Another Thanksgiving

I'm looking forward to tomorrow and celebrating Thanksgiving. For the last few years we have had it at my home. As much as I LOVE entertaining, it is good to take a year off. This year my sister in town is hosting the celebration. YIPPEE!! I'm so glad not to have to deal with the stress this year. All I have to bring is my chocolate truffle cheesecake and scalloped corn casserole. My oldest sister will be traveling here from Wisconsin with her family as well. The only people missing will be my brothers. Hubby has to work this year but will be able to pop in on his lunch break and enjoy the festivities for a short time.
What a blessing of good health and precious family and friends. God is good and his love endures forever.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!

Have Fun!

Ever been shopping with a teenage girl? Its NOT fun but that's what Bob is doing right now. Apparently the work pants Jenna has worn for her job ever since she was hired there 6 months ago are now suddenly not the right kind so she and Dad are out there looking for some now. He wanted me to go but I feel I've put in my time and thought he should get a chance to experience it.
Talk about different tastes! I miss those days when she had no opinion of the type of clothes she wore. Now if I find something that I think is very strange looking or something I don't like, I should buy it. Also, depending on the brand she could wear a size 1 or a size 7. Frustrating and makes for a very long trip. I think Bob got the easy job though today since there is only a certain type of pant that will do so that limits the choices. Either way I'm sure he will return home with a new appreciation of me and the shopping dates I have with Jenna.

My Untitled Post

I don't really know why I'm blogging right now. Its fairly early on a Saturday morning and my husband has given me a mental health day by going with the 2 youngest kids to his mom's overnight. The older two??? I won't see them until tomorrow sometime what with our conflicting schedules.
Do you ever feel like you are losing your mind? Is this something that happens to everyone or just peri-menopausal women? All moms or just me? I feel like I am in a whirlwind and I can hardly keep up.
I don't mean to complain. I feel like I have it all but this is getting ridiculous. I've diagnosed myself with ADD but maybe I should get a professional opinion. Whenever I attempt to do something, I cannot keep focused. Trying to read a book is like attempting to do so in a noisy football stadium. I get up very early to enjoy the peace the morning brings but in my head you'd think I was running a marathon. My thoughts flit from this to that and I feel so unsettled/anxious.
I only work 20 hours each week but I feel so inadequate at times when I compare myselves to women who work fulltime yet still manage to run their home so well.

I am over committed; involved in too many "good" things. A dear friend of mine with 4 boys of her own once challenged me to choose only the "excellent" things. I see the end to a few of my "good" things coming in the near future and I will take advantage of that to slow down but in the meantime, I'd like to share a verse that encouraged me in a church a few weeks ago.
2 Corinthians 12: 9-10
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardship, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

It's Been A While

I can't believe I haven't posted anything in 2 months!! You'd think nothing was going on. Not so.
I think the real reason is that I have discovered facebook and I can take a second or two to write a blurb without having much time or thought. With blogging you have to plan and think things out. Not much time for that lately but I feel something coming on......

Another Tragic Loss

This morning, around 7:45 am, a young man entered the weight room at Aplington Parkersburg High School, just about 20 miles from where I live, and shot the coach multiple times, at point blank range. He died later at a local hospital. This man was Coach Ed Thomas. I had never met Coach Thomas, just seen him on the news a few times, but my heart aches at his loss. The tributes that are pouring out describe him as an amazing man, a long time coach at this tiny high school, which produced, under his tutelage, numerous NFL players. One parent said he not only taught the kids how to play football but how to be men. It was every young man's wish to play football under his leadership, not so much for the love of the sport but for the love of him. He was definitely a community leader and a strong man of faith.
What makes this loss even for tragic for this tiny town of about 2000 people is that just over 1 year ago, an EF 5 tornado tore through Parkersburg, killing 5 people and completely obliterating a good section of the community. Then, just 1 week later, the floods hit, destroying another 300 homes. Even though Coach Thomas' home was destroyed by the tornado, he could be found the next morning at the high school, which had also been destroyed, leading the team in clean up efforts.
It has been fun to watch him on the news as they were ready just 3 months after these disasters to play their first home game. They had an undefeated season last fall, losing in the playoffs.
Like I said, I had never met Ed Thomas so I'm not really sure why this is hitting me so hard. Maybe its because it shows again how you just don't know what will happen minute to minute. I'm sure he had left his home thousands of times and headed to the weight room to meet his team. Today just had a different ending.

