Deck Those Halls!

So, I am running incredibly late with this, but oh well!
Better late than never...or whatever!





The Front Door

The Fireplace

And...the tree!

I didn't get a picture of it, but my favorite ornament on our tree this year was the Laffy Taffy ball from Wal-Mart (filled with Laffy Taffy no less) that my husband put up there as a special treat for me! He's so sweet!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

To Butch...

Okay, so I didn't get around to posting Christmas decoration pictures Friday...I am a terrible person! But now that our bazillion Christmas parties are over...I actually have time to do important things again (like blogging).

Anyway, I thought I would share this with you 2 or 3 readers out there. I got this Christmas card over the weekend (hand delivered) from a sweet church lady and this is what the envelope says:

Kara& cute husband (Butch, I think)

Ah-hem. My husband's name is not Butch...not even close! More like Randy. Sorry honey!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Well, this week has been one big exciting blur at my house! We have Christmas party after Christmas party...and no end in sight! Tonight we are the hosts at our house for the Youth Leaders party.

So, all that to say...sorry for the lack of updates (Marci!) but I am working on it!! I hope to be part of Boomama's Christmas Tour of Homes...but I forgot to get pics before I left the house! I'll put them up ASAP...which won't be until after 3.

Stay tuned...

Vote DCB!!

If anyone out there is a David Crowder fan...be sure to go here and vote for him to be artist of the year on MSN. They are up against INXS, Prince (gimme a break), Christina Aguilera, and Kenny Chesney. I would say they are hands-down the best choice out of that group.

Did you know?

Did you know that after Thanksgiving it is impossible to find yard stakes for your Christmas lights?

Me either.

Stupid me...I only bought 50 back when I decided that I wantd to run lights down the sidewalk...I needed 100. So on Saturday afternoon when I finally had time to work on it, I started putting out the lights and realized we were not going to have enough stakes.

No biggie...I thought.

So the husband and I lock up the house and make a dash to Wal-Mart (which I thought was going to be the worst part of our outing...Wal-Mart on Saturday).

Well, just as I expected, the Christmas section was so jam packed with people you couldn't even drive a shopping cart through it (not that people weren't trying to anyway). And low and behold...no stakes...and none expected in any time soon. We were told to try to think of an alternative.

So we head off to Lowe's. No stakes. Now keep in mind that I have half of the sidewalk done.

So, after a couple of other stores, we decide we are going to have to rig it ourselves. Here is our solution.

Wire hangers & Zip ties

The husband cut and shaped the hangers while I zip tied my little heart out. But I think it turned out okay!

Half the time I was out there... zip tying each and every light on... the lady down the street was standing there watching me. Like "Ha, I got my stakes in plenty of time...LOSER." I almost went and asked her if she wanted to help, but I thought that would not be very Christmas spirity!

Oh and thanks hubby for making the make shift yard stakes... even though you would have been more than happy to not have any outside lights at all!

No Snow Day Here

Well, it got below 40 degrees yesterday...so we shut down the office! You gotta love Texas! It starts to get cold and people freak out about the possible ice! Now, in all fairness it was 32 and very wet outside...and the bridges did ice over. And, let's face it, I am not the least bit upset over leaving work 2 hours early (and still getting paid for it)!

But at 5:00 pm yesterday evening it was as dry as can be outside and the sun was shining away! No snow, no sleet...just cold! Bummer!

There is just no accounting for taste...

Well, it's that time of year...time to pull out the Christmas music and decorate the Christmas tree. Since this is the 1st Christmas in our new house I am very excited about decorating. I have found out that all the decorations we used to cram in our small-ish house now get lost in our large-ish house. It looks kind of sad.



But anyway, this being our 1st year in this neighborhood also means that this is the first time we have seen the decorations of our neighbors. Now, we live in a pretty nice area...we aren't talking Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous here, but nice enough. I was pretty excited Saturday when I saw the icicle lights and the luminaries going up on our street...I love, LOVE luminaries. And to me, you just can't go wrong with white lights! Then THEY decorated their yard. Yes, them...the ones with the yard decorations from...well...you know where!



