Sweet Treats for Halloween

The sweetest treat of all~~

Will the Puppy!!

More sweet treats...

Sadie the Snow Princess and Colton as Dracula

Malaki the Cowboy

Raylee the Ladybug

Ryland the Pirate

Pumpkin Carving Fun

For some reason, I couldn't post these with my last post. Oh well! Here they are...

Scott carving his first pumpkin!

Me, doing the finishing touches

Fin...c'est magnifique!

All lit up!

Bunko, etc.

Last night I had Bunko at our house. I had fun planning it and getting my house ready. I didn't really enjoy cleaning it, but I enjoyed it once it was clean. I even took pictures of it today while it is still clean and no one has messed it up yet! I wanted pictures to remind me of what my house looks like when it is all pretty and clean :)

Since it's October, I did a very "fall" themed Bunko party. All the prizes were "fall-ish" and I got out all my Fall/Halloween decor. I also found some pretty paper plates and napkins. It turned out nice. I made baked potatoes and had pumpkin pie for dinner. When I went shopping for my potaotes, condiments, pie, etc. on Tuesday night, I decided it would be fun to get a great big pumpkin and carve it into a jack-o-lantern to sit on the front porch. So, when I got home at 11:30 from the store on Tuesday night, Scott and I carved "him" up. Scott had never carved a pumpkin before (or at least he doesn't remember doing it), so it was a fun experience. I hadn't carved one it a very long time either. I had forgotten how potent and slimy pumpkin guts are. We also separated out the seeds from the pulp and roasted the seeds. I had never done that so I had to look up the instructions on the Internet. It was really easy (I knew it would be) and they taste really good!

Today I subbed at the high school. I am so tired! I am just glad all that big stuff is over and I don't have to worry about my house being really clean anymore :) However, my in-laws are stopping through in a couple of weeks, so if we can keep it clean for a little longer...

As for other news, not much else is happening. So far, working at the shop again has been going well. I have had to refresh on several procedures, but it has come back to me fairly easily. The main concern right now is getting Christmas stuff out and looking beautiful. That is a long process which we will probably be working on until the day before our Christmas Open House on November 19th! Decorating for Christmas in the store gets me in the mood to drag all my Christmas stuff out and decorate my house. I want to turn on the Christmas tunes, drink hot chocolate, and watch Home Alone and It's a Wonderful Life in front of the fire. But, alas, today it is in the high seventies at least and it's not even Halloween! Christmas will be upon us though...soon enough :)

Week's End

Well, it's the end of the week. I am tired, but I survived going back to work! My legs are pretty sore from being on my feet a lot of the day...I guess I should try wearing support hose or something. Man, that makes me sound old :) I crashed when I got home today on the couch for a couple of hours. I fell asleep watching TV and woke up to it being almost dark outside and Scott was gone to a volleyball game. I didn't even hear him leave. I guess it will take me a while to get used to having 2 jobs :)

Anyway, today I subbed at BSHS for the lady who replaced me. So, today was like old times. I got to catch up with the teacher I used to work with, which was nice, and I got two lessons of my Bible study completed and several chapters read in my novel. Quite productive...ha! It was nice though...some "alone" time and I got paid for it.

Today is also my good friend Harmony's birthday. I won't say how old she is, she might not appreciate that. So HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you, Harmony!!!

This weekend I will be doing A LOT of cleaning for my Bunko party on Tuesday night. Other than that, I don't have much of an agenda. Next week will be a pretty busy week. Other than my Bunko party, I will be subbing on Wednesday and Friday and working at Dakota's in the afternoons every other day of the week. I will also probably have to work on the Ladies Newsletter for November quite a bit. Ahh! Why does everything seem to pile up at once? That's just the way it goes, I guess. I hope you all have an wonderful, blessed weekend...Until next time...

Back in the Saddle

The working world has beckoned me back, folks. That's right, I am going back to work part-time starting Wednesday. I am going back to the flower shop where I worked for two years (2002-2004). My former boss (and current, I guess) and I remained friends since I left and she called me and asked if I would be interested in coming back to work some. She is hiring and wanted to see if I would be interested so she could hire around my schedule if I wanted to come back. I really loved working at the shop and only left in 2004 to get benefits. Scott and I really thought about this a lot and decided the extra money would be nice.

So, I am going to work Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons and Wednesdays from 10:00 til 2:30 while Will is at Children's Day Out. I think I will enjoy it. I like having something to do (not that I don't have enough to do at home!). Christmas is right around the corner and it's time to start decking the shop out in lights, trees, and garland, and that is always fun :) Please pray for my new venture and that it works out for our family.

More from the Fabulous Fifties

Here are some more pictures of our party from Harmony's camera...

The Soda Shop

The Stage

The Doo-Wop Babies

Singing "The Yellow Rose of Texas" while wearing our cowboy hats.

"Elvis"

Me, Abby, and Harmony

Fabulous Fifties

Today was the big Fabulous Fifties party for the ladies at church. It was so nifty and we had a rockin' good time! Here are a few pictures that I got before the batteries in my camera gave out. Hopefully I will get more from friends sometime soon.

The finished product...my "poodle" skirt!

My full outfit

This is an real outfit from the Fifties...look at those shoes! Vickie was one of the few who opted for the "fancy" look of the Fifties. When she entered, you would have thought she was Marilyn Monroe...everyone wanted her picture!

An authentic autographed picture of Elvis Presley

Shirley, Trissa, Me, and Harmony in our poodle skirts. There were about 15 total people that wore poodle skirts.

