Thursday Thirteen #51

Names I considered for my two kids.

Back when I was first married, I had names picked out for all six of my future children. Yeah. That didn't happen. (not yet, anyway, but I do realize God has a sense of humor)

Here are a few of the names I considered for Zaya and Mim. (I do hope you all realize that those aren't actually their real names either. Sorry.)

for Zaya

1. Charles
2. Cedric
3. Alastair
4. Carson
5. Caoilfhionn - This one was my favorite and I really wanted to use it, but my family and friends forbid it. It's Welsh and pronounced Kee-Lin.
6. Aodhan - I had never heard this name before, and really liked it. Now I'm glad I didn't use it, because it ended up being the most popular name for boys the year he was born. (With variations in spelling.)

for Mim

7. Alaina
8. Ariana - I still like this one, but it didn't fit with her brothers name once she was born.
9. Alexa
10. Tabitha - Don't know if I could use it because I keep thinking of the litte girl witch in Bewitched.
11. Lydia
12. Sariah
13. Keren-Happuch - Just kidding.

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Rough Water(paint)

I let the kids play with their waterpaints yesterday morning. Mim painted clouds. Big dark storm clouds. The kind that takes the rainbow and squeezes it until it gets really angry and shoots out lightening bolts. At least that's what it looked like.

Zaya has done a little better at grasping "don't mix the colors" and made this lovely portrait you see here.

He told me, "Look, mommy, this is the (mystic voice) Waterfalls of Junior High."

I suppose that's as a good a way as any to describe those turbulent pre-teen years; maybe a portent of things to come. Let's all hope not!

3...2...1..We Have Lift Off!

Someday we'll have a backyard fence and a swing set. Someday my children will be old enough to go play outside without my supervision. Someday. For now, it's cold, they're young, and there isn't a whole lot to do outside.

Enter the couch.

This activity is called "doing tricks" and it keeps them busy for whole minutes on end. When we had our big sectional sofa at the dorm the whole process was much easier because two sides of the arena were surrounded by couch. However, it works with one after Mommy rounds up every cushion, pillow and blanket in the house and arranges them just right.

We put on what Mim calls "fast, dancin' music" and the little guys have a ball. I feel a bit too big for energetic jumping on our secondhand couch, so I dance like the fool that I am on the rug instead. We have fun, and my children are too young to remember how silly I looked.

I hope.

Frustrations are High

Ladies' Magazines make me want to scream. You know the type. Ladies' Home Journal, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, Family Circle etc. They are written for people who I assume exist, but have never actually met. Tall, beautiful and, most importantly, rich ladies who have the extra time and money to spend on designer decorating their garden shed in matching colors.

One article I was perusing in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine (March '08) this morning was about spending a day with your girlfriends at the garden center to get ready for spring. The pictures all showed the above-mentioned perfect women in their cute, little spring sun-dresses and their perfect hair and make-up.

You, the article suggests, are supposed to have packed a garden tote (a new, clean, designer garden tote, of course, that matches your outfit) with "tasty snacks, refreshing drinks, and thoughtful friendship gifts to keep spirits high." It goes on to say,
"A great girls-day-out always ends too soon. Turn the adventure into a treasured memory with a few simple keepsakes. Use festive ribbons to tie around seed packets to give as gifts. The interesting jars you served drinks in become fun take-aways. (Write down your special recipe on tags.)[The tags say, Girl Thyme, by the way. Let's all roll our eyes together.] Express a heartfelt sentiment with the help of a cute card holder you've bought or made. Take a group picture that you'll share at the next outing."

Give me a break! What is wrong with these people. Do they really have nothing better than this to do? Sure, take a friend to the garden center with you, get ideas from them or hang out or whatever. That's fine. But a cute little snack bag? A special drink and meal afterwards for which you've spent hours of preparation and tons of money!? Do these people really exist? If I suggested doing this with any girl friend of my acquaintance she'd look at me like I'd lost my mind, and politely decline.

After having already browsed through page after page of designer this and organic that, I was so annoyed that a got up and threw the magazine into the trash. My kids were a little confused. Sorry guys, even Mommy has her tantrums.

