would you be?

Nicholas found a frog.

Against my protest he brought it into the house.

He thought the frog would like to stay in Donald's toy rocket ship.

The tiny toad jumped ship, and now we don't know where he is.
Life with boys...always an adventure.

A Canadian eating bugs?

At dinner Nicholas was excited as he said,

"We saw a Canadian eating bugs! His tongue moved really fast...."

It took a while but the translation was

'a chameleon eating bugs'

You know, either way it's a good story.

Lessons from great leaders

My father-in-law would always ask trivia questions at dinner. One night he asked "Who was the greatest leader in the history of the world?" We were stumped. We threw out answers like... Alexander the Great?, Caesar?, George Washington?... The answer was "Jesus, he still has millions of followers even 2000 years after his death."

Today I am left with the thought that I need more Jesus, and less Caesar in my life. People fallowed Jesus out of love not fear. Cesar lead with his might. After their death each was remembered, books written about them. Yet, it is obvious which one was the greater leader. The one that changed hearts, and minds.

I was listening to my husband talk to our son about doing his best. He was encouraging him with love and kindness. He was pointing out his strengths, and encouraging him to work on his weaknesses. He did not use threats to persuade him to do what was right, he used love. I find it hard to fallow this path sometimes. I just want to say as Caesar would "DO IT! GET IT DONE." or "Stop That!" The path that Jesus would take would be a much longer road. I know it has more rewards, but in the heat of the moment it is not easy to choose the high road. If everyone always behaved as they should ... well then I guess we would still be in Eden.

So that is my prayer tonight and through the day. My prayer as I work on my dishes, and a commotion starts in the next room. I am praying for more patience, strength, and grace. I am praying to have more Jesus and less Caesar in my life, and in our home.

Spelling Test on Friday

School started this week. Today we received notice that spelling tests will be every Friday. Starting August 28th. Last year spelling was a tough subject. Not that John couldn't do it, he wasn't overly motivated. This year I have a plan... I bought refrigerator letters. They cost about $1.00 at Wal-Mart or Target. I plan to make a game of it. Here's the letters for the word aircraft....can you spell it? Hang-Man with his spelling words. A stacked game of Scrabble with spelling words. Why didn't I think of this sooner? If you have more spelling word games we can try, please leave me a note. I could use some more suggestions. Wish us luck.

words

Nicholas commands Donald to Stay at the top of the stairs.
Donald reply's "I never not going to stay up here."

a change in lighting?

Isn't it funny how you can look at something and not get it. Something that just keeps coming up in different ways at different times. Still does not make since. Then one day the light is just right, and BAM, there it is. I'm not sure what makes the difference. Whether it is the messenger, or life experience, or a change in wording, but there it is simple as can be.

One of my favorite quotes from Mary Engelbreit

"To be happy,

Don't Do Whatever you like,

LIKE Whatever you DO."

Sunday Fidgets

The 1st Reading was 1Kings 19:4-8. Elijh sits at the base of a broom tree exhausted by his journey and ready to give up. An angel gives him food and drink. The angel encourages him to eat and drink so he will have strength for his journey. We all have times we are exhausted by our journey and need encouragement. Fathers question to us was, two part "Who or what do we turn to when we are exhausted and depressed from our journey?" "How do we encourage others when they are down?"

Of course there was more, but we had a very distracting crew in my bench on Sunday. I caught so little of the sermon, yet I am thankful I heard this much.

Bench project

LIKE NEW AGAIN!

If I were thinking I would have a before and after shot. Instead I have a picture during and after my little home improvement project. Oh well, I am new at this.


A friend gave me this bench. I LOVE it! However, it needed a little TLC. The wood was a bit weathered. A painter friend of ours gave me a little advise. He told me to add 1 cup of bleach to a gallon of water. Then use a scrub brush to clean the wood with that mixture. He said that somehow this seals the pours in the wood, it kills anything growing in the pours. This would return it to a like new condition. After scrubbing with the bleach solution, wash with a power washer or just scrub well with plain water and rinse. Make sure you get all the bleach solution off the wood. Then the wood is ready to sand and stain. He suggested an outdoor stain that protects against the UV rays.


I know I'm not the only one with this delima, so I wanted to share the solution with you. It was a lot easier then I first thought it would be. The color of the wood after the stain was the same as the color when it was wet. I probably should have bleached it one more time before staining, but I still think it turned out great!

This is a picture of the bench in progress. The top part is wet with the bleach solution.

