For Jan And Her Dare

Jan, I take that Dare, and I will go farther than just one more of the quizzes! I picked a few that made sense to me, and didn't give me unfavorable results.

You Are Clogs

You are a solid and down to earth person. You seek, and almost always achieve, a really sound balance in your life. You are stylish yet comfortable. Mellow but driven. Excited yet calm. You are the perfect mesh of contradictions. No matter what happens, you have the ability to stay well grounded in your life. People know that they can truly depend on you. You should live: In Europe You should work: At a company dedicated to helping the world

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

I wear shoes that are like Crocs, but a different brand, with flowers cut in the pattern of holes. Navy, with little ladybug buttons added. Comfortable, stylish, and easy. Light, and perfect for traveling. Airports love me.

Your Nail Polish Color is Purple

How you're unique: You are artistic and expressive Why your style rocks: You pay special attention to color and fabrics What this color says about you: "I'm creative and know how to take care of myself"

What Color Nail Polish Best Fits You?

I only have one shade of purple in the basket of nail colors. Light and iridescent. But I also have a pair of clogs that are purple, and I do love wearing lavender. I don't like the smell of the plant, but the color is soothing.

Your Element Is Earth

You excel at planning and strategizing. You could be a champ at chess or Survivor. Well grounded, you are able to be realistic and rationalize. On the inside, you have a hard core. It's tough to phase you. You are super productive, and you are able to think anything through. Focused and super charged, your instincts are a good guide for your next step.

What's Your Element?

I had to see what my Element was. Unfortunately, it wasn't a Honda. But, the Earth stuff aligns well with my Taurean sign. I am not surprised. I have been called Grounded a lot, and I don't mean as punishment from my parents. Steady, loyal and stubborn. I would guess that about sums me up.

OK, I have taken a few more of the quick quizzes. Now, to waste more time, and this time money, on entertainment today. We are going to the new Warren Theatre in Moore, to see Kung Fu Panda. I have been in one of the Warren Theatres in Wichita, and they are nice. This one has dinner in the balcony, and a bar! I have to laugh, though. If popcorn and water costs so much, what will the alcohol cost? I am scared to even ask. I won't be able to take pictures to show you, but I will make some mental notes and bring back some thoughts later.

I have to go find something comfortable to wear to the theatre.

Wordy Wednesday

I have not enough brain power to put a word up today. Enough about me being hard on myself. I am taking a day off. Today is the first of many "Be Nice To Chelf Today" days, and I am celebrating. I am hoping to get lots of rest. Soon, I shall be taking a little trip north, to visit a friend, and make two new friends. I am going to meet the lovely Midwest Girl in person. I can't wait! I will bring back pictures (if I remember to take them!) and blog a little about our adventures. If I am allowed to, and not sworn to the silence of Girls' Night.

I hope everyone had a nice Valentine's day. I don't really care to celebrate a day named for a guy I never even met, and that Hallmark seems to have immortalized. Our Blog Buddy Meet was planned last week, before I was reminded that THAT Thursday was a special day, and our hubbies might object to a Girls' Night Out on the National Holiday. So, we quickly changed to this week. Which makes me a busy woman.

Thursday, I go north. Friday I come back south. Saturday, DH and I go north again, but not so far. We are going to our church's Couples Retreat. We go to a campground north of here, and spend a night or two (varies by year) studying God's Word about marriage and related family issues, and playing board games and sitting up all night talking to other couples about all sorts of subjects. It is funny to me, that this campground has rooms, like a college dorm. With Bunk Beds. Two Twin sized bunk beds. Yep, we get to sleep separately for our retreat. Now before anyone suggests ways to co-sleep, let me inform you that DH is 6' 6" tall, and I am 5'4" and... fluffy. We can't fit on a twin together for real for all night. We tried to put the mattresses on the floor side by side, and it didn't fit. The rooms are TINY. There are a lot of ways to grow as a couple. Sleeping separately is not my best idea of a way to grow. However, the weekend usually is filled with other ways to be intimate. Sunday, we come home again.

