The Second Season Of The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Bloggers

I promised a little more light and a lot less darkness in this post. I also promised pictures. You are getting both today. As promised. Insert Smile here. :-)

This week has been a little crazy. I have had appointments, expectations, housework. I have also done without company for most of the evenings, as DH has been doing part-time radio production as well as his full-time job. I have spent a lot of time cleaning the house (the work NEVER ends, really), and more time than necessary on the laptop.

I spent this past weekend watching little ones for friends and family. This is Alex.



The first thing I heard him do when he came to my house was original. He said, "cat" and clicked at them. The last thing he did on the way out the door was deep knee bends, with shouting... I figured out that this was a mimic of Daddy, who teaches Tae Kwon Do. You can see my shoe rack by the front door in the back ground of the picture... Alex was convinced that I had my shoes organized incorrectly. He spent most of an hour rearranging them for me. Quite amusing.

This is Jelly Bean trying to hug Gum Drop, and Gum Drop having none of that. They both are great at moving all the time. It is tough to get a clear picture. I don't think pictures really do them justice.



Gum Drop had come home from a fresh hair cut - his first! He was quite handsome. Jelly Bean had gotten her really long hair trimmed, and she was the first to tell me of the difference. Here is Jelly's Hair. Yeah, I'm not jealous of the "Cousin It" view at all... No, really, I'm not!



Today was really good too. Mamma Mia and her Hunny came from Colorado, and we met for lunch today. Pumkin was sure to tell me that she didn't remember me. I told her that was OK. She had only met me once, and it was months ago! Isn't she cute?



Now, Sugar Plum's real name and Jelly Bean's real name are the same. And Hunny's name and BIL's name are the same. So we don't have a hard time remembering Mamma Mia's family's names. Sugar Plum is a cutie, too. See?



Here is the picture that her Hunny took of us. Left, Mamma Mia. Right, Chelf. I am not going to beat myself up over my opinion of my image. I have Jared to thank for making me see that the pictures are not for me, but for YOU. I know how I look and I don't like it much, but it is how I am right now. It is my present. It is my history, and may be valuable in the future when I have lost all this weight that I constantly fight with. It was a GOOD Hair Day, so I shouldn't complain at all!



I hadn't really thought of it before, but he made a face today, and I noticed how much her Hunny looks like Phil Vischer (creator of Veggie Tales). Am I crazy, or do you see it too?



{Edit: To prove the thought, remember that when Veggie Tales started, Phil Vischer was a lot younger... and had dark hair. And I have seen the "behind the scenes" extras on the videos, so that is where I think the expression I saw came from. This picture I got from his entry on Wikipedia. Here is the link. Thanks.}



The most important part of the day was lunch. No, not the eating of the lunch, but the visiting and friendship. We got to watch the kids play, and we got to have a relaxing time. These visits really don't last long enough for me. But, the girls were getting tired; the eventual result of that is, of course, cranky. Oh, and Mamma Mia brought me Pueblo, CO Green Chiles... to compare with my favorite Hatch, NM Green Chiles. I have a lot of chiles now, and it will take a lot of Chili recipes to go through it all. How yummy this winter eating will be.

I am looking for a shop to buy bulk spices... loose flavorings sold by weight. If you know of such a shop online, that is fine, but I was hoping for some place local. I live in Oklahoma City, and I am willing to go to Tulsa or Wichita, but not much further. If I can get there and back again (yes, I realize I made a literary reference... that was on purpose) in one day, I would like to have a reason to go besides the spices. Please leave me comments with your suggestions. Thanks!

I wish for everyone to have a pleasant and fulfilling Thanksgiving holiday!

I Didn't Mean To Stay Quiet So Long, Though

Hello again, readers!

I have just been so busy. I know that excuse won't hold water with some of you, because you understand the housework part of my job of Homemaker. Sure, I probably could have put something up here. But when I tell you some of the exciting news around here, you will maybe forgive me for a week or two of distance?

On Tuesday last week, Oct. 7, DH and I should have been awake when the phone rang. SIL's babysitter was sick, and SIL needed someone to watch the Niecephews. I sleepily agreed. And then rushed to get out of the house in less than an hour, and over there as soon as possible, so BIL could go to work.

We had a blast! We played so much, I thought Gum Drop was going to fall over where he stopped, and sleep for hours. Thinking back on my own childhood, I realized that the most fun we had playing indoors on cool days was building forts out of couch cushions and blankets and bed sheets. Jelly Bean had already watched an episode of Dora where they had to go through a tunnel. I got smart, and pulled an ottoman away from its over-sized chair, and strew a throw blanket over it, and called it a tunnel.

As you can see, I was blessed with awesome helpers! This was well into the process, they wouldn't let it stay up long enough for me to get a picture.

We learned action verbs. Over....

Under....

....and last, but not least is Through!

There was much tickling and more laughing that day than I have had in a long time. Those kids do me good. They remind me how much fun life can be, and how to use my imagination again.

Gum Drop is learning quickly how to talk, and he is walking and chasing and running now. He said, ever so clearly, "Drink", "Thank You", "No", and I am certain that he tried to say "Pacifier". They tell me now he also says "Hot Dog", but I didn't hear that one. He says "Uh-Oh" and then drops his cup on the floor, which if it weren't so ornery would be funny. He waits for an audience, does something cute, and then yays for himself. He likes very much to test fate, and looks at you with a sneaky grin if he knows he is doing something that he knows not to. Like climbing on the coffee table, for one. SIL says he is Sneaky, FAST, and Persistent. And, boy oh boy, is she right about her boy!

Before the laptop gives me any more funny noises, I am going to take a short intermission.

Cue the Dramatic Music...

Party All The Time

For those interested in my meager little life, I have been so busy lately. I have hardly had a moment's rest, a bit of peace.

There are some bright spots in the world. This one, for instance.

This was Gum Drop (SIL looking on and balancing him from behind) at his First Birthday Party. He is in his own Chiefs Jersey Onesie (Hi, Sally!), and opening our present to him. He had the best time! He got so much more messy than his sister did at her first party. The party was all Chiefs, and the party cake was a football field, complete with players. His own personal cake was a football.

Pure Joy.


His hair did a flyaway crazy 'do after his chocolate bath. I didn't get a picture of the muddy looking bathwater, mostly because it was too gross. Got to love the kiddos.

The next bright spot is this one.

Jelly Bean is now 3, and her Third Birthday Party was Care Bears. She picked it herself. There were balloons, cake and lemonade, and lots of presents! There were goodie bags that JB gave to her friends, with Baby Gummy Bears in there. So tasty!

This one moves so much and so often, I rarely get a good picture of her. Usually I get only hair as she dashes away. This is JB on her requested Birthday Scooter, wearing her requisite Birthday Helmet (that was our contribution). She did very well on the scooter; I even caught it on video (haven't yet figured out how to post those. I promise some in the future).