You can see the weather damaged to the wood.

A 3rd Grade lesson in Economics

Our first lesson in business. It's not a lemonade stand, but it's the same concept. A lesson in business, customer service, and money management.

Market research: What is the going price for your product in your area? I handed John a local flyer, and stopped by a local farmers market. 33 cents to 50 cents was the going rate for corn on the cob. We settled on a price...

Then advertisement: We created a sign. Letters in bold so cars driving by could read it.

Assessment: We had 5 cars stop and sold $12 worth of corn. Everyone who stopped was wonderful, and kind. His first customer gave him a $1.00 tip. Very nice man. It is not a fortune in the making, but a hands on lesson in economics. All in all a great experience. We are hoping to have enough cantaloupe in our garden to do this again. Cross your fingers that the deer don't spoil our fun. So far they have done a good job of raiding our garden at night.

A Trip to the Farm

Now that's a lot of corn!

We had a great day on the farm.

The corn made a delicious treat for dinner.

Angie's exciting morning

I received an email from a friend of mine, she gave me permission to share it with you...


"Thought you might like to hear about my excitement this morning....

Nickers (her dog) wanted out last night and I didn't bother turning on any lights as I went through the house. I let her out, waited a few minutes and called her back in. It was dark so I didn't see the possum in her mouth. This morning I'm running around getting everyone ready and go into the living room and notice this nasty thing laying on the carpet in front of the couch. it was still breathing and had its teeth bared...very intimidating! I thought the dogs might take it outside but neither one of them would go near it. Chickens!

I got the pooper scooper so I could grab it and toss it outside, but then I thought what if, when the metal touches the possum, it flies up and attacks me? I didn't know if it would keep playing dead or if it would valiantly defend itself. So I called my neighbor to see if he knew anything about possums, no luck. I tried calling Uncle Mac but he didn't answer the phone. I tried calling animal control, but the phone just rang and rang and rang. I called Dad and he wasn't sure what the possum would do, but he suggested putting a box in front of it and pushing it in with a shovel and then carrying the box outside. I still didn't want to get that close to it so I called Bob to see if he knew what the possum would do. He told me to grab it by the tail and toss it outside. I wasn't about to get that close to it!

In the meantime during all of these phone calls, Ben (her 4 year old) is running around the house going "Scooby Doo, where are you?" Like Scooby is going to solve my problem. Then he goes upstairs and is watching the possum through the rails of the catwalk and gives me a status report, "Mom, he has a long stretchy tail." "Mom, he opened his eyes." "Mom, he moved his head." "Boy his teeth sure are scary looking."

So I stood behind the couch by the sofa table and tossed a box a few inches from the possum. Also from behind the couch, I took the shovel and flipped the possum into the box. Then I ran around the couch and using the shovel to push the box outside. Ben is still giving me a status report, "Mom, he's moving!" So, using the shovel, I ran and pushed the box/possum out onto the deck.

I called Bob and Dad to let them know I lived through the experience of getting the possum outside. Then I happened to think if this thing dies right outside of the sliding glass door it's going to stink. So I took the shovel and pushed the box to the edge of the deck. Then I gave it a great big push with the shovel, The box goes flying through the air and I realize it's empty and the possum has already run off.

My husband didn't call me back until about 9:00 and he was laughing when I answered the phone. "

Fruit trees

Two years ago my sister helped me plant two Fuji Apple trees. I can't say we have a bumper crop, but this is fun. They are just turning red and soon we can pick a few to eat.

The peach tree I planted last year. It did have about 10 bright peaches, now we are down to two. The boys claim they did not pick any off the tree. Maybe the deer ate them. I guess they thought we left them a sweet treat.

"Don't wait for a break in the weather,

learn to sing and dance in the rain."

a few kind words

The other day I was searching for a word to describe myself. I was fumbling over the word shy. It was not a perfect fit, but the best I could manage in the moment. A friend was standing next to me and saw my struggle. He piped up "Barb, you're low key. That's the best description I can come up with." I smiled and agreed.

I find myself looking around my life realizing how true those words are. Low Key.... Low key is my preferred lifestyle. Thanks Jas for the insight. Why are there times others can see us better then we see ourselves? Sometimes I feel like I am living in a Monet Painting. Standing too close and only seeing the blotches of color whirling around me. If only I could take a few steps back, look again, and see the picture with more clarity.

