Jesus Loves Me

Last weekend, we went to Pizza Hut to celebrate my sister-in-law's birthday. My sister-in-law is 16 years younger than my husband. She's 19 and... well, he's not. All of the adults were eating and our older two asked if they could go look at the jukebox. Of course, that's not what they call it because anyone born after 1985 doesn't know what a "jukebox" is. Normally we don't allow our children to run amok in public places, but the place almost empty except for one other family who had three little boys. Those three little boys were playing with our kids at the jukebox. For about ten minutes, my daughter was trying to type in a song and the boys would hit the "delete" button when she would get near the end. She let her irritation be known to everyone as is her style. But she was persistent. She kept trying and trying and still saying, "Ugh" (Charlie Brown style) each time. Finally, I went over to see what was going on. She was typing in , "Jesus Loves Me" and couldn't understand why that song wasn't in the jukebox. I really love that little girl.

Overheard

My son and our neighbor boy were playing the other day. I overheard their conversation about a young girl in our neighborhood. This girl has some spunk (this is a nice way of saying "crazy"). She is about the size of a 4 year old, but she's 9, so she has to keep her defenses up. Here's how the conversation went.
(NB=neighbor boy, MS=my son)
NB: "She is soooo mean!"
MS: "She's not that bad."
NB: "No, she's mean!"
MS: " I bet she wouldn't hurt a fly."
NB: "Hurt a fly! Heck, I bet she'd kill a cat!"

Merry Christmas

Well, the last of the Christmas gatherings was held today at our home. Our guests were supposed to arrive inbetween 2:30 and 3. So everyone rolled in around 4:45... These are a few things I overheard during the day....

Comments about parenting...

As we were discussing the details of a 14 year old family member who had been caught drinking..."Well, it doesn't matter what you two shove down their throat, those kids are going to do what they want to and make their own decisions about religion." Always a pleasure

Comments about the menu...from the very hard-of-hearing.....in a very loud voice...

"You know, if she'd put some instant potatoes in this soup, it'd thicken up better." Thank you

Comments about what one should get for Christmas..."Well, I really wanted the Pineapple bread, but instead I got the Chocolate Zuchinni bread. I absolutely HATE Chocolate Zuchinni Bread! The label said 'Pineapple Bread', but I opened it up and it was Chocolate Zuchinni Bread!! I really hate Chocolate Zuchinni Bread" Hey do you hate Chocolate Zuchinni Bread? By the way, how many times can we say 'Chocolate Zuchinni Bread' in one sentence. There ought to be a limit.

Comments about how one should educate their children...

"How many children are in your class?"

oldest child: "2"

"2!?!"

"Yeah, me and her. We're homeschooled." (saying with a nonchalant tone, like everyone else in the world is and it's not a big deal)

"Do you follow any state guidelines? Do you think they'll have any trouble catching up if you put them in "regular" school? " No, I think their classmates should do just fine.

"Well, Grandma...She's reading independently at 5."

" So was I!.... .(78 years ago, sibling to 19...yes I said 19)

I felt like Clark Griswold today. Dreams of a new pool and a happy family Christmas....Jelly-of-the-month club!

Fun

A Fun MeMe (A.K.A. ... a stolen post from Judy!) :D
And I stole it from Mical...

In your entire life, have you ever ...........
gone on a blind date? .... Once, against my will. I thought I was going to the movies with my friend, she had other plans for me.
skipped school? .... Yes
watched someone die ? .... Yes. Too many times.
been to Canada? .... No
been to Mexico? .... No.
been to Florida? .... Yep.
had your booze taken away by the cops? ....Not lately. Just kidding. No.
lettered in high school sport? ....a couple
cried yourself to sleep? .... Yes..many times.
played cops and robbers? ....Yes!!
played dolls? .... Yeah. :/ .... I was such a tomboy growing up ... how is it that I loved Barbies so much? "Ditto" for me Mical.
sung Karaoke? .... No
done something you said you wouldn't? .... Oh, yes. Too many times.
cheated on an exam? .... Yes. But I didn't realize it. A friend of mine had the class the semester before and she gave me some "old tests" to study. I barely glanced at the first one and went to take the test. It was the exact same test. So the next test came around and I barely glanced at the "practice test" because I thought, "Surely it wouldn't be the exact same test twice in a row!" Alas, I was wrong.
made prank phone calls? .... Yes, when I was 12.
laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose? .... YES! Not good with carbonated beverages. It hurst!
caught a snowflake on your tongue? .... Every winter. :)
danced in the rain? .... YES!!! It is so much fun! You MUST try it!
written a letter to Santa Clause? .... I'm sure when I was in elementary school.
watched the sunrise with someone you care about? .... Yes!
been kissed under the mistletoe? ....Who needs mistletoe!? I'm married!
Ever been arrested? .... Nope
....blown bubbles? .... Oh, yeah! As a child...but nothing beats blowing bubbles with your own children.
gone ice-skating? .... Yes, I love ice skating.
been skinny dipping outdoors? ....No..well maybe when i was 5 in my grandma's back yard. does that count?
had a nickname? .... Boo
been to Africa? .... Nope
eaten cookies for dinner? .... I don't think so ... but yummy!
been on TV? .... No
been in a car accident? .... Yep.
What is your Mother's name? .... better not say, you know the witness protection program and all! Just kidding!
favorite drink? .... Diet Coke or sweet tea (too hard to choose)
favorite alcohol? .... I don't drink alcohol very much, but I like some red wines.
birthplace? .... Indy
favorite vacation spot? .... anywhere with my family
favorite salad dressing? .... ranch.
favorite pie? .... Apple pie
favorite number? ....3
favorite movie? ....Stand By Me
favorite holiday? .... Christmas.
favorite food? .... Pot roast, potatoes, and carrots
day of the week? .... Sunday -
favorite brand of body wash? .... No favorite
favorite toothpaste? .... Whatever's in the drawer
favorite smell? ....baby powder
Do you have any tattoos? .... Nope.
body piercings? .... Ears
Do you drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? .... 4 doors. 12 passenger van, baby.
What do you do to relax...I have 3 children and a husband. The word is not in my vocabulary.
How do you see yourself in 10 years? .... Loving the Lord, following Him, trusting Him...The parent of an 18 year old, almost 16 year old and 12 year old. married to the love of my life. running marathons...climbing mountains...we;ll see! Well, that was fun! You all should copy and paste this ... and add it to your blog! :D

