Pray

I'm not too fond of the forecast for Friday. Ice and plane landings don't go too well together! Jeff is supposed to be coming in early in the afternoon. I will drive to St. Louis or Indianapolis to get him if I have to.

Wait...is that the finish line???

Four down and one to go! Tomorrow is my hardest final--Statistics. I have been taking it as an online course. I was a tad worried about not ever actually having to go to class, but so far I'm doing well. Unfortunately, one test can mess it all up. Any guesses as to how my night will look?

Why I sometimes hate technology...

Warning! Content below contains venting and possibly a bit of anger...

Spending three hours taking an on line test for school, clicking on 'submit', receiving an error message, and realizing the program just zapped half of your answers!

I'm here!!!!!

O.K. Like I said...Craziness confirmed!
My silence is not because I wanted to leave the blogosphere. Actually, I think my computer is now a permanent appendage. Five to six essays a week for just one class, 30 hours of classroom observations... It's almost over! One more week until finals. I won't even start on the rest of life. If I start typing now, I'll miss finals.
I just wanted to let you all know I haven't stopped blogging on purpose. It's been out of prioritizing necessity.
Blog you all again soon...hopefully!


To keep up with our life until then, Jeff has a blog and is more consistent lately:
buck-stops-here.blogspot.com

Craziness confirmed!

WOW! School is intense! Two weeks down, 14 to go!
I love my history class. My professor either taught or was principal when my in-laws were in his school! The class has an easy pace which compared to the rest is completely refreshing! My education class is good so far, but will get busy with 30 hours of observations and a group presentation due around Thanksgiving. My Spanish class is good but LOOOOONG 6:30-9:55. After only two classes I already have a test next week. My online Sociology class is KILLING me! Two chapters a week including just under 60 pages of reading, 2 powerpoints, 2 essays, a discussion essay and an occasional video. I just started Satistics this past Tues. It went much better after going and purchasing the TI-84+ calculator. Apparently my TI-81 from the early 90's is irrelevant. I was so proud that after X number of years, it still works!
Short and sweet. I'm going to go crash now. I'll be up by six to get the kids out the door and continue to make a dent in my homework!
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

Another random Christi funny...

Tonight at dinner I made a family favorite, Chicken Carbonara.
Christi tends to be a grazer and not sit for meals. In order to coax her into coming back for a bite, we have lowered ourselves to telling her we will eat her food first. The scenario goes a bit like this:
Us-"Christi, come eat."
Christi-no response
Us-"Christi, I'm going to take a bite! My bite!"
Christi-"AHHHHHHH!" as she comes running with her mouth wide open.

Well, we wrangled her into the high chair tonight. I was busy feeding her, so Jeff jokingly took my fork to give me a bite of MY food. Christi grabbed his hand and began to shove my food into her mouth. Jeff tried to stop her, but the small and mighty overtook him and got it in her mouth. Jeff told her that it was my food and showed her the fork on her own plate. As soon as she realized that she had actually taken a bite of my food, she proceeded to spit it out! This resulted in a round of hysterical laughter. She is good for that every now and then.

Back to what?!

Today is the last day of Christi's summer vacation and mine as well. I can't decide if I'm excited or not. I know that it's the beginning of another year closer, but I may be biting off more than I can chew. (Jeff says I seem to like to do that.)
I am taking three classroom courses: World History to 1500, Exceptional Child (Edu class) and Spanish 2. I am also taking two online courses: Marriage and Family and Statistics.
What is your vote on my sanity?
Here is my thought on this though...
If I can complete these five this semester, it leaves me with only six left for spring. I know, six sounds absolutely ridiculous; BUT I will only have a Psych class and either a fine arts or humanities that are required for my degree. The rest are electives. Again, I KNOW, why am I not utilizing some of those electives this fall? Because the original schedule I was signed up for was dropped and by the time I figured out everything I NEEDED what I would have liked to have taken was gone.
Lesson learned...Get the WHOLE story from your counselor before creating your schedule. Don't just look at it a semester at a time. I would have gone to school M-F with my original plan and still had a semester to go in the fall before my Associates Degree. Now, if I can make it with a fuller packed schedule, I only have class T & Th this fall and will have my Associates the end of this spring!
If you see me talking to myself or twitching by Thanksgiving...you'll know.