DH and I have been going to the local dollar theater on their $0.50 night. We have seen The Golden Compass and August Rush this week. OK, August Rush was on Friday night, not Tuesday. Either way, we have seen cheap movies. Then we go to Vintage and play Scrabble. I don't know why I like that, but I do. I suppose part of it comes from the fact that we don't have a kitchen table set up right now. We play board games across a folding wooden tray. It is fun to play Scrabble in a quiet little coffee shop.

Friday night there were some guys there, who were going to compete in a talent contest the next day. They had written a song, and were practicing it. Two guitars, three guys, and a lot of laughs. They were creative. One of the guitar players works at the shop, so I hope to ask him soon if they won anything, even an honorable mention for their guts and creativity.

Yes, you saw that right, I went to see the Golden Compass for myself. I spent the least amount of money possible, so as to not support the author too much if I didn't like it. I liked the movie. I personally thought that it was an interesting combination of good CG effects and bad acting. I like the girl that played Lyra. She seems to have a gift. Having not read the books myself, and having read lots of reviews, critics and friendly discussions, I have come to a borderline conclusion. I liked it, for the fantasy fiction it is. I did not like it, because it seemed somewhat lacking in plot and depth. It felt rushed. It felt as if it were a cheap imitation of good fiction.

Now, I don't know how the books would feel. I don't care to find out. I saw a fun quote recently. "Never judge a book by it's movie." AMEN and amen. (Book snobbery showing through) So... I have judged the movie without the book. If the point was to get me to read the book that would try to snag my innocent daemon out of my body, and make it walk around like a puppy learning to heel, then it failed miserably. If the point was to pique my curiosity about this daemon idea, and to lure me into believing the morality of the compass, it still failed. I hate to say it, people, because I shouldn't have to. Kids (those old enough to really read these books) and adults alike should know the difference between fact and fiction. This is fiction, and kids know it better than some adults. Same with Harry Potter, same with Star Trek, same with Star Wars. Fiction, all of it.

Fiction can draw you a verbal picture, and can show you a little different way of thinking than you once had. It can seep into your open heart to the possibility that there is something bigger than yourself out there. But Fiction cannot tear you from God's Love, cannot change what you know to be true, cannot excuse weakness of faith. This movie is not for small children, it is not for anyone questioning their faith to use as a guide, and it should not be marketed through Scholastic. This watered-down depiction is simply designed to tease you, to make you think that the God-killing ideas this man writes are soft, and cuddly.

I can hear the hiss of the serpent in his ideas. You don't have a real moral compass, and you don't need one. You know what is right better than anyone else. When lying gets you a good result, it is OK. Age is a terrible thing, don't trust adults because they lie to you, they only want to hurt you. Children always know better than adults. Go with your gut, not instructions. Folly. The man was clever, and the movie studio more so. Parents should definitely be on their guard. If nothing else, for the gory way the Ice Bears fight. I would never have thought to kill a bear would require punching his jaw off, literally. That was gruesome.

So, I wasted fifty cents and a couple of hours of my life that I can never regain. Eh. I have wasted far more money and far more time on far less eventful distractions. Now I know not to bother reading, until my own future children want to. Then I shall do as Niki suggested, and read WITH my children, and discuss the topics as they emerge.

August Rush was not so great as I had hoped, either. It is a good movie, but not so great. I liked it. I may actually buy it when it comes out. If it fits into my budget, which it will likely not. It had good music, it had Robin Williams (so it couldn't have been that bad), and it had a family healing in the end. It seemed a little fairy tale when August gets to go to Juilliard. That kind of education isn't cheap, and he was a street kid. But, it was a speech to adoption, coincidence, hope and music. "You just have to listen." I cried. I am doing that a lot more in recent years... crying over movies that shouldn't impact me so much. I can't relate to being a 12 yr old wandering the streets of NYC. But knowing that the music brought them all together, as August hoped it would, touched me.

I know that tunes and smells are the two most powerful triggers of memory. A song on the radio can take you back a week or a decade. A smell can bring your childhood to your moment. Go explore your world for the scents and songs that take you back, and enjoy the mini vacation!