Exhale

Its done and I feel like I can breath again. We had a lovely turn out this afternoon with weather beyond what I could have hoped for. We had delicious Chinese food, yummy goodies, a 16 gallon keg of root beer and dear friends and family surrounding us. It was perfect. How blessed we are to have people in our lives who will take an afternoon/day to drive to our home to honor our son. I am humbled. I feel like I can get back to real life and can finally resume a sense of normality.
As I watched my son interact with our guests, I was so proud of him. He is a nice young man whose goal is to serve God with his very life and to translate the Bible into languages where there currently is none. I love him! I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to parent him and I feel like he turned out so well in spite of us. I can take no credit but thank God that I am a part of his life.
Now, off to bed with a lighter heart and enough Chinese food in the freezer to last until winter.
Good night!!

One more day

It will all be over tomorrow. I tell you what, if you've not had a child graduate yet, this whole thing is ALOT of work. I'm wondering why no one has told me that.
I would say all of my free time in the past 2 months has been filled with getting ready for this open house. Maybe I should have been doing a lot of this during the past 18 years, organizing pictures etc. I was NOT able to find a series of his school photos I had been looking for for the past few weeks. I have been praying all week that I would stumble across them. Late last night I asked my daughter if she thought these other things I was looking for were in her closet. She pulled out a box and lo and behold those photos were in there! God cares even about the little, insignificant things.
The addition is not coming along as planned but I have to make due with how it is.
Tonight is the ballet recital and tomorrow morning, the parade. I'm excited to visit with family and friends tomorrow but Saturday night I will sleep well I'm sure.

Countdown Day 5

Only 5 short days until my son's Graduation Open House. We started this remodel/addition with the understanding it would be nearly done in time for the open house. I didn't realize we would be cutting it so close. I've posted a picture I took yesterday. Looks pretty hopeless, I know. Today we have oodles of teenagers running around on our roof putting down shingles. They hope to finish today since rain is coming tomorrow and Wednesday. I'm losing my mind. This is not what I had expected but it is what I have feared. We have a great contractor, no real complaints there. I just can't take it when things are down to the wire and I have no control over them.
We had a lovely time at Lucas' commencement ceremony last week. We got front row seats and he was seated very close to us. We were told the event would take 3 hours, what with over 420 graduates. It only took 25 minutes to distribute the diplomas and the whole thing was over in 1 1/2 hours. Sweet! The bad news is that we believe we left our video camera there. Not sweet! My hubby feels horrible but I have this sense we will get it back. The facility hasn't been open since we realized it was missing so it may have been turned in and we just don't know it yet. We hope and pray it will be returned to us.
I can't wait until Sunday when this is all over. I have been planning this for months and have really been impressed with my organizational skills. I believe it will all come together by 2 pm on Saturday but did I mention my 7 year old has her dance recital on Friday evening and we have a parade Saturday morning that my 3 youngest kids are in? Sunday can't come soon enough.

Whew! He Made It!

This morning we attended an awards ceremony at the gymnasium of our son's high school.
We really had no idea what would take place but it was kind of interesting. At the ceremony there were about 15-20 scholarships that were announced. Many of them that were announced were a surprise to the recipient. Some had to be applied for but others were awarded based on votes by the faculty etc. I felt like I was at some type of game show. I sat on the edge of my seat waiting in anticipation, hoping my son's name would be called. Each time it wasn't, my hopes faded. Some kids must have walked away with several thousand dollars of scholarship $. Not my kid. Zero. Zilch. Boo! Bah Humbug! I kind of wanted to wring his neck because he has DRUG his feet on applying for most of scholarships. I dare say his essays were probably pretty pathetic and half-hearted so what does he get? NOTHING. Afterwards he came up to me and I looked him in the eye and said our state's lottery slogan, "You can't win if you don't play." He smirked and said, "I thought I would give you and Dad the honor of paying for my college education." I smirked back, thinking to myself, "You do, do you?"

I have to toot his horn though and say he was/is one of 9 valedictorians in his class of 421. This momma is SOOOO proud. There were a few times this past year where that 4.0 was in jeopardy but he came through and achieved something he really wanted. Way to go Lucas!!