The first visit from the toothfairy!

Christi lost her first tooth NATURALLY! She has chipped a couple that had to be pulled and about knocked one out, but this one is legit! You can even see the 'grown-up' tooth starting to peek through!

This event has proven yet again that Christi knows more than we might think. After brushing her teeth tonight she said, "Toothfairy." I didn't even know she had a clue about the toothfairy. I just hope she falls asleep soon enough and deep enough to sneak in. It will be a challenge! The rest of the fun will be letting her pick out a treat with her loot.

I also have to share this next pic. It is sometimes disturbing what comes up on Google images. User beware!

Ahhhhhhhhh!

Three down, two to go...

But wait, Rachel. You only have four kids!

Yep, I'm going back for round two. So much for a break though. Kaitlyn, A.J. and Alaina started today, but Christi and I both go back on Tuesday. That's alright. I think Christi is enjoying having me to herself today.

There are A LOT of changes this year! I'm not sure if I'm ready. Kaitlyn starts driver's ed. right out of the gate. Fortunately classroom comes first! A.J. is in 8th grade (another graduation year.) I watched Alaina walk in to the Middle School for the first time. (sniff) And lastly, Christi is changing schools all together. She will be going into a different program. I am excited for her. She will have a one-on-one working with her and have the opportunity to spend some time in a regular class. I think it's a great next step for her.

The girl's were very excited about their first day....A.J. was a little less enthusiastic. I'm sure I'll hear an earful when they get home. Until then....relative peace and quiet!

Yakkity yak...

We had a great day today. It was my mother-in-law's birthday. We celebrated with brunch and a day at the waterpark. It is always fun when the whole family can get together. Especially with three cops in the mix. It is very rare when all of them can make it to a family function at once.

O.K. So what does 'blah blah blah' have to do with such a wonderful day? Christi! You would think that a full day in the water out in the sun would drain a child. Well, it drained the rest of us; but Christi is the energizer bunny. A friend of mine came with for the day and just as we were getting towards home (a 40 minute drive) she exclaimed, "Christi has not stopped talking since we got in the car!" Yep. That's Christi. The 40 minutes of non-stop questions and commentary do not impress me anymore. She did it the whole way to Florida and back. NO NAPS!

As far as the questions...

Where are we?

What's next?

Where's the rainbow bridge?

(and my favorite...) What color are Sue's eyeballs?

***Anybody want to go for a ride???

You worry about squirrels?!

Nuf said...

Prayer request

I am keeping this anonymous.
Please pray for a friend of mine who is struggling with depression and some other things that go along with it. Some major issues have been brought to light very recently. Pray for a willingness to seek the professional help that is needed. Specifically for an appointment tomorrow (Sat.) A couple of Dr. appts. have been broken already. It will be a big step in the healing process.
Thank you in advance.

ANNOYING!

Erik,

I guess this mainly goes out to you, but I am hoping someone out there has a solution!

That pesky ghost kid "Not Me" is up to it again! Not me somehow clicked on some popup for Vista Antivirus 2008, but it is not activated. It keeps popping up about every 10 seconds (I WISH I WERE EXAGGERATING!) It will not allow me to remove the software. I wrote a nasty e-mail to the contact link. I even used the words 'annoying' and 'I DO NOT WANT THIS.' I am hoping for a solution. Any suggestions?

Annoyed

NASTY!!!

Alright Kelly, even you could not bring yourself to relocate this thing! It's called a Spined Micrathena. A.J. and I were painting my grandmother's shed and this decided to build a web right in front of me! Creeped out does not even begin to cover it! I find it funny that when I googled 'strange spiders', this was one of the first things to pop up.