Weirdest Thing I've Heard All Week

Yesterday I was catching up on some ironing while Will was at Children's Day Out. I set up my ironing board in the den and turned on the TV for background noise. The Rachel Ray Show was on and she was introducing a guest/story about a woman who was about to turn 50. Well, that in itself isn't too fascinating; women turn 50 every day. But this woman was different. She had never been married, nor even engaged in her life. She was very satisfied with who she was as a person, though, and had decided earlier in life that if she wasn't married by the time she turned 50, she was going to marry herself. Excuse me? What?? Yes, you heard me correctly. The woman is going to marry herself in a "personal commitment ceremony." She is having a full blown wedding complete with the white dress, bridesmaids, reception, et al, except one very obvious factor: a groom.

Okay, I understand that this woman is proud of herself and secure in her own femininity and choices for herself, but is this not creepy weird to anyone else? Why not just have a huge 50th birthday party and go all out in that? No, she wants to commit to herself that she is going to take care of herself in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, in good times and bad, etc.

This is very strange to me. What do y'all think??

What's Going On...

I finally have some time to sit and write an update of what's happened in the past week. As I said last week, I got lots of things accomplished before my mom got here on Friday. Her plane came in at 10:30 on Friday morning and we picked her up from the airport. While in Midland, we went to Home Depot to get some new hardware for our kitchen cabinets and drawers. Since our house is so old, our cabinets are very outdated...I'm thinking at least 70's, so we decided that it is time to update it a little. When we got home, Scott went to pick up a piano from one of our member's homes. They called him a couple of weeks ago and asked if he would like to take it off their hands and of course he said yes. So he and a former youth group member went to pick it up. The piano has taken up residence in our "formal" living room. Yea! That room has always been a big temptation to Will, who loves to go in there and bang around on the glass chess set on the glass coffee table. Now, he has even more reason to want to venture in there...a whole big instrument that makes cool noises when you touch it! Thus said, we keep that room closed off almost all the time.

The rest of the time Mom was in town was mostly spent watching the second season of Lost. My dad got hooked on it last year and got the first season on DVD for Christmas. He got us hooked on it, too. A couple of weeks ago when the second season came out on DVD, they bought it, so I asked her to bring it with her if she could. We ended up watching the entire season in three days! That makes it sound like all we did was watch TV, but we really didn't. I promise. But, it was so good. That show is so crazy. I just can't believe all the questions they keep posing and the lack of answers. My big question is, how are they going to tie all this stuff together/how will it all resolve?? Well, Scott and I are completely caught up now because we watched the first show of this season on the Internet. So, yea, we know everything that the rest of the world knows about what's happened thus far.

On Monday, we ate lunch/dinner at On the Border for Mom's birthday. We shared a chocolate ice cream pie that was very yummy. After we dropped Mom off, we got Will's Halloween costume from Target. He will be going as a puppy this year and he looks so very cute. I also got some face paint because I am going to attempt to paint his face (we'll see how that goes over!). I will definitely post pictures of him on Halloween when he is all done up.

Yesterday I got my hair dyed. Again. But this was a redo, since the last time didn't work. So now my hair really is brown again. Whew. I'm so glad to get past all the dyeing...now when my hair grows out, no one will be the wiser :) Last night, I went to Harmony's and we worked on the appliques for our poodle skirts. After we got them all cut out, we started pinning them on and thinking about how to sew them. I decided to cop out and try fabric glue. I am still waiting for everything to dry to see if it actually worked. I hope it did. That's a lot of hand-sewing if it didn't work! We still have to attach sequins some how, so we'll see...but it seems to be going well so far. The big "Fabulous Fifties" party is this weekend; I will be sure to take pictures of everyone all dressed up. Fun!

That brings us to today...have a great rest of the week!

Busy Mama

I have accomplished so much today. I won't bore you with all the details, because that's what I normally do. So, just know that I have been one busy mama on my "day off" (Wednesdays are the days that Will goes to Children's Day Out). My own mama is coming to visit us in just a little over 24 hours, so I am trying to get my house half-way decent.

Okay, I will tell you of my biggest accomplishment today...I cleaned my closet. I didn't just pick through clothes to throw in the donation pile; I mean I actually cleaned it. Vacuumed, etc. You can actually see the carpet now! It's truly amazing.

My other "fun" adventure of the day was to take both of our dogs to the vet. Yes, at the same time. It was interesting to say the least and we did survive :) Cracker is slightly overweight, but we knew that. So, he is going on a diet. I'm sure he's so thrilled. We are also going to have Frank neutered soon, I think. I am sure he is even more thrilled than Cracker at that prospect!

Yea for productive days. I hope yours was great and that you have a wonderful rest of the week. Now, I'm off to relax and watch Star Trek. Live long and prosper, my friends.

Sew Fun

Here are pictures of Harmony and I sewing our poodle skirts...and their cat attacking me as I am trying to cut the fabric :)

Wow, What A Weekend

It's been full and busy, that's for sure...

On Friday morning, I finally interviewed that sweet little old lady from our church and her daughter for our Ladies' Newsletter. I came home and took over Will duty from Scott for a while and as soon as he went down for his nap, I got started writing the article. I finished it and sent it to my "co-editor" by 12:30. At four, we went to the BSHS homecoming parade (to see pictures click here). As soon as it was over, we went and ate dinner at one of our favorite barbecue places--which is now smoke-free thanks to the new city ordinance (yea!). We went home for a quick rest before the big game. Since Will hadn't been sleeping well at night (or for his naps) we only stayed through half-time. Even though they eventually lost, it was fun.