Say it with me...



PICK.A.THEME.PEOPLE!!!!



That's right, they have quite a collection of Christmas decor. The Nativity scene, moose, deer, snowmen, Santa (the plastic light up one and a stuffed one), candy canes, lights thrown here and there and a MERRY CHRISTMAS sign to end all signs. It is the type of yard that makes you cringe a little thinking that you will be having Christmas parties at your home...and your friends will see their yard...in all it's misguided holiday glory.



But hey, it will give us something to laugh about. Maybe we can even have a contest to see who can guess how many light up candy canes there actually are!

The Elderly

Let's just take a moment to talk about our education system...not for children...but for the elderly. In working at the church I have learned several things about how the elderly mind works and I really think that there should be several classes offered at the community center based on the following things:

1. Phone Etiquette 101
Class Description: When calling a business please do not skip to the middle of the conversation because you just assume the other person knows what the holy crap you are talking about!!!!!!! For example: nobody knows who you spoke to on the phone last week, or who "what's his name" is. When you start the conversation with " I just got the thing in the mail and it says that the check is from 2003 and I just want to know where it came from" ...you are really leaving a LOT of things up in the air...and DON'T get pissy when we try to decipher what you are thinking but not saying outloud!!!!

2. Voicemail is Your Friend
Class Description: When calling for a person (whose name you actually know by some miracle) and said person is unavailable, please leave a voicemail. Voicemail does not steal your soul; it is not some form of identity theft; it will not kill you (though the receptionist might if you do not leave one); and people actually DO check it.

3. How to Leave a Message on Voicemail
Class Description: When leaving a message on voicemail, simply state your name, number and a BRIEF description of your question/ concern. You do not have to ask all the questions on your list (that can wait until they call you back).

4. Have Patience
Class Description: When calling a business and asking for someone in particular, please do not blame the receptionist if they are already on the phone. This class is for you if you have had the following conversation:

Receptionist: FBC, how can I help you?

Old Person: I need to talk to ____.

R: She is on the phone right now. Would you like to leave a voicemail?

OP: No, I need to talk to her.

R: Ok, well she is on the phone. You can leave a message or call back later.

OP: NO, I need to talk to her. How much longer will she be on the phone?

R: Well, in order to know that I would have to have telepathic powers...and if I had telepathic powers I could shoot her a mind beam that said you were on the phone in the first place and we wouldn't be having this conversation...but since I wasn't given the power of telepathy...then I DON'T KNOW! Would you like to leave a freakin' voicemail?

(Ok, so just ignore the last part)

5. Driving
Class Description: Do you really need one?

So, let's pick up the slack in our education system...call your local government office and petition better education for our elderly...they aren't our future, but they could be the death of us.

Gone with the Wind

Today it is VERY windy outside...and this was the phone call I got earlier this morning at work...

Little Elderly Lady: "I, auhhh, just wanted you to auhhh know that the auhhh wind is gusting up to 45 miles an hour right now."

Me: "Oh really?" (Sighing to myself)

LEL: "Auhhhh, yes."

(long pause...because I thought this would be where she would get to the point)

Me: "It is pretty windy out there!"

LEL: "Well, auhhh don't stand under any trees becuase you know auhhh old what's his name that I was friends with auhhhh was standing under a tree when a auhhh branch broke off and landed on his head. Auhhh...killed him. Auhhhh yeah, so be careful out there."

Me: "Oh my goodness." (laughing to myself...not because the man died, but because this is why she called...to tell me this)

LEL: "Well, maybe I auhhh will see you tonight...if I make it out in this wind."

Oh to have nothing else to worry about but the wind.

(and in case you wanted to know...it was the boob lady)

Faux Paint

So...last Friday night my husband and I made a dash to Lowe's to pick out a new paint color for the dining room...something better than Institutional Gray.