And here it is:

I don't want my daughter to grow up with that "you're not good enough" complex that every woman in this country is being force-fed. She'll get the message from enough places anyway. How can I protect her? Can I protect her? Will she, too, be told by our society that she isn't stylish enough, pretty enough, rich enough, smart enough...for the rest of her life?

My own mother is a Godly woman; down to earth and intelligent, and I know she kept my sister and I grounded, yet we still feel that sudden, if temporary, rush of shame when we see what we are "supposed" to be.

I guess my job is to help her balance self-confidence and humility, and leave her tender, little soul in the hands of God.

Thursday Thirteen #50

My Favorite Thirteen Forms of Chocolate (Woo Hoo #50!)

I can't handle plain chocolate. It's too rich, sweet, or something, but I love chocolate when it is a part of a greater thing. An ingredient, if you will, instead of the whole.


1. Chocolate Almond Ice Cream - This is probably my favorite flavor of ice cream. I'm a big fan of almonds, and what's the best thing to do with any nut? Put it in chocolate, of course!

2. Snickers Candy Bar - There aren't a lot of candy bars I really like, but Snickers is my favorite. It's got chocolate, but lots of other things too, so it's just pure goodness. Mmmmmm. I also love the next two candy bars.

3. Kit Kat - I have to eat this one in layers. It's a moral imperative. I don't know why.

3. Reeses Peanut Butter Cup - This is almost too rich, but I can handle one little cup.

4. Brownies - I can always eat a brownie. I might be stuffed to the gills, but give me a few minutes, and I will somehow be able to fit in a brownie.

5. German Chocolate Cake - This is the only kind of cake that I can eat the icing as well as the cake. Absolutely delicious.

6. Chocolate Chip Cookies - Another little obsession of mine. I don't like it chock full of chocolate (so to speak) but just enough, and especially if it's chewy.

7. Oreo Cookies - Who doesn't love an Oreo every now and then? I'm not crazy about the filling, I just like the chocolate part. I give the center to my kids, because that's the only part they want. We don't buy them very often, because it wouldn't be good for any of us.

8. Magic Shell - I don't know that the flavor is necessarily the best, but you gotta love how that melted chocolate suddenly becomes a crunchy chocolate shell. Think Dairy Queen.

9. Hot Chocolate - This should've been closer to the top, I guess. It's cousin, chocolate milk, is also always acceptable.

10. Ice Cream Sandwiches - Especially the Mississippi Mud variety. I absolutely can't get enough of these. I only buy them once a year or so, because I know I can't control myself once they're in the house.

11. Texas Pie - I've heard others (those from Texas) call it Ice-Box Pie or Refrigerator Pie. This is a crust of crumblies and nuts and so forth with chocolate pudding, vanilla pudding and cool whip layered on top.

12. Chocolate Mint Cookies - Delivered by the Girl Scouts or the Keebler Elves. Either way they're great with a big glass of milk.

13. Chocolate covered pretzels - Not almond bark, although that's OK in a pinch. Just melted chocolate.

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Messy Me

I recently re-read a book called The Messies Manual. The author, Sandra Felton, writes specifically to those of us who are mystified and completely frustrated by the housekeeping tasks that seem intuitive to others. She calls these two types of people Messies and Cleanies.

I see myself in so much of what she describes that it's scary. Messies are easily distractable and see their home and the tasks at hand in a different way. Art calls this book my biography because of the sections I've read to him. For instance, the following piece about a typical Messie problem with boundaries:

"[Messies] fail to consider lack of space, i.e., that space has boundaries. They keep buying books without considering there is no place to put them. They don't notice where their responsibility leaves off in relation to other people. They keep trying to inappropriately take care of everybody else's needs.
They mingle themselves with their possessions in such a way that when they get rid of their belongings they feel as though they are losing a part of themselves. They also feel that the possessions of other people have a little of those people in the possessions.
They blur time boundaries in that they try to live in the past, present, and future all at the same time."