I found a site that claims that this is a common spider. I must say that I was quite content to have never met one before...or ever want to again.

squirrel melts

Hey Dennis,
I'm still not sure how to actually post video, but you can click on the YouTube link below to watch. I saw this on Country Fried Home Videos the other day and immediately thought of you. This is a great way to cure your squirrel problem, keep Tristi happy and help during the economic crisis...

Hope it helps!


YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

103

I am asking for prayer for Jeff's Great Great Grandmother, Grandma Husband. I have only met her a few times, but she is an amazing woman. She lives in Michigan near Indiana. This January she turned 103! She had lived on her own and even was still driving well into her 90's. My favorite picture of her is one where she is out on her lawn mower mowing her lawn and wearing a hat. I believe she was in her 90's at the time the picture was taken. If I can get a hold of it and make a copy, I will share it with you all sometime.
My in-laws had seen her about a month ago at a confirmation and said she was still doing well, but Jeff's grandma went to see her last weekend while attending a graduation party and said she was unresponsive. She has quit eating and drinking and does not recognize anyone. My prayer is that she goes quickly and painlessly. She is a strong Christian. Once it was determined that she could no longer live alone, she spent her days at the home she was placed in visiting and praying with the other residents that were often 25 years younger and could not get around! So many people give up and believe they have no purpose. I think at this point her body is not able to keep up with her spirit.

Can't let go of Legos

Yes...another Christi post. She is just too funny.

You may hear the word Legos and have this image come to mind...

the classic primary colored blocks. Christi does like to play with these, but today's Legos have morphed a bit. Her favorite kind of Legos (there is variety now) are the Bionicles.

They are a little different. She loves them because they now have joints and can pivot and twist. Most little girls have a security blanket, dolly or favorite stuffed animal that travels everywhere with them. My little girl has to have her 'Lego bag.' They can keep her busy for hours! Her favorite game with daddy is to curl up in his lap with something she made and play "What's this?" She will take the same Lego invention and keep asking Jeff what it is as she rotates it to different points of view. He had better come up with something different each time she turns it and it better bear some resemblance to whatever he says or he loses the game and she either corrects him or asks for a better answer.

This is also a warning to anyone who comes to visit our house. If you thought that stepping on one of the classic Lego blocks was fun, now they've added spikes and points! Yeeha!

Cruizin'

I'm back...again...

I miss my Lainey Bug. This is the actual ship she is on. She is on a vacation with my parents and friends of theirs. I was a bit worried. She is my mommy's girl. Don't get me wrong. She LOVES her sleep overs, but one night close enough to pick her up is a bit different than say...leaving the States! She must have called 4 or 5 times before even getting on the boat last Sunday. She even called twice from my mom's cell phone yesterday after finally getting a signal.
She is having a blast. They went to the Bahamas, yesterday they were in St. Thomas and today they will be in St. Maarten. I know...they are roughing it! :) They went snorkeling yesterday and may again today. She was talking a mile a minute about her trip so far. I can't wait to see the pictures she brings back. I've been to Mexico three times growing up, but never on a cruise. Jeff is a bit jealous because so far Florida is about as tropical as he has gone.
A snorkeling tip she has shared...dog treats! Apparently the fish love them. She was cracking up telling me about the school of nearly 2000 fish she and my mom found themselves in the middle of. She loved it. That may have freaked me out a bit!
I'll share a few pics when she's back.

The power of switches.

One thing that continues to amaze Christi and keep her attention is switches. Everywhere we go, she asks, "Where's light switch at?" If I don't answer right away she grabs my chin and pushes my face up towards the lights like, "You know...Light switch...they turn the lights up there on and off!" And by the way, "I don't know," is not an acceptable answer.

Well, tonight as I was putting her to bed she said, "Rain stopped."

"Yes, Christi, rain stopped."

"Whose rain switch?"

"God has the rain switch. God turns the rain on and off."

"Where's God?"

"God's in Heaven and all around."

"Where's Heaven?