...an hour later we were still trying to figure out what to do. Finally, we decided to do a two-tone technique that used a special roller...so we go in search of the roller in the "Faux Paint" section. Then we decided to do a stippling technique instead...so we gathered up the supplies for that.

Let me just recap for you:
-we run into Lowe's to buy a gallon of paint (before we go out to eat)
-after an hour we are still looking
-we leave with one gallon of paint, one pint of glaze, one stipple brush, one pounce brush, one package of cheesecloth and two paint trays...for a grand total of $75

Yeah...In the check-out line when she told us the total my husband said "All we came for was a gallon of paint...what happened?"

I guess we were victims of the pretty brochures and fancy displays that made faux painting techniques look so wonderful.

Well...Saturday night when I had been faux painting for four...yes FOUR...hours and still hadn't finished the first wall...I didn't think it was so wonderful anymore! I was pretty sure that if I had to "stipple" for one more minute, my hand was going to snap right off my arm at the wrist. I FINALLY finished sometime Sunday afternoon...at a grand total of about 9 hours worth of painting!

Needless to say...I will not be stippling anything else for quite some time...but man, it does look great!

This bottom picture is a more accurate view of the color...the other picture makes it look more red.

She's a lady...

...well, maybe not!
This is our dog...and this is how she sleeps. We really get a kick out of the amount of time she spends sleeping like a person. It seems that sleeping on her back is the most comfortable position for her.





She isn't very modest either.

Ugh!

It has been one of those days

...well, more like one of those weeks

...ok, let's just get real...we're going on a month now.

I am tired

I am frustrated

And I am burned out.

Work is frustrating (this would be the source of the burn-out)...but I won't go there - I mean who really cares about that. Except I wish that I were better at leaving the work frustration at work and not letting it spill over into the rest of my life.

Then, I was awakened at 3:15 this morning only to find that my husband had to traipsing all over town because one of his former employees had been caught trying to break in to one of his stores. Then we found out he had already stolen from another (allegedly). And of course, after getting frustrating news like that...I couldn't get back to sleep.

Then for some reason I can't and I mean CAN'T pick out the right paint colors to save my ever-lovin' life. I mean, they look great on those little one inch swatches. I fantasize about how it will look on my walls and with my furniture (I know - I am strange)...I imagine what art I will hang to accent the color...etc.

So, I go to Lowe's and buy a gallon and then...

...and THEN I put it on my walls and merciful heavens if it isn't ANYTHING like what I imagined. For the love of all that is holy could someone please start making 8 X 10 paint swatches?

Right now my dining room is splattered with Institutional Gray (as my hubs likes to call it). I swear to you guys that it looked tan on the swatch...I mean the name of it was Ashlar Gray...but it really seemed to lean more toward the brown end of the spectrum than the black end.

So now I get to go back to Lowe's and get ANOTHER gallon of paint...but first I have to find another microscopic swatch of tan that I think will work!

Thank the sweet Lord above that today is Friday...I just don't think I could take it if it were any other day!

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Grant!!
Don't eat too much candy and cake!
Love you!

Happy Birthday

Just want to wish Levi a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY today!
Hope you have a wonderful day!! Love you!

The MESS

In other news...please excuse the mess that has become my new layout. It is a work in progress...very slow progress. I will hopefully find a look I like in the very near future - in the meantime I understand that it is pretty obnoxious!

This stupid thing called a job keeps getting in the way of my fun creative time with my blog. Then when I get home our internet access has been touch and go - it is really frustrating! But I promise to try not to be one of those annoying bloggers that never updates my blog!

He's a Man (or Woman) Eater

My sweet little nephew is a very, very bad baby.

He attends the daycare at the church where I work so I get to hear all of the stories about him (from the daycare teachers and then from his mother).

So, the other day it finally happened, he BIT his 23rd victim. It seems that a child with a biting problem has a record at the daycare and when they have filled up a sheet (with 23 spaces on it) of children they have bitten - the paper gets sent home to mom and dad. It lists each victim and the time and date of the bite.

It is so hard to get mad at such a sweet little baby...but don't be fooled...he's a biter.


