Christmas Blessings!

with love...

Jami and family

Um...

What?!

Am I the only one that thinks this is a little bit "off "??

Yes, for real!

This morning I filled up my gas guzzling SUV for only $25.27!!

Wow... sure beats the $65 - $70 I was paying prior to the gas price plunge. I LOVE IT!! I just wanna drive my trailblazer, all day long... wherever I wanna go... until all the gas is burned out. That way I can fill it up again - for under $30. WOO HOO!!!! :)

ZERO

Yup...it's zero here today. -17 if you consider the wind chill. BRRR.

This morning I went with Luke to his LAST doctor's appointment for the broken leg. I nearly froze to death getting in and out of the car, and wore my gloves inside the building. But the good news is that he is doing great and doesn't have to go back. WOO HOO!! Next year about this time if the screws are bothering him they can go in and remove them, but as long as he feels fine, he doesn't need to go back. I'm so thankful that a year later he is mostly back to normal with the exception of an overcalcified bone "bump" on his shin.


Now... back to the cold. I'm tired of it. Mostly because I hate going out in it and it's a total pain that Ciara's car is cold blooded and has lots of problems in the winter time. Last week while Luke was in Atlanta, Ciara's car door gunk froze up and her door wouldn't shut. This happens every year about this time. ANNOYING!!! So basically you have to find a way to warm it up enough to stoften the goo in the latch so it will move and stay shut. Also, it doesn't like to start sometimes and the steering wheel squeals its disapproval of the cold. If the car isn't properly warmed up (15-20 minutes) she may as well not even try to drive it because then it has steering problems and roars like a lion. Most recently, the speedometer refuses to function in the cold. UGH!!! Seriously. While I'm thankful that my daughter even has a vehicle to drive (1995 Chrysler Cirrus) I'm annoyed that my 2002 SUV is parked outside or in the machine shed because her little cold-blooded beast demands to be kept in my warm garage, you know the one with the automatic garage door opener. *Sigh* So of course Luke is leaving town again tomorrow for the week. Looks like I may have to just put her car in the machine shed and stake claims on my warm garage if I'm going to have to be driving the kids to school anyway. I just don't think it's worth the fight, because even if her car is warm in the morning, it won't be after it's sat in the parking lot at the highschool for 8 hours. So... say a little prayer for Ciara's car and all of our sanity, because even if we could afford to do something for her, we would never be able to sell her Cirrus this time of year with all it's problems. The key is if we can sell it in the spring ... make sure it's nice and clean so that the new owner won't find out for a while that it doesn't like water either and dies when you go through the car wash or a big mud puddle. ha ha. Poor Ciara, but at least she has wheels right? ;) About 75% of the time it's fantastic.

So... I'm looking forward to some warmer temperatures coming up this week. It's supposed to actually get into the 20's and 30's eventually. YAY!!

Playin with the Democrats

Ok, so this would be some "good fun that is funny"...

I'm pretty sure it would chap their chittlins!

Here's how it goes down...

First... President Bush resigns.




















Then Dick Cheney becomes President and appoints Condoleeza Rice Vice President. Two weeks later he resigns, and...














Condoleeza Rice becomes the first BLACK, WOMAN President of the United States of America!!!!

(oh, AND she's Republican)












Whatta ya think? ha ha I think it's genious, I only wish I had thought of it myself! Muwah ha ha! :)

Are you suffering? Pray. Are you happy? Sing Praises!

James 5:13. I just finished reading the book of James. I think it's fantastic! I love the words of wisdom found within those pages... for a book with only 5 chapters it is jam packed with great advice and challenges. Here's a few nuggets I got from James:

"Don't grumble about eachother", "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.", "Remember, it is a sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.", "God opposes the proud but favors the humble", "If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life", "you say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this", Love your neighbor as yourself. But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin", He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession", "when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy".