Hmmmmm. I was stumped, humbled and thrilled all at the same time. How do I explain this to her. I'm not sure that if I try she will understand. I am humbled because I DO have the chance to try. I am thrilled because she even asked. I struggle at times personally with whether or not I am doing enough as her mom to explain God to her.

It's a moment like this that I remember as well to thank God for Laurie A. and Lisa F. for spending the time they do with her on Sunday mornings at church. With their help and the help of Adventureland, Jeff and I don't have to do it on our own.

Thank you.

We're walking, we're walking...

O.K. I have to comment, even though we ALL know.

Gas prices are getting RIDICULOUS!!! I guess we will spend most of our summer at home and 10 minutes away at the beach club.

Will this affect anyone else's plans? I'm even begining to pay more attention to what is on sale locally at our little store rather than run to Joliet to shop. I loved the picture I found on Google. It pretty much sums it up!

Happy Days Are Here Again...!

I must say a big thank you to God for such a great day! Our grill became a casualty of a couple of past wind gusts. I tried to make a few adjustments, but wound up grilling on the old George Foreman for the last several weeks. Jeff managed to breathe life back into the gas grill after replacing the burner and regulator just in time for Memorial Day.

We had his parents, youngest sister, her fiance and his grandma over for a cookout. Jeff would still be in the kitchen if we were stuck using our backup! The threat of thunderstorms had us a bit nervous, but God loves me and listened to my pleas for no rain!

What did people do before gas grills and George? Oh yeah, we used these things that held little black squares that eventually caught fire and emitted heat. I love technology...when it works.

Wiiow!

We had a lot of fun last week having my parents over. We ended the day playing Wii Sports. I have only played a few times. I discovered that bowling is my thing. If my life was on the line over whether or not I hit the ball in baseball or tennis, I would not be blogging right now! One thing that really shocked me was how sore I was after playing!!! It took me about three days to recover. I've seen a commercial for Wii Fit, a workout "game." I'm just not sure I'd be able to walk by the time I was done!

Any other Wii addicts out there? What's your favorite game?

P.S. If you haven't had the opportunity to play, find someone who has it and give it a try. It's a lot of fun!

Anyone have a toddler sized football helmet?

As mentioned in the previous post, Christi wound up with 7 stitches Mother's Day night. Bedtime is an interesting routine with Christi. Her bedroom looks like a war zone. She DOES NOT like to go to bed before ANYONE else in the house. If she hears the faintest signs that anyone is still up, she will kick her walls and doors and scream, "SHUT UP!" A.J. helped to basically empty her room of everything except her bed and dresser in an effort to win the bedtime battle. There were only a few items left on her closet shelf. We even removed everything hanging in her closet! You would think a shelf that high would be safe from a 41" tall 33 pound girl...WRONG!
She was laying in her closet kicking the closet wall. A decorative solid oak wood shelf that was sitting on the closet shelf fell off and hit her square in the lip. I won't go into too much detail, but it required three stitches on the outside of her lip and four more inside. I will leave it to your imagination. Just think though about head and face wounds. Alaina unfortuantely was the first to go into her room. I feel so bad because as soon as she saw all the blood, she freaked!
Christi was a trooper at the E.R. Tina the tech, who I am beginning to get to know too well, along with the Dr. was amazed at how well she behaved. They were worried that she wouldn't tolerate receiving stitches. We barely had to hold her down. You would think that by now this kid would be terrified by hospitals. She leaves blowing kisses and saying, "Bye. See you later. Love you!" While I say, "Hope we never come back! ...no offense!"
We are thinking of remodeling...I hear the foam look could be a new fashion trend!

TADA!!!

I'm BAAAAAACK!

School has been out a week and I haven't had a minute to myself! Last Thursday was my last final! Wahoo! Of course, Friday I had a child home sick. Then Sunday, Mother's Day, we made a late E.R. visit for 7 stitches to Christi's upper lip, which kept her home Monday. She proceeded to pull a couple of them out by Tuesday evening, so we made an office run yesterday.