Who thinks he should be Hannibal Lecter for Halloween? I think he could pull it off! They have the same hair line.

LOST (Updated)

Oh, LOST - how I love thee...
let me count the ways (I mean...what the heck is there not to like about it?):

1. Oceanic Flight 815 - which crashed on September 22, 2004 (Sept. 22 is my birthday - ooohhhh! spookie!!!)

2. The Others

3. "You tasted like fish biscuits."

4. Walt - what a strange kid

5. Polar bears on a tropical island

6. Bad Twin

7. The Smokey Monster

8. Hanso Foundation and the Dharma Project

9. Henry Gale or is it Ben?

10. 4 8 15 16 23 42

11. The Hatch

12. Stephen King Book Club

13. dark pasts

...and much, much more

(UPDATED)
Check out these websites too - if you are a LOST fan:

Oceanic Air - There are 2 secret messages on this page...see if you can find them.

Hanso Foundation - This used to be a full "website" but now we just get this letter. I think that checking back here from time to time will give us some clues. (Like Rachel Blake is related to the Hanso Foundation - and somehow her boyfriend - Desmond - ended up on the island...curious.)

Check him out...

This is me and my cousin Brandon (he's the one that has peed his pants). He is a musician and has started a new website. Check him out and listen to some of his songs.

In addition to being a great singer and incredibly talented guitarist, he has also started building his own guitars...pretty amazing! He even found himself a cutie wife! She is a med student and got to work with the REAL Patch Adams (as you would see if you checked out his website)! She is also a real life Russian (as his Pawpaw would say)! What an interesting couple they are!





Give him a try...you could even buy his CD!!!

Finally

Well, this weekend I finally finished the entry. I painted the trim with latex without using KILZ first (me, the queen of KILZ). Never will I do that again! All, and I mean ALL of the paint pealed off with the painters tape...the trim had been painted with oil based paint before! I could have died!!!!

Before:













After:

Red and Yellow, Black and White...

After reading this post by my brother-in-law I was reminded of a post (read it, really) by the son of one of our ministers.

It really makes you think...how many people do we pass up every single day because they don't look, act or smell like what we think is acceptable.

I work at a downtown church and we have a "neighborhood" ministry. What does that mean? Well... here "neighborhood" has turned out to be code for "black". It means that we have some extra kids that come on Wednesday nights for dinner and either youth Bible study or children's choir - depending on their age. They come here from several of the surrounding apartment complexes. MOST of these kids are GREAT kids (some of them are real toots - but you would find that with any group of kids). They come from a very different culture ...even though they live right here among the rest of us. Most of them have single mothers, all of them are low income, many of them have emotional issues ...the list goes on and on.

But here we are... this big ...white ...wealthy church. And how do we treat these kids? Terribly!
There isn't acceptance here, they don't find love from most of the people they encounter while at church. This is what gives Christians a bad name or at least one of the things.

Just a few weeks ago I walked down the stairs to find one of our elderly members ripping into a "neighborhood" boy (who by the way was doing exactly what I had asked him to do). In a matter of 2 minutes of my hearing the conversation she accused him of stealing, accosted him for not having shoes on, and basically told him to leave and stop causing problems. It is so frustrating to me that this is the impression they get of church. All he did was stare at me with huge eyes and promise me that he wasn't doing anything... and I believe him... I would have believed him anyway, but just to prove it - we have a camera system and I was watching him sitting peacefully on the bench waiting... playing with his toys... just as I asked him to do.

Now don't get me wrong, we aren't going to put up with any crap. The rules apply to everyone - regardless of color. But only a few of us really care about what happens to these kids... only a few of us are willing to deal with the crap for now in hopes of making a change in the long run. For everyone else it is just too uncomfortable... too foreign... too difficult. They would rather turn them away so that they don't have to deal with something ookie like unchurched kids.

How do you teach a church to love those who aren't "like" them? How do you work through prejudices to find the love? How do you teach the un-churched about the love of God when they don't even see it within the church walls?

I think we could all take a lesson from the Amish on how to love...