On Saturday morning we slept as much as possible. I got up with Will from 9:00 to 10:30 and then went back to bed after putting him down for his "nap." He decided to start making noise about 15 minutes into it, so Scott got up and played with him until 12:00 when he woke me up to eat breakfast/lunch :) We spent most of the afternoon trying to get Will to take a nap, which he fervently refused to do. During one of his screaming bouts, I finally saw the two little culprits...two little teeth (pre-molars) were peeking through his poor little gums. We had suspected this, but it was nice to have confirmation and a reason to all the sleepless nights and screaming fits he's been having the past few days.

At 4:15, he finally went down for a nap. We were supposed to go to the Malletts' at 6:30 for supper, but we didn't dare wake him up. Thus, we didn't arrive until a little after 7:00. When we got there, we still had to finish cooking supper and eat it. The main reason for going over was so that Harmony and I could work on our poodle skirts for our the Ladies' Fabulous Fifties party in a couple of weeks. Everyone is supposed to "dress-up," but we figured we'd have a little fun since we are singing in the Doo-Wop group. After a little sewing-machine/brain malfunction, we began the process of actually putting the skirts together. By 10:30, we had the skirts rudimentarily sewn together. Leland got some comical pictures of their cat trying to help me cut the pattern...hopefully they'll send them to me so I can share.

Today, we went to the St. Lawrence Fall Festival after church. St. Lawrence is a little "German" community about 30 minutes south of Big Spring. Every year they have a sausage festival at the Catholic church (really the only thing out there). It was a pretty fun excursion. The sausage and brisket were delicious. There was so much food on my plate that it didn't even really look like I'd eaten anything when I finished. They also had a little petting zoo, so we just stood on the outside and let Will see the pigs, sheep, goats, and llama. Yes, they had a llama.

Before evening service, I had singing practice for our 50's party; then, after church, our preacher and his wife had a bunch of people over for supper and fellowship. It has been a very good weekend, but a long one. I'm looking forward to sleeping (I hope!) tonight and resting tomorrow :)

Weekend Update

What a weekend. That's all I can think to say.

Will was better on Saturday morning, so we went ahead and went to a youth rally in Midland. I must confess that the reason I wanted to go to the youth rally wasn't really to do the youth rally type of thing, but to see one of my best friends, Kara. So, she and I skipped out and took all of our kids (she has two) to the mall and Target. We had a good time and the kids did really well. We wanted to get back to the rally in time to listen to Legacy (4 guys that used to be in Best Friends) perform. They said they would start at 3:00, but they really started at about 2:40. So we missed the first couple of songs. At four, Scott and I decided we needed to head home and put Will to bed since he refused to nap all day (none of our youth group kids were able to come, so it was just us).

When we got home, we tried to get Will to eat some dinner but he refused. He was so tired, we went ahead and put him in his pj's and put him down. We were pretty sure he would sleep all night. Scott and I ate dinner and watched some television and then started getting ready for bed. Scott mentioned that he wasn't feeling too well. In fact, he felt so bad that we decided it would be best if we slept in different beds. Right around midnight, he started puking. He kept it up all night long, poor guy. At 1:30, Will woke up and must have been starving because he wanted milk and just kept chugging it and chugging it. I tried to make him slow down, but he wouldn't. It came back up shortly after. It was a weird sensation...I've never had cold vomit on me before. Anyway, after a long night, we did not go to church yesterday morning. Scott was supposed to lead singing, so he had to find a replacement for that, for his class, and for another class whose substitute wasn't going to be able to make it either. Scott slept pretty much the entire day yesterday and he is feeling much better today. Will is still not eating as much as normal, but he seems to be better as well.

Today was my first time to go to "Right At Home," a Bible study and work-out program for stay at home moms. It was really fun. I think I am really going to enjoy the Bible study. The work-out pretty much kicked my booty today. I am horribly out of shape. All my muscles are mush. So, hopefully that will get better with time. Will's follow-up appointment (from his surgery) is this afternoon, so we'll be anxious to see what the doc has to say. Here's to a healthy and happy rest of the week!

Morning Mayhem

This morning, the phone rang at 6:45. It was the automated substitute-finder people. I pressed the button that you are supposed to press when you don't want to sub. The phone rang again at 7:20. This time, it was actually a real person from the high school calling. I told her no, I couldn't do it and I was sorry, maybe next time. I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. I felt guilty. I probably laid there for over half and hour trying to go back to sleep. Will eventually woke up around 9:50 and I begrudingly got out of bed (you all hate me, I know). He has been ill (I won't go into specifics) so I gave him a quick bath. After the bath he kept saying "tired" and putting his head down. I gave him milk to drink while I got ready to feed him breakfast. He promptly threw up. Everywhere. It was quite disgusting.

So, he got another bath and Scott came home to help me clean up all the puke. It was a very good thing I didn't go to the high school today! I no longer feel guilty for saying no.

So, how was your morning??

Freedom

Ahh...today was my last day to sub for the week. I can safely say that my stress level has gone down considerably. I don't mind subbing, but it is hard keeping tabs on those kids (I've been subbing for journalism and they are quite used to leaving the room anytime they please to take pictures, get interviews, etc...)! So, I am breathing a sigh of relief.