Don't get me wrong...I've managed to squeeze a few lunch dates in. It was so nice to catch up a little with some friends. I'd felt like I'd abandoned my social life for a while! I just thought I'd have a few days to myself, quiet, at home. (I'm laughing as I write.) I should know better by now! I have several projects I'd love to tackle while my kids are still in school. Time is ticking away quickly! I'm not sure I can get to them all!

Well, the moment you've all been waiting for...the grades.

I'm proud of myself. I managed an A in Sociology-Comparative Religions, an A in Biology and a B in Spanish. I have at least one more year until I will transfer to ISU. Fortunately it's not too long of a drive there. I don't think Jeff and the kids would appreciate me moving into a dorm!

Feliz quinceanera, nina!

My baby turned 15 today!
Once again I gush at the beautiful young lady she is growing into. We went to dinner tonight with our families and as I sat across the table watching her, I realized just how grown up she is getting.
Believe me, I am hearing all about how she has only one year until she gets her license and that driver's ed will be coming up this school year. I remember how excited I was at her age. I am excited for her and yet completely scared at the same time. Sorry mom and dad! Now I know how you felt!

I see freedom!

Two and a half weeks...two and a half weeks...two and a half weeks! That's been the mantra around school today. Two and a half weeks and classes are DONE...for the semester. Man has it been chaotic! Deadlines here, deadlines there. I had to register for the fall, apply for FAFSA, apply for scholarships, apply for a student loan... It seems like the list never ends. One thing that I'm grateful for is that even though it's April 15th, I have NO tax apprehension! It's been done long ago. When the last document came in, I was all over it. That is about where my "on top of it-ness" ends. I get things done, but not always with plenty of time to spare.
I am actually looking forward to a few short weeks to catch up on many projects (i.e. painting the kitchen) that I have not been able to get to while in school and that are not easily accomplished with four kids hanging around either. Gotta love that colleges let out just a tad earlier than the rest of the academic world. I'm going to need it.

By the way, I don't know who I'm fooling with the 'freedom' thing. Did you miss the part about me having four kids?

What's in a name???

Cheryl...you have inspired me.

Who has a nickname and or an embarrassing nickname story?

I have already told you I call Andrew "My little man-boy." He also gets called Butchie. We don't really call Kaitlyn by a nickname. I always thought we would call her "kitten" when we chose her name, but it never stuck. Alaina on the otherhand...Lainey, Laineybug, Bug, Buggers, Punky & Punkysqueedunk. Christi is Christibistiboo, Peanut & Nanners (to Lainey only.)

My dad gave me the nickname "Moppet." My grandpa used to call me "Rascalitywag." One of my most embarrassing nickname moments was just before I began highschool. My parents and I had gone to walk around Lincoln-Way and get the layout. We were sitting in the cafeteria and just as a group of guys walked by my dad blurts out loud, "So Wonderwoman...!" I about slid right under the table. That is a big deal when you're that age! That's why I love to make sure A.J.'s friends know he will always be my man-boy no matter how big he gets!

Shoes

Here is yet another vacation post...

I had bought Christi a new pair of shoes only a week and a half before leaving for Florida. Here is a comparison of how they looked after we got home compared to the identical new pair I had to buy her...

The toes are completely GONE! Even the little pink sparklie trim on top of the toes is missing.

My "little munchkin"

(Can't get the photo to stay rotated once I post it!)

I have a son with an outstanding sense of humor! Have you seen the new Ikea commercial with the mom who keeps coming into the livingroom saying, "Little munchkin, dinner's ready." The kids and I saw it for the first time the other night. I looked over at A.J. and he just shook his head and started laughing.
He is growing VERY quickly. I think we are close to even on the height thing now. Anyways, I tease him often and call him 'My Little Man-Boy.' He is pretty good natured about it, but now when I call him that he blurts out, "Mom...you're ruining my life!" (Gotta see the commercial.) I couldn't find it on line yet to post it--if I could even figure out how to post it!