I'm a little sad today

My son heard back from Moody today. He was accepted to the Moody program but not at the Chicago campus. Due to capacity constraints he has been accepted to attend classes either through their distance education program or he can attend at their campus in Spokane, WA. We are a little disappointed but recognize that at least he has his foot in the door. We have a ton of questions and will call an admissions counselor tomorrow and see if he can be put on a waiting list for the Chicago campus. At this point, I think he will do the online courses, continue working, and involve himself deeply with the local campus ministry that our church sponsors.
While this isn't exactly what we would have hoped for, we realize that " in all things God works for the good of those who love Him" (Romans 8:28). What more do we need to know?

Back Home

My lemon ricotta pancakes were out of this world!! Bob had blueberry something pancakes which were fabulous as well. We enjoyed a long, lingering breakfast and some great coffee and stood out on the deck at the restaurant, trying to embed the view into our minds. We had a brief workout in the exercise room at the hotel and then sat out by the pool reading. We headed back to Phoenix and did a little shopping. We met my brother Dean, who drove up from Tucson, at the Cheesecake Factory. Bob and I split the Chicken Maidera (FABULOUS!!). You simply can't go to this restaurant and not get a slice of cheesecake. I'm drooling as I'm writing. Bob had vanilla bean, Dean had lemon/raspberry, and I had peanut butter/chocolate fudge. We had such a great time just visiting and drinking coffee. This is one of my favorite memories of the trip.
We arrived back to Iowa around 12:30 pm, welcomed by snow flurries. We arrived back home around 2:15 and it all started up again. We had to pick Emmy up from school at 3:30, go to Logan's conference at 4, drop him off at Junior Players at 4:30, take Emmy to dance class at 5:30, pick Logan up at 6:00, and pick Emmy up at 6:45. We did manage to fit in a trip to Target as well. Back to the old grindstone that inspired this trip in the first place. But I wouldn't have it any other way.
Until later...

Day 4

We started our morning with a hike around Slide Rock Park. For those of you familiar with Decorah, its kind of a like a God-made Cut; gorgeous, gigantic rocks that have fallen from the cliffs onto a running creek. Had the weather been warmer, it would have been fabulous to walk around in the water but not yesterday. We have been surprised by the weather. The mornings start out in the upper 30s and peak around the upper 60s in the afternoon.
We spent about an hour at Slide Rock and then went to Huckaby Trail. If you look at the photos I posted yesterday you will see a huge expansion bridge. It is so high up I can't even describe it. I was so nervous and off balance up there I was certain I would fall to my death. Anyway, we started at the top of the trail just under the bridge and hiked down to the bottom of the canyon. There is a picture of the bridge from underneath so you can get an idea of how high it is.
We ate lunch at a great Mexican restaurant called Oxaca. I had a delicious portabello and spinach wrap and Bob had a hamburger and fries. I teased him that you can't order that at a Mexican restaurant but he said my wrap wasn't very "south of the border" either. Good point.
We spent the afternoon poolside at the hotel, enjoying some sun on our final full day in Sedona.
If you haven't been here you MUST see this place. As I blog, I find it difficult to not use the same words over and over again. The beauty here is inexplainable (sp?) and I never will tire of it. We talked about wintering here when our kids are grown but that will probably be a good 15 years from now.
This morning we are bypassing the free hotel breakfast and headed out to Wildflower Bread Company again to enjoy some lemon and ricotta cheese pancakes cuz I heard my brother loves them (Hi Mikey!!)
Until tomorrow...

Pictures

Much to our delight we realized we had our sd card in the camera and were able to copy the pictures onto the computer. Here are a few of them.