Yeah, so I've really been touched today by 5:13 - "Are you suffering? Pray. Are you happy? Sing Praises! It's easy to pray when we suffer, but do we sing praises when we are happy? I think too often we forget about God when things are going good. I sing all the time. I sing in the shower, in the car, in the soap shop, in the kitchen. I love to sing! But I want to sing God's praises!! He is so worthy. God has been faithful in my life and I will endeavor to sing his praises at least as much as I ask for help... or maybe more! :)

About prayer... so my friend Kristi (South African Missionary and fellow manic ) told me about how she has a prayer book. She writes down all the people that she's promised to pray for so she won't forget. Isn't that a great idea? I've been guilty in the past of saying I'd pray, but then after a few days or a week... I guess I just kinda forget about it. I know... SORRY!!! But I don't do that anymore. I was really convicted about my faithfulness and committment to pray for those I love, so I began this process about a couple of months ago and it works really well for me. I have so many on my list though, that I had to divide them equally and go every other day. M,W,F and T,T,S. It is actually quite effective and I feel good about not forgetting anyone. The biggest joy is when I can go in and write that a prayer has been answered. Opportunity to SING HIS PRAISE! :)

A while back... as I contemplated my friendship with Kristi, I had come to the conclusion that God had absolutely put us together as friends so that we would pray for one another. I truly believe that. Kristi is the type of person that will pray for you if she says she will. It's important to have a friend like that, praying for each other is incredible. Right about the time I had the revelation about us being "praying friends" a box came in the mail from Kristi, all the way from South Africa... and here's what it was:

It's an African Prayer Doll. The note said that I should put it in my home and whenever I dust around it or move it, I should pray for her and her husband, Dan. Isn't that cool? It's been quite a conversation piece. As luck would have it and as you can see, it has a very narrow base. Guess what that means? It falls over a lot. Falling over a lot means that I have to set it back up a lot, which means that I pray for Kristi a lot!! :) Kinda neat how that all works out. Here's how my prayer doll looked this morning as I had my morning devotion:

Yup, I "lifted her up" in prayer today. Actually their mission there is really awesome and they are feeding lots of hungry kids. It's pretty exciting. She posted today about the "Soup Clubs" they have going on where kids can get fed 6 days a week. They also have a child sponsorship program where you can sponsor a child that Dan and Kristi may even know. Our family has been talking about this for a long time, and this Christmas we are going to sponsor a child. It feels so good to give, and it's amazing how much you are giving with only $25 or $30 a month. It puts these kids through school and feeds them and gets them clothing. It's quite humbling actually. Maybe you feel the nudge to be part of this fantastic mission. If so... check out Kristi's page. She can getchya hooked up. Plus she has a lot of cool pictures on her blog.

Well, that's it for now. PEACE OUT! :)

Trojan Horse

UGH! I feel really annoyed this morning. I'm considering singing a song for our Christmas program at church. "Adoration" by the Newsboys. So, I went online to download the song so I could listen to it and see if I could swing it or not... 3 times in 5 minutes I had to shut down my computer because of.... (drum roll please...) STUPID TROJAN HORSE!!


Trojan horse From Wikipedia
This article refers to a form of malware in computing terminology. For other meanings, see Trojan Horse (disambiguation)In the context of computing and software, a Trojan horse, also known as a trojan, is malware that appears to perform a desirable function but in fact performs undisclosed malicious functions. Therefore, a computer worm or virus may be a Trojan horse. The term is derived from the classical story of the Trojan Horse.


I kept getting the box of death saying the the Trojan Horse virus was found on my computer then I had to click the button to tell it to "clean all". Of course a restart is required every time this happens. SERIOUSLY!! I just feel so irritated that I'm trying to listen to a Christian song and have to get a virus. Why do people use their brains for evil? I never could understand this... if you're smart enough to write code to destroy people's computers or at least damage them... why wouldn't you use that talent to do something amazingly good? It's beyond me.

So, I don't know. Will I sing adoration at our Christmas "dinner show"? We'll see.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I know, cheesy. :) Seriously though... I am thankful for so many things, I'm not sure there'd be space here to list them all. We are so blessed. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Love and hugs,
jamimania

This is what 300 looks like!

Yup... 300 small fresh snow lotions

This was in addition to 200 fizzy bombs


And it's all for one customer! I've been busy, as you can see. :) It's great to have so much work and my new retail outlet in Hays is doing lots of business for me too. So... as we approach this time of Thanksgiving, I'd have to say that I'm thankful that God is blessing my business and work is steady. I seem to finally be reaching a place that's a bit more manageable - even though I'm worn out and ready for time off for the holidays! :)

"Chicka Soup" ala Dr. mom...