Well, we had Jack and Vivi again last night. I really have sympathy for all of you moms out there. Especially single moms - since the husband was out of town and I had them all to myself!

So, you know how all your life you hear these "parental sayings" that you swear up and down you will never say to your children? Things like "because I said so" and "well if (blank) jumped off a bridge would you do it too" and such? (I long ago STOPPED saying I would never do something - when it comes to parenthood - which I have not experienced yet.) But last night I found myself ALMOST using one of those stupid little sayings, here is what happened:

So, I'm in the living room changing Jack's dirty diaper while Vivi is in the bath tub. Since she is 4 now, I don't feel too bad about leaving her alone for spans of time (I feel pretty confident that she won't drown in 3 inches of water at this point). Vivi keeps yelling for me to come to the bathroom - and I keep saying I can't until I finish changing Jack's diaper (which is like trying to hold down a Mexican Jumping Bean - that is covered in poo). She keeps calling me...I keep putting her off. Then all is quiet for a few minutes (uh oh). So I start walking to the bathroom and notice how strong her strawberry shampoo smells. I have already washed her hair so I assume it is just the lingering smell of the suds we rinsed out previously (you parent experts are saying "what and idiot").

When I round the corner into the bathroom she quickly says
"NOTHING!!!.....What?"

Then this blinding thought of "oh CRAP what did she do??!!" shoots through my mind. I also notice that the strawberry smell is almost sickening-ly strong and the shampoo bottle is floating in the water.

Then I notice that the water is pink...and full of pink bubbles...and then I realize what she has done.

"Did you pour all of your shampoo into the water?"

"Yes"

"Why did you do that?"

"I don't know"

Okay, so here it is...the "parental saying" I so badly wanted to use but didn't:

"Do you know how many kids in Ethiopia would love to be able use strawberry shampoo and now you just wasted your whole bottle!"

But I just told her to get out of the tub and dry off - no need to wash off with soap since she was swimming in it.

All those poor Ethiopian children...no food...no strawberry shampoo...

Oh, and for my dear sister...

What I Did on My Summer Vacation...

I don't have a lot to say about this trip...it was beautiful...peaceful...and fun. Colorado is my favorite place in the world.

Would you want to know...

We have this little elderly lady that comes into the church office QUITE A BIT. She LOVES TO TALK quite a bit as well. So, usually when we see her coming - everyone makes a mad dash for the other room.

Now, I know what you're thinking...not very Christ-like...or loving. But, I really feel like Jesus would do the same thing if He were walking the earth. I can just see Him saying "Oh, look...this guy needs to be healed. Now, you just remember where you left off - telling me about your bowel movement - and we can finish this conversation later. Or, better yet, could you just tell God this..just pray to Him...then we don't have to worry about this conversation on bowel movements."

I digress.

So, here is the thing about this lady...other than the incessant talking. I guess that several years ago she had a mastectomy [now, I don't think this is funny - really...I am not heartless after all]. But it seems that a prosthetic booby was not so important to her in her advanced age. So I don't know what she uses - but it is not as...hmmm... heavy...as the real thing.

So, I noticed one day that she was WAY off balance in the booby department. I mean we are talking a good SIX inches difference here...in length! And I thought, oh no, one has gotten away from her and she doesn't even know it. Should I say something about the blatant un-evenness? This has to be embarrassing!

But I thought about it and I decided I didn't want to embarrass her or, heaven forbid, start an un-wanted conversation about elderly boobies - so I left it alone. But now, I have noticed that it is a permanent fixture. They are ALWAYS un-even...really, REALLY un-even.

To use my husband's phrase... it's like a train wreck...I just can't look away...I can't help but notice it. And it just looks so terrible. I mean, the vast expanse of the length of the real one - compared to the fakie - is really shocking.

So, now I just think - surely she knows that they don't match. I mean, you know, one is like Barbie Booby and the other looks...well...like a Maxine booby. So, I have come to the conclusion that she just must not care one bit about the matching booby pair. I guess getting old has its perks...I mean...if you are comfortable enough to walk down the street with one booby standing at attention and the other one taking a nap on your belt...then more power to you!