Thankful

A Few Things I'm Thankful For....

my salvation in Christ the Lord.

a messy house filled with children running and laughing (and sometimes fighting)

a smile from my youngest first thing in the morning with a greeting of, "Hi Momma" with so much enthusiasm. Like he hadn't seen me for days.

how God has given them each their own personalities and hearts for Him.

my husband and how he has given himself up for me.

the love of my family.

that my mom survived and was completely restored so many years ago.

that I had a grandmother who prayed.

my church family.

watching my Grandpa dance with my niece yesterday.

listening to my dad sing.

my sisters and their families.

my mother-in-law who is my biggest fan.

that I'm an American.

for God's creation.

that I have so many examples of godly men and women in my life.

that my oldest wants to be a missionary when he grows up (and a superhero!)

that my daughter has a helpful spirit and reminds me that she's watching me each and every day!

that God forgives and shows grace and mercy to me EVERY DAY.

for our soldiers who sacrifice so that you and I can be free.

for God's sovereignty.

that people love me enough to take the time to read this list.


*I am thankful for so much more and cannot put it into words for fear that my tears of joy and thankfulness will short out this keyboard and cause an electrical fire which would be bad and yes, I know this is a run-on sentence.

"Be joyful always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Frugal Cleaning

I really enjoy cleaning. I also enjoy saving money. I thought I'd share a few things I've tried recently that have made cleaning easier and saved money. First off, I invested in some microfiber cleaning cloths. You can get 4 large cloths for $3 at your local Family Dollar. These cloths are so large, I cut them in half. I use these cloths for all of my cleaning. They can be used for dusting, cleaning showers, mirrors....pretty much everything. I use one of the cut cloths and attach it to my "Swiffer". It works even better than the disposable cloths you pay $5 for. These cloths are amazing at removing soap scum. My showers get so smooth you have to be careful next time you get in. The next product I have recently been made aware of is lemon oil. I use it to dust and polish. You can use it to clean stainless steel. I also put a thin coat on the clean shower walls and fixtures. It can extend the time between cleanings. DO NOT PUT IT ON THE SHOWER FLOOR! Now on to the laundry. I started making my own laundry detergent. According to the recipe I use, it costs about $.01/load compared to "Tide" at $.25/load. It smells great and softens the load. I also started buying liquid fabric softener, putting it in a recycled spray bottle, and spraying it on one of my socks from the "Home for Wayward Socks" bag. I dilute the softener with an equal amount of water. I've had the same bottle of fabric softener for months and months. Here's the recipe for the laundry detergent:
1 c. grated Fels Naptha
1/2 c. Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1/2 c. Mule Team Borax

I grate the bar soap with an old cheese grater and put all of the ingredients in a recycled ice cream bucket with a lid. You use 2 tbsp per load. All of the ingredients are available at Kroger. I hope anyone who reads this finds this helpful. For other hints, try out:
http://www.everydaycheapskate.com/
http://www.soapsgonebuy.com/
http://www.womansday.com/

Be Careful Little Ears What You Hear

My middle child is intensely funny. She keeps me in stitches and provides a heapin' helping of what I call "blog fodder". We were out of town a couple of weeks ago. The morning we were leaving the hotel to come home, we caught the end of the movie "Evan Almighty". Pretty cute movie. A few days after we came home, the kids and I went to the grocery store. I always park right by the "Cart Corral". This allows me to park my behemoth van with no fear that anyone will park beside me and we all have to enter through the drivers side and also none of my children will fall out of the vehicle and the door will not bang into one of my husband's patient's brand new white Cadillac! Not to mention any names (mason). After our shopping trip, I loaded up the van with kids and groceries and went to put the cart away. An elderly man with a long white beard is also putting his cart away right beside our van. I hear my daughter say, in her best news reporter voice, "The Weirdo with the Beardo". You know how you try to act like "whose kids are those and where is their mother?". Didn't work out so well. My two year old is smiling and waving at me. After I stopped secretly laughing, I gently informed my daughter that was not a nice thing to say. I got the usual and customary, "I'm sorry. I didn't know." Why do children pick out the most obscure things from something they've seen or heard and use them at the most inopportune times?