She says that her Cleanie friends approached everything about housework and cleaning in a different way from her and other Messies that she met and has helped. For example, a Cleanie will see a piece of lint on the floor and immediately pick it up and throw it away. Problem solved. A Messie will see the same piece of lint, groan and think, "Oh no. Now I have to vacuum," and keep on walking.

This is so, so true.

I'm working on it, and hope to improve as time goes on. After reading this book, and Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley, I've begun to notice where my problem areas are, and begun to find solutions for those areas.

All that to say, I guess, that if you're struggling with these same issues, or are curious about how the other half lives, I'd recommend these books.

Monday, Monday

I'm having a little trouble with motivation today. Maybe I'll blame it on Monday. Poor Monday gets all our troubles, doesn't he? It's not his fault he's the first day of the workweek. I imagine him standing in line with all the other days when a call for volunteers is made. Everyone else takes the famous "smart step to the rear" and slow little Monday remains standing alone.

He gulps and accepts his assignment, knowing he will receive no recognition for his work, except the kind that comes with censure.

It's not his fault that there are so many, many things I ought to be doing. The house always suffers through the weekend. There are too many places to be, and too little desire for cleaning. Everything gets piled into the living room or the kitchen table, and it takes Monday to get them cleaned and put away.

Sad, overworked Monday. Suffering for the hedonism of the lazy weekend.

Thursday Thirteen #49

Yes, this is ruthlessly pirated from Uncle John's Bathroom Reader. (The Twentieth Anniversary Edition, if you're interested.)

Upskill Your Lingo

Every year Merriam-Webster's and The Oxford English Dictionary add new words. If they weren't already commonly used, they couldn't make it into the dictionary, but it's kind of funny to think of these words as "official."


1. Ginormous - Extremely large (from gigantic + enormous)

2. Mouse potato - Like a "couch potato," only someone who sits at the computer all day, not a TV (Ouch. This one hits close to home.)

3. Upskill - To learn more skills

4. Hardscape - Manmade features in a landscape, such as gazebos and fountains

5. Sandwich generation - People who are "sandwiched" between the parents they're taking care of and the kids they're raising

6. Soul patch - Small growth of hair below a man's lower lip (And sorry if any of you men out there have one of these, but I think it's just skanky if not attached to a beard or goatee. Skanky should also be added.)

7. Smackdown - A decisive defeat of an opponent

8. Viewshed - Everything visible from one or more points (from "watershed")

9. Supersize - To increase in size (from a former McDonald's menu feature)

10. Big-box - relating to large chain stores (like Wal-Mart or Home Depot)

11. Hoody - A hooded sweatshirt or other hooded top

12. Drama queen - A person given to excessive emotional displays

13. Unibrow - When a person's eyebrows meet in the middle to form one long eyebrow

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Fun Times

Yesterday Art and I went to the City for my rescheduled GE appointment and had a great time shopping without toddlers. We visited that little shopping paradise I recently discovered and went to Target, Toys-r-us and Lowe's and then ate at Pei Wei. Bliss.

The feeling of hearing a child throwing a fit in the toy aisle of SuperTarget and knowing that it cannot possibly be your child, and is, thus, not your problem, is truly exhilirating!

I would like to announce to all that I did not even walk into the children's clothing sections at Target, and did not enter Old Navy either. I may have cast longing glances, of course, and I realize it's what's in your heart that counts, but I think it was progress, nonetheless.

Mim and Zaya had a great time with Grandma T in the morning (the picture above is Zaya showing her how to play Super Paper Mario) and Grandma Lilibeth in the afternoon. The latter was quizzing Mim about her opposites, and the following conversation ensued:

"Mim, what's the opposite of up?"

"Down!"

"What's the opposite of big?"

"Little!"

"What's the opposite of north?"

"Dakota!!"

OK, so we're all little confused here in the Babystepper household, but that just adds a little zest to life, right?

Sleeping in Splendor

Mim got her first real Big Girl Bed this weekend. We shuffled things around in her little room and sort of crammed it in the corner. I had been saving some special blankets, sheets and pillows from around her first birthday (when she was too young to know we were getting her linens for her birthday, poor deprived child) and we pulled it all out and put it on her bed. She just loves it.