Paaartaaay!

Well, it's my birthday today! It is funny how they don't seem to be such a big deal as an adult...well, until you hit the BIG ones...30...40...50. I am happy to say that I haven't reached any major milestone birthdays...yet. But I am getting very, VERY close!

My sister wrote an incredibly sweet post today...just for little ol' me! She was nice enough to include a good picture of me and not one of those horrible awkward pictures from Junior High!

So far- for my birthday I have been out to eat three times with 3 different sets of people. Maybe what I really need is a membership to the gym - instead of all these dinners! So, "THANK YOU!" to everyone who called, sent cards, or took me to dinner! I have the bestest friends and family in the world!!!

The Bedroom Redo

I am actually ready to show some weekend project/ redo pictures. My parents came a couple of weeks ago to help me out with some projects - since we have so many - and we are incredibly grateful for the help! So one big project was the master bedroom. I have hesitated to show any pics because I am not completely finished...and I wanted it to look perfect...but oh well! Here it is anyway!

I have no before pics - but the walls were white with a few pieces of mis-matched furniture. So now the walls are blue and the furniture matches...well, at least the furniture that is staying. Notice that the night stands don't match. I am still searching for the right ones.

The headboard is a blue/gray suede...with brown and blue accents. My mom made all of the throw pillows AND upholstered the headboard. Dad painted the room (as well as finishing several other projects)!

This is my favorite piece...it was a horrid looking garage sale find that I painted brown and added new legs to. I love it! This picture doesn't really do it justice - it looks much better in real life! Also, there are doors for the shelf end - I just haven't gotten the hardware to add them yet.

This is the awkward little nook that is a work in progress. It hides the doors to the closet and bathroom.

So, there you go! I will - hopefully - get some stuff on the walls soon. The hubs informed me today he might want to re-arrange! So I will have to wait and see where we put things before I can commit anything to the walls!

A Tribute to the End of Summer...Part 1

Not that it won't be hot for another 4 months, but, ya know...technically it is becoming fall.

Part 1 - THE GUESTS

For the past few years we have had a somewhat-annual-get-together of the siblings and cousins for the 4th of July. The weekend is full of swimming...cookouts...cookies...and a great deal of fun!

Best pic of the whole summer:














If we could understand him, I think he would be saying one of the following...
a) "Come here often?"
b) "Hey baby!"
c) "My water wings aren't really inflated...those are my actual muscles!"
d) "If you like my Big Bird water wings...you should see my Elmo beach ball!"



















Daniel is mastering the art of sliding without holding on to the sides...all the way down...with his hands and feet...which...when sliding in this manner...makes the most horrible screeching noise (you know, due to all the friction and stuff)...and it, in fact, makes the trip to the water REALLY slow!




If I can recall correctly I believe what Jack is saying here is "NO, I did not eat your cookie...and I really resent the accusation!"

I think that is what he said.







And here we just have Vivi...your basic miniature DIVA...complete with stylish swimsuit cover-up and shades to match.

I am not sure what to say about the cheesy grin...but I am sure she will LOVE this picture in about 12 years.

My brother's family couldn't make it to the 4th O' July bash. But they did get to come see the new house and stay for a visit over Labor Day. Since we are now (happily) without the pool...we played a little Shuffleboard...the sport of cruise-ship-dwelling-seniors everywhere!


Here we have the...ahem..."Leader" showing us how the game is played. The best thing about playing with Levi is that he does this little hop-step before sliding the disk. That in itself was hours of entertainment for me!!


Now this boy has some shuffleboard skills!
I mean...everyone was good...but Luke had the skills while the rest of us (except the husband) just had dumb luck.


Now, I think the Hope-sters goal was more along the lines of how she looked playing the game...not so much how well she played! But then again...she does have a bit of an aggressive side...as demonstrated by the look on her face.


So that wraps up Part 1 of the End O' Summer series. Next up is What I Did On My Summer Vacation.