Well, Ciara's had a nasty, wicked cold for about 10 days, she'll see the Doc tomorrow to find out if she needs to be drugged, I mean... medicated. :) And Luke had to cancel his flight to Atlanta on Tuesday, because he woke up and had the flu. Extreme stomach cramps and body aches. YUCK. Then today I got a call from the school that Brandon had vomited. So... YAY! I'm thinking, "wow, I'm the only one left that is healthy in this house, wonder how long that will last." So I was working in my soap shop, made 150 of the 300 small Fresh Snow lotions that are due for an order next week... and I start getting huge knots in my stomach. OH NO! I keep working... I must have thought to myself a thousand times how bad my stomach hurt, but I just kept going. I called it a day early and came upstairs for a little rest. Barely sat down and Ciara was home so I talked to her. She felt fine, other than her barky cough, thankfully. I decided that some homemade chicken noodle soup was in order. (or as Brandon used to say when he was a little guy, "chicka soup". I didn't make the noodles myself though, picked them up from the grocery store - some lady in Schoenchen makes them. I also snagged myself a couple bags of oyster crackers and some Sprite for the sickies.

Brandon slept all afternoon and woke up feeling quite a bit better. He was able to eat my scrumptious soup, as was Luke who is feeling much better today... and surprisingly, I felt a bit better this afternoon. We'll see what tomorrow brings. *sigh* I guess there are some nasty bugs going around right now. 'Tis the season eh? I hope this note finds you all well, and if you are... stay away from the sickies. :)

Love and hugs,

jami

Yeah, this is how I roll...

So, I'm adding all the new Christmas products to my webpage at jinnycrickets.com. Just mindin' my own business, thinking about how I want to list the product descriptions and prices, etc. and along comes little Shoogie-Woogie-poo-kins. (That's for you, Morgan!) ha ha. Anyhoo... she is older now, almost 10 months and like any independent, stubborn "child" she has decided that she will let you know when SHE wants to be held, which is usually only when she is very tired. So she keeps wanting to be held and I can't resist the sweet, little fuzzy baby so I pick her up and start huggin' on her. She does this thing when she's tired where she crawls up on my shoulder and likes to lay across my whole chest and rest her head on my shoulder. It's actually really adorable, but that makes it pretty tough to work on the computer. Finally I put her down on my lap and got her settled in there and she was sleeping. I guess once she was zonked I didn't think much more about her being on my lap, I mean I felt her fuzzy face on my hand and her adjusting herself, but then I couldn't press the space bar. So then I figure out why...


Take a look at Shoogs!

Oh my goodness, too cute, and check out her little "wave-do" she has goin' on there with the bangs. :) I couldn't resist so I had to snap a few pix. She just kept sleeping.






What a little angel. Do you think she might possibly be part of my time management problem? Hmm.... Nah! :)

New Background

Just tryin' this one on for size... whatta ya think?? Me thinks me likes it. *grin*

Everyone's Friend?

Recently I was saddened when I came to the realization that there's a person in my life that I will never win over. They will never be my friend in the true sense of the word. This person, for whatever reason, just doesn't want much to do with me. I keep asking myself what I've ever said or done to have earned such disdain by this person... and I can't for the life of me think of anything that would make this person have such ugly feelings about me. I go out of my way to be friendly and kind... but it just doesn't seem to make a difference. Even when they are the nastiest, I repay it it with kindness and a smile to try to turn the situation around. The people that really know me, and know my heart understand that I am a tender person, thin-skinned even. It just doesn't take a whole lot to hurt my feelings, I am easily wounded. Now before you get all paranoid... just know that it's probably NOT YOU!! :)I'm not sure this person would even want to read my blog. So anyhoo... as I came to this realization, lots of old buried feelings resurfaced.