I'm not a bright, gaudy colors kind of person myself, and I always said my little girl's bedroom would not be pink and purple.

Ooops.



That's a whole lot of pink and purple shininess in one little place. The fuzzy blanket there is a very silky shag, and its back is deep, shiny purple. A bit overwhelming, but it was on clearance. I couldn't resist. And what can I say? She loves pink and purple. As I pulled out each new item from the box to put on her bed her eyes got wider and wider and she kept saying, "It matches!" OK, yeah, so I don't usually bother with little things like matching. This might be the last time, in fact, so I hope she doesn't get used to the idea.

I was telling Art, as we pulled this bed out and started putting it together, that it was my bed from childhood. Then I started trying to remember when I actually used it, and it turns out it wasn't half as sentimental as I thought it was. I only used this bed my freshman and sophomore years of college, and for the second of those I was living in the dorm across the state. Oh well. It did come from my Grandpa, and Mama Lilibeth and I sanded and refinished it, so that can be why it's sentimental instead.



Before we put a mattress on it, we had to make some kind of slats to lay across the frame. As with most everything, Art took it as a personal challenge, and came up with a substructure that could probably be used as an alternate saferoom for the family in the event of a tornado. There are eight 2X4s going across the massive three foot, four inch span of the bed and those 2X4s are screwed to a sheet of plywood. He then sanded the plywood smooth and rounded off all the edges with his router. I love my little overachiever.

Anyway, all that to say that the new bed and it's coverings are a big hit for all concerned, including the plush members of our family. Yesterday Mim was running around the house telling us to be quiet, because Bunny was asleep. This is what I found in her room. Hey, even a stuffed bunny needs his quiet time.

Wheedling

Zaya wanted to play video games, and when I hesitated in my response to his question, he said,
"Mommy, when you tell me to turn off Super Paper Mario, well then, I will just turn it off. I promise you that."

Has this kid figured me out or what? I still made him wait a while, but he was so cute, it was hard.

Right now Zaya is reading with Daddy and Sister. His new favorite book is Rosie and the Rustlers. He's never had much interest in the cowboy world before, but he's obsessed with this book. Of course, the words aren't typical Western fare:
"The boys thought this was fantastic and they waxed enthusiastic."
Every couple of pages we hear something like,
"Wait, wait, what does 'enraptured' mean?"

Thursday Thirteen #48

13 Games for Children

This last year was "the year of the board games". Zaya and Mim now have 12 board games, and the thirteenth is one they've played, but I can't find to purchase.





1. Hi, Ho Cherry-O - Mim calls this Ho, Hi Cherry-O, but the idea is the same. The kids love picking the "fruit" off of the little trees and filling up their baskets.




2. Candyland - The old classic. They want to play it, a lot, but are young enough that Mommy has to play too. Yeah.




3. Twister - They're both too young to play this the real way, so I just tell them what color they should find. They think it's pretty exciting.




4. Color Dominoes - These are some dominoes with simple pictures instead of dots. The kids get the idea of how to play dominoes without having to count or multiply by five.




5. Busy Bugs - This is a Discovery Toys game that both Zaya and Mim love to play with. It comes with several cards with pattern and matching challanges, but the kids use the little rubber bugs for imaginative play. For instance, last night Mim made Aaron some gravy covered bugs with blueberries and chocolate.




6. Operation - This is similar to the traditional Operation, but with a few different games and a special timer. It's all incorporated in a white plastic "medical" case. The dexterity required is a little much for my kids, but they like to try anyway.




7. Let's Go Fishin' - Another classic. Mim especially loves this one, and does pretty well at it, really. I remember a friend who had this game when I was little, and it seemed magical at the time.




8. Roll and Play - Also by Discovery Toys, this game involves a large cushy dice and some colored cards. You roll the dice and take a card of the color shown. Each card has an activity to pretend. Some examples are: brush your teeth, hug your mommy, eat a sandwich, read a book etc.




9. Memory - I make this game easy enough for Mim by using only 4 to 6 pairs. She loves it, and so does Zaya.




10. Hanging Monkeys - Our youth pastor's wife brought this for Zaya after he had his tonsils out. It's a very cute little game, and it helps develop fine motor skills. This picture is actually a slightly different game than the one we have, but very similar.