There have been a few other things going on in my life, too. There was the wonderful visit from my friend, the Georgia Peach. This is Georgia Peach, Roadrunner, and Chelf. (Pay no attention to the BunnyButt in the background)

Georgia Peach came to see a whole bunch of us Clubbies, and brought her two "nieces" (her BFF's two kids) with her. I have several BFF's with children, and I would be willing to bet that none of them would let me take two of their kiddos on a week-long adventure to another state in a rented car. Not without a lot of explaining, and pictures. Georgia is just that awesome of an "Aunt".

There have been the trips to the local swimming hole. This is Roadrunner's little one, I think I shall refer to him as Mr. Bump. He is calamity and daring all in one.

I didn't get a good picture of the older son by himself. I have to think of a nickname that doesn't violate any copyright laws. (Karate Kid is already taken, and it is Tae Kwon Do anyway) Maybe Roadrunner can help me? (BunnyButt suggested "Sauce", but I don't want the kiddo mad at me, either.)

Then there is the Tea Kettle. This little one is Roadrunner's nephew. He screams in a pitch that no boy should ever be allowed to make. It sounds just like her tea kettle. He likes to snuggle, and get me into trouble by crying when I pick him up.

I am now off to two more Birthday Parties tonight. Tomorrow, there is a Wedding Shower I am helping hostess. This busy life is sometimes almost too much. Almost. Then I look at all the little faces around me, and I know....

So very worth it!

Talk Of Weather And Family

It has been over 100 degrees for so long, I am not sure that the air knows how to cool down. Our poor air conditioner is working all the time, and barely keeping the house at 80. I am wearing tank tops all the time, and still sweating into a puddle. The box fans and the oscillating stand fans we have are also working constantly. Moving the air makes it feel cooler, even if that is just an illusion to my skin.

I don't enjoy summer, it is tediously hot, and I prefer cooler temperatures. Monday, we broke a record from the early 1900's, by one degree. Oklahoma City hit 105.

I am sitting here, waiting for the laundry to finish rinsing, and all I can think of is.... "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!" Yes, I would love to see cooler temperatures and colder precipitation.

On a happier note, DH and I got to babysit the Candy Kids last night. SIL goes back to school (she is a counselor, and faculty have to go back before the kids do) today, and she and BIL spent yesterday as a final summer fling mini vacation. They took the Kids to a swim park, and spent time together as a family; as if the whole of Tuesday was actually a Saturday. After DH got off work, we went to play with the Kids while their parents had a Fancy Dinner Date.

What is it about little kids wanting to go to school? Don't they know how much work it will be? Do they not understand how much fun they will miss out on by being cooped up in a building like so many chickens? Jelly Bean is infatuated with "My School" right now. Her house is three or four blocks from their neighborhood Elementary School, and she HAD to walk there, to show me where it was, and to play at the "park" behind it. She won't even attend there for another whole year, but she is convinced that it is hers right now. They grow up so fast. She isn't even three yet. Next year, she can start Pre-K. She beat that deadline by two days, smart girl.

MIL said that DH and SIL used to get up when they were supposed to be in bed; like they were in a toaster. POP! I called Jelly Bean a Pop Tart last night. I think it is just as accurate, and sweeter than toast. Jelly Bean decided that she could (POP) bump against her door, cry, and slide down the door to sit on the floor. I went and knocked on her door, and told her to get back in bed. I heard a scared little scamper, and then crying. I figured she would cool off if she really laid down. I went to get a glass of water for me. She came out once (POP), and slammed her bedroom door behind her. Then she found me in the kitchen. I told her that door slamming was unacceptable, and that she needed to go back to bed. I had to take her there. She was OK for a few minutes. I took my water and my book, and settled down for some good reading. Jelly Bean screamed, and ran out (POP) and told me that she wanted Mommy. We cuddled for a while, and I told her how good she had been that day, and that Mommy and Daddy were still on their date, but they loved her. We sang a song, and we cuddled some more. I took her back to her room, and she whimpered a little, but she settled down pretty quickly, and was asleep when her parents got home about an hour later.

Gum Drop must be teething. He was a grouchy gus when he was not giggling at Uncle DH. DH is tall, taller than their Daddy, so when he tosses them in the air, they are seriously high up there. Gum Drop loves to be tossed and tumbled and have razzberries blown on his belly. I say "zerberts" like Bill Cosby used to call them. Mommy gave him some Tylenol before she left, and poor babe was out cold for an hour and a half. I hope that he still stayed asleep the whole night. He was fighting the sleep when it came time to go to bed.

Gum Drop is almost walking by himself. He has the balance and the footwork, but he lacks the confidence. He has to be holding on to something. I was trying to get him to try walking alone. When I let go of one of his hands, keeping the other, he would turn. He put his free hand side forward, and would crab-walk sideways ahead, and cling to the remaining support for dear life. I traded hands once, and he traded which side was forward. Silly boy. He has a toy that has a seat for a scooter, and the seat can open up to let him walk between the halves. He was walking back and forth through the living room, and whining when he hit obstacles that wouldn't let him pass.

I had my camera with me, and didn't take any pictures. Shame on Auntie Chelf. But, I do have pictures from our Girls Day last Thursday. While the dealership had my new Honda to put a cruise control on it, I got to hang out with SIL and the Candy Kids. While Gum Drop napped, we girls painted our toenails Purple, and put stickers on them. I have a picture of MY toes, but I think I shall spare you. Here are Jelly Bean's toes. She picked the initial for one toe and the heart for the other.


I hope your summer has been full of fun! Tell me what your summer adventures have been.

Would Paradise Really Serve Burgers?

Word of the Post
Today's word is: locus
/lo"cus/ noun
A place, a locality; site. Plural is "loci" pronounced /lo"sy/
The scavenger hunt took us to several varied loci.
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I have so many things on my mind today, I don't know exactly where to start. I suppose I shall just let things tumble out, and I will quit when I reach a good stopping point. Wouldn't want to overwhelm you all with everything. Might get droll.

Friday, I went with my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law to the Affair of the Heart. I have a few things that I always look for. I didn't see the guy who makes pottery for his wife to paint Beatles lyrics on. That is way too much money for me to spend, anyway, and all for DH, not me. I of course make a reservation in my time for Goodies Unlimited. Aubrey makes the best soaps, lotions and lip balms. We have grown to have a rapport that benefits us both. I love her Everything Balm, and buy a few things every time I visit. I found Roy who makes Pens. I got one for Dad last October, for his birthday. It was a .308 shell with a black walnut top. If you know guns, you can see it in your head. If you don't know guns, you only need to know that is was a cool wooden pen with a shotgun shell as the bottom of it. Dad loved it. They have one building that always seems to get the tackiest of the exhibits. I don't know why that is. I am not into the flashy stuff, but there is a whole building full of it!