Follow ME :)

My humble blog has an official follower. Hurrah! and Welcome! I have spent a good part of the morning trying to find out what that means to follow a blog. What are the perks? How did you do that? Neat profile - I want one too:) .

You got me started on something new. I wanted to show my support for the blogs I like, so I added them to my list of blogs I like to follow. Curious how that looked on the other end I took a peak at their followers. For some reason I only show up as B.B. with no picture or cute bio to go with it. Do I look like a stalker among all the friendly faces on their list? I'm trying to fix that with no luck yet.

I have to admit I am a real novice at this. I signed up on face book, and it still remains a great mystery. A friend sent me a strawberry daiquiri. I didn't know what to do... I wanted to send her a toast, but I was lost. On days like these, I feel like I am standing in the Library of Congress, but am illiterate. There are wonderful resources and things waiting to be discovered on this net, but I can't seem to grasp them. With a little push from my more swavy friends I'll get by. I'll keep working at it.

What I want to say is ... Welcome to the blog, and thank you for showing me something new. And to Heather from face book "CHEERS!"

A boy, A camera, A trip to the Zoo

These are a few of the photo's the boys shot at the zoo.

If a picture is worth a thousand words.... this was quite a tail....

THE END

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."

- Henry Ford

Trip to the Zoo

Do you know that song, All I want for Christmas is a hippopotamus?
If you like hippopotamuses you would love the exhibit at the St. Louis Zoo.

It is amazing to watch them swim through the water with such grace.

Talk about a closeup view... John took this, and lots of great pics during our trip to the zoo.

If you look closely, you can see Donald trying to pet the hippo through the glass as he swims past.

Our little garden is going to grow....

My pot garden....uhmmmm....I should say..... my container garden.... is going well.

I am very happy with the upkeep. Watering is easy, and weeding is even easier!
The tomato's are doing well. You can see we have buds and a tiny tomato.





I have to say, these are odd looking green peppers. They are suppose to be California Green Peppers. I think someone switched the sign at the garden shop.




















So this is interesting news. You see what kind of gardener I am. If you go back (to July 7th and 12th) in the blog you saw what kind of projects my husband gets into. (we are a bit of ying and yang aren't we?) Well.... He just ordered 1 pound of pumpkin seeds. He has it in mind that we will harvest them and sell them for Halloween. OK! I need prayers.


In truth, everything I plant is with a prayer. A prayer that God will help that seed grow. I am always amazed that a tiny seed, planted with a little care, can grow out of the ground and produce something special. In all honesty, there are more luck and prayers that influence my gardening then science. I grew up on a farm, and a lot of prayers. My Dad understands the science behind farming, and he offers me a lot of great advice. In the end we all know the weather is not in our control. We do not make the sun shine, or the rain come when it is needed. We can protect against weeds and insects, but things do not always go as planed. I think that is why farmers tend to be faith filled people. They are in touch with the seasons and the elements. Everyday miracles are the basis for their living and well being.

Oh, I don't know how this will turn out. Deadline and all! We will use the science that we know, but it will take luck and prayers to make this work. I don't mean to sound pessimistic or worried. I just know this will be a lot of work. I would like it if my husbands childhood dream of having a farm went well. However it turns out, I am sure there will be some good stories to tell. After all the journey can be as important as the destination.

A Word from the Summer Journal

Fishing Trip. May 22nd 2009.

"I got a bite and the fish got away. Sometimes I get it and sometimes I don't."

This is from Nicholas' journal. He is 6 years old, and will start Kindergarten in the fall. He dictates and I write. He enjoys seeing his thoughts go down on paper... even if he can't read them yet. These are sweet moments. I am so glad we started this.

**********************************************************************

Dear Book lady,

If you are still reading this... thanks for the encouragement. :) We don't journal as often as I wanted to. However, I am always glad when we do. Moments like these are as precious as rainbows. (but I think you already knew that :)

Spring Cleaning in the Summer

The past two days have been too hot to work and play outside. The boys have been busy playing in the house. I've been getting into closets and cluttered spaces trying to create some since of order around here. I have two big boxes of clothes and toys that we don't need anymore.

My internal struggle is this... donate, or have my first ever garage sale. It would not take much to have enough for a garage sale. Odd pieces of furniture, more toys, more clothes, Christmas decorations. The list is long of the things we own and don't need.

I have to admit I am a little intimidated by the idea of holding a garage sale. Taking all of this outside. People coming to my house and looking at my stuff, evaluating it's worth. Friends, neighbors, strangers, dickering with me over the price. It seems like a lot of work and worry. I know lots of people do this every summer with no trouble. (Well, not that they are not any trouble, I am sure hosting a garage sale is full of effort.) Any advise?