Today I had to go to my "girlie" doctor. Is it weird that I enjoy going to see him? No, I wouldn't say that I enjoy the exams, but I do enjoy seeing my doctor. I have been seeing him for about 4 years, and he is the one who told me I was pregnant with Will and later delivered him. I consider him an old pal. We probably talked for 20 minutes just about our kids (he and his wife had triplets in March), all the while I was sitting there freezing my bo-heinie off in the flimsy paper gown. Anyway, it was a good visit. If we ever move away from here, he has to come with me :)

I am so glad that tomorrow and Friday will be "normal" days. I do not have to plan my clothes out tonight. I do not have to get up at 6:45. I do not have to sit for 6 hours in a freezing cold school building. Yea! Will and I are going to relax. Upcoming events this week are: a youth rally on Saturday in Midland, (hopefully) an interview with one of our ladies for the Ladies' Newsletter (I'm still looking for newsletter name ideas, by the way), a Bible study/work-out program at the First Baptist Church for stay-at-home-moms and a doctor appointment on Monday (Will's surgery follow-up), Bunko on Tuesday night (woo-hoo!), and next weekend, my mom is coming to visit to celebrate her birthday with us. Whew...sounds like a lot.

Well, I am off again...it's almost time for dinner and then church. I don't like begging, but give me some feedback, y'all. What do you think about the newsletter? Bunko? Substitute teaching? "Girlie" doctors? Anything...just let me know you're still there :) I'm still here!

Take Two

I tried to post last night, but our power went out in the middle of my typing. Bummer!

It is going to be a busy week for me. Yesterday kicked it off with me teaching the kindergarten and first grade Bible class at church. I had seven little girls in class, no boys. It was quite a hoot. I also had singing practice with our little Doo-Wop group after evening services. I got someone to sing my part with me (yea!!), so we went over the things we had practiced last week and worked on a new song. It's going pretty well, so far. I love singing and have really missed it since college when I would sing for at least an hour each day. Practicing things over and over can get a little old, but when you get it right and you sound so good, it makes one happy inside.

Today I am subbing at BSHS and I will be for the next two days as well. It's fairly easy and I get a little extra money for my troubles, so it's a good thing. I just didn't realize when I set up these jobs that I would be subbing for three consecutive days. Oh well, Thursday will be welcome when it gets here.

Last week was a good week. I didn't sub at all, so it was a "normal" week for Will and I. He went to CDO on Wednesday and I used the opportunity of his absence for getting some cleaning and laundry done. I also went out to eat with a couple of friends whose kids also go to CDO. I think we'll make it a regular thing. On Friday, Will and I went to Midland and had lots of fun shopping (well, okay, I did). He was so good for me. I am very blessed. Friday night, Scott and I gave Will over to one of his surrogate grandmothers and went out on the town. Woo hoo! We went to a little cafe downtown and after we ordered our after-dinner mochas and chais, we went back to our house to watch a movie we had received from Netflix. Real crazy, I know. But we still enjoyed not having to worry about Will for a while. He had a great time playing at their house, too.

So, what else can I share? Oh, yeah. I almost got killed three times on the way home for lunch today. That was lots of fun. One of my biggest pet peeves is when drivers do not take their proper turn at lights and stop signs! And it is very hard to drive in high heels! Okay, there's my gripe for the day.

I guess I had better go ahead and go back to the school. Class starts at 1:40 pm and it is now 1:05. I hope everyone has a blessed week...I do not know when I'll have an opportunity to post again. Check back soon :)

Thursday Thirteen* - The Book List

I love books!!!

1. Always on any book list of mine - Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, The Red Tent by Anita Diamant.

2. Most Read - I'm not really the type of person that goes back and reads books over and over because I don't have time. If I'm going to read, I'd rather read something I've never read before.

3. First book I read myself - The Berenstain Bears Go to School by Stan and Jan Berenstain.

4. Favorite Childhood book - I loved to read as a kid...this is a very hard question. I loved Judy Blume books, the Ramona books, The Secret Garden, The Borrowers, Babysitter's Club...I really can't pick just one.

5. Religious book - I don't read much non-fiction...it's hard for me to get into. But I have really enjoyed Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs, and And the Bride Wore White by Dannah Gresh. I have started Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller and am really liking it so far.

6. Favorite Series - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. These books are very long (because the author is awesome at giving you lots of details!) but worth it. She weaves such a wonderful tale that you can't help but get caught up in it. I also love the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. She just amazes me with the things she comes up with. I am anxiously awaiting the seventh book.

7. Favorite Charles Dickens book - Umm, I would not say Dickens is a favorite author by any means. I had to read Great Expectations in school, and it was okay. So I guess I'll say that one.

8. Hardest to get into, but worth the trouble - Gone with the Wind. The beginning is sort of slow, but trust me, it is SO good...way better than the film (which is good too). I also read Seabiscuit by Laura Hilldebrand becuase I got it free with the movie. I don't normally like non-fiction but this was different. It was hard for me to get over that "anti-non-fiction" thing of mine.

9. Worst book - I have a list of those that I had to read for school. I would say The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck for sure, and The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

10. Makes me cry - The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albloom, Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson.

11. Totally can't relate to, but love - We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates (cry story as well).

12. Favorite Newbery Award - I had to look up which books had won the Newbery Award. My favorite of the list I saw was definitely Holes, by Louis Sachar. That is a great book (and since it's for kids, it can be read in just a few hours!).

13. Best surprise of the year - I really haven't been able to read much this year besides Drums of Autumn and The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon (Outlander series) because they are so long. But I did read The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis and really enjoyed it.

14. Current reading - And the Bride Wore White by Dannah Gresh; Blue Like Jazz, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, and The Patriarchs (Bible study) by Beth Moore

15. Not yet checked off, on the 2006 reading list - A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon, Vince Flynn's newest book in the Mitch Rapp series, the rest of the Narnia books, The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks and a whole bunch of John Grisham books I got for really cheap at a used book store!