Boil That Trouble, Cauldron Bubble

Word of the Post
Today's word is: forgive
/for*give"/ verb
To cease to feel resentment toward; to give up claim to retribution upon. The person or the action can be the object of this verb; commonly one is the direct object, while the second is the indirect object, i.e. "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." - words of Jesus, Matthew 5:12.
To stop blaming; to absolve from payment. This does not imply that the action was not wrong, but that the feelings of the wronged can be put aside for the betterment of the wrongdoer.
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Forgive me, I have not posted in a long while. This life gets crazy at times. I have been dealing with travel, helping my friends, and depression. I don't know what causes my depression, but I know that I have it. I have never been diagnosed, because I have no insurance, and do not feel comfortable talking to a doctor that may not be a Christian. I know to some of you, that makes no sense. To me, it is everything. I want to talk out my problems, but I don't want a heathen to listen to the issues that effect my Christianity, because I don't think they can understand the background music. I don't want to talk to a Christian counselor (there are some fine options at my congregation), because I am afraid that I may end up as an example in a public lesson. Either way, I sit here without help, and don't know exactly where to turn.

So, in an effort to get myself out of the funk I have allowed myself to fall into.... I pour myself into work. Around the house, I have done dishes and laundry enough to make my hands raw. For my friends, I have traveled to St. Louis, picked up kids from school and laughed. I have not tried writing, which is usually my first course of action. I have gone through the motions of having a normal life, and hated most of it. Today, I felt I must write. If not for you, then simply for me. In an effort to stir up conversation, and maybe to get myself to think more critically, I want to start a new topic.

I have many strong opinions on this subject, and you may not agree with me at all, but I have to state them, as it is my right to do. I have been prayerfully considering my statements, and I ask that you prayerfully consider your answers. I do not mean to cause division, and I am trying to maintain my own humility toward the subject. My first resource is the Bible. I want to make sure to keep the integrity of the Word, and allowing my opinions to form from there and not from my own pride or humanity.

Many times over the past few months, I have thought on the subject of sexuality. Primarily the sinfulness and public acceptance of the homosexual community. Their public push for equality mirrors that of many minority groups in America. They all want so much equality that they become the standard, not the aberration.

What if the tendency is a born trait? I have a hard time believing that God would create a trait, and then tell us it is a sin. Leviticus 18:22 calls this act "detestable" or "an abomination" depending on the translation you look at. Leviticus 20:13 says that both parties in such an act should be put to death, and the guilt of their blood is on their own heads. Death is the God-decreed punishment for such sin. Why would any god, especially a Creator God, make something that He calls sinful and plans to destroy?

Romans 1:27 - "and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error." (*NOTE: Politically Incorrect thought warning: I don't care that my opinion is not PC. I don't try to be PC. Politics can kiss my left toe. I would rather be a Jesus Freak.) Seems that AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a punishment, a disease brought on by the sin of sexual misconduct. Probably not a new way to die, simply the new term for an age-old illness. I am not saying that everyone with AIDS is a sinner in this manner. There are many ways to Acquire this Deficiency. Children of drug users can get it, having done absolutely nothing wrong. Maybe it got its start in the depravity of sin?

I won't argue if the tendency to be attracted to the same sex is a born trait. I will say that, like any other sexual choice, it is the action and the lifestyle that are sin. I do believe that a person can change. I believe that sexual conduct is a choice. A person who has lived a gay lifestyle can repent, and abstain, as any heterosexual person can abstain. If the tendency is born, then it is a result of human error, not of creation.

I truly do not wish to know what goes on behind the door to anyone else's bedroom. It is none of my business. It is not my place to know, nor to judge. However, if it is brought to my attention (as in, "Hi, I'm gay!") I can feel the need to comment. God has already pronounced judgment on this sin. For me to call a sin by its name and to inform the sinner of the verdict is not a judging. I share only the judgment that is God's word. Sexual conduct in this manner is sin.