Today we went to lunch with the family. DH's mom won't let us pay for meals, especially when she invites us to come. SIL and I both told the waitress that we were wanting separate checks, and SIL got the "mother glare" from across the table. She didn't catch me until we had three checks in three little books. She literally took the book from my hands with force, and said playfully, "I win!". SIL was out feeding Gum Drop, so she stood not a chance of paying for herself and Jelly Bean. "We didn't invite you to lunch to make you pay!" I answered that with, "We didn't accept expecting free food." I mean, I knew it was a restaurant. I know it costs money to eat. Both our moms do that when they are around. When they visited at the same time, they discussed it at length, and then decided that they would each pay for the dinners of their daughters. MIL paid for SIL and her family, and Mom paid for me and DH. It is funny to watch them twitch when we want to pay for ourselves. Seriously, when I lived at home, it would have been craziness for me to suggest that I pay for anything other than the gas in my car. I still offered to pay for some things. I was raised with at least a pretense of honor.

This 888 challenge is kicking me right now. Basically, it is one book a week, all year long, with a few extras thrown in somewhere. I am a month behind. I officially started reading the first book on February 1. I am reading slowly for me. This kind of book I could read in two days usually. This one has taken me more than a week. I am seriously losing my touch. It's not as if I have a clean house to show for the lack of reading. No, actually, I have a mess, and no ambition to fix it. If I had more than a husband and two cats to blame, I would probably be yelling at them right now to clean up their rooms. No such luck. I need to yell at ME.

I want to achieve a balance in our home. I have no idea where to start on that, either. Fly Lady and books on cleaning and organization... (shaking my head in total dismay) I am to the point of hiring a cleaning service, but I don't have the money. Like many others before me, I want my home to be cleaner before I let anyone else in to do the deep cleaning. I have an addiction to stuff, and it clutters and stresses my life. I don't feel comfortable letting people in my home, and that is against the hospitality I desire to show to anyone who knocks. Patterns, lists and budgets have all failed, because I don't keep up with them any better than the dishes.

Bible study fails me, too. I don't read much recently, and the Bible usually isn't it when I bother. We have been studying on Sundays about creating Spiritual Maturity. {Edit: Technically, the words were Spiritual Discipline. I am simply unDisciplined.} Prayer, Meditation, Fasting, Silence. All things to improve our personal walk with God, and help the Spiritual Growth of the church. Pretty sad, because the only thing I think I have accomplished is this new-found sense of inadequacy. Huzzah! Lent started this week, but since the church of Christ at large does not celebrate that, I have not given up anything. I have been my usual selfish self. ME ME ME ME ME ME ME! How empty and unsatisfying. Solomon knew this feeling. "Vanity, vanity, all is vanity." His knowledge of nothing new under the sun was revolutionary then, and still is. When we give up our thoughts of self, we can then fully appreciate what God really has in His plans for us. We can explore what freedom in Christ really is. But we have to still our own pride first. OUCH, that is a painful test.

Why is it that commercials are played so much louder than the movie? Why is it that movies don't get shown on TV with the subtitles available? I could really use that after DH goes to bed, and I stay up late and mindlessly type my brains out. Speaking of which, it is really late. I should get in bed. Sunday will be miserable if I do not get some rest. I have not had the terrible cough since Wednesday. The teas and potions did the trick. I am feeling so much better these days. The exhaustion of spending all day Friday on my feet was not fun today, but it didn't stop me from being lazy, either. I cherish my lazy Saturdays.

Happy reading to you all!

Every Girl Knows Statistics LIE

Word of the Post
Today's word is: onomatopoeia
/on*uh*maht*uh*pee"uh/ noun
Words that imitate the sound they stand for; Crash, bang and boom, for instance.
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I added a counter to my site. I wanted to see some statistics, because I only get a few comments for some posts, but I don't know how many times any of you may read what I have to say. It skews the stats just a bit to know that I count for each time I look at the site while updating. I still need to find a counter that shows me all hits, unique hits, and not myself. But it seemed like a good idea to start somewhere. It comes with a sponsor link, and I chose Lane Bryant, because that randomly came up, and it is something I would use (if I had money to spend on clothes!). So, go check out their coupons for me, and keep my counter busy!

Several people have said they like the recipes, so I am hoping to continue those on occasion. I find I am often in a rut about what to cook. I have stacks upon stacks of cookbooks. When we got married, I asked my mother-in-law to tell people that I wanted cookbooks. I received many at our various showers, and had no duplicates. I have added several since then. For Christmas, I got Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious", and just last night I got Missy Chase Lapine's "Sneaky Chef". I figure that if Ms. Lapine is going to accuse Mrs. Seinfeld of stealing her idea, then I should probably buy both books and compare them for myself. Ms. Lapine seems to take into consideration that you CAN add veggies to anything, but questions which ones you SHOULD add to each dish. Putting Cauliflower in Macaroni and Cheese doesn't sound so bad, but Broccoli in Brownies? That sounds bad to me. Anyway, I am willing to experiment, and maybe get some of the veggies past myself and DH to make us more healthy.

Speaking of experimenting, I tried something new the other night. This was last Monday, before the stew (which we still have at least one serving of). I was thinking on the idea of a Shepherd's Pie, and came up with a Joe-like version that tasted pretty good.

Pie-less Shepherd Joe
Large skillet (I used the largest one I had, but it could have been done in a 12 inch)
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1/4 cup frozen diced onion
1/2 cup frozen diced green sweet pepper
1 can (10 ounces) Rotel (I used Mild)
1 can (8 ounces) Tomato Sauce
Spice to taste (remember my fondness for the spice rack). I recommend especially: a shake or two of Worcestershire sauce, cumin, chili powder, cilantro, black pepper, and garlic powder.


Simmer over medium heat, stirring often, until most of the liquid evaporates out, and you are left with a yummy sauce.

Serve on Toast, top with Cheese, and maybe add a side of Sour Cream.

This turned out pretty tasty, and I remembered to get pictures of it for you. A good day!

I got to baby sit the Candy Kids yesterday. Regular baby sitter's own child was sick with a fever, so late at night, I was called in as the pinch hitter. Jelly Bean was her usual aged 2 attitude, but still very sweet. She is doing well at the potty training. I had to keep asking her if she needed to go... and usually the answer was no. At one point, I just said, "let's go", so she didn't really have a way out. She really did sit, and actually did something twice, but she has no patience. "I done, that's all, there is no more to squeeze out." She does not like sitting there longer than she has to. So, at least there is no desire to read a magazine or something. She gets 3 m&m's when she accomplishes the use of the potty. Very cool reward. I even let her pick the colors she wanted. She did a lot of telling me no, hoping that I would not remind her that she needs to obey and respect anyone who is in charge. I did remind her. She also tried a lot of testing the rules, hoping that I would not know them all. Sneaky little thing. She did the most of her acting up when Mommy came home. I wonder what that was about? (Did I mention that she's 2?)