11. Wild Woods - This Discovery Toys game teaches kids to use a dice and move around a board with very little other difficult ideas. It uses bright colors and the kids like to play... for about half the game. Then they get a little bored.




12. Trouble - Mostly my kids just like to pop the bubble in the middle to make the dice move. They aren't quite ready for the "moving the pegs" part, but close.




13. - Flags of the World - I used to play this game at Grandma P's house when I was little, and it was possibly my all time favorite. My kids played it this last Christmas when we went to visit them. I would love to own a copy of it. Grandma offered me hers, but I feel so bad taking it because then all the other grandkids wouldn't get to play it. Anyone out there know where I could find it?

Check here for more Thursday Thirteen.

Call Now!

Introducing the new Feline Weather Vane system! No longer do you need to drag yourself to the computer or television to look up the wind direction, and no longer must you walk outside to feel that cold blast of air or look up at some ridiculous metal rooster on your roof!

With the new FWV , you just watch which of your windows this cat chooses as his seat. Is there a cold wind blowing in from the north? Kitty will be snoozing on top of the air conditioner. Is there a strong, dusty southern wind? Kitty will be hiding in the dining room window. This system is fail-proof and guaranteed!

But wait, there's more! If you order now your FWV will come with snuggling and purring capabilities for those warm afternoons on the front porch, and your kiddos will love feeding your FWV each morning.

And that's not all! Your FWV can also transform into the Feline Alarm System. No pesky stray dogs or cats will come around your front porch without a screeching howl from your FAS, alerting you to the danger of the neighbor's pets who may be preparing to mark your screen door, or add extra fertilizer to your front flower beds.

Best of all, the FWV and FAS can be yours for low monthly installments of $6. (Price of Food.) The machine itself is free! Yes, your heard me right, FREE! Just head down to your local humane society, animal pound, or watch your local ads. If you plan ahead and select a female FWV/FAS you can be assured quality service for years to come.

Don't wait, order now!

(Babystepper LTD is not responsible for the actions of your FWV/FAS. Babystepper LTD holds no liability in the event of a runaway or FWV/FAS that has not been equipped with snuggling capabilities. Babystepper LTD holds no responsibility for veterinarian bills should you choose to fix up your old model instead of upgrading in the event of a problem.)

Checking in to Life (I hope)

I know we're not supposed to wish our lives away, but I would just like to announce to the world at large that I'm glad this week is over and I'm hoping next week is oodles better. While the vomiting part of the stomach flu only lasted about 6-8 hours per kid, the diarrhea just started today. I can deal with that a little better, though, because the kids aren't quite as miserable.

Art has been great this week, even though he wasn't able to take any time off. Yesterday evening he brought me a dozen roses and a box of Sweetheart candy (one of my favorites) because he said he knew I'd had a lousy week. (True)

He just now walked into the living room saying, "I'm going to go see if the Super Bowl pre-game show has started." It's still Saturday night. That guy cracks me up.

(No, he doesn't like football. Neither do I. What I like about the Super Bowl is getting together with family and friends, eating lots of snack food, and making fun of the half time show and the overpriced commercials.)

Hey, y'all! I'm Famous!

Big Mama is a great Mommy blogger from Texas, who is always good for a laugh. On Friday she gives some basic down-home fashion advice. Today's edition is for kids, and she accepted my question about Zaya's pants. (I have issues finding them long enough and skinny enough.)

I don't know if I'm up for spending a lot of money on jeans for my son, but it would be nice if the little guy had at least a couple pair that didn't fall off of him. Seriously, the poor kid doesn't own a single pair of pants that have to be unbuttoned or unsnapped before he can take them off. He just slides them right down. It definitely makes potty time easier, but he's going to be an easy target for all those pants-pulling bullies in Kindergarten.

As you can tell, fashion is not our strong suit. (Thanks for the glasses, Aunt and Uncle B!)

And Again

I'm opting out of Thursday Thirteen. Mim came down with the flu bug this evening, so I have more important things to do.