The spark on the kindling for this discussion for me this week was a movie ("What Makes a Family", made for TV, 2001) about a woman who had lost her partner (death), and was suing the maternal grandparents for custody of the child (the partner had a sperm-donated baby) she had helped to raise but she had no blood tie to. According to the movie, Florida was at that time the only state with laws still on the books preventing same-sex couples to adopt. Rosie O'Donnell (not my favorite political spokesperson) tried to adopt, in New York, a child from Florida, and was denied because of their laws.

I am not heartless. I want kids to have stable, safe, loving homes to live in. There are way more kids in this world who are unwanted by their birth parents, than there are foster and adoptive homes to care for them. There have been many studies to show (and used in these Florida court cases) that same-sex couples are not any more likely to raise gay children. In fact, the opposite seems to be true. The problem I see is that they are promoting "tolerance" for something that God does not tolerate. The children raised in these homes may not feel that they are personally supposed to be gay, but they are raised with the idea that being gay is OK. That it is "normal". That it is simply a persecuted minority, or a misunderstood cult.

I am not happy about it, but I have family members who have differing opinions and lifestyles than I do. We have had long discussions about this. We all still get along fine. We have a mutual respect. We all understand that Public Displays of Affection are gross, no matter who is doing it. We do not spend the night in each other's homes. We still invite them over for Thanksgiving and Christmas. And I pray all the time that their souls will be saved by a change of heart that may never come. It is hard to change a person who 1. does not want to change, and 2. has been with his partner longer than my own parents have been married (more than 38 years).

God calls homosexuality reprehensible. To raise a child in the opinion that it is OK is wrong. To have a strong opinion based on God's laws does not make me "intolerant".

To ignore God is an exercise in futility.

Let the games begin!

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!

I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good!

Word of the Post
Today's word is: pluvial
/ploo"vee*ul/ adjective
Of, or having much, rain.
Today there was a pluvial downpour, resulting in a river falling off of my roof.
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I went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I went to see the Midnight Premiere showing on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. On Wednesday night at church, I was asked what I thought about it. I didn't answer then. I have to say now, that the more I think about it, the less I hate it. Yep, I hated it. But it is growing on me. Let me explain.

I was angry. Much like the beginning of the movie for the Goblet of Fire, I thought the small changes that were made were more plot killings than artistry. There were several details that were left out, because the movie would have to be 12 hours long without editing. There were a few minor changes of who said what, and the only house elf seen is Kreacher, and he was not nearly as vile as he should have been. We don't see the heavy locket nobody could open. No cleaning of the headquarters, whatsoever. We heard mumblings, but no shrieking from dear old mother's portrait. Professor Umbridge was not nearly "froggy" enough, and they never really showed the little black-fly bow on her head. I have to admit that I am sad that we missed Hermione's clever charm on the DA list, and therefore, we did not see S*N*E*A*K plastered on the face of the tattletale, Marietta. I think that was my biggest (while still inconsequential) disappointment.

Now to the positive. The Weasley twins' exit is PHENOMENAL. It is a feat of cinematic and creative amazement. I warn you, it is loud, but it had our whole theater cheering. The Room of Prophecy was pretty cool. They didn't have the other rooms, but concentrated on the Prophecy room and the room with the Shroud. Again, 12 hours otherwise. Professor Umbridge had the little "hem, hem" just exactly as I imagined it, as well as a wonderful presentation of the fury with pink frills that is described in the book. The looks and movements are precisely evil enough, yet sugar-coated sweetness drips from her. It is hard to hate Snape. It really is. Alan Rickman is a great actor, and this character is such an enigma. The Room of Requirement was also pretty cool.

Best of all, in my small opinion, is Filch. He gets to do that funny, leg-stretching, backward-leaning run of his. He thinks he is being so sneaky, watching the wall where the Room of Requirement usually shows up. The exaggeration of the number of Educational Decrees makes Filch even funnier. He doesn't get to say much, but this time he gets seen much more in the movie, and it is to his credit.