Gum Drop is growing so big! His sister was so little, and still is, I guess. He is now almost 5 months old. He doesn't like to sit down very much, he loves to stand and kick. We practiced walking a little yesterday. He did his own motion of one foot in front of the other. I just balanced him, and gave him the leaning cue to move the foot without the weight. He enjoys being on his back, and can almost completely roll over. He gets right on the verge, and then that arm on the bottom stops him. He also rolls from his front to his back, but he seems to be surprised when that happens. He puts his arms straight down by his sides when he is on his tummy, as if he thinks he can fly or something. (He was Superman for Halloween) He needs to get his arms up and his knees under him, so he can get the motion of crawling down. I have a feeling he will crawl for a day or two, and decide that walking is faster and easier. I propped him up on the arm of the couch with pillows for support, and he discovered his knee. He was very serious about examining what this new thing was.

Beware of people who don't like cats. ~ Irish proverb

Air Conditioning Is A Necessity in Oklahoma

I have never come so close to purchasing a new car before. We were casually looking at new cars. We test drove an 2008 Honda Fit, we got windblown looking at Jeeps and Dodges, Saturns and even a few Fords. Our last stop was at the Hyundai dealership. We drove an 2007 Elantra, and it was nice. It was white, four doors, and still had the new car smell with only 7 thousand miles on it. We were actually in the finance office. We had gotten to the point of discussing how to make the down payment. I had the checkbook out of the purse. But I couldn't do it. Basic Math and my gut stopped me.

Do you suppose that a Finance Manager would understand if I told him I had a psychic flash not to buy the car? God spoke to me, told me not to go into debt? Have you ever had to have the breakup conversation with a Finance guy? It's not you, it's me. Really. Yeah, that's it. It's ME.

I feel bad (but not so very bad after all) about letting the sales guy think this thing was in the bag. He was nice enough. I don't fault him. I feel sad that he got his hopes up. It is his living wage (hear me laugh, I know what sort of commission car sales guys barely make) to make car sales, and we, while not intending to hurt anyone, really did not plan to buy when we walked in. Don't get me wrong, here. I want nothing more than to trade off the Buick Century. It gets on my nerves. But, it is mine. We own it outright, no payments, no debt. It may drive me nutty, but it is a comfortable sort of nutty.

I still have no idea what is to be done with the Chevy Malibu. It sits in Dad's yard, still on the trailer. I suppose that since it died on the road, it is probably toast. I have no plan yet on how to pay for any repairs. If it needs a replacement engine, I wonder if I can feel confident in its future performance? I am torn. I don't want to make payments, and I loved the Malibu. I desire a new car, yet I enjoy having my money.

I still don't know if it was that the car was not THE car, or if I sensed that I would have to pay so much to fix Dad's van. Saturday, we had to replace the starter in the Dodge. Which was a small price to pay, compared to towing my car for four hours. I don't really have an explanation, and I don't really want to dwell on the "loss" of the possibility of the car. I just know it was my reading and education from Dave Ramsey that kept ringing in my head. "Sleep on it." If the deal is right, it will still be there Monday. As good as the deal was, it was not right for us.

I sit here thinking that I can have been driving the prettiest new car. And if I had been doing that, I would be broke. Not really in so many dollars, but the feeling of poverty would have depressed me. More than the anticipation of paying for the fixing of "my baby" has already done.

We got to see Niece Jelly Bean today. She spent yesterday and today with Grandma and Grandpa. They were in Enid this morning, and came to see us after she had a nap. She sat in the car for the hour and a half that it took to come here, and she was reasonably quiet during the evening church service. She was so tired of being still and quiet. It was fun to let her run and jump. She is so smart! She knows the whole Alphabet song, the difference between "big" and "little", and she loves meeting new people. She had a little trouble pronouncing the J in Elijah, but she got Lynnea right on the first try. She even recognized "my friend!" after the service. (after distracting L's family all through the lesson; don't argue with me, I know she did) She was very good at supper, and didn't even cry too much when she didn't get to come into our house (a quick stop) before going to see Mommy, Daddy and Gum Drop.

It makes JB giggle to make faces at her. Ask her to "Make your Angry face!" and you will get a little grin and a "grrr" with a mean little arm flex that should scare you. Tonight, she giggled when I asked her to make faces. Then she went back to whining. It also made her giggle to hear me make a fuss. I whimpered and put my head in her lap, which made her laugh. "See? I can cry just as much as you!" I think she was fighting her sleepy with every ounce of energy, and she was losing the battle.

I am worn out just watching her today. She is so full of energy, so happy and so eager to learn new things. She was quite disappointed that we were not going to Bible Class after worship tonight. I don't know how parents do it. How do you keep up with a little ball of light and motion? I love the child dearly, but it makes me tired to watch her for a day. My brother's idea of remaining child-free is looking better all the time. Not my JB, but some kids in this world make me happy to not be a parent. Correction: Some kids in this world make me happy not to be THEIR parent. Mine would have much more education on manners and respect and obeying than the typical kid you see throwing a tantrum in the cereal aisle at the grocery store.

Or would they....?

Snips and Snails and Puppy-Dog Tails

Word of the Post
Today's word is: akimbo
/uh*kim"bo/ adjective
With a crook or bend; appendages bent outward, with the joint away from the body.
Sitting "criss-cross applesauce" (it used to be called "Indian Style", but that is racially unacceptable to the PC crowd now) can be described as sitting with legs akimbo.
Can also be an adverb, describing the person's whole stance. A person with hands on hips, and elbows facing out can be referred to as standing akimbo.
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I am not sure what part of nature failed this year, or it if it is actually natural, but we have a lot of spiders right now. Last night, DH came back from his late night Friday fun job, and walked face first into a spider web on our front stoop. I shiver for him! He found the culprit builder, and had it removed from the gene pool. I went out this morning to spray the area with spider killer deluxe spray, and remove the web; the parts that DH may have missed with his face, anyhow. I found the remains of our criminal, as well as four smaller spiders. All different, so that lends hope that there is not a brown recluse around. I guess I need to wash the house. With Bleach. UGH!!! I committed Arachnacide. I am Woman, Hear me scream!

I am not nearly so fearful of spiders as others I know. (Hi, Nicki!) I don't really scream very often. I usually do more of a startled yell. (Holla!) In my searchings, I found many egg sacks, so I will soon be removing those to a distinctly impromptu funeral on the other side of the house. The coffin of the trash barrel will be emptied on Thursday next week.

Now that we are all buggy, I will move on to a better subject. Tuesday night, DH and I went on an "UnDate". "What is an UnDate?" you say? WELL... DH wanted to see the Simpsons Movie, and I had no desire at all to join him. I wished to see Becoming Jane, to which DH returned the sentiment. We decided that we could each see our movies separately, at the same time. The Dollar Theatre was quiet as we entered. We purchased tickets and the requisite snacks, and parted ways. I think we each had a good time. I am happy that we only spent 50 cents each to see movies that would have cost $8.75 a month ago. This way, for the same money, we got two movies and snacks instead of just one movie and nothing else. Date, and yet not. UnDate.