Mim got sick at the supper table. Needless to say, we didn't have much appetite for what I had prepared. God used my good buddy Tina, and she brought us some homemade Chicken Noodle Soup at 9:00. By homemade I mean, she did everything but raise and pluck her own chicken. She even made her own noodles. Delicious! At least three of us will enjoy it, and I'm optimistic about Mim being able to eat some tomorrow. (This flu bug has been lasting about eight hours.)

Pray for us. Art and I haven't had it yet.

This Little Light of Mine

Most of the money we received as wedding gifts went straight into the "survive at college" pot or the "fix up the junky trailer" pot. The first $20 bill, though, I took to Hobby Lobby in OKC and bought my very own lamp.

Not just any lamp, mind you, but a decorative lamp. It had a picture painted on the underside of its glass shade that shone through when you turned it on. I'm not even sure what kind of picture it was, but it was my picture, on my decorative lamp, and that's important when you're about to own your own "house" (you'd have to have seen our trailer to understand the quote marks there) and be a grown-up.

It really was possibly the most useless lamp known to mankind. It only used a 15 Watt bulb, which meant it wasn't bright enough to accomplish anything, but it was too bright to leave on as a night light. I don't know if I ever turned it on more than 10 times in its life, but I couldn't quite bear to part with it. It was the memory, of course, that I kept. It was that memory of going shopping with my mom, and being an adult, and choosing my own lamp for my own place. Several times I decided to give it away, and every time I faltered at the last moment, and found somewhere to put it.

Zaya made the decision for me yesterday. In an attempt to throw all the blankets and pillows off the bed, he hit the lamp with my wedge pillow and the shade broke irreparably. For the sake of teaching my toddler repentance I made a very sad face and said,
"Oh no, you broke Mommy's lamp Zay. It was a very special lamp."
When his little eyes started to tear up, though, I gave him hugs and told him that he was much more important than a lamp, because he was my boy. We reconciled and I started cleaning up the mess.

Zaya learned that you must be careful with other people's things, and I learned that it's OK to let go of things, because the memory is still there, even without the lamp. Mom and I still went shopping together and we still planned my wedding and sorted through all the stuff, deciding what things I would take for my new life, and what things would be left behind as part of my childhood.

A few minutes after the tragedy, Zaya came into my room and said,
"I know Mommy! We can go buy you a new lamp!"
Proving that he really is a child after my own heart. Maybe Mom will go with us to pick it out, and we'll all make a new memory.

The Wait is Over

Well, it happened. Zaya was up all night with flu. I say "all night", but he really did do a good job going back to sleep between episodes. I called my Mom-In-Law this morning, and she says Uncle C has it and, probably worst of all, visiting Uncle J, who was supposed to fly out of state today.

This is a particularly virulent type, I'm afraid, so I'm going to be nervously watching Mim, Art and myself all day. (Art's at work, so I guess I won't actually be watching him, just worrying.)

Pray for us. Please. Stomach bugs are just no fun at all.

On a positive note, my new camera came in! I used it to take the above picture of a freshly showered Zaya playing Dora the Explorer this morning. (I spared you his bucket.)

Dressed to Kill

Mim comes up with something every day that makes me laugh. She still has her imaginary friends, Goki and Bobo. (They went to church with her yesterday in her dress pockets.) But she's added a new imaginary friend, which I have trouble even calling "imaginary". Her new buddy is Baby Jesus. It causes a little awkwardness here in the house.

For instance, the other day Mim said Baby Jesus was eating lunch with her. I sat down to eat my lunch and she said,
"No! Mommy you sittin' on Baby Jesus!"
And I had to move, of course, because there's just something disturbing about sitting down on Baby Jesus.

This morning Mim put on her princess crown with the requisite plastic sparkly shoes and scepter and said,
"I hunting for deer!"
And she proceeded to stalk around the house on her quest. Zaya came in and said he was hunting for secrets, so I hope that their two expeditions don't cause a family crisis. The only way I can see out is if they find some very secretive deer around here somewhere.