When I was in gradeschool I wanted to be everyone's friend. If I thought for a second that someone didn't like me it would send me into a tizzy. This was particularly tricky because as luck would have it... my mom gave me my haircuts until I was in upper grade school and into jr. high. I remember being told by the old ignorant woman at the historical society fashion show that "the boys restroom is that way." Yes... I looked like a boy. My hair was very short, I wore glasses, had crossed teeth that stuck out in the front and to make matters worse... was tall, skinny and dorky. Kids are cruel and the ones at my school were no exception. Ever see the movie "Mean Girls"? I'm not sure exactly how many days out of the week I returned home from school in tears because of the kids that made fun of me. Me and my hair and my glasses and my ugly clothes. The girls in my class all wore designer jeans from the department store and mine were purchased on sale from Alco or K-mart and usually had some kind of ugly alligator emblem or other hideous thing on the pocket. It seems so insignificant now, but then it meant everything. Mom would say, "you're beautiful, if they can't see that then that's their problem." That was easy for her to say, she wasn't the one that endured verbal lashinsg on a daily basis. One girl actually (amongst a group of giggling mean girls) actually had the nerve to ask me why I wore such ugly clothes. I can still recall the hot tears that followed that question and I still remember the names of those girls like it was yesterday. Seems like after episodes like the one I just described, too numerous to mention, I would have eventually quit trying to be liked by everyone, but I never stopped.

I carried my wounded pride and hurt feelings around with me for a long time. I felt paranoid all the time that someone was sizing me up and judging my appearance and that as usual... I fell short of their ideal. Why that was so important to me, I'm not sure. Thankfully my physical appearance improved drastically in Junior High when I was able to grow my hair long and get contact lenses. In high school I got braces, and a job so I could buy "cool clothes" and actually wound up being moderately popular. Still... I sought the approval of everyone around me... friends, family, people that I barely knew or had just met. Because I was such a people pleaser, I got hurt a lot. It seems I was always disappointing someone or letting someone down. I tried and tried... but somehow it was never enough.

It wasn't until I was in my late 20's that I learned I didn't have to be liked by everyone and that I didn't have to try to win everyone over as a friend. I read a bible verse that went somethin' like this, "Do I now live to please man or God, for if I live to please man, I am not a bondservant of Christ." Whoa! I only have to please God? REVELATION!! I was very freed by this verse and enjoyed the new life I discovered once I quit trying to please everyone and allowing myself to be guilted into things in an effort to gain someone's approval. Afterall... in an effort to please these people, I made myself miserable.

I still catch myself playing the "approval game" sometimes, ya know the one I've been describing where I try to turn everyone into my friend? The simple truth is that there is always going to be someone that doesn't like you for whatever reason, and that you should seek to please God first and if you please others in the process that's just a bonus. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not suggesting that people be self-centered and ignorant, but I'm just saying that we don't HAVE to be EVERYONE's friend. In the process I also learned that "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Sam 16:7)That verse means a lot to me, because I'm just so thankful that God looks at my heart and knows my heart. His love is unconditional and doesn't depend on what kind of clothes I wear or how my hair looks. I have God's approval! (because I am His, he looks at me through "Jesus colored glasses") He is my friend!! "I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you." (John 15:15-16)

So when someone is not my friend... it's ok. God knows my heart and he CHOSE to be my friend. Guess I just needed the reminder.

I mean no disrespect Mr. President...

but I felt inclined to post a picture that expressed how I'm feeling this morning (minus a couple of horns)



I felt anxious as I switched on Fox News and saw that Obama had been declared President. Sick actually. But my vote was cast and the voices that are the loudest (those of the large, liberal eastern states) were heard and so I hope that President Obama is everything these people wish for him to be. Now his wife can FINALLY "be proud to be an American" for the first time ever. (note hint of sarcasm - and yes, she actually said that, and I quote, “for the first time in my adult lifetime I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change.” Michelle Obama) *sigh*

I, for one, will be seeking God's face on the matter and begging him to intercede on behalf of this great nation. It's totally in his hands.

"Ahh Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm... NOTHING is too hard for you." (Jeremiah 32:17)

Popcorn Balls

Oops I nearly forgot... to share my popcorn ball recipe! They are so easy and delicious. I made 3 batches for Halloween and they turned out great, I thought maybe some of you would like to try some, so here goes:

Jami's Popcorn Balls

1 - 16 oz. bag of miniature marshmallows
1/2 stick margarine
1 small box of jello
8 1/2-10 cups plain popped popcorn (I make it in a kettle, but you could use microwave)

Directions:

Place margarine in large microwavable bowl (a huge tupperware type bowl works best)Place in microwave for approx. 30 seconds or until melted. Add bag of marshmallows and stir to coat the marshmallows with melted margarine. Place back in microwave for 2 minutes. Stir until all marshmallows are all melted down and well blended. Add package of jello powder and stir. I used "Melon Fusion, Blackberry Fusion, and Orange" for mine. At this point you will add your unbuttered popcorn 2 cups at a time and stir to coat. Keep adding 2 cups at a time up to 8 cups and mix well. If your mixture seems really wet and gooey with lots of marshmallow left in the bottom of the bowl - add remaining popcorn until all is coated. Not dry and not dripping. Lay sheets of wax paper on table or counter top. Butter your hands with stick margarine and grab a handful of coated popcorn. Shape into a ball however small or large you like and press firmly, but don't smash. Place popcorn balls onto wax paper until cool. Wrap individually in plastic or cling wrap until ready to serve.

Each batch makes approximately 20 small popcorn balls or 12 - 15 medium size. ENJOY!! :)

What a difference a year can make!!

November 3, 2007

November 3, 2008

Praise the Lord! After a gruelling year of recovery from his double broken leg, my husband is back up on his feet walking, running and once again doing all the things he enjoys doing. He pheasant hunted with my dad and brother this last weekend and last month played paintball with his brother Marshall, and some of my cousins. Besides a bit of swelling in the ankles and some achy-ness where the hardware is in his leg... he is doing great. Tonite the kids are at an MCL music competition for school, but we still celebrated with a candlelit flat iron steak dinner and a delicious bottle of sweet rose South African wine given to us by our dear ole friends, Dan and Kristi. (Thanks guys!! We loved it!) :)

"The prayer of faith will save the sick person and the Lord will raise him up..." (James 5:15)

So we just wanted to share the joy with you all about Luke's recovery and thank you all for your prayers. Peace out. :)

Voting..."Done Didder!"

My parents went to the courthouse to register their vehicles last week and discovered that people were voting early... so of course I thought I should save myself the hassle of voting when most everyone else is and I went and voted today. It was fairly painless really - I just went into the Ellis County Clerk's office and gave my name. They had me sign a paper and take it across the hall where there were 2 "paper booths" and 3 "computer" booths. I opted for the computer and within 45 seconds had cast my vote for President of the United States! Pretty nifty. Not so nifty is that every election year it seems I have to choose the lesser of 2 evils (not that I'm calling John McCain evil, I'm just sure there has to be a better choice out there... somewhere)For me... when I don't think either of the candidates are the "perfect" choice - I then begin to consider their values and see how they line up with my own. What else can a person do, but this? Certainly Obama's values are not even in the ballpark.

The thing I've found most interesting is the number of die hard democrats that have put the proverbial blinders on this election year. They act as if Obama is the Messiah and meanwhile I wanna flip those big ears out to see if there is a "666" stamped back there. Ok... I apologize, that was maybe goin' a little too far - but I can't help the way I feel. You start talkin' about babies that never had a CHANCE because their Momma had a CHOICE and I start gettin' a little indignant. Ok, nuff said.

Funny how many folks castin' a vote this election year don't even know the basics about what the candidates stand for. I wanna share with you something I read in our local newspaper. It simply blew me away!! Mind you, I can't stand Howard Stern, but I gotta kick outta this:

"Howard Stern sent his team into harlem to interview voters. Three people were asked who they support and all said "Obama." They were all asked if it bothered them that he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate; all said "no." They were all asked if it bothered them that Obama was anti-abortion. All three of them said "no" and on of them had the gall to say she didn't support McCain because he was uninformed. Now give me a good argument why voters shouldn't have to pass a simple civics test!"

Seriously... these people are choosing the next leader of our great nation. *sigh* God help us. All the way around... God help us!

Vikings and ladybugs and bunnies... OH MY!

So... the kids had their costume dance Friday nite at school and it was pretty fun gettin' all dressed up. Once Brandon and Ciara were ready, I got Shoogie dressed and we took some photos to commemorate the fun before heading next door to Grandma's to show off our costumes. The kids were vikings:


And Shoogie was a ladybug



Trixie even got in on the fun... she was a bunny




Here are a few more fun photos from the evening











My kids have always loved to dress up... Halloween is just a good excuse to take their "getups" out in public. :) Hope you gotta kick out of the pix.