Thursday we went to a special Birthday dinner for BIL. He is now 35. A mutual friend sang "Happy Birthday, old Geezer..." which I found refreshing. I am not the oldest in the room when we hang out with this crowd of friends. Jelly Bean was pitching a little fit (I have seen much worse out of other kids... she is tame, even if it is unacceptable to her parents) and BIL tried to distract her by asking what day it was. Jelly Bean cried a little more and said, "Not MY birthday!" BIL said, "Well, a very merry UnBirthday to YOU!" She didn't get it. She's too little, and has not seen Alice in Wonderland. She must have been tired. She was clingy, but only to certain people. She also did a lot of running around and around the table to keep herself awake and entertained.

I got to hold Gum Drop for a while, to let BIL eat his dinner. I am not so selfish as to not share. I kept getting him, and then passing him off to other friends. One friend has twins, and his son was incredibly jealous that Daddy was holding a strange baby and not his own son. He cried, and reached for me. Now, I am no stranger to this family, but I am no auntie to them either. I don't see them very often, and the kids don't really know me, so it surprised me that Son would try to get me to hold him. Daughter was a little more subtle. She just screamed. These two make the funniest faces! I know that parents get irritated at children acting up at dinner, but I just don't pay so much attention. Is it practice for me? I watched the Mommy of the twins correct, threaten, and actually follow through on the punishments. All very quiet, and personal to the child each time. I think she even had a good time, despite the screaming interruptions.



BIL got a free dessert at the end of the meal, because it was his Birthday. I think half the crowd had a bite of it. And I am pretty sure we finished it. It was a kind of Tiramisu, covered in whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. It was five inches high, and four inches square! The coolest part was that they wrote "Happy Birthday" in a chocolate sauce on the edge of the plate. Jelly Bean got more dirty eating this than she did at her own birthday party.


I have not posted many pictures of Gum Drop lately, because I haven't really gotten to see him much. We go to a different church congregation than BIL and family do. We live close enough to call, and far enough that it is rude not to call when dropping by. We are all so busy with work and school and home and other friends... we don't see each other nearly enough for my taste. I get baby withdrawals. I have to grab babies at my church to fill the void.


This is me, holding Gum Drop, and DH took the picture. That was the first real smile I saw out of the kiddo. We were wandering around a Wal-Mart in Kingfisher. That is our family meeting place for the baby swaps, or the Gramma's Baby Fix Visits. We eat at a restaurant, and go to a park, and wander at the Wally-World, looking at cute clothes for the kids.


This is a rare moment, and you need to savor it. I have run out of things to say. *GASP!!!*

Have a great weekend!

Cutting Class

Word of the Post
Today's word is: aver
/a"ver/ verb
To affirm, verify, declare as truth; assert, avouch, prove.
"It is sufficient that the very fact hath its foundation in truth, as I do seriously aver is the case. ~ Fielding. {1913 Webster}
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Just before Gum Drop was born, Jelly Bean invented "itty bitty fives". If you asked for "fives" and held out your hand, she would put her thumb on top of your hand, and her forefinger on the bottom, and rub a little, like rubbing two pennies together, very soft and gentle. Then, she will usually just give you the "fives" you asked for. DH decided to steal her hand, and give it kisses. He pretended to eat her hand, even. She responded by taking her hand back, and saying, "Don't eat my Fives!"

Regarding my class-hopping, I didn't speak to the elder in question, yet. I decided that I needed to have our group's Agenda with me, the part where we want anonymity at all costs highlighted. I have considered that I may need to do this with one of the men from our group, one of the two who are our liaisons to the eldership at our church. I don't want to get to the point of attack. I just want to impress upon him that I don't appreciate being called out in a classroom. I am not in college anymore, and I will (who can stop me?) speak up if I have something to say.

This brings to mind the issue of women speaking. This is probably something you are tired of hearing from me. Once in a while, I just get a subject stuck in my head. I feel I have to "talk" it out, and it takes a while (and the help of others) to get it out of my mind's forefront. I apologize if you don't care anymore. It will not hurt my feelings if you stop reading here. You have seen all the new, important stuff for today. Sneak out of class. Be my guest.

In the churches of my youth, women were teachers in children's classes, but not to speak in the congregational worship service. My Methodist friend in High School was allowed to help serve the Communion at her services. This was unthinkable at my congregation. My Baptist friend was a frequent solo singer at her services. She has an amazing voice. This also would have been unthinkable, but for slightly different reasons.

My question is this: Is it wrong to allow young women to serve Communion? My thoughts: This is not a Speaking role, it is a quiet service role. Women served the meals in homes... how is this different? I personally would not be comfy walking around in church service. It kinda irritates me that my Hubby has to do this so much. I like to sit next to my hubby during services, and there are plenty more men around to serve. Having no children to watch, having a great radio voice, having no limping age or injury, and having not refused ever before... DH gets "drafted" a LOT. How would DH feel if he had to sit there in our regular place without me? If we allow women in this quiet role, however, what would stop them from desiring more public roles? How is this different than making announcements, praying or (swoon) preaching? Is the age of the servers something to consider? I have seen some teens serving who were very much against God all week long, and spiffied up on Sunday. Would this be better or worse or not any different at all if it were girls?

Next question: Is it right to allow young women to serve Communion? My thoughts: This is a public role. If she were asked to do so, it would not be usurping authority over any man. If she refused, would that be any better? In our service, five of the eight people serving Communion never speak. The other three each lead a prayer. Paul said in the Scripture that he did not allow a woman to speak in the service. Was that a directive from God, or just Paul's view of what was proper? If Scripture is God-breathed and inspired, then God doesn't want women to speak in the ceremony of a church service. Yet, Paul says "I". Does this include singing? Speaking to God in church through song is a community act. We also speak to each other in songs, hymns and spiritual songs... so should women be silent in all of the service?

Most of this questioning is tongue-in-cheek. I don't feel comfortable with women at the front of the service. I don't want to be the woman at the front of the service. I do not think it is always wrong, but it certainly is not always right. So, to be fair, I am happy to err on the side of caution when I have no firm opinion of my own. I don't like the "worship teams" that other local congregations have. I don't need four to eight people attached to microphones swaying. I could close my eyes. I do like the idea of microphones for each of the parts in a cappella harmony, especially if there is a new song that most of the congregation doesn't know. I don't believe that the "song and dance" is necessary, but I am not convinced it is wrong.

Powerpoint is not of Satan. Just so you know. I know many people who think that having the songs and sermon notes plastered on the wall so big and bright that everyone can read them (and will look up instead of slumping to sleep) is wrong. Like having a piano in the church, having a speaker system or video capabilities is of Satan. These people won't play dice or cards, don't drink (or even use mouthwash, for fear of Al-Key-Hol touching their lips) and don't even think about dancing. They don't like reading that David danced before the Lord, and his wife was struck barren for telling him that it was inappropriate.

It seems to me that God desires us to celebrate Him. Music (speaking instrumentally here), dance, singing (speaking without instruments) and shouting all can have their place. The discussion comes when we try to find the place for each. God wishes us to be civil to each other in an orderly service for Him. What I am seeing in my area is that people are almost more concerned for their own comfort zones than they are about what God requires.