Day 3

After breakfast, we drove about 25 miles to a little town imbedded high, high up in the hills called Jerome. It was established in the 1800s as a copper and ore mining town and at one point was quite thriving. When the mining rush subsided it was pretty much a ghost town. Now, its part Gunsmoke part Brady Bunch and part high-end chic. Nevertheless it was way cool and I'm so glad we went. It has VERY steep streets lined with neat shops. The views were absolutely amazing.
After lunch we spent another 2 1/2 hours hiking. This time we went to Sugar Loaf Summit and Coffee Pot Rock. We made it to the top of Sugar Loaf for the most incredible panoramic view. We descended that summit and started heading for the Zane Grey cave. Bob said, "If you were a guy we wouldn't go on the trails but would just cut straight across, through the brush. But since we don't have the right shoes and clothes (i.e. pants and long sleeves) we'll just follow the trails."
Shortly after that, I found myself off the trail, walking through the thicket. It was hard to move because every time I took a step my shirt, coat, skin, was caught by a group of thorns. Clearly, I was not happy. We had no idea where we were or how far off the trail we were. I was P.O.d. All I could think of was being lunch for a group of hungry mountain lions or coyotes.
FINALLY, we made our way back to the trail and continued hiking. I chickened out as we got higher and higher onto the cliffs. I really held my husband back. He could have gone on and on.
We got back to our car and headed back to the ice cream shop and got the chocolate chocolate stuff I had been yearning for.
For dinner we went to a gourmet pizza place called Picazzos and enjoyed an appetizer of artichoke/spinach dip followed by a pizza, half shrimp scampi and half with bacon, artichokes, black olives, spinach and alredo sauce. YUMMY! (In fact, I had a piece of that for breakfast this morning.)
Today, I think we will do some more hiking at Slide Rock Park. This will be our last full day in Sedona. Until tomorrow....

Day 2

We had a great day yesterday! After breakfast we drove around for a bit, trying to plan out our visit. I've always felt I should have been a realtor and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to look at houses, especially ones that are different than what I am used to. I'm sure people that actually live there hate it when people like me just drive around in their neighborhoods for no reason other than to look at their homes. I'm a voyeur.
After that, we drove down to the main strip, parked, and visited the many shops lining the street. We had a yummy flank steak pannini for lunch. (Yes, we are the cheap people who split meals at restaurants. After 4 kids and lots of expenses you learn to cut corners where you can AND it cuts back on the calories.)
We came back to the hotel where I took an hour long nap and hubby researched nearby hiking trails.
We drove to a BEAUTIFUL area and headed out towards Cathedral Rock. I cannot explain to you how absolutely gorgeous the world is out here. We hiked a total of 2 1/2 hours and stopped just short of Cathedral Rock. It was just too steep for me. My husband could have made it but he didn't want to leave me waiting for him. Personally, I wouldn't have minded sitting there on the edge of a rock and staring at that vista for a while longer. I thought of Cheesecake Maven, who often blogs about her hikes in NE Iowa, and wondered if she had ever been in this part of the world.
We took a ton of pictures but forgot to bring the cord that we need to transfer the photos onto the computer.
We returned to the hotel and freshened up a bit and headed for dinner. We ate at Wildflower Bread Company and had some great sandwiches. (We didn't split this time!!)
As if we hadn't had enough food, we went out for ice cream. I had butter pecan and white chocolate coffee. Bob had butter pecan and vanilla bean. I think I will have chocolate something tomorrow.
I do have to say and I know no one will feel sorry for me but it was cold here yesterday. It was in the low 60s and was quite windy. I think today will be cool too.
Today we plan to find a biking trail and possibly do some more hiking.
Until tomorrow...

Day 1

Well, we made it safely to Sedona. Interestingly enough, as we were boarding the plane in Cedar Rapids, we realized we were flying with two sons of some dear friends of ours. We were close enough to see each other and wave but far enough away that we couldn't talk. When we got off the plane in Phoenix, our friends were there to greet their sons. Our friends had rented a house and had been there 2 weeks vacationing. Funny! We ate dinner at our oldest son's favorite restaurant, Chipotle, (sorry Lucas) and headed to our destination.
Our rental car is a Prius which is a hybrid. It, so far, has gotten nearly 48 miles per gallon. It doesn't even sound like its running most of the time. Way cool!
It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Phoenix to Sedona which landed us here after dark. There is a 2 hour time difference and even that little bit messed me up. I couldn't understand why my eyes were so itchy and tired at 6:30, which, in realty, is when I'm wanting to go to bed. So, of course, it was to be expected that I rolled over this morning at 3 something, ready to get up and go. I "forced" :) myself to go back to sleep. We just came back from breakfast and will drive into town to decide what this day will hold for us. Until tomorrow.....