I could go on and on about our trip. We had a great time.

Christi was a wealth of stories. I love this picture in particular. We had just gotten off of the Star Tours ride at Hollywood Studios. Christi got off the ride wide-eyed looking around asking, "Where are we?" She was sure that we had really taken a space trip with R2D2 and left Disney World! She did this several times on different rides. I can't remember which ride we got off of that was very Disneyesque. She finally thought we had returned and jumped around saying, "We're at Disney World! Woohoo!"

Disney Magic

Three parks in three days so far!!!

I have to say, we really wondered how Disney and Christi would mix. We have had one meltdown each day and an extended one midday today. We have realized one thing...the hectic pace is not what triggers these meltdowns. She wants to go NON-STOP!!! It's the pausing for things like food and a break. She is wearing us out! At this point the stroller is just for carrying our stuff.
The "cast" has been marvelous. They have really been great. With a note from the doctor, we were able to get a guest assistance pass that allows us to use alternate enterances. It does not eliminate lines, but it REALLY makes them a lot more tolerable. Basically it works like a Fast Pass. Believe it or not Christi is quite the dare devil! She rode Tower of Terror twice! And thought it was fun! For all the commercialism, they really know how to treat kids with special needs. Seeing the kids who are here with Make-a-Wish makes us extremely grateful. It melts my heart to see the smiles as their wishes are granted.
So far we've been to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Tomorrow we venture to Epcot. We will round off our trip Friday by hitting the things we missed the first time. Gotta love Park Hopper!
As we download pics, I'll have more to share.
Kaitlyn, A.J. and Alaina are having a lot of fun too. We started the day with back-to-back Tower of Terror and Rock-n-Roller Coaster then ended the night with the same thing.

Time for some needed sleep. Half way there.

OPEN HOUSE--FREE FOOD!!!

Tastefully Simple Open House

Come try the new spring/summer products!!!

Sunday, March 16 from 3-6pm

at my house

Here a few of the new products:

Classy Chocolate Poundcake

Beyond Blueberry Fruit Dip

Southwest Seasoning Salt

Garlic Dill Seasoning Blend

Smooth Talking BBQ Sauce

There are 19 in all and a few favorites that have returned!

I hope you can make it!

I truly can not tell you who is more excited, me or the kids. I think Jeff would tell you me! Kaitlyn, my highschool freshman was in kindergarten the last time we went. Christi was not even born yet!
I am so looking forward to watching Christi as she experiences Disney. We have watched just about every video and Travel Channel special that we can watch. I know I'm a dork, but just thinking about it makes me want to cry. The kids are growing so fast, but this is one of those places that I don't care what your birth certificate says, you can't help but shed a few years. Even a "cool" teenager gets excited about THE MOUSE. (The abundance of thrill rides that have been added doesn't hurt either.)
If you happen to see Christi, ask her to sing the Christi Song. Kaitlyn had been working on it with her quietly for months. All of a sudden the other day in the tub she starts singing, "C-H-R-I-S-T-I...A-B-U-C-K...Christi Buck...Christi Buck..." (The A fits in with her middle name, Ana.) Too funny. I hope if we meet Mickey, she will not be too overwhelmed to sing it for him.
Have I mentioned I'm excited???

Sick and tired of being sick and tired!