Time Flies

Time really does fly. Seems like I just barely get a perscription filled and 3 months have flewn by and it's time to call in my next-rx order again. And what about school? Didn't the kids JUST get started? They've already been back to school for about 2 and a half months! The thing that really got me this last week is how long our German student has been gone. The other day Brandon was in the kitchen getting some breakfast and was wearing a sweatshirt he'd pulled out of the drawer that apparently hadn't been washed prior to packing it away for the winter. I saw him reach over to his arm and grab a blonde hair that was about 14-18" long. As you know... nobody in our house has long blonde hair, so it was quite apparently still "hangin' around" from when Tina was here. She left in June. I began counting and realized that she's been gone for nearly 5 months already!! Brandon's exclamation, "EWW GROSS!!!" Didn't exactly take me by surprise, he always harassed her about her hair being all over everything. Of course this made me think about our German girl. I wonder what she's up to and how she's doing. If she passed drivers ed and how she's liking school. I haven't heard from her since my birthday in August and so I can't help but wonder what is new with her and her family. Surprisingly, I haven't heard from her mother since Tina's back in Germany. We used to email one another all the time when Tina was here - but since she returned home, I haven't heard from her mom at all. Kinda strange, since we raised her daughter for nearly a year and made her part of our family. But all in all... what I realized is that what I have left of Tina (besides a few lingering blonde hairs - ha ha) are fond memories.













I'm pretty sure that she's happy to be back home, eating her mom's cooking, going to "zuh disco", shopping with her friends and hangin' out on "zuh beach"... and most of all being back with her family. Really, we're happy too, to have our family back to normal (whatever "normal" is)... but we'll always remember the fun times and the funny stuff most of all. You know, things she said like "man chicken" for rooster -"christmas man" for santa, etc. One time she actually screamed down the hall "Ciara, zehr is an animal in our room!". Turns out it was a moth. ha ha. She didn't know what to call it so she yelled about their being an "animal" in their bedroom. :) It was great. We laughed so hard. I had to remind her often that we weren't making fun of her, but just laughing because the things she says are so amusing. :) It's hard to believe that nearly half a year has gone by. Time really does fly... so in a nutshell... Tina's long hair reminded me to slow down and enjoy life before it passes me by.

FALL - out. WINTER - in?

Geesh, there were snowflakes on my little puppy this morning when I took her out. This weather has been crazy!! Yesterday it rained sideways, if that makes any sense. The wind blew probably 40+ mph and it rained most of the day, it was also blustery cold. So when I got out at the dreaded Wal-Mart, my face got pelted with some of the coldest rain I've ever experienced. BRR!! When I went to bed last nite the "weather" was so loud - rain pounding on the house, etc. - that I had a hard time falling asleep. I usually love the rain, but not this kind. :S YIKES. Then to see snowflakes on Shoogies little coat this morning... Yes, she has a little winter coat. It is so cute! Well here... check it out: So first of all, she needs the coat because she looks adorable, duh - but other than that she weighs only 7 pounds so the tiny little thing can't quit shivering if I don't cover her somehow during weather like this when I take her out. No argument, she is one spoiled little dog, but neither one of us mind. :) She's my little baby. She also has a little hoodie that she wears around the house due to the fact that we keep it a little cool in here. (see thermostat post) ;)I've enjoyed a couple of weeks of Fall this year, that's more than we usually get here in Hays, but I'm definitely not ready for some of the inevitable yucky weather. I keep reminding myself, it could be worse... we could still be enduring a Nebraska winter. BRRRR. Guess Kansas isn't so bad. :)

Masks

It's that time of year again, you can't walk through any store without witnessing the displays of masks and costumes. The kids have a costume dance at school again this year on the 31st, so we are trying to figure out what they will "be". Brandon's plan was to be Phantom of the Opera, and Ciara was going to be a geisha. When we got to Around the World today (a costume and hobby shop) we instantly went to the photo books to see if we could find what we were looking for. Well... we didn't have much luck so began to contemplate plan B - which ended up being some cool viking hats we found on the top shelf. Yes, you heard correctly - the viking siblings will be attending the dance next friday. :)

I was in awe as we walked down the ailes looking at fake mustaches and beards, costume accessories, princess crowns, pirate hats.... there were so many things you could find there to alter your appearance, but the thing that really struck me, was all the MASKS. There were yoda masks, Obama masks, creepy masks and on and on. It occurs to me that even though these masks were created for the purpose of allowing some to "be someone else" for a day... so many of us wear masks EVERY day.