Here we sit

at the Eastern Iowa Airport waiting for our flight to Phoenix. I'm starting to relax and look forward to this adventure finally. Its always hard to leave the kids but I know they are in good hands. I told Emmy that when she sees the moon to know that I'm seeing the same one and she can call me and we will talk about it. I have left notes in strategic places for each of them. I miss 'em already.
Two years ago today I had an interesting experience. I was walking back to my office from a meeting at another building when I was hit by a school bus, a big, yellow school bus. It hit me in the back of my right leg and ran over my toes. Thankfully, a few of my co-workers witnessed it and it happened to occur right next to the police department so one of them immediatly got my husband.
As it turned out, I didn't break any bones but I have been having trouble with my knee ever since. I am no longer able to run which is a great disappointment. At the time of this injury I had hoped to start training to run 5Ks, as this was on my bucket list. So I vacilate between being so thankful that my injuries weren't any worse but being hugely frustrated with the limitations I now have.
At least now I have something to offer when I am at a get-together and we go around the room and say something that is unique about each of us!! Can anyone beat that????

Why is going on vacation so much work?

Bob and I are leaving on Saturday morning and catching a flight to Phoenix. From there we will drive to Sedona to enjoy a few days of rest and fun. Can't say I'm looking forward to it at this point cuz there is too much to do to get ready for the trip.
There is a wonderful woman from our church who has "adopted" our family as her own and vice versa. She is 78 years old and is best friends with my 6 year old. She has agreed to take on our kids while we are gone.
These last few days before we leave are full of laundry, making/freezing meals, grocery shopping, and writing out a schedule of who needs to be where when. I am happy to report I am able to fit into most of my summer things. I hope the glare from my white, Norwegian skin doesn't blind any one. I better whip out the sunless tanning lotion.
I will try to post a day by day, play by play of our trip to, first of all, give Brenda something to do while she's having her coffee, and to let the kids know what we are up to.

I'm Psyched!!

I am waiting patiently for a visit from my friend, Brenda, of "This Too Shall Pass" fame. She had posted that she was coming to Waterloo today so I emailed her to see if she could fit me into her visit. I have successfully intercepted her and she should be ringing my doorbell at any moment. I'm so excited. It has literally been YEARS since we have had a good sit down talk.
On another, completely unrelated note, my mother died nearly 9 years ago. My sisters and I now have joint custody of her wedding ring. We each will have it for 6 months and then pass it on to the next sister. My sister, Lois, and her family are visiting Disney this week so she gave me mom's ring for safe keeping. It is beautiful and fits perfectly. I never really noticed how beautiful it was until now and it means SO much to have it here.
It seems there is a cute story behind this ring and I encourge my little brother to make any necessary corrections. My dad told my mom he wasn't going to buy her an engagement ring until he sold a certain tractor (or some other type of farm machinery). One day my mom was walking down the street and dad drove by slowly and said coyly, "I sold the tractor." and then drove off.
When my dad did go to the jewelery he looked around at the different rings. When he showed the jeweler the $ he wanted to spend, it seems the jeweler closed up his shop and took dad downstairs to where he kept his good stuff. Dad chose this ring and he did a lovely job.
I will try to post a picture of it soon although I'm challeneged that way you know.