*I just realized that this is 15 and not 13. Whatever...I copied it from someone else, so oh well! But, you get the gist...

My Buddy

Will and I after our day out.

Outta Whack

What shall I write about today? There has been a lot going on and I don't want to bore you all with the details, but hey, why not?

All week I was having some bad back pain in my lower left side. By Wednesday night, I was wincing every few seconds. I couldn't sit, stand, walk, lie down...anything without discomfort. So on Thursday morning, I called the chiropractor. We just had a chiropractor place membership with our church, so I went to him. When I called, they said to come right over, as soon as I could get there. So, I hurriedly got dressed, put on a touch of mascara, grabbed all our gear, and dropped Will off with Scott to get over there. Since it was my first visit to him, I had to fill out lots of paperwork and he did an exam/consultation thingy. Evidently I had more than one reason to be in so much pain. My back was pretty whacked out. I was there for an hour and a half after the exam and adjustment! And I was looking like death warmed over...I really can't even describe it to you without grossing myself out. So, I went to the church to pick up Will from Scott. At this point it was 12:30 and I knew Scott had made plans to eat with one of our youth group kids who is now in college. Of course, he was at the church with one of his friends. I was mortified. They proceed to tell me that we are going to one of the most popular restaurants in town for lunch! Ah! I was a good sport and went. I ended up seeing at least three other people that I know there, too. I wanted to crawl in a hole and never come out.

Other events of late: Harmony and I are in a little singing group for our church's ladies day. We are singing some Doo-Wop songs (it is a fifties theme; they are even having an Elvis impersonater come!). The last time we did this, we just sang hymns, and we were singing the same part. Well, this time, she is singing Soprano I, and I am singing Alto II! Quite a difference. So we've been practicing together a bit this week and it has been interesting. Not bad, just interesting! I'm highly anticipating tomorrow when we get together with the other ladies and see how we all sound together. Most of my parts are just "do do ba do" and "boom boom ba boom." Yea for bass!

Yesterday, Will and I went to the park for the first time with another mom and kid. We met Abby and Malakai and had a good time swinging, sliding, running around, and for Abby and I--chatting. We realized again what a small world we live in when Abby told me that some of her family's life long friends that live in Katy were some of my family's good friends too! I am continually amazed at all the connections I seem to have with so many people. After our park adventure, I came home and cooked dinner. I also made chocolate chip cookies. Those of you who are very close to me know what I did to my last batch of chocolate chip cookies (no, I will not elaborate, but they were still edible...and yummy!). These turned out slightly better except that I got distracted and burnt one sheet-full. Argh! This morning I made cinnamon rolls. I was very careful to set the timer and put it closer to our bedrooms so I would hear it when it went off. What one must do, however, when baking, is make sure one puts the oven at the right temperature. Twenty minutes at 375 degrees is very different from twenty minutes at 425 degrees. To make the morning worse, we had no Diet Coke in the refrigerator and we had not brewed coffee. Blast!

The reason I really wanted cinnamon rolls and coffee (or possibly a Diet Coke) this morning is because Scott, Will and I went to Abilene for ACU's computer auction (our home computer died; the computer I'm working on is Scott's from work). However, when we got there to really look at what they had, we decided that they didn't really have what we wanted. So we went to the mall and bought each of us a new pair shoes (see Prather Place for Will's story). The guys got tennis shoes and I got some black dress shoes. Yippee. We had to be home by five so Scott could be up at the church by six for a youth event. It has been a good day. I think I will end it by finishing a book I have been reading all summer (hey folks, it's 1443 pages long!). I read all the way home from Abilene and it is very exciting. If you like historical fiction/romance/time-travel/action, etc., etc., start reading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. They're hefty books, but worth it.

The next time something interesting happens, I will let you know!! 'Til then, God bless :)

Anmchara

What does "anmchara" mean, you ask? It is a Celtic word meaning "soul friends" that my friends, Jen, Chelsey and I have adopted to describe our friendship. Here are some pictures from our 6th Annual Anmchara Reunion!

Here we are after church on Sunday. I got that shirt for $1.99 at Sears. Sweet action.

Blast! One of our gluten-free blueberry muffins imploded!!

This is what Amarillo looked like the entire weekend! It was COLD (well, okay, it was cold for people who are used to 90 degree weather)!

Single funniest moment of the whole weekend. Jen brought a cot to sleep on (Chelsey has a tiny--but wonderful!--economy apartment). We decided to take a nap on Sunday afternoon and as soon as Jen got all cozy in her blankets, one leg of the cot buckled and she fell to the floor. I can't even describe it to you without cracking up. So here she is in the traitorous cot.

Random book about Buddism that Jen has had in her car for 2 years. Notice it is a library book. Hmm...wonder how much the fine on that one is?

Tuesday-Thursday

Much has transpired since my last post. The little lady I was supposed to interview on Tuesday was taken to the hospital about an hour and half before I was to meet her and her daughter. Suffice it to say, our ladies' newsletter did not have an interview this month. However, I did finish getting it formatted, printed, copied, and mailed out. The ladies of 14th & Main should receive their own copy tomorrow.

Yesterday, I subbed at Big Spring High for the first time. When I quit my job last year, I told the teacher I worked with that I would sub for her and her aide (my old job) whenever they needed me since I knew their system. Well, when one of my friends found out that I was on the sub list, he asked me to sub for him, too. I agreed, because I know a lot of his students and therefore I know that most of them do what they are supposed to do when they are told. So, yesterday was my first time to sub for his class. It was fairly easy; he left me pretty detailed instructions and several of his classes ran themselves, but it was definitely a new experience for me! Next time will be easier.