Ciara and I have had this conversation. Why do we metaphorically "wear masks" hiding who we really are? The mask we wear usually depends on who we are with at the time, it would seem that the masks change for the occasion. I've even noticed that about myself at times, when I worry that someone will not like ME for ME - I put on the mask that I think they'd be most comfortable with me in. I hate that about myself. I'm envious of my friend, Kristi - she is real every day. Every day she is Kristi. There is no guess work because she is herself all the time. She is humble and it humbles me. At any given time I can go to her blog and read about her shortcomings. She is forthright and broken about them. She doesn't wear masks... I wish I didn't.

My friend Lynnette just wrote on the subject on her blog over at Dancing Barefoot -

"What is it that makes people hide who they really are? Is it that we aren’t happy with ourselves? Not usually. I think it’s because we want others to think we’re perfect"

How could that be more true? We never want to look like a failure to those around us, especially to those that we esteem highly or want to impress. We want to appear as if we really have our act together and that we never mess up, when in truth... I forget things, I'm occasionally late, I sometimes leave clothese on the floor in my bedroom - the list goes on! I guess it is a pride issue then, we are too proud to admit that we are human and make mistakes just like the rest of the world. We can strive for perfection, but perfection is impossible - we are made perfect ONLY in Christ, through his free gift of grace. So why do we wear these masks? I pray that God would help me to be real every day and for those around me to love me for Me... not me in the mask.

P.S. Name that mask! I'll give you a hint, he changed his "mask" permanently by bleaching his skin and having lots of plastic surgery, most obviously multiple nosejobs. :)It's ok... go ahead and laugh, I did... when I saw it on the shelf at the store.

Thermostats

There's always a lot of "discussion" about thermostats at our house. My husband who loves 100 degree weather in the summer doesn't see why the AC should be set below 78 - afterall... that's the recommended temperature give by the power companies. The problem with our thermostat is that it can be 1 degree off. For example, if it's set on 77 it may be 78 in our home. Ok... 78 is entirely TOO HOT. Yes, 1 degree DOES make a difference. We've repeatedly had this conversation. 76 is the magic number for me. 75 is too cool and 77 is too warm. Some would argue, but I guess I'm just one of those people that doesn't handle hot weather very well. If I must admit, then I will.... I'm spoiled. I was raised with air conditioning and I'm not about to start walking around smelling like a goat because our home is so miserably hot in the summer.

As you might imagine, I am LOVING this cooler fall weather. Now again, this presents an issue about the furnace. *smile* I have not run the heat yet... though it's beginning to get a little chilly in here for my taste. West Star Energy Co. suggests that heat be set no higher than 68 degrees. Here's what my thermostat looks like this morning:

As you can see, that's 1 degree below the RECOMMENDED temperature. ;) It's chilly in my house, but I definitely prefer it over the heat. Yesterday morning it was 31 degrees, we got our first freeze. I'm just not sure I'm ready for winter weather. I wanna capture Fall in a jar and keep it all year. Now when it's time to run the furnace, I will argue that we should keep it on 69 and darling husband will want it no higher than 67 or 68 and will go around telling people that "she wants to keep it on 75" NOT TRUE!! (He lies sometimes. ha ha) Maybe 67 would be ok for him because he's running a space heater in his office?!!! Ahhhh.... now it's starting to make sense here. Hm... wonder if that's energy efficient? *grin*

So lets address the real issue then. Men and women have different thermostats. I've been accused of several things... such as the "M" word. (whisper: "MENOPAUSE") But my doc says that's just not the case and he has tests to prove it. What I'm learning is that I'm not the only woman who has issues with her built in thermostat, in fact I've talked to several that describe the same situation as ours! Thank goodness I'm not alone in this battle. So... what's a poor girl to do? I can add clothes in the winter and live with that... but the summer situation isn't quite as simple. I can't seem to get few enough clothes on without offending our teenagers and any visitors that may happen to drop in - ie: the UPS or Fed Ex guy. ha ha.