I Will Never Forget

I wasn't going to write a "tribute" to the 9/11 tragedy - not because I don't care, but because I find it all so draining. Draining because of the constant coverage...the videos of that second plane crashing through the tower...the videos of the enormous buildings tumbling to the ground...the mourners...the firemen...the rubble.

I won't ever forget the day it happened. I don't really think any American will. But I was thinking today, after reading blog after blog paying tribute to the victims, of the morning it happened. I saw the plane hit the second tower. I saw the horror on the faces of the GMA anchors. I couldn't believe it. But it didn't really sink in.

Then I went to work. I was so busy - rushing around from room to room, organizing workers and children. Then I heard one of the ladies say that the first tower had fallen. I said "Oh my gosh" with this look of fake sadness. It still didn't sink in...then I went on with what I was doing.

Then it hit me.

It fell.

Those people didn't have time to get out.

They are dead.

Thousands of people just died.

This doesn't happen to us in America.

Now don't get me wrong here - I have GREAT respect for the men and women that gave their lives on September 11, 2001 - but, here is what I get out of 9/11. I don't want to dwell only on the 2,973 people who died in those towers and the others "still missing".

I also want to remember the thousands of people around the world that lose their lives every.single.day. to some terrorist act.

I want to remember the 365 children at the school in Belsan Russia,
the 52 victims of the London bombings,
the 191 victims of the Madrid train bombings,
the thousands of victims of suicide bombers in Iraq & Afghanistan,
the civilian casualties of the violence in Iran,
the thousands of victims of genocide in Darfur.

I want to remember their families, their children, their spouses.

I hope that I always remember that I live in a free country. A country with more liberties than the majority of the rest of the world.

We are lucky. We have rights. We have democracy. And our military fights for that freedom every. day.

And while 9/11 was certainly a tragedy...while it is heart-wrenching...while it is frightening...it was one day. One day in an otherwise protected existence. One day of terror in America - when everyday is full of terror in so many other places.

This may not always be the case in my country...I may not always be relatively safe...I may not always have freedom...but I do now. And that...I will never forget.

OKAY....

The husband is gone on a trip with his brother.

The parents are here.

Mom has her sewing machine.

Dad has his paint brushes, saws and numerous other tools.

SO, let the decorating BEGIN!!!

(Stay tuned for some before and after shots!)

Place your bets...

I have mentioned before that I work at a church...and that sometimes some really funny things happen...well, at least I think they are funny...it may be the fact that it is a Friday afternoon, before a LONG weekend...and I really NEED the weekend...and I am looking for any excuse to laugh...

Sorry...back to the story...

I was going through the mail today when I found this...







































Do you know what it is? It's a book (playbook) on what games to bet on for NFL and College football. Well, this in itself is pretty funny...being sent to a church and all.

I kept looking at it wondering if it was some really clever marketing ploy - and was, in fact, for a conference or a new Bible study or something.

Nope, it's the real deal!

No kidding.

BUT, here is the really funny part. Would you like to know who they sent it to...this book on how to place your bets on games...

















Can you read that?

Yes, it says PRAYER WARRIOR!

So, for all you prayer warriors out there...do I have the book for you!

Sinners!!!

Undignified

Thanks Matt -for the video! Two of my favorite things...David Crowder and Napoleon Dynamite!!

Jack and Vivi

So last night the husband and I played host to some teeny guests (Jack & Vivi). It was an exciting (and tiring night) of Mac 'n Cheese, chase Uncle Randy and Dr. Seuss books. Oh the joys of kids! I do have to say that there is nothing like the laughter of a 4 yr old being thrown into the air by her uncle!















Or of a 1 yr old laughing at his sister (who was laughing at her uncle).













And there is nothing like making a "happy plate" with your Mac 'N Cheese!












And nothing like a baby face covered in black beans!












And then...at the end of the day...when all is quiet...and the little angels are snug in their beds...there is nothing like standing in your living room and wondering what the HECK happened to your furniture!