On Tuesday night, I went and played Bunko with some of the young ladies from church. I had never played before, but it was quite easy to learn and very fun. I wanted to play longer...I was kind of sad when the game ended. I can see how people can get addicted to it. Anyway, that afternoon, I put Will down for a nap around 3:45 and then left my house that at 4:20 to help my friend, Harmony, cook. I didn't return until after Will had been put to bed and the next morning I left the house to sub at about 7:35. I picked Will up that afternoon at 3:45. That meant I didn't see Will for 24 hours! It was strange. I guess I kind of prepared myself, though, because this weekend I will be gone for about 3 days total. I am leaving on Friday afternoon and won't return until Monday afternoon. I am going for a girls' weekend while Scott and Will have their own little boys' weekend at home. As much as I hate leaving them for such a long amount of time, I am really looking forward to my trip. I plan to have lots of fun :)

And finally, I have dyed my hair yet again. I know you guys must think I am a hair-dying fool, but I am really not. I decided to go back to my natural color since my red had faded out so much. It will be good because I won't have to go to the salon every few weeks to get it touched up. Actually, it still looks kind of auburn-y, so I might have to go back and get her to do it over. We'll see. I really like it, though :)

I'm not sure if I will have time to post again before I leave tomorrow, so everyone have an excellent Labor Day weekend! God bless~~

ARGH!

I have been trying for the past two days to show you pictures of our little boy right before surgery and right after and stinkin' blogger won't let me! I am starting to get pretty fed up with it. I guess you get what you pay for, though, right?

Anyway, I do have a couple of things to share. In about an hour, I am going to interview our congregation's oldest member for our ladies' newsletter. I believe she is 96. Her daughter will be there too to help fill in any holes; it should be quite interesting. The last time I interviewed one of our elder ladies, I found out that she is the grandmother of the secretary in LCU's Bible department. What a small world we live in!

Our ladies' newsletter is in desperate need of a name. So if anyone has any suggestions, bring 'em on. The other night I was brainstorming and came up with a few contenders. I asked Scott for his input and he gave me one suggestion that I thought was quite funny: The Monthly Visitor. Any thoughts?

The Aftermath

Well, I am finally back. After a very long week of travelling, pictures, first day of "school," computer malfunctions, surgery, and company, I have returned to the Blog-dom.

Let us begin with the trip to Lubbock on Monday. It went well. Chapel was good...I think we were the only ones there with a child, but it was good. Will decided it would be great fun to jabber all through the prayers, etc., but we survived. We got to visit with some old friends and teachers at the reception afterward. The only bad thing about all of this is that Will was extremely tried and ready for his nap.

We also got to visit our good friend Carrie and she was gracious enough to let Will take a nap in her son's bed. We had a good visit and would have liked it to last longer, but unfortunately our appointment to get pictures made came up. Will had only slept for a little over an hour, so he was not too happy about being woken up to have pictures taken. He wasn't in the best of moods during the shoot, but we still managed to get some great shots of him and ordered lots of pictures. As soon as our proofs were ready and we had ordered the pictures we wanted, we headed home. It had been a long (but good) day.

Wednesday was Will's first day of "school" (aka Children's Day Out). The actual first day was last week, but he was a little sick, so we didn't want to risk getting the other kids sick too. He moved to a different class this year--a new room, new teachers, etc. He was not very pleased when I first dropped him off. In fact, he screamed quite a bit. But, he ended up being fine and having a fairly good day. He is only going on Wednesdays this year, so we'll see this week if it'll go any better.

Our computer started to act up last week, too. It would randomly shut down completely while we were in the middle of doing something. It would give no warning--the screen just went black. It was very frustrating. Scott brought his computer from work home for the weekend and that is what I am currently using. It looks like we will be getting a new computer fairly soon.

Thursday morning came very early. Will's surgery was scheduled first on the docket and we had to be there to check in at 6:00. That meant I had to get up at 5:00. Ugh. Not fun! Will did really well and didn't seem phased that he wasn't able to eat. I think he was so tired that it didn't even cross his mind that he was hungry. We had also tried to give him a lot of food the night before so his stomach might seem full for a longer amount of time. He actually went into surgery (well, when they made us leave) at 7:45. At 8:45 it was over and the doctor came out to tell us that it went well and he was doing fine. It was about 9:15 when we actually got to go back and see him. He was very dopey and whimpering. We both felt so bad for him! But we were able to go home by 12:15 and he has been doing great ever since then.

My parents dropped my brother off at college on Friday and made their way to come and see us. It was nice to have them here for a few days. We mainly just stayed in and enjoyed spending time together. My dad and I had a mini Scene It tournament which he evetually won (barely!) and I cooked all of our meals so we didn't have to eat out at all. I think they were slightly impressed with my culinary skills. Anyway...they left this morning at about 10:30. They are going to stop back by my brother's apartment on their way home...one last goodbye for their baby boy.

Scott is in Abilene today getting officially registered and buying books. He was supposed to have a class but after he had already made it about halfway there, the grad deptartment secretary called him and told him that the class was cancelled for the day! Oh well, at least he can get that other stuff done.

I have another busy week ahead of me. Tomorrow I am going to be (hopefully) interviewing a lady for our church's ladies' newsletter that I will then have to finish and mail out. Tomorrow evening we are also having our first young women's bunko night. I am really looking forward to that--it should be fun. I have never played Bunko, but Harmony assures me it is easy. On Wednesday, I am substitute teaching for Leland at BSHS, and on Friday I will be leaving for Amarillo (by way of Lubbock) to have the 5th or 6th (I can't remember!) Labor Day Reunion with Jen and Chelsey. Yea! I can't wait.