UMPH! I miss my old computer. I wish I had a back up disk. UMPH!

Photo

Nicholas took my camera for a trip around the house. Looking at this photo I have two thoughts:

1) Nicholas may have a future in photography.

and

2) I need to dust.

Here's another photo from his unique perspective..........

Sunday Fidgets

I really enjoyed today's passage Mark 6:7-13.

I was struck by these instructions, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave." I feel like with today's distractions it is easy to be in a place with body, but not sole. Our minds wonder on to our unfinished tasks, or unfinished conversations, instead of being focused on the person in front of us. Something to think about, however, it was not in this Sunday's sermon.

The priest focused on the instructions Jesus gave his disciples. To pack only what they needed to travel with food, a walking stick, and only one tunic. Father John spoke about how easy it is to over pack when planing a trip. How those extra things hinder us during our journey. He spoke about the importance a walking stick was in the time when the disciples where traveling. How the walking stick would keep you steady on uneven ground, and could be used for protection if attacked. He suggested that our faith in God serves as our walking stick in today's times.

"Jesus summoned the twelve and began to send them out two by two." Father reminded us that you need a spiritual partner. Someone to cheer you on, and hold you accountable for your beliefs. Father said 'If you are married to your spiritual partner you are truly blessed. If you spouse is not your spiritual partner try to make that your goal. If you can't rely on them to cheer you on, and support your beliefs try to cheer them on to come closer to Jesus and the life he wants us to lead with love. Meanwhile surround yourself with people who will challenge you to live the life of Christ. Join groups and make friends with those who will support you to live as Christ invites us to live... with the love of Christ our saviour.'

This caught my attention, because I keep thinking about friends. My friends from the past, and my current friends. If you take a moment and think about your friends. How they reflect your beliefs. How you support each others goals and standards. They define your norm. If they spend thousands on their vacation, it makes it easier for you to justify doing the same. If they travel with their children to support their joy of a sport; suddenly a trip to Canada to take you son to play Ice Hockey doesn't seem extreme. Spending $200 on a high tech swimsuit you can only use three times, is not extraordinary if the rest of the parents on the swim team are doing the same thing. It is easier to go to church on Sunday, when your friends are making the same effort.

In my past, I use to choose friends who where easy. They didn't ask much of me and I didn't ask much of them. Over the past few years I found that to be empty. I have reached out in new directions. I have been lucky to find a group of friends that challenge me to live within the teachings of the Church and Christ. They are not easy friends. They expect me to live up to a higher standard. "You have to believe to receive." "If you receive, should give back, pay it forward." "You have to be a friend to have a friend." These are all statements they have said in passing about themselves. It is a standard, a goal. These are standards I am striving to meet.

Listen to your friends, what standards do they portray? Are their goals the same as yours? Recently I passed through a group where the standard was; Show over substance, Greed over charity, Pride over humility. I am glad that I am aware how empty path is. There will never enough money or power to fill the void.

It is not always easy to find friends who reflect who you are. It is hard to reach out to new people and find new friends. There is always a chance you will get burned, putting your trust in someone that is not true to the way they portray themselves. Making new friends is like winning the lottery. You have to play to win. You have to put yourself out there.

I hope you have people surrounding you who support you and encourage you to grow. In today's gospel Jesus sent his disciples two by two. All you need is one other person that believes as you do. You can support each other, and hold each other accountable. If you can find more then one, count your blessings. I leave you with father John's words "If you are married to your spiritual partner you are truly blessed."

Evergreens in the ground.

It took three days and some extra help, but the trees are finally in the ground. I hope they make it. It would be a shame to lose them after all the work it took to get them planted. It's raining today. There is rain in the forecast for the next 4 days. It looks like we won't have to water them this week.

What a project.

Did you see this truck going down the road? That was my husband. He told me he was going to the store to buy a few trees. They were on sale, and we could use a few evergreens. He came home with 11 trees each 7 foot tall.

This is my husband...no project is a small project.

Simple Summer Pleasures

We are enjoying our lazy summer schedule. A friend of mine reminded me of the simple pleasures of summer. The freedom in the schedule to take an unexpected jaunt to a park, or make time to do nothing.