I don't have time to be sick!!! I could feel it starting Monday when I woke up. THAT FEELING in my chest. IT is coming. Later that day A.J. was diagnosed with it. I DON'T have TIME to be sick! Tuesday afternoon, Dr. says, "Good self-diagnosis...yep, it's bronchitis."
YUCK!!!
I usually don't get sick. I called to make an appointment with my Dr. about three years ago (the same one I have gone to since my pediatrician.) The receptionist asked if I was a new patient because I was not in their records. It had been so long since I had been in, my files were determined inactive. This time, when I went to Walmart to fill my prescription, they asked me if I still lived in Joliet. "Uh, no." I choked out as I laughed and coughed. "That address is from at least seven years ago!"
I guess I can't complain too much, but I still don't have to like it. Maybe it's the infrequency that makes it that much more miserable.
Here's a stock tip for you...Kleenex and the company that manufactures Amoxicillin! We are doing our part to support them. Christi has a mild case so far too. Please pray hers stays mild and that the other 50% of the clan escapes it. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. I'm ready to be done!
One more question...
Has anyone else heard the "home remedy" for putting Vick's Vaporub on the bottom of your feet with socks on at night? It supposedly has something to do with your feet absorbing essential oils. Jeff laughed at me. I tried it. It wasn't much of a scientific experiment. I also took a stronger cough medicine the same night. I was still up every hour needing a drink of water! Now I'm rambling. I think a REAL night's sleep might help.
There's an idea for Mythbusters!

Sticks and stones...

This thought started weaving through my mind early this morning as I began to wake up. I have a feeling this may take a while. Bear with me.
As kids we had all heard and most likely said, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Even as those words came out my mouth as a child I knew better. Words are powerful!
In the first chapter of Genesis, there are 11 quotes of God speaking. Most of them, "And God said..." The world began with words spoken by God. The sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, the water, the land, the plants, the animals...all spoken into existence.
John's gospel starts with, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
I am not so presumptuous to believe my words have the same power as God's. I do not have the ability to create life into existence only by speaking it, but I do have the power to make or break someone's day. We all do.
The words I/we choose can have an enormous impact. I know I am not the only one who believes this. A while ago, my friend Kelly shared a story about how her coach's encouraging word following a swim meet made the whole difference in how she felt that day. It still impacts her years later. Another friend, Lor, shared a vulnerable moment in which she realized that the things she said during her son's wrestling match really bothered her. (YOU ARE NOT ALONE, LOR!) Jeff almost banned me from A.J.'s soccer games a couple of years ago. We can compare tapes later. Dennis, my pastor, spoke just today about the importance of the "red-letter" vs. "black-letter" words in the Bible. (Anyone wishing to hear it can go to www.churchofrockrun.com for the podcast for today.)
The things we say can help someone feel comforted, beautiful, loved, encouraged, important, proud...
On the other hand the things we say can also make someone resentful, rejected, small, unloved, hurt...
So much for "sticks and stones." They may be able to break bones, but words have the power to cut deep or to heal.
I am going to leave this thought here for now. Another thing about words is sometimes there are just too many.

So the answer to the question is more questions...

Have you ever asked God to answer a question, and He does; but the answer you get only leads to an exponential number of MORE questions???
AAAAAAAAHHHH!
It can be quite frustrating! I'm probably leaving you all with one question right now. "What was the question?" Sorry. Can't tell you yet. I need a few more answers to the new questions or I'll have many of you in the same boat I am. (By the way, this boat is definitely piloted by God, but He has blindfolded me for this part of the trip.)

**Also, I don't remember praying for patience. Maybe He just decided I need that without asking.**

Hello, I'm Rachel...

...and I'm a pack rat. (They say denial is the first sign.)
I'm asking for help. I need some accountability!!! When you see me, ask me what I have done to downsize. I get too sentimental. I have boxes that I have not even opened in 5 years. Before anyone says it, I will, "Don't bother opening them. Just put them out for the Amvets truck." Sounds great, but it's hard to change old habits.
For all you organized people out there...what are some of your top tips? Kelly, your kids had room to sleep in their closet. I know you have some advice for me. I think my girls just discovered their closet has a floor!

My baby young lady

Saturday night was the big night. Kaitlyn attended her first Winter Ball at high school. She looked so elegant and beautiful. I must admit I was rather proud of my accomplishment. I did her hair. For anyone who knows my hairdo past, will realize that creating a french braid puts me in a sweat!
She had a great time. No dates at this point. I am very glad that the majority of her friends are content to go and enjoy these freshman events as a group instead of as couples. We'll talk about the date thing down the road. :)
I will let the pictures speak for themselves!