Until next time, folks. Hopefully it won't be so long :)

It's a Go!

Will is going to be able to have his surgery next week. Yea! He is going to continue on antibiotics for the next 6 days, and should be all set for surgery next Thursday. His bloodwork came back all normal.

Next Monday, we are going to Lubbock for LCU's 50th opening chapel. I am looking forward to spending the day there. We are going to see some friends and have Will's pciture made at Family Photo. Hopefully, he will cooperate and I'll have some lovely pictures to share with you.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

No News

Well, I lied. I didn't mean to, but I did. I don't have any news. What I can tell you is this: next week Will is scheduled to have a little procedure/same-day surgery on Thursday. I am not going to give any details because it is a type of surgery that if I did give details, I would be hearing, "Mom!! I can't believe you put that on the Internet!!" in about 11 years. So, let's just leave it at that.

We went for the pre-surgery consult today (no idea why they must do it a week ahead of time), and of course, Will has been feverish and irritable the past couple of days. So, after the consult, we had to take him to his pediatrician to make sure that he was okay for the surgery. She looked in his ears, and sure enough, one was pretty red. She ordered a shot of anitbiotics and labwork just to make sure the infection isn't so bad that his white blood cell count is high. All that said, we won't find out if we are actually able to have the surgery until tomorrow mid-morning when the bloodwork comes back from the lab. Please pray that Will is alright and we can get this surgery over and done with soon. It is frustrating to have it looming over our heads! I am praying that his bloodwork will come back all good and the shot of antibiotics will nip that infection in the bud. (The reason all this is such a big deal is that Will will have to be put under general anesthesia for the procedure and they can't risk any sickness, etc. when they do that--a good reason!)

Well, that is all I have for now. I hope everyone has had a great day. Love and blessings~~

Short and Sweet

Scott has updated our family blog...click here to read all about it.

That's really all I have for now...be sure to stop back by later on Thursday...I might have some new information for you! Thanks to you all who keep up with what's happening in our little world.

Love and blessings~~

How Appropriate

Here it is...the picture I have been waiting for days to show you all. We saw this sign as we were driving into Farmington on Friday afternoon. Look very closely (enlarge the photo by clicking on it if you can) to read the billboard next to the video store... ...we got quite a kick out of it.

Too Tired to Title

We are back from our last summer adventure! Yesterday we pulled in to our carport at about 11:30 AM. It takes right at about 3 hours and 15 minutes to get from Amarillo to Big Spring. Not bad. Will slept almost the entire way--from right around Canyon to just outside the B.S. city limits. It was a good little drive. We are so thankful that our friend Chelsey let us stay the night on our way to Farmington and on our way back. It was great to visit with her again.

We are SO glad to be home. We have been gone so much this summer--just about every other week--so we are very much looking forward to getting back into normal routines and all that jazz. Also, we are glad not to have to pack and ride in a car for long periods of time. Scott was excited last night when he unpacked his shaving kit because he was acutallly going to get to put it away this time!

Anywho, the reason for this last jaunt was Scott's 10 year high school reunion. We actually had a really good time. It was fun meeting all of Scott's old friends and seeing where he used to go to school. The reunion committee had planned 3 events over the course of two days--a "meet and greet" on Friday night at the high school, a family picnic lunch at a park on Saturday, and a dinner and dance on Saturday night. We went to all three events and really enjoyed it. One problem we ran into was the fact that Scott no longer has family in the Farmington area, so we didn't know what we were going to do with Will on Saturday night. Our good friend Kara's parents live not too far away in Aztec, however, so we called them to see if they could help us out. They were very glad to help and said that Will was a joy to be around, so that was really fantastic. We were so thankful!

Now that we are home, we have lots to do. Will had a doctor appointment on Monday, hence the early departure from Amarillo on Monday morning; and I have one tomorrow. Then, on Friday I am going to a substitute training at the high school on Friday morning. I am going to help our my old co-workers by subbing for them and their new secretary when they are out. The system in that department of the school is sort of complicated, so I am going to sub when I can since I know what's going on. Maybe that will bring in a few extra dollars every now and then.

Well, I am super-mad because blogger won't let me show you pictures from our trip. Tune in again soon and hopefully they will be available for your viewing pleasure!

Butterflies

Apparently it is butterfly migration season around here. There are butterflies EVERYWHERE! One day I was driving in our neighborhood and they looked like leaves falling from the trees. It is amazing. I took Will on a walk this morning to get a few pictures of them before they go. Sad to say, these pictures were all taken in neighbors' yards...I don't have a green thumb to keep up with flowers like these ladies do. Also, my photography skills are less than stellar and the sun was shining on my picture display, so they're not the best pictures, but you get the idea. Enjoy!

This one is a tad blurry, but there are several butterflies in the shot.

This bush was absolutely covered in monarch butterflies.

As we strolled by, they were startled and started to fly around. I kept hoping one would land on Will, but they never did.

Tagged Again

I've been tagged!

*Alone or with people?
I definitely like my alone time, but I do like to socialize, too. I guess it just sort of depends on the day :)

*Summer or Winter?
This is a hard question because I do not prefer extreme weather, be it heat or cold. I love the spring and fall when it just feels good outside. If I really had to choose, though, I guess I would choose winter because you can always put more clothes, blankets, etc. on than you can take off in the summer.

*Black or White?
Black. White washes me out; I wear it rarely. And when it comes to furniture or carpet...anyone with kids knows that choosing white is just asking for trouble.