I have been a fan of the books, and have also been critical of them. I am happy that the S.P.E.W. thing was left out of the movies. It was a ridiculous waste of paper for me. JKR could have developed more background for the trio (Harry, Ron and Hermione), or more emotions for side characters like Neville, Seamus or Ginny. She could have touched more on the other Houses. There has never been much spoken about the Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw houses, because Gryffindor and Slytherin have such a long history of disdain for each other.

I have been a fan of the movies, because it makes the books a little easier to digest. Like any movie, I know that it cannot be identical to the book, because other people perceive it differently than I do. I know that there has to be a lot of work and change that goes into making a screenplay vs. the original book. They can't match perfectly. But there are details that the readers know, and are looking for in the movies, and they will not find many of those hints. This may be a detriment to the next two movies.

I will be waiting in the line at Books-A-Million on the night of the 20th, to pick up 6 copies of the final installment of the books, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I will likely even be wearing my cloak, and carrying a stick (masquerading as a wand) to dress up and be a character like so many children, teens and geeks in my town. Don't worry, I won't be selling them. I have ordered them for my friends with my membership savings card, and will be delivering on Sunday, or letting the friends come get them sooner. I will be reading, you think I would stop to make sure that others can read it first?!?! What, are you crazy?

So what do you think? Do you even care? I know there are people who have not read one book of the series, and won't bother. That is fine. There are many people who have read them, and who have opinions and suspicions about what the Horcruxes all are. Are the Horcruxes actually half of his soul each time he made one? Does that mean he only has 1/64 of his soul left? There are several fan sites that even JKR endorses, so go out there and see what people are saying. I personally wonder how powerful Lord Voldemort was before he split his soul at all.... he seems pretty powerful now, and that is with only a tiny piece of his soul. Or... does it make him more powerful that his soul is in pieces? He has no conscience to stop him from using the Unforgivable Curses, so that would help him find, use and create more evil magic.

I think that JKR could write other useful texts to back up the stories... like writing "Hogwarts: A History" that Hermione always quotes out of. I also have a few ideas about the possibility of fan fiction. There are some real idiots out there. I am sure that the real fans of HP will weed out the nut jobs from the good storytellers. I think there are some very good ideas out there, and I wait to see the explosion of fan fiction that happens when the 7th book has not cleared up what fans want to know.

The best advice I can give anyone wondering if they even want to see this movie is this: Go see it. You have to see it to make your own decisions about it.

Better yet, read the book. The book is always better.

Mischief Managed.

Excuses, Excuses

Word of the Post
Today's word is: despondent
/de*spond"ent/ adjective
Without or almost without hope; heartsick.
He was unable to fight back, having been beaten down for the last time. He was despondent, failing even to try once more.
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I have been working on a secret plan. I could tell you what it is, but then I would have to kill you. And that would be opposite of what my secret plan involves. "I shouldn't have told you that." (Hagrid, in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (should have been Philosopher's) Stone) Suffice it to say that I am on the cusp of a Revolution! The 4th of July has inspired me to do, instead of wishing I had done.

I have a song for that title... but I can't remember all the words. I remember that it said that the Devil supplies excuses if we choose to disobey. I will have to look that up in my old song collection folder. This is summer, and many people I know have recently been camping. I used to go to camp in Colorado. I was there for a week as a Camper, and have been there for two of the three available weeks as a Counselor. End of July, and early August, and I get camp-sick. Something I would love to do someday is to convince several of the college aged kids here to go there, and promote Oklahoma Christian University as an option for continuing education, and bring more kids closer to God in those mountains. I used to love going to camp. I got the opportunity to show the kids and myself that God doesn't want you to ride the apron strings to church, He wants YOU to come to Him on your own. I learned a lot about study and teaching at that camp. I applied to college because of that camp, and when I came to college, I met my DH. If money were no object, I would buy the camp and run it today. I have always felt that I was closer to God in the mountains. No, not because I was on a higher elevation, but because I was away from "civilization" and "clamor". It was always so peaceful there. River (where I was baptized) to swim, mountain to hike, field to wander in the darkness, few signs of industry. Most importantly, God's people were there, showing me how to be closer to Him, teaching me that "church" isn't all about the building, but the people in it. I have not often felt that peace. I miss it.