Whoa mama

As I had mentioned on Dennis' blog the other day, I am now officially the mother of two teenagers! They are doing their best to make me feel old. Kaitlyn has a formal dance this weekend so I took her dress shopping for her snow day Friday. She tried on the first dress and she looked like a princess. A grown up one. Not the four year old in dress up clothes. I felt like crying. By the way, that was the dress that we bought. (I'll post pics after the event. She has to have her hair done you know.)
I was looking at pictures of A.J. It is amazing how quickly the little boy is evolving into a young man! Just comparing a picture from September to one taken a few weeks ago made me stop in my tracks. My round-faced, apple-cheeked boy is about 1/2" from looking down at me. If I can have Jeff help me with the scanner (I don't have the software) I'll post a picture from last year and this year. Wow!
Alaina will be a "tween" this year. February 14 marks the last of the school parties for her. I have been the cupcake lady since Kaitlyn was in Kindergarten. Those little things are going to be missed.
I know I still have Christi. Her school experience is a bit different. I still cherish the moments, but things just aren't done the same. We have a theory that God has kept her from growing so fast so that we are able to linger in each stage. The other three are growing up so fast. I think in a way that has prevented us from being frustrated that at 7 1/2 she is still very toddler-like. She has been such an incredible gift.

Caramba!

Nora, I have a new found respect for linguists!!! I just took my first quiz in Espanol uno cero uno. (Spanish 101) I think I did well, but it took mucho estudiar! There is little support on the home front. Jeff responds to my questions en espanol with, "I don't care." (He took German.) Andrew walks away saying, "I don't speak German!" (Jeff can help him with that.) Kaitlyn answers everything with, "Me llamo Kaitlyn." That's fine if my question was, "Como te llama tu?" (What is your name?) I need two semesters of this! I keep telling myself I will be grateful.....someday.

Acceptance

I said I wanted to comment further on the greeting from the girl at the Wiccan booth. Although I would not consider our encounter a conversation, what she said struck a chord. "Do you want to come where you will be accepted?"
Again, I was hit later with the regret of not at least talking to her. What was her experience that that is where she felt accepted as opposed to other circles?
Belonging is so important.

To speak up or not to speak up???

Do you ever have those moments where a thought comes to mind that maybe God is telling you something, and later on a completely seperate event is the 2 x 4 in the forehead telling you, "Yes, He was."?
I had one of those moments yesterday.
I was at school and they were hosting an expo event showcasing the different departments and clubs offered. I walked around from table to table and anyone who knows me knows I have NO problem striking up a conversation...most of the time. I had conversation after conversation with a very diverse group of people representing a very diverse choice of interests. (Even when I had no real interest in becoming involved.) One conversation was going very well. The woman I was talking to and I found common ground talking about having a child with special needs. Another student came up to the table and the conversation shifted. The two of them began talking about an event that had occured where a group of Christians had protested. It became very obvious very quickly that they felt it was wrong of them to protest and even used the description "religious fanatics" to describe the protestors. I stood there quietly for a moment and then excused myself from the conversation.
As I continued I began to walk past a table for a Wiccan Club. Uhhhhh... A very nice young lady asked me if I would like to come where I would be accepted. (While I am wearing a cross necklace.) -- by the way, I could go in another direction with this one and will in a later post. I simply said, "No thank you," and kept walking.
After I had left, a thought hit me. Why did I stay silent and not politely share my views with the two women who were offended about the protest? Why did I walk away and not engage the young lady in a conversation and find out why she would choose to be in a Wiccan club? FEAR! Later that night on ONU's radio station the D.J. was talking about speaking up in situations like that. (The 2x 4.) It is so easy for me to think of the right things to say when I'm alone and safe. I just need to learn to trust God to help me find the right things to say while I am in the midst of the situation.

Here goes something...

Alright, I've been mooching off of other blogs. I guess I'll give it a try.
I have really enjoyed the posts and comments I've read and participated in. Only time will tell if I have anything interesting or brilliant to share.
This is scary and fun at the same time. Off I go...