So... I will press on with my argument for 69 in the winter and 76 in the summer. I really don't care what the power companies recommend, this is what MY thermostat needs. :)

"The Weary"

You've probably heard the expression, "No rest for the weary." I'm weary today... my kids are home from school sick with nasty colds, my husband is in Pennsylvania for the week... my house is a mess... I'm behind in my work... I need to make the second of 3 trips to town this week in my gas guzzling SUV - I'm weary. I could use a little renewal and strength, not sure how it's gonna happen except by the grace of God ~ so I'm grateful that I always have a place to go for encouragement. He is so faithful!


"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-30


"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
Isaiah 40:29-31


THANK YOU LORD!!

Firsts

Don't let the sweet, innocent face fool you... yesterday Shoogie ate her first grasshopper. Eww. But she couldn't be stopped, she just chased it and caught it and.... Yuck. My little precious ate a bug. Oh well, maybe she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her big sister, I seem to recall a certain little curly head that was caught eating crickets off the ground at the Hespe Reunion out at Ft. Randall. (sigh) What's a mom to do?

She's really enjoying the new fenced in patio, we all are actually... it's multi-purpose - more on that later and I'll post pictures too. My studly husband put up a nice dog ear fence so that my sanity could remain intact instead of going nuts while standing outside for 15 minutes every time puppy went out to do her business and was distracted by our big dog Trixie and a gazillion farm cats. UGH. So anyhoo... my husband is awesome, Shoogie and me are happy and the fenced in area has been appropriately named "Sugarland" I think we'll put up a sign. :)

Me...today

Still

Hide me now
Under Your wings
Cover me
Within Your mighty hand

CHORUS
When the oceans rise
And thunders roar
I will soar with You
Above the storm
Father You are King
Over the flood
I will be still and know
You are God

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know His power
In quietness and trust

Homecoming Slideshow 2008

If you wanna see the photos bigger... click on this link to go straight to the slide show, the photos are easier to see. Enjoy! :) Bigger photo slideshow

Homecoming...Hoorah.

Drained. That's how I feel after a week of homecoming festivities. You can tell I haven't had much time lately... it's been about 10 days since I even had a few minutes to sit down and blog! It began the weekend before with impromptu float building supervision. I went to drop Brandon off at the freshmen float and discovered there weren't enough parent volunteers. Well, you know how that goes... I wound up making a special trip to Hays for spray paint and helping them build the float saturday and sunday. It looked pretty good and they got 3rd place, beating out the Juniors - so I guess they did a decent job. The theme this year was "Rockin' the reservation". They played the Hoxie Indians. [that's why you'll see Brandon in indian garb in the slideshow :)]They dressed up all week for spirit week. It was sorta fun. Here's what they did: (Slideshow to follow)

Monday: Hawaiian Day
Tuesday: Disney Character Day
Wednesday: College Team Day
Thursday: Fake an Injury Day
Friday: Orange & Black Day

The kids had a good time dressing up and both had dates for the dance and according to the pictures their friends are posting on facebook... had a great time. :) Even though it was fun, I have to say I'm glad it's over. I'm exhausted! My work has been insane lately, but I won't complain since being busy is always better than not having any work - since no work = no moolah. ha ha. So the slide show you see is full of pix of the kids enjoying homecoming week. Hope you'll be amused, I know I was! ;)

P.S. Brandon's date was picked up after the photos were taken at Ciara's friend's house, so unfortunately we don't have any of her. I guess I better get used to that with Brandon since he's the one picking up dates now instead of being picked up... I'll probably never have pictures of him with a date unless they're taken by the school. :(

Morning Observations

Tuesday morning I made lots of outdoor observations. It was the kinda morning where you go outside and the sun is shining and the birds are chirping and all just seems to be well with the world. I took my little Shoogie outside for her first potty break of the day and noticed that the moon was still out and it was beautiful! Once pup had finished her business, I ran in the house to grab my camera. This is what I saw:

A lingering moon over a country road. Gorgeous!

A magnificent blazing sunrise

A green pinecone... I'm in awe at how those things grow. so cool!

A spider that had made it's home between our pine trees

A baby kitty in a tree

Mums waiting to be planted (maybe the cats got to them?) Oh well. :)


"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." (Gen.1:31)