Life doesn't wait for a good time to come at you

Emma's birthday was Feb. 7, but I just uploaded the photos.

Emma was all pumped up about her party!


As you can see, Sarah and Emma are having a nice snuggly soft moment at her birthday party....when suddenly (!), soccer ball revenge.


It actually didn't hit them, but it is funny. ;)

I got bombed today (with get well cards)

*singing* I got out of the house today.

It was good for my mental health I think. My sister took my mom and me to lunch and then we went to visit my other sister whose little smidge of a boy was sick. (he just turned 3!)

When I got home, Maggie was there and handed me a big envelope. She said her teacher gave it to her to give to me. I told her to put it on the table and she said, "No you're going to want to open this." So I did. Here is what was inside.



I think I've been love-bombed by second graders!!! I read each one, got all teary, and fought the urge to correct spelling or grammar or spray them with Lysol.

Feeling thankful

Charles is home studying for Sunday today. While he's studying, Jennifer Knapp is playing on his iTunes. I love it. Her lyrics bring around a feeling of great neediness and thankfulness in me for God's great grace and forgiveness. It is a humbling thing to realize things last Monday could have gone much worse for us. I could have woken up and stroked out or I could have not had this cough and had to the doctor.

I'm feeling some perspective, in other words. And I'm thankful I still have a brain. I think Charles is thankful too. He keeps hugging me.

For all the sin that lives in me
It took a nail to set me free still,
What I do I don't want to do and so goes the story
What You had in mind
What we seek we'll find
Shine, show me grace

With all this motivation I still find a hesitation
Deep in my soul
Despite all my demanding I still find You understanding
Show me grace
Show me grace I know is

A little more than I can give
A little more than I deserve
Unearth this holiness I can't earn
It's a little more than I can give
A little more than I deserve

Thank you

Listen to the song:

The strength we need....

Amen

Joyful Sunday to you!

The stone of contention

....and it really is a con·ten·tion.

(kn-tnshn) n.
1. The act or an instance of striving in controversy or debate.
2. A striving to win in competition; rivalry:
The teams met in fierce contention for first place.
3. An assertion put forward in argument.

There is a fight I have been contending in for about 21 years now. After the birth of our first daughter, Hannah, I began having seriouser, seriouser pains in my side. A girlfriend in NJ once saw me digging my right fist into my side. She said, "Oh you have kidney stones, don't you?" I was shocked. "I have no idea!" I said. She gave me her Urologist's name and that was the beginning of a very long, very arduous battle. Three lithotripsies and one shrinking kidney later, I have learned to live with them (until I actually have big ones again, mostly after each pregnancy) and loath them.

For a few years now I have only had minor annoyances with the evil things (the stones). But on Monday the boulders (yes) raised their heads above the peaceful scenery and attacked full force. A disguised attack. I went to the doctor to try to see if we could get rid of this cough I've had for 4 weeks. But in order to talk to the doctor about anything you have to have your blood pressure taken.

Mine was 240/150. She told me I was not allowed to leave except by ambulance. I begged to get my husband to come take me and it was agreed upon under the condition that we go straight to the ER. They asked all kinds of questions, took an EKG, took blood, and eventually did an angiogram...yeah, I was like, am I 70 or what? It all came back fine, but I had mentioned the fact that I've had some killer stones before so the very smart ER doctor sent me for a CAT scan of my head (just in case) and my abdomen. I'm sorry to have to use this kind of slang, but they were totally like, "Dewdette! You have some huge kidney stones in there!"

After 4 days in the hospital, having angiogram, EKGs, blood work twice a day, 2 IV's, being kept in critical care unit, they did decide that the high blood pressure was caused by the stones. Then I had a laser treatment for the stones. And also trials and observations on which kindS of meds they wanted to put me on for blood pressure (slightly high normally) and cholesterol (again slightly high).

If you don't feel sorry for me and aren't cringing in your computer chair by now, you are heartless and should immediately quit reading my blog (like say if you're my mean cardio doc).

I came home yesterday. Apparently no one did a very good job of informing my kids that I wasn't going to die because that is what they all thought. I had several tear soaked hugs. By the way, no one else (including Charles and I) knew exactly WHAT was happening, so there is no one to fault. And my dear dear husband stayed with me through the long days and 2 long nights of being in the hospital in critical care. And my younger sister stayed in the evening with my children, made sure they had yummy suppers and that the little one took her shower. My older sister stayed in the hospital with me for a day and a night and every time I coughed (the cough was neglected by all doctors and staff) she sat up and said "Are you alright? Do you need something?" It got quite comical. It was such a comfort, you just can't even imagine! Of course other visitors came too and a woman from our church was in the room just down the hall fighting her own battle. God bless us every one!

But there were dinners in the fridge and shortly on our table (Cheryl's chicken pot pie cures all) and I have a new plush toy type of heating pad (the only true way to manage stone pain) and I was able to sit up and be around my kids and husband all evening yesterday.....memories of the hospital only remaining as a sore body, arms that look like a junkie, and little tapes I keep pulling off during the day.

....oh and the pain of finely lasered stones filtering down through my body making me love my cute heating pad all the more and my family infinitely.

And now....I can just say 'refer to the blog' when people ask me what happened. This will be much more convenient than the full body tattoo I was going to have done explaining it for me. ;)

Valentine's Dinner

Happy Valentine's Day to my smoopsy whoopsy. I am inspired to cook spaghetties tonight. *wink wink, nudge nudge*



I love you!

Elementary my dear.....boys are yucky!

