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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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!

Thought of the day....

Don't discard your fantasies as merely wishful thinking. Honor them as messages from the deepest part of your being about what you can do and directions you can choose. -unknown

I spy a blue tailed lizzard....

Near Miss! I don't know what we would do if he caught it!

worries

We start to worry the day the test says positive. It is a natural state for most mothers (including myself.) If you are not one of the worriers, God has blessed you. A friend of mine sent me this quote today. It is a much needed reminder for me to stay in the moment.

“We worry about what a child will be tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.”
Stacia Tauscher

Hummingbirds in our back yard

Finally saw a hummingbird this morning at the feeder. YEAH!

You can see him on the left buzzing away from the feeder. Shy guy.

Spiderman's car

You've heard of the Bat mobile. Nicholas thought Spiderman needed a special car.

VROOM!

It even has special towing powers with it's sticky tape web!

Hi Pumpkin!

I just love this picture. One of those moments in time I wish I could revisit, and hold onto a little longer. This is a picture of Donnie in our garden last year. He discovered a baby pumpkin hiding under the vine. I thought if I posted it I could find some UMPH to plant this year. Maybe the weather will hold out and we can still have a big garden.

Sunday Fidgetes

Feast of the Holy Trinity.

Have you seen the movie Men in Black with Will Smith? Remember the part where he accidentally knocks the "Galactic Super Ball" out of it's holder, and creates complete chaos? With every contact the ball made, it would gain more speed and create a bigger disruption. Well, that is what it was like in our pew today. Nicholas and Donnie were bouncing off of each other, and gaining more momentum with each connection. As we left for church this morning I slipped a toy lizard in my purse. It looked like it would be innocent play. No buttons to push, no noise it could make. WRONG! Almost as soon as we sat down, Nicholas pulled a string off of his shorts. He was pretending it was food for the lizard. Donnie started chasing the string with the lizard, and there you have it, chaos in the pew.

Even with all the extra activity in our bench I did catch some of the sermon. Father spoke about the Feast of the Trinity. (sorry I missed most of that). Then he spoke about finding God in our everyday. Coincidence vs. Devinne Intervention. Whether you chose to see God working in your life, or do you want to call it coincidence.

In conclusion, Father spoke about examination of conscience. How at the end of the day you take time to review your day. This is a moment to reflect on the activity of the day, your actions, and reactions. (I am sure you do this already, in your own mind before bed. Time when you think through the day; what happened, what we wish would have happened, think about how we reacted, and how we wish we would have behaved, things we said, things people say to us.) Father suggested taking this one step further and ask yourself how God was there for us? What lesson did He want us to learn from the day.

I'm not always sure what God is trying to teach me. Lately the theme has revolved around rowdy boys. Tonight I am left thinking about that "Galactic Super Ball". You can duck, but it will still create havoc. You can swing at it, but then it only gains more momentum. You have to anticipate the right move to catch it in order to put it back where it belongs. In short, it's not easy to act calm and think things through in the middle of chaos. Oh sweet Grace, where are you? I need you.

I hope you had a great Sunday. I had 15 crazy minuets today. After we worked through them things were better. All in all, it was a beautiful day with some wild, and some wonderful, moments.

PS. I'll try and slip in a picture of that silly lizard tomarrow.

All went well on Friday. John and Nicholas both had a good report from the dentist. We made it to the bank and all the other places we needed to go. The work I needed to do went as smooth as it could with three boys in tow. All in all, the day was a success.

Bug Sucker

Armed with Bug Vacuums, Net's and a Jar. Now that's summer fun.

These bug vacuums are durable and so much fun. This year we have one for each boy. They approach the bug, aim, pull the trigger. The bug is sucked into the clear tube. The tube has a knob that turns and traps the bug with door that doubles as a magnifying glass.

Educational, Full of Action, and FUN!

A 5year olds version of GPS

5 minutes ago Nicholas said, "I'm going to make a map."

This is his map....We are the car, the spork is the restaurant, the eraser is the house.

Who needs map quest?

You know it reminds me a little of Johny Carson.

"take a right at the fork in the road."

He was classic. I miss Johny Carson.