*Observe, or get along from the very first moment?
I've never really thought about this, but I guess I am an obserever first and foremost. I am not the type to put myself out there and jump into conversation with someone I have never met. I've done it in the past, but it was always awkward. I suppose I am too shy to hit it off with someone right away.

*Clown, or Drama (Queen/King)?
I really don't consider myself either. When I feel really comfortable with people, I let my guard down and become a sort-of-clown. Especially late at night, I can get pretty crazy :)

*A Hummer, or a BMW convertible car?
Of these choices, I'd have to pick the Beamer. Hummers are way too big and convertibles mess up my hair.

*Loyal or………
I'm loyal to a fault. Once you're a friend, you're always a friend. (I'll steal Kathy's answer on this one.)

*Three people I'm tagging
I hate this part. Even if I tag you, don't feel obligated: Chelsey, Harmony, & Lynsey W.

Never Again

Okay, I know the saying, "Never say never," but if I have anything to do with it, I am never eating at McDonald's again.

Scott and I watched the documentary Super Size Me the other night (which I do recommend to all of you out there who have an interest in what you are eating and how it affects you). I just have to say, "Wow." The guy who made the film, Morgan Spurlock, ate nothing but McDonald's three meals a day for 30 straight days. First of all, ugh. I can barely eat there as it is. He could only eat what was on their menu and had to try everything at least once. If they asked him if he wanted to super size, he had to say yes. There is so much about this movie I could tell you, but I really want you all to see it for yourselves. It will make you think very differently about fast food. Also, don't forget to watch the special features, especially the interview with Eric Schlosser, who wrote the book Fast Food Nation. That, too, is quite enlightening.

The film has some gross parts; I did have to turn away a couple of times, but you still know what's happening. That's my only real warning. Otherwise, I think this film is one that all Americans need to see!

Huh?

Wow, I'm so glad to see that my blog wasn't deleted when I got on the computer today. I tried to check my MySpace this morning and I got a notice that read, "Invalid Friend ID. Member's account has been cancelled or profile has been deleted." What the heck? I didn't delete my profile! I emailed customer service so maybe they know what's up...craziness. And I had just put up a cool slide show, too... :(

We got Netflix in the mail today...woo hoo! One of the movies is Supersize Me. I have been wanting to see that for a long time. I'll let you know how it is.

My in-laws left town this morning. It was too short a visit. We had a good time visiting with them. My mother-in-law had a birthday yesterday, so we got a cake and ice cream. It was fun. They'll be driving part of the way home (Florida) today and the rest of the way tomorrow.

Speaking of trips, we'll be going on another next week. This time we are going to Scott's high school reunion. It's been 10 years since he gradumacated. Wow. We'll also be breaking up our trip (almost a must with Will) and will be staying next Thursday night with our dear friend Chelsey in Amarillo. I can't wait to see her! The last time I saw her was March, so again, it's been too long.

I tried to take some more pictures of myself with the red hair (upon request). Since I posted that last one, I got "low lights." I really really like it. The pictures aren't great, because I took them myself, but you get the idea. I like this first one because it is natural light...of course, it is blurry, and the light is reflecting strangely off of my eyes, but I still like it.

...And with the flash...

How??

I just want to know how they do it. Those Asian ladies in the nail salon. How do they paint my nails so perfectly in such a small amount of time? And what do they do to make the polish stay on and intact for several days in a row? I attempted to paint my nails the other night. I washed my hands, filed my nails into nice "squoval" shapes, and painted on a clear base coat. I waited several mintues for them to dry. Then I painted the color. Again, I waited. Lastly, I painted a top coat. That may have been my mistake. I still had a few hours before I went to bed for the nails to completely dry, right? Wrong. I woke up in the morning to find air-bubbly nails with bedsheet and hair imprints in them. In fact, they really didn't completely dry until that night.

So, what I want to know is how do those ladies paint my nails with a base coat, color, and top coat (all in rapid succession, mind you) and then I can leave a few minutes later with no problem? Is it simply the base and top coats they use (which of course, have no labels) or the 2 mintues I spend sitting under the UV-cancer-ray-lamps? Hmm...will I ever know? Possibly. But for now, painting my nails will have to wait until Will goes to kindergarten.

Mountain View

We spent the past week at Mountain View Christian Camp in Alto (outside Ruidoso), New Mexico. Scott taught classes and we had a great time with some old friends (Jeff and Kara Shelton) and some new ones (Nathan and Melanie Hill). We had so much fun just being at camp and spending time with other Christians, other youth ministers, and their wives. We are glad to be home, though, and sleeping in our own beds and getting back to our routine. We are gearing up for visitors this week--Scott's parents and grandma are coming to visit us for a few days. We haven't seen them since Christmas, so we are very excited. Will will love having people to entertain and captivate all week!

Oh, and by the way...I dyed my hair red.

This Pot was Made for Crockin'

...and that's just what she'll do. Behold my new crock-pot! Whoo hoo! We got one as a wedding gift but it was so tiny--only about 2 quarts! It barely held a jar of Prego. So, while out and about the other day, we decided to get ourselves a brand-spankin' new one that holds 5 quarts! The stoneware comes out for easy cleaning (a feature our other one did not have), and you can set it on low, high, or keep warm. Very nice.

More "Moving" Pics

Another view of our room (see below). The bed is in a new place. It's kind of been like sleeping at someone else's house or in a hotel because our bed had been in the same spot since we moved into this house in 2002. Wow. I like it. Again, I'm not done getting everything together, but this is it for now.

Will's room with the bed on the floor. The blinds are up because Will had been looking out the window for cows.
"Cow??"