This study is ongoing. I read a Scripture or two, and form an opinion. Then I find another Scripture or two, and that nudges my opinion in a different direction. My goal is to find the stance that most closely matches the attitude that God asks for. My American Human logic will not always match what God has to say. I don't like all of what God has said. It is hard to know that I can do things to change my eternal destiny. It is tough knowing that many members of my family, not having followed the instructions of God, will not be in Heaven. It is difficult to understand why a God of infinite power would allow humanity to make detrimental choices. We can never remove ourselves from the Love of God. However, we can remove ourselves from the Presence of God.

Soda Or Pop? Name That Fizz!

Word of the Post
Today's word is: ecclesia
/ec*cle"si*a/ noun
Public legislative assembly of Athenians; a church, either as a body or a building. When the early Christians were finally called something, the Greek word used to describe them referred to being "called out", or a special group. Iglesia is a transliteration into Spanish.
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I found this wonderful answer to the same basic question I had. Should we or should we not now use oil and anoint the sick? Go check it out for yourself. I have come to a similar conclusion. I just did a lot of reading on the subject, because it landed in my brain. Being a medicinal instruction, we are not required to smear olive oil on our sick friends. Which is, most likely, a good thing. But, if you feel you must try, I have also found the perfect (local to me) outlet for purchasing such oils. They seem to have the Lord at heart. I still think that it might be a good thing to add back, to focus the attention of the people doing the praying, or to help the faith of the sick person. It would require touch, which requires a little bit of intimacy, and that is good for intercessory prayers.

The Oklahoma State Fair opens tomorrow, and in honor of the Centennial of our fine state, the admission for opening day is 100 cents. Yep, for one small dollar, you can get into the fairgrounds and enjoy all the craziness that the State has to offer. I am sorely tempted to go and take it in two rolls of pennies. Opened, in a Ziplock baggie. Make them count it, and make the people behind me mad. But, oh, such fun!

I bet many Oklahomans don't even know what I am about to tell you. Did you know that Watermelon is a Vegetable? It was announced on April 26th of this year that Watermelon is now the official State Vegetable. I want to know some answers. Seriously. Who thought we needed a State Vegetable? Who decided that it needed to be a Watermelon? And why, Why, WHY did it need to be decided in April of our 100th year as a State? We got along just fine for over nine decades, without a dome on our Capitol Building and without a State Vegetable. Someone was really wasting time and money, and they really need to cut it out.

Imagine the new State Seal, with the fancy cut Watermelon, full of little melon balls, next to a Peace Pipe , a Horse and an Oil Rig. What's next? The State Slouch? The State Shoe? The State Tattoo? A note for you non-Okies... Oklahoma was the last State in the Union to legalize tattooing, and that also happened in our 100th year. Go to Texas for a few years more if you want a good one. Give these guys a little time to practice. You want experience when you get a tattoo. Otherwise, you get a junky tattoo or a disease.


Speaking of disease, this looks like Magenta has chicken pox. No, really we just painted her (Magenta is a girl, right?) with strawberry marshmallows stuck on by using strawberry icing. This was a variation on Pin-the-Tail-on-a-Something. Jelly Bean's 2nd Birthday Friends Party was a Blues Clues party, and it was the cutest thing! The kids got their own Handy Dandy Notebook, and followed BIL all around the building, and find the Clues that had been planted. They found a tattoo/sticker, a package of Fruit Snacks, and an empty goody bag. Then, they came back where they started, and sat in their chairs to Think, Think, Think. Then Jelly Bean gave everyone a goody bag. This was really a clever way to do a party! One of Jelly Bean's gifts was an inflatable red Thinking Chair, like the one pictured below on the Handy Dandy Notebook. I even got DH to wear a striped shirt to the party.


This is me, holding the Gum Drop, at Jelly Bean's party. That little foot is only as long as my index finger.


On Labor Day, we went to Stillwater to have lunch with some friends. Ferret's daughter Ani would turn 5 on the 5th, so we had a party for her. We ate at Eskimo Joe's. We got our drinks in the famous cups (this time we got yellow cups that turned green when they get cold) and had a grand time. They even announced her (twice, because we missed the first one). On the way back to town, we ended up taking the Mother Road less traveled. We came back by way of Route 66. We passed the Big Round Red Barn, and then we came to a nifty little attraction that I didn't even know about.

This is a Soda Shoppe of the old fashioned variety. They have rare, odd and popular sodas of all shapes and colors. The biggest one is... this.


This is the Pops Soda Shoppe bottle. {Edit: I found out that the bottle has a name. It is "Bubbles". Isn't it cute?} It is (you could guess) 66 feet high. The cool thing about it for me was that it lights up at night.


Each of those rings lights up individually. They have it in motion, looking like the bottle is filled and then emptied for each color of soda the thing has. I saw Green, Red, Orange, Yellow, and Purple, as well as the basic White. I got this picture because of the "perfect" filled height. This was close to the example we saw when we went to see the Dr. Pepper factory in Dublin, TX. I hope Fuzzy looks at this page, because they carry more than one variety of soda from the same company that makes the Black Lemonade he so loved. They also had a Cherry Bomb Jolt (pretty good, better than the Black Cherry Soda we also tried) and lots of other amazing and long-lost soda favorites. If you ever get a chance to come see me, I can take you there. It is fun. This is a link to show you the "raising of the bottle". Here is the link to their official website.

Note for today's post: All photos by me or my Dear Hubby, on our digital camera. Designs of products pictured are property of individual copyright or trademark owners. I took my own pictures in a public forum, and gave credit to the official site. This way, Pops can thank me for the free ads instead of persecuting me for plagirism or something else just as ugly and not intended.

Have a great weekend. Think deep thoughts, and blog them for the world to see!

Life-And-Times TV, A Surprise Story

Word of the Post
Today's word is: niecephews
/niece"fews/ plural noun
Newly created single word for the collective of nieces and nephews; like "cousins", covers both male and female children of a sibling. May also use the term "noonies".
Thank you to the Risley Family, Dustin for "niecephews" and Angie for "noonies". You guys are funny and creative, and I needed a word for this very purpose. If anyone else has a special word to fit this purpose, I would love to hear it. :-)
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This has been a very tiring day for our family. Fridays are going to be busy again for the High School Football season. DH does his radio production thing starting next weekend. So, we were out playing hooky last night. As DH's last free Friday, we had a date. We ate dinner at home, went to our favorite coffee shop, and stopped by a theater to check screen times of movies. We decided that we would go home to watch Rush Hour 2, so we could see Rush Hour 3 on Saturday.

Then we got the call. 9:30 (ish) pm. BIL called DH's phone. SIL was in labor. Dilated to 1, they thought she would deliver in about 12 hours or so. Where have I heard this before? Oh, yeah, when Jelly Bean came! We decided to go home to get some rest, clean a bit and prepare for Parents to come visit. We would get up at 6 (not a minute later!) and go to the hospital in the morning.