Elementary school is a cruel world for boys these days. I was talking to a second grader the other day who told me two boys have asked her so far to be their Valentine. I told her of another girl, L, who I knew was A's valentine.

"She said YES????" she exclaimed.

I said yes, they 'like' each other! She was shocked. SHOCKED! I asked her if she said yes to those boys who asked her. Her eyes flew open wide and she scrunched her nose and yelled, "NOOOOO!"

You have to give it to those boys for having that kind of oomph in the face of such blatant rejection.

My own sixth grade daughter said 2 boys have asked her to the spring dance that the sixth graders do every year. They study about the Renaissance period then put on a banquet and dance, complete with dressing up. I said, "Oh who asked you?" (I was trying to contain my shock that my 11 year old had been asked to a dance by a male species) She told me the names and I asked if she was wanting to go to the dance. She promptly, unhessitatingly was so appalled by the thought of it I assumed the answers to the invitations was NO.

Today we walked home together and she said another boy had acted on a dare and asked her to be 'his Valentine'. Apparently she shocked at that by her tone and facial expression, I looked at her and said,

"So what do you do when they ask? Do you just say, 'NO!'?" (I dramatically rolled my eyes and said NO in the most enthusiastic, appalled fashion)

"Mom, that is exactly what I did! How did you know that?"

I suddenly felt sorry for the wretched little boy. "Doesn't that hurt their feelings? Don't you at least try to be nice and say 'no thank you' or something??"

"Mom, they're BOYS. I don't really think they care. Besides, it was J!! And it was a DARE!"

So much for dignity in the sixth grade.

So I dedicate this demotivator to elementary school boys everywhere (except A, who has L wrapped around his grubby little finger).

Best Wishes!

Soul mates

I'm sorry. Kind of....

I'll be posting these all week just so you're forewarned.

heehee



I don't really think I'm taking Valentine's Day seriously this year....okay ....or last year. It's much more freeing actually though. You should try it.

Valentines with a kick

Last year I put some snarky valentine's on my blog. They were sarcastic, they were full of snark, and they were hilarious.

This year I will put some here for you before Valentine's Day so we can all get it out of our system before the day on which we are supposed to be nice. ;) Here are some candy hearts you can design. Be nice....or not. Just make some.



At i heart despair. It's fun!

And remember:

Seventeen

Emma's 17th birthday party was a success, but the evening came to a dramatic end. The teens were playing hide and seek. They do it all the time here.

They turn off every light in our house and the outside lights too. Then one person goes in the front yard to wait til everyone has hidden and they have to find them in the dark....no lights (but every once in a while you see a cell phone light behind a couch or from a closet LOL). It's very dark and looks like great fun. Charles and I sit in our room working on computers or watching a movie and occasionally hear a scream or a burst of laughter. The boundaries are anywhere in the house except parents room or older sister's room, who was at work...and anywhere in the backyard.....no front yard or garage.

By round one they could not find a guy named C. They looked everywhere and then played 2 more rounds (they thought he was still hiding and being stubborn). After the third round they could no longer find T. They looked everywhere.

It was starting to look like we were in a murder mystery. I had come out by then to get the dog because I realized (after 3 rounds finally) that she was probably freaking out a little. (She was fine though) So I came in to the teens looking for these guys. T finally walked in the front door after he'd found a great hiding spot and then jumping the fence so that no one would know where he was (but I know). But C we had to search for. He had dissapeared after round one. It was weird. He was no where.

We went to the front yard and scoured it, we shone our flashlights up on the roof, we beat bushes and looked under cars. Then I decided to move my car back into the driveway because they had had the ping pong table out on it and I saw a kid walking up the street.....C, sculking around my neighborhood. He had just up and gone to the park at 10pm for an hour or so! The teens were glad he was found but a little mad at him. He's lucky he came back then because his ride was leaving. His ride picked him up before he got to the house, which was probably a good thing because the teens were a little ticked off. ;)

I'm just thankful we found him and he's all right. All kinds of things were going through my mind while the search was on!

And so ends a 17th birthday. She is growing up.

Y'know it's one thing to be sad that your oldest is growing up, but when all but one is, it hits you harder. You feel a little older.

What's your WOTY for 2008?

Oxford's word of the year for 2008 is Hypermiling (getting really good gas mileage....so green yet so boring)

At Miriam Webster it is bailout. ehn
Runners up at Miriam Webster were:
2. vet
3. socialism
4. maverick
5. bipartisan

At Webster's New World Dictionary we have: oversharing. How can you OVER share, really? Let's do the kindergarten lesson redo....the Golden Rule and all that.

So....nothing good this year. Last year's WOTY was w00t....much less of a yawn factor.

C'mon people, start using (or looking up online) some more exciting words!

A good way to boost that vocabulary: Free Rice

Strange happenings last night

I actually watched a football game last night. Well, I only watched the second half to be honest, but it made history. I've never done that before. I probably won't ever again, but it was fun to see our state's team go to the big one. I also watched a baseball game once.....the big one when the Diamondbacks were in it. I can't remember what that 'big game' is called, but they won it. It is too bad the Cardinals didn't win, they played so well. Everyone in my living room was instantly on their feet while Fitzgerald was pumping it down the field to make a touchdown. Then all jaws dropped when the Steelers got another touchdown by a tippy toe. Very fun. But don't get used to it. Sports on television make my eyes go swirly usually.

Very strange Super bowl. I usually ask to be called when the commercials are on and do my own thing during the game. This time I actually watched the game and thought the commercials were all quite lame or skanky.

And there it is....I wrote a blog about a sport. I don't even have a category for it, so I will file this under people and family stories since I don't have a category for miraculous happenings. ;)