Early Morning Sputters

Gosh I'm tired this morning. Its been a busy few weeks and doesn't look like it will let up anytime soon.
Yesterday I worked all day, had to take daughter #1 to the orthodontist (from whom she received a parole!!), then on to the grocery store. When we finally arrived home dinner went into the oven. After dinner we promptly left to deliver children to their respective venues, one to the concert she was playing in and the next one to his play practice which was supposed to run from 6:30-9:30. On the way in the power steering in our not-that-long-ago-purchased new van went out, forcing my hubby to nearly stand up every time he had to turn a corner. We managed to get everyone where they were going then had an hour before we had to be at the concert. We drove to the nearest auto parts store where hubby bought some power steering fluid (is that what its called?) and put it in the empty resevoir. He said the van was driving better as we headed to Panera for a quick cup of coffee. Leaving there we headed for the concert and planted ourselves on the hard, wooden bleachers in the gym since the auditorium is being remodeled. Just as we were cozying in hubby's cell phone rings. Its not quite 7:30 and our son is done with play practice. Hubby leaves the concert to get him, returns with him and we sit for an hour listening to some great band music.
We drive home and hubby adds another quart of power steering fluid to the resevoir, hears a gurgle and looks underneath the van only to find the fluid running out as quickly as he is pouring it in. One more thing to do tomorrow.
We finally climb into bed and the last time I see on the clock is 10:10 which is late for me. Around 1:15 I think I'm hearing my youngest cry. Sure enough, "My ear hurts." One more thing to do tomorrow.
I'm a little concerned about her because as we were at Panera, I noticed a rash of sorts developing right around where her glasses sit. It was raised up like when you get into itch weed. It turned red and was itchy and within 2 hours it had completely disappeared. When hubby tucked her into bed she complained about how hot she was. She only wanted the sheet on and the fan blowing right on her. Weird, as I thought it was cool in the house.
So I lie awake in bed again wondering where we will fit in a trip to the car dealership and the doctor in our busy day tomorrow.
I woke up on my own at 4:08 which is common for me and now let the race begin with a meeting with the treadmill to start things off right. We will get a brief and much needed trip from all this at the end of March when hubby and I are going for a 5 day trip to Sedona AZ for some fun and rest. It can't get here soon enough.

Assistance from Decorah people requested

My hubby and I are looking for a panoramic picture of the Decorah area; something a couple feet long to hang above our couch. We will be in Decorah on Saturday and are wondering if anyone would have an idea of a store we may be able to find one in.
Thanks in advance.

....And Wait Some More....

We have been waiting and waiting and waiting to receive a letter from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago to see if my son has been accepted into their program. He submitted his application in November and they were to have mailed out a reply January 15th. We heard nothing. Finally on January 22, my son emailed them and was told they hoped to get the letters sent out that day. Still, we heard nothing. On Monday my husband phoned MBI and was told the letters were sent out last Friday. When my hubby got home, he phoned me to tell me there was a letter from Moody on our counter.
"Is it thick?" I asked him. "I don't know." he said. I got home, too, and examined the letter. I held it up to the light to see if i could see ANYTHING. It was thicker than one page but not by much.
We promised Lucas we would not open it until he got home but I could hardly stand it. FINALLY, he arrived home and opened the letter and it said...........
"We have deferred your application.....".
WHAT?? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? The letter went on to say that some applicants got an acceptance letter, some were denied admission, and some, like my son were deferred. This means that they are waiting until the next round of applicants to submit their papers which are due March 1st. They will look at that pool and take what they want from them and deny some others. Basically, if they aren't full after that round, they will again consider or accept my son. Long story short, we have to wait until mid-April to hear anything for sure.
I don't know what I'm going to do with myself until then. I think God is trying to teach us patience which I need a good dose of.

As I was telling you in my previous post, I had one of my proudest moments as a mother last night. My 13 year old son, Logan, won an essay contest about Martin Luther King Jr. His was one of 4 essays chosen from students throughout the entire city. He won a savings bond and was invited to attend the MLK banquet in our city last night and read his essay. He did NOT want to read in front of everyone because as you will hear when you see the clip, it was very personal. There were about 400 people in attendance, including the mayor, the chief of police, and many other dignitaries. When he saw this crowd he wanted to read his paper even less. We talked about things and decided it is good for each of us to do something that makes us a little uncomfortable and challenges us. This was such a stretch for him but I can tell you it was one of his most shining moments and he basked in the glow of it even this morning. I thank God for times like this, especially for Logan, when he can feel so good about himself. He really needed this.

Another Day Off

Outside its clearly winter, inside, it seems like summer. I think I have spent more time with my children in the last month than the entire year previous. With Christmas break and all these cold/snow days I know each of them intimately.

Here's what's going on...I was just thinking the other day that the weird factor is really high at my place. We have our Yorkipoo, Roxy, in heat so she's wearing this diaper and looks like an idiot. Her eyes tell me she feels like one too. Our new dog, Gigi, has been peeing ALL OVER so we took her to the vet only to find out she has kidney stones and has to have surgery tomorrow. My youngest child is back to wearing an eye patch to help with her lazy eye so if we have any neighbors looking in our windows, I wonder what they think.
I have to tell about our amazing experience last night but that will have to wait til I get back from Target.