While I have been absent from blogging, I have been babysitting occasionally. For the past two weeks and one more coming, I have watched a little boy from across the street. I am sure that some of our lawnmower swapping will pay for the service of watching the kiddo. He likes coming to my house, because it is different. I am glad that he likes me, because otherwise this could have been a complete disaster. I am happy to let him watch Veggie Tales and Pixar Movies. I am an Auntie. Although not his Auntie, I feel it my job to spoil children at my house. He is happy to have the spoiling.

I also have watched my niece some these past few weeks. Sis-in-law had to work, and had to see the Dr. for a checkup on her progressing pregnancy. So I got to watch Jelly Bean. She is growing up so fast, and is now so conversational! It is tough to remember that she is not yet two. She acts 3 or 4 most of the time. My mom (no relation to Jelly Bean) says the more I talk about my niece, the more she remembers about me as a kid. One of mom's friends once commented to mom that I was "two going on twenty-two" because I was conversational with adults and bigger kids at such a young age. For any of you moms out there, write down the cute stuff your kids do and say, as soon as you can. Keep it in a journal book. It becomes a valuable tool to remember (blackmail) your children's youth.

This last time Jelly Bean came over, she was very sly. She looked at me with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, and she told me, "I'll be right back!" And then she walked across the living room to the (don't worry it was locked!) front door. She reached up and wiggled the door handle. Then she stretched up higher, and wiggled the deadbolt handle. Then, she wiggled the door handle again. When this little show was over, she walked back across the room. She was grinning the whole time, so I decided to play along. I said to her, "I am glad to see you back. What did you do while you were away?" She said simply, as if I hadn't seen her do it, "I locked the door."

Jelly Bean tried to play the game with Mommy last week. Jelly Bean asked for some Fruit Snacks. She was told that she would have to eat dinner first, which was almost ready, and she could have Fruit Snacks after dinner. She went away to play for a while, and later came back with a stuffed Snoopy. Jelly Bean then said, "Snoopy wants Fruit Snacks." Sneaky. Sharp as a tack, that one is.

DH and I went out on a double date on Tuesday this week, with a couple who was child-free for a while. They have a boy who is around 12 and a girl who is almost 2. They have recently started coming to our church, and we decided to get to know them better, so we asked them to come to the movies with us. We all are so easy to get along with, it takes one of us to just make a decision for everyone. First, we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant, called Habaneros. We had a great time getting to know one another.

Next, we took them to our favorite little coffee shop. If you are ever in Oklahoma City area, look up Vintage Timeless Coffee. It is on the corner of NW 150th and Western. They have a really yummy specialty drink called a Smooffee (smoothie/coffee). They even have a drive thru, to help you keep up with your busy schedule. They are open 6 am to 9 pm. I think I converted another family to their comfy atmosphere.

Finally, we went to a late showing of Evan Almighty. I was worried that this movie might be as blasphemous as its forerunner, Bruce Almighty, but I was pleasantly surprised. There were no foul words, no sexually overtoned jokes, and not even any foolish portrayal of God or the Bible. While he did look funny dressing in the bedsheets God gave him, and the facial hair was a bit too much of a sight gag, Evan seemed to be a nice guy. He was even very careful NOT to swear when he smashed his thumb with the hammer. I was sad to see that he didn't know if they had a Bible in their house... but he did find it, and he did read it. More than I can say about the rest of Hollywood, right?

After a lazy, sleep-in morning on Independence Day, DH and I went to see Ratatouille. Another great, clean, fun movie. I don't recall any swear words here, either. There were some loud noises: Shattering glass as a rat breaks through with a book, much yelling over a rat in the kitchen and pots and pans and knives flying all over the room. Jelly Bean doesn't like loud noises, so I bet her family will wait for the DVD and the volume control, but it is clean enough for her to see now. This is another movie on my "to buy" list. I think we have all of the Pixar films so far. We have not yet been disappointed.

"Time's fun when you're having flies." ~ Kermit the Frog