I was just working out the rest of the day. The boys have an appointment at the dentist for a cleaning. Wish me luck there. I have to do a little side work/paper work including a trip to the bank. (the boys come along for the work and ride.) Then Nicholas has a ball game at 6:00pm. It doesn't look big on paper. Reality is not always as neat as paper. I am sure I don't have enough caffeine to make it to bed time. Well I better get shaking. Have a calm and peaceful day, at least that's what I am hoping for...Peace.

Lego Fun

Lego vehicle John made. June 4th 2009.

Wrinkles Away

I don’t know how this happened. I found myself buying anti-wrinkle cream. Now I have started a new routine of applying the cream and waiting for results. I am skeptical and hopeful all at the same time.

I can remember when I was little, asking my Mom about the Oil of Olay on her bathroom counter top. She told me it was suppose to keep the wrinkles away. I remember thinking that I didn’t want any of her smile lines or crinkles to wash away. That was part of what made her my Mom. I loved the way she looked and how soft her face and hands were. Now here I am 30 years later, doing the same thing. Funny, she had smile lines, I have frown marks. I am sure I got these marks on my brow from giving disapproving looks to boys who teas too much. I guess Mom was right, your face can freeze like that. :)

My oldest son, John, has reached an age where he can read. While we were brushing our teeth, he was taking note of everything on the sink. He asked me what anti-wrinkle cream does. So I told him what it does. Can you believe this sweet boy told me I didn’t have any wrinkles? He is going to make a wonderful husband someday. Then I started to think, maybe it is those special rose colored glasses we wear with the ones we love. Everything looks softer, and more beautiful with them. We just won’t see them any other way.

PS. All in all, I think this cream is working. It was $52.00 Clinique repairwear deep wrinkle concentrate for all skin types. Of course, if I had more of John's rose colored glasses. If I could just have a secrete stash of those special glasses in my purse that I could hand out to everyone I met. I wouldn't need the cream, and I would probably look 15 pounds lighter. :)

Good Night, Good Dog

We are all tired today.

Call me a garden whimp

This was suppose to be our vegetable garden this year.....I had plans for green beans, tomatoes, green peppers, cantaloupe, and zucchini.
With all of the rain, and lack of UMPH, it is starting to look like it may not happen.


It looks like this might be our veggie garden this year. Two tomato plants and a green pepper in pots. On the bright side, the watering and weeding will be a lot easier.

You never know

I must have looked like I had seen a ghost. I am sure I was pale faced, and I know my knuckles were white as I stepped onto the plane. It was my first plane ride. I kept my eyes on the seat numbers. I was hoping to find my seat quickly, and start to settle down. Out of the blue a lady took me by surprise. She cupped my hand in hers. She warmly patted the top of my hand, and sweetly said, "It's going to be alright Dear." I smiled, and I am sure I muttered a "thank you".

She was right, I found my seat and the flight was fine. That was over 20 years ago. I still find myself thinking of her often. I think of her when I am planing to board an airplane. I think of her when ever I feel anxious. I think of her when I see a Kindergartner waiting in line for the first day of school. A sweet lady, a stranger, who reached out to calm my nerves. I revisit her kind words, "It's going to be alright Dear." I doubt that she even remembers that moment in time.

I have been thinking lately about the people who touch our lives. There are the people we can name; teachers, friends, family, heroes. There are also people who come and leave our lives without a name. Strangers, who by their actions touched us and changed us.

There is the bagger at the grocery store. The one with the kind eyes, and great since of humor. You might know him. He is the one that is working through his retirement, and his wife is battling cancer. You see the love in his eyes when he talks about her. There is the lady at the gym that is always happy I came in. She is the one with the easy smile and warm welcome. There is the man with no name who runs. He runs to work, the store, Blockbuster. He runs everywhere and in every weather. He doesn't have a car, but cherishes his independence. There is also the man holding the crab in the picture. We met him on our vacation last year. He was kind and full of patience. He let Nicholas take this picture, and gently reminded me that Nicholas can do for himself.

Your list will be different then mine, but I am sure you have a list. Who knows, maybe your on someone elses list.




The following is a little something I have held on to for a long time. The author is unknown.

You Never Know

You never know when someone
May catch a dream from you.
You never know when a little word
Or something you may do
May open up the windows
Of a mind that seeks the light-
The way you live may not matter at all,
But you never know -it might.

And just in case it could be
That another's life, through you,
Might possibly change for the better
With a broader and brighter view,
It seems it might be worth a try
At pointing the way to the right-
Of course, it may not matter at all,
But then again - it might.