SIL doesn't wait around. There was no 12 hours of labor. She was done by 1:30 am. Wow! If we had gone to the hospital at 10, we might have left at 12, like the babysitter did. And we would have missed it anyway. This was especially tough on DH, because he wanted to be there this time. This is his sister, and we both missed JBean's appearance, too.

"The baby" (we couldn't keep saying "it" all the time, made the poor babe sound like a crazed clown!) made an appearance at 1:28 am, weighing in at 7 lbs, 4 oz. and was 19 1/4 inches tall. This handsome new addition is a boy named Carson John.

Allow me to introduce you!

Carson, World. World, a thoughtful Carson.

That tongue sticking out is (according to Gramma B, the most biased Gramma in the world) his way of saying "I love you!" Those fingers are Mommy's fingers, I think. Much like JBean, Gum Drop is a perfect mix of his parents... not too obvious one way or the other. But certain features are unmistakable. He has quite a bit of hair, but it is continually covered by the hats. It is medium brown, and ... I almost said "baby soft". How funny is that?

Sometimes, my own brilliance amazes me. This is, I think, a prize-winning picture. I am pleasantly surprised that you can read the little charm they gave him. This is a profile view, sideburns and a button nose peeking over the cutest little cheek. Uncle DH is so good at holding babies! Those long arms are great support for little backs, the big hands are perfect to hold the tiny heads!


JBean was with Babysitter's family, and came to visit this morning. I tried to get pictures of her expression when she first saw GDrop, but she was too happy to be hugging Daddy. I got some great ones, though.


Grandma P. is holding GDrop, and JBean is not quite sure what he is yet. She did say later that he could come to live at her house. I know that she has no idea what she is in for. At least they have separate rooms! When my Brudder was born, we shared a room. Ugh.


The nice nurses were willing to scheme with Gramma B, and one of them came and "delivered" a baby doll for JBean. This baby got several names: Parker, Sister, Ashley, Baby.... whatever was in her little head at the time you asked her. Then there was Mommy's baby, and JBean's baby.


After meeting both babies, we asked JBean if she wanted to play with her baby. She said, "No, I want to play with DAT one!" and pointed at GDrop. She is quite pleased with herself to have made so many people laugh. She really IS a ham! She will be two on the 30th. We were hoping that GDrop would wait until September, but he decided that he didn't want to wait. (He was 3 weeks early! Think how big he would have been if he really showed up on Sept. 14!?!) So, 5 days shy of two years apart.

Loving and Kissing on the Brudder.

Finally, for tonight anyway, we have the "Bookends". I have a picture somewhere of the two Grampas snoozing after JBean's birth too. This is not quite as perfect a scene as the last time, but cute nevertheless. The one on the left is Grampa R, and the right is Grampa D.

I am now off to bed, yet again. I got no sleep between 9:30 pm call and 2:00 am wake up call. The only sleep I have had is the 5:30 to 9:00 pm nap I just had. But don't let me complain. I was not the one who worked so hard today! SIL and GDrop are both more tuckered than me.

All is well, and God is GOOD!

And Now, A Word From Our Sponsors

Word of the Post
Today's word is: insouciance
/in'sou'siance"/ noun
Heedlessness; thoughtlessness; carelessness; unconcern; the cheerful feeling you have when nothing is troubling you.
I long to regain the days of my college education, to experience again the time when homework was the only worry; recapturing the happy insouciance of playing cards at lunch, and having the weekend off.
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Honors have befallen me. I have been blessed by people who read, pay attention to and like my blog. Wow. I really don't know what to say, besides the traditional "Thank You". Allow me to try to do a little better than that.

First, WAY back on Saturday, July 7, Niki gave me this award:

Rock On! I am not a noisy kind of music listener, but this is fun. I want to turn up the radio, do a little head-banging, and wear lots of black with band names on my chest. I have met Niki, and I am blown away by her commitment to God, her open heart, her thoughtful nature, and her coolness as a mom. She prays with a genuineness that puts me to shame. I know she deserved this award, and I hope that I can too.

Next, on Wednesday, August 22, Sally gave me this award:

I have met many new people online, and Sally is definitely one of the nice ones. We will meet face to face someday soon when I go to her hometown for a visit with some friends. Chatting at a Starbucks is definitely in order! I look forward to reading her blog every day. It is good to know that someone else is thinking some of the same things, and reacting in the same ways as I. It makes me feel a little less alone in the world. And that is Nice.

Now, when I got these, it was a tag sort of thing. I am supposed to pass them both on. Since I am new to this world of blogging, I don't really know whom to give them to. I just thought I would share them with you. You can see how cool they are, and pass them on for me!

This past Saturday, we went with the family to see Jelly Bean get her two-year pictures taken. She is a HAM and a hoot. She was having fun playing with the ladies who were taking the pictures. These people at Portrait Innovations here know their stuff. Jelly Bean would not smile, until one of the ladies said, "Show me your teeth!" and "Where did those teeth go?" Smiles came out, but only just long enough to snap the picture, and the lady was fast with the camera. She got to sit in a rocking chair in a "garden", but she was finished with that pretty quick. "I done." She got to play with flowers, sea shells, some posts that looked like the corners of a dock on the ocean, and two different chairs. In the sea shell picture I have on my mantle, she is talking to the ocean like on a cell phone. "Hello! Yes. Gampa? Bye!"

SIL said that this wasn't fair. They expected her to sit in a chair, look at a huge screen picture of her Baby, and tell them that it looks bad. They are all of her Baby, and they are all great! But we had to pare them down. It took 6 adults more than 45 minutes to go through 70 pictures of that 1 little girl. We saw another family come and get their pictures taken, chose the poses, get their prints (20 minute turnaround) and leave while we were deciding what poses to keep.

I have physical pictures, but I don't yet have computer renditions. I have to get those from SIL and her disk. You know the minute I get some, I am posting them here, to brag on my girl! For now, I will try to satiate our desire for pictures with a view from my own digital camera.
Here, Jelly Bean was looking at her reflection in the TV screen. I like this picture because it shows a little of how long her hair has grown. We all want to trim her hair to make it more even, but none of us want to take away those wonderful little fly-away curls! Too cute!

Rumor has it she has a 3 year old vocabulary, and has long had the 2 year old attitude. Dangerous mix. Recently, she was getting a "talking to" for something, and told BIL, "Daddy, don't talk to me anymore." What do you say to that? She was not being malicious about it, so how do you stop that without scaring her? Tough not to just laugh out loud, for me. But, then, I wasn't there in the heat of the moment. I don't know what BIL did about it.

DH was putting her in her car seat on Saturday after our dinner, and then gave her kisses, and said, "I love you." She responded by telling him, "Go to your car." Again, not malicious. We had talked about DH going to his car, and Jelly Bean going to her car, and Gramma and Granpa (I spell they way they do, because that is how she says it) going to their car. So, she just decided it was time. It was raining at the time, so who can blame her? We are still laughing.