Our Latest Addition

Here is a picture of our new dog Gigi. Isn't she adorable? She's pretty tuckered out from her day at the beauty salon but isn't she a cutie??

Lots of useless information racing around in my head

My husband says my mind is like a computer screen that battles to stay on task or topic due to numerous pop-ups. Its funny how I can be talking to him about something and instantly, without missing a beat, I am on to something else that just "popped up" in my head. Then I get mad and think he's an idiot because he can't follow along. Its not easy being me.
My husband also says I'm PMSing. (Is that a verb??) I really didn't think I had a problem with such things but, you know, I'm pretty sure he's on to something. These last few days I have been ON EDGE. It seems like my kids voices are akin to fingernails on a chalkboard and they are amplified times 4. I am snippy and sullen and VERY tired. Also, I can't seem to eat enough. If I told you what I had eaten before noon today it would shock you. It seems like I can't possibly get full today. Ladies, what is your verdict...PMS or just being mean?
Also, I was thinking about toilet paper today. I just came from Target and noticed my old brand was on sale. I used to buy Cottenelle 12 double rolls. Its usual price is $7.69. WHAT A RIP OFF! It's paper for heaven's sake. What kind of a mark up is that??? Anyway, my husband convinced me to try the Target Premium toilet paper, again 12 double rolls which is regularly priced $6.29. I was pretty sure it would be like sand paper and would certainly irritate our dainty behinds but it is excellent and I will save $1.50 every time I purchase TP for my family.
Speaking of family, 13 years ago tonight my hubby and I were at our friends home. It was a Sunday afternoon/evening and we were watching a football play off game I believe between the Packers and Bears but I digress. I was VERY pregnant with child #3. We left our friends home around 7:30 that night. By 9 pm I arrived at the hospital, which fortunately, was about 2 blocks away, and just 35 minutes later I had a baby. What a hoot! We called our friends about 10:20 that night and said, "Hey, guess what I just did?"
The first thing the nurse said after he was born was the usual, "Its a boy." The second thing was, "He's got dimples." He was a little spitfire but smart as a whip.
He didn't sleep all night until he was nearly a year old. I remember many, many nights I would just sit on the couch sobbing out of sheer exhaustion. I was SO tired. He was our 3rd child in just 4 1/2 years. At 18 months he already had the motor skills to work a mouse with ease. I remember one day we were stopped at an intersection and he said, "Look Momma, "No right turn on red." I was stunned that he was reading at 3 1/2. Now he's the king of computer games etc. and an absolute blessing to our family.
So we will venture out tonight to his favorite restaurant to celebrate him and remind him of how thankful we are for him.

What to say, What to say......

I feel a serious obligation to blog on a fairly regular basis. I enjoy it; its an outlet. So why have I not posted anything in a week and a half? I just don't have much to say, I guess.
What's going on here? HMMMM let me see. We are waiting to hear if my oldest has been accepted into the college of his choice. Letters will be sent out on the 15th of this month. Child #2 is busy with school work and has pep band about 2 nights per week. Also, she has a terrible fear of driving. She MUST! She MUST! She has zero confidence in herself and is afraid she will kill someone. What shall we do with her?
Child #3 got cast in a community theatre play which will deliver its performances the first weekend in March. This means from now until then we will be driving to rehearsals and performances 34 times. I'm tired already. By the way, he turns 13 next week which means I will have 3 teenagers in the house!!
Finally, child #4, my little spitfire, has a history of eye problems. We had an appointment today and it looks like we will be playing pirate with an eye patch again for a few weeks to see if we can get her lazy eye in check.
Also, sometime this week, we will be adopting a new dog. I still don't know exactly how this happened. Apparently a friend of my colleague has a mother who is moving into an assisted living situation and needs a home for her bichon or it will have to go to the Humane Society. (You know what can happen there.) Anyway, I'm not really a "dog person". I wouldn't swerve to hit one, mind you, but I just am not completely crazy about dogs. This will be our 3rd. At least none of our dogs will shed and that is of utmost importance to me. We had a German Shepard for several years. He was my husband's police K-9 and I promise you I vaccuumed (sp) at least 2 times per day. Hair was everywhere so I vowed not to have anymore shedders. We should be getting Gigi this week sometime. Just what I need, a little more action!