She was going from one place to the next, running errands with her kids. They passed a place she remembered from her childhood, and decided they needed a diversion. It was a conservation park that had a covered bridge over a little creek. She thought it would be a quick stop... walk across the bridge, maybe throw a rock into the creek. It turned out to be an all day event. They spent the day wading into the creek, catching crawdads, and laughing about nothing.

It was a great reminder to take summer as it comes. To keep pleasures simple. To look for the unexpected adventure of the backyard. To let them pick flowers, whether they are from the garden or just the white clover growing in the yard. To dig for worms, catch frogs, and capture fireflies. Summer is a time for making memories. Show your kids the things that made you happy when you where their age. I hope summer finds you well, and taking full advantage of what it has to offer. Enjoy the slower pace, enjoy each other.

Fortune Cookie wisdom

"Ideas are like children: there are none so wonderful as your own."

Yes, that was the fortune that came with my meal.
What do you think?
Hint? Hint? or Just a reminder to be aware of the traps?

In the yard last night Nicholas exclaimed, "The bugs must think I am a giant PUFF-A! They are eating me all up."

Yes, buffet sounds like puff-a :) I can't bring myself to correct him. He is so sweet, who could blame the bugs?

Sunday Fidgets

I feel like I wrestled my way through mass this Sunday. My three year old was in rare form. He wiggled, and squirmed for the whole hour. He even managed to dash out of the pew a few times. I knew better then to sit in the back. I am not a front pew person, but somewhere in the middle seems to work out best for me and my kids. Close enough to see, yet not so far back they feel like no one can see them.

The reading was Mark 5: 21-43. The sermon was about finding Jesus. Not just waiting for him to find you, but looking for him. Not just asking for him to find your loved ones, but taking them to him.

So there I am in the next to the last pew, wrestling my 3 year old, taming my 5 year old, and wondering why I go through this self inflicted torcher every Sunday. There is my answer in Mark 5: 21-43. It is because I love them. It is because I am trying to lay a foundation they can rest on. I want them to know God is there for them when times are tough, but also recognize He is there when times are good. I want them to grow to be strong men, with strong morals.

So here I am struggling to hear the message. Everyday, we do what we think is best for our family, and sacrifice to make our children's lives better. For us that means my husband usually works two jobs. I help with the family business, and try to keep the house in order. We save what we can. We provide them with clothes, food, shelter, and love. I want to protect them from the world, but know I can't. I ask God to keep them safe, and give me what I need to help my children grow to become men of substance.

It is not easy for me to bring my children to church. What would happen if I didn't? If we never went, what age would they learn to behave in church? Would they know to find comfort in the Lord if I didn't take them to Him? Where would they turn when times are tough? Who would they praise when times are good? It is not easy being a parent. It is not easy, but it's not suppose to be easy.

I'll see you next Sunday! Look for me, I'm the one in the bench with all the fidgets;) Wish me luck.

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You might try opening a Googel email account. It is free and easy to set up. I'd love to hear from you.

computer problems

I took my computer into the repair shop yesterday. The expert behind the counter thinks my mother board has gone bad. UGGG! I know that I am old fashion; I think these things should last longer and cost less. Luckily we have a back up. It is a cheap one my husband picked up from Wal-Mart for the boys to do homework with. I can get onto the net, but it's not an easy transition. It looks like I'm in the market for a new computer. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Gold Star Vacation

We had a great time on our trip.

We are home now. There is plenty of laundry to do, mail to catch up on and phone calls to return. I hope to have some time to write about our trip soon.

catch of the day

This was our fishing guide, Capt. Chip Michalove. We had a great time catching fish with Chip.

If you are planing a trip to Hilton Head you may want to look him up. He is on the web at

http://www.outcastfishing.com/ .

This is a pic of John and our last catch of the day. It is a King Macreal.

Looking good John!

we need one of those

Nicholas said, "We need a robot. One that listens to us, and pays attention. One that does what we tell him to do. He could do our work for us, and we could just sit and relax. Then we could spend our time doing things we want to do. Fun things. I don't know how much that would cost, but I want one. I realy want one. Maybe for Christmas." :) I love how that boy thinks.

Gone Fishing

We are taking some family time in South Carolina.

Going on a fishing trip. I am sure we will have a few tails to tell.

Here are a few pictures from our trip on Monday.

The pictures below are the Lemon Shark we pulled next to the boat. He is about 300 pounds.

The picture on top is a Tiger Shark. What a trip! More details later.

Don't worry Mom, it's catch and release. We are not bringing this big guy home.

AMAZING!