Jelly Bean is happy being the center of attention. I hope that doesn't translate into stealing the attention once she is not the focus anymore. At the babysitter's house, she is the youngest of the kids, so maybe she has learned about being part of a group, and the new baby won't be so much of an intrusion. She won't remember her alone time, anyway. It is just something for me to ponder, as her attentive awesome Auntie.

Happy Thursday!

A Penny In My Pocket - Burning A Hole

Word of the Post
Today's word is: ululate
/ul"yuh*layt/ or /yool"yuh*layt/ intransitive verb
To howl, as a dog or wolf; to wail; as, ululating jackals.
I don't really yet know what "intransitive" exactly entails. I am working on it. That part of speech stuff was a LONG time ago for me. That will probably be the next word. While you wait, you may ululate.
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I am going to go out today and "shop, shop, shop until I drop, drop, drop". This is Oklahoma's tax-free weekend. We are trying to keep business here, instead of consumers going to Texas to do their back to school shopping. I need jeans, and baby gifts. Roadrunner's kids need school uniforms. We are going to go together.

I have an ear infection (this is far too common for me). I got to the doctor yesterday, and now have medicine. The coughing is not as bad, but the headaches are not going away, and I feel like I have cotton in both ears. Ugh. I HATE being sick. It is no fun. But, I will be fine in a few days.

Jelly Bean now has a toy microphone that she carries around the house, taking requests. Karaoke Kiddo! She is really good at "Baa, Baa Black Sheep" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". She even pauses for applause when she is done. She is so clever. It makes me laugh out loud to hear stories of her cuteness.

Go for a moment to Lisa's Perspective, she has a picture on her post that is amazing. The human brain is still such a mystery to doctors. How can people say there is no God, when the complex and minute (very small, not time) cannot be explained or reproduced?

Accident has never produced such complexity; even fortuitous accidents cannot produce the sheer quantity of complexities this world holds. Explaining the existence of the Earth, and all the animals and plants that live here, by evolution is as likely as piling a lot of lumber in a pit and using dynamite to have an explosion, and expecting it to build you a house. Change over time is ultimately true, but things left alone will only decay, not improve. Even adaptation is only a lateral move.

That seems enough deep thought for the day.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Drinking In The Memories

Word of the Post
Today's word is: libation
/lie*bay"shun/ noun
The ritual of pouring out wine or oil to honor a god; liquid used in such a ceremony; an alcoholic drink.
The bread to feed the hungry needs to be accompanied by the libation upon the altar. Yeah, this comes from the lyrics of an old camp song. "Would you be poured out like wine upon the altar for Me? Would you be broken like bread to feed the hungry?"
Religion makes cannibalism so much symbolism, so it is not as creepy.
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I got the honor of hanging out with Jelly Bean on Thursday. Her mom and I took her swimming. I guess this is the first time she had ever been in a community pool. Up until this week, it had only been bathtubs and kiddie pools. She had a blast! She laid back a little to practice floating, but she kept turning her head and getting water in her nose. She was very good at letting us hold her, and kicking those legs for all she was worth. She will be a good swimmer someday. She is fearless. She liked standing on the side of the pool, and "jumping" in... basically falling into the arms of Mommy or Auntie Chelf.

I also got to watch her all day Friday, and DH and I were invited to Sis-in-law's house for dinner, too. Jelly Bean is growing up so fast! I took her with me to go shopping (shop shop shop, until we drop drop drop!). I don't get tired of hearing how cute she is. The clerk at Bath and Body Works asked her how old she was. I watched, curious to know if she knew. She said something that sounded like "20 munse", which is very close. She is actually 23 months. I was going to say that she was almost 2. It sounds less complicated. Amazing, brilliant girl!

It is fun to be loved by a 2 year old, and yet... sometimes the love is hurtful, even if it is unintentional. The sweet little Jelly Bean is expecting a sibling, Gum Drop. Now, we don't know if Gum Drop is a girl or a boy, because her parents think the surprise is fun. DH and I both think that is for the birds, we would want to know. Sis-in-law is about 6 weeks away from finding out, so she has a very distinct belly. Jelly Bean said something about a baby in the belly to me, wondering if my similarly shaped (Santa has nothing on me!) belly had the same progression as Mommy's. She is perfectly innocent in thinking that big bellies carry babies. She has no idea that I cried for an hour while she was napping.

For the first time in recent memory, DH was told he was little. You must understand, he is 6'6", and weighs more than I am allowed to tell you. Nobody has thought he was "little" since... well, since he WAS little. Jelly Bean was wanting to cuddle, and kept saying she wanted to "hold you". This, of course, means that we must hold her. She told DH she wanted to hold him, so he leaned over, and put his head on her lap while she sat in the couch. She pushed him off her lap, and said, "No! You're too little!" She meant that SHE was too little, and he was too big to be on her lap.

Jelly Bean knows where all the toys are at Auntie Chelf's house. She knew that she wanted the football, and not the soccer ball or the basketball, from the collection of stuffed ball toys on my shelf. As soon as it was in her hands, she spiked it on the floor, and yelled, "Touchdown! Kansas City, Chiefs!" with her hands up in the air, like she was signaling the play on the field. Her Daddy is speechless, and glowing; a real "that's my girl!" moment for him. The "Chiefs!" sounds like "Cheese!" but we don't mind. Somewhere, I think they have a cheerleader outfit for her. Destiny might be at work here.

I remember my dad and my cousin playing when she was little. She kept yelling, "Uncle Frank!". Finally, after a little thought, he yelled back, "Niece Morgan!" She stopped, and gave him a funny, curious look. "My mommy doesn't call me that!" Well, no. DH had a game with Sugar Bunny when she was about Jelly Bean's age. She would almost sing, "Dzif!" (Those J sounds are tough!) and DH would sing back her name, and she would say, "What?!?" She would forget whatever it was that she was going to say to him, because he answered her in a way she didn't expect. We do a game where DH pops up behind me on alternating sides, and says "boo" to any kid I am holding, while I bounce the baby each time, and say "eek!" I do it for the giggles. Aren't baby giggles the best? I now have Jelly Bean trained to answer "Boo!" with "Eeek!" and a hop.

OUCH! Have you ever coughed and immediately then hiccuped? Not fun. I have the hiccups, and I hate them. They are useless pains. I don't understand why such a thing would be a good creation in the life of a human, but God must see some purpose to it.

I need to get back into writing. J. K. Rowling has more money that the Queen of England! I was told just the other day that I had a gift, and I needed to write a book. I actually have three in the works. One fiction, one observations of the world (maybe including memoirs), and one of religious study. I was always better at poetry than prose, but this blog outlet seems to have struck a chord with me. I do my best writing while sitting at the computer, and typing the gibberish that falls out of my brain.

Sometimes, however, the best release is a freshly sharpened cedar wood #2 pencil and a new notebook of perforated College Ruled paper. The drivel that happens when I am angry gets hand-shredded into tiny bits, and burned or tossed as so much confetti. It is a party to release anger like that.

Throw a party with your anger-confetti.

Have a Blessed Day!