Twilight Zone

Updated: I figured it out. My mother accidentally deleted all of them because I left myself logged into Bloglines on her computer. She's relatively new to this whole blogging thing, and thought that the feed she had just saved had thrown an extra 30 something feeds onto her account. She deleted everything she didn't recognize, which was quite a few of my contacts. It's all totally my fault, and know I have to try to figure out what happened and how to fix the problem. I've learned my lesson, though. Always log out when you're on someone else's computer.

_____________________________________
I just lost 30 of my 44 bloglines subscriptions. I seem to still have all of my relatives, and several others that I visit frequently, but I'm missing a lot of the others. I have no idea what happened. I logged on to Bloglines just like I always do, but I suddenly had only 14 blog feeds.

Therefore, if I don't visit your blog like I used to, and you care, then please let me know your address again.

If you know what happened, or had the same thing happen to you, let me know.

So We Wait

Even though we knew the cousins had a cold yesterday, we let Zaya and Mim play with them at Grandma's house for about an hour in the morning. "It won't hurt them to get a little cold," I reasoned, "besides they probably won't because we'll be extra careful." It sounded good at the time.

Then came "the call." It seems Jaida woke up from her nap vomiting. Yeah. Panic ensued. What were we thinking? What if we all get it! Fear gripped my mommy's heart. Fear of being up all night, fear of cleaning up puke, fear of watching my children suffer. (not in that order, you understand) And it's just a stomach bug. I don't even want to know what I'd be like if my little ones were diagnosed with some kind of major illness.

You might as well just cart me off to the looney bin today, because I am not going to be fit for normal adult conversation. (Not that I'll have any of that until about six this evening.) I'm praying the shoe never drops, but I'll be a basket case until I feel like I know for sure.

Which brings me to that whole "faith" issue. I pray that they won't get sick, but I don't really believe that they won't get sick. I just hope. Can hope pull me through where belief fails? Can it be enough?

Update: Overnight baby Addy had it, as well as Jaida and Addy's Mom and Grandpa. Grandma was at their house taking care of the babies all night, and now Grandma says she feels pretty bad too. Of course, anyone would after being up all night with puking infants and toddlers. On the plus side, Jaida seems to be much better already, and Addy was drinking pedialyte by morning. Hope springs eternal.

Thursday Thirteen #47

13 Dumb Predictions

(According to Uncle John's Biggest Ever Bathroom Reader)

1. "The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?" - Associates of NBC president David Sarnoff (responding to his recomendation, in the 1920s, that they invest in radio)

2. "I think there is a a world market for maybe five computers." - Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

3. "We don't like their sound, and guitar music in on the way out." - Decca Recording Company 1962 (rejecting the Beatles)

4. "Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau." - Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University, 1929

5. "Louis Pasteur's theory of germs is ridiculous fiction." - Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872

6. "640K ought to be enough for anybody." - Bill Gates, 1981

7. "If I had thought about it, I wouldn't have done the experiment. The literature was full of examples that said you can't do this." - Spencer Silver (on the adhesive that led to 3-M Post-Its)

8. "Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible." - Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895

9. "Professor Goddard does not know the relation between action and reaction and the need to have something better than a vacuum against which to react. He seems to lack the basic knowledge ladled out daily in high schools." - New York Times editorial, 1921 (about Robert Goddard's revolutionary rocket work)

10. "Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons." - Popular Mechanics, 1949

11. "A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make." - Bankers' comment to Debbi Fields (about her idea to start Mrs. Fields' Cookies)

12. "This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." - Western Union internal memo, 1876 (after Alexander Graham Bell offered to sell them the rights to the telephone)

13. "Everything that can be invented has been invented." - Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899

Check here for more Thursday Thirteen. Especially check here for Mama Lilibeth's First Ever Official Thursday Thirteen. It's very, very good.

Just Doesn't Get Any Better

It feels like Christmas today for a couple of reasons. One is that we're having a real cold snap. (The high yesterday was 31 degrees.) Aside from that, though, I just got the greatest box full of stuff from our friendly UPS man.

Actually, it was from C'auntie J. She made me a beautiful quilt for my bed, and I absolutely love it. I told her that I might have to break down and decorate my room now that I have a color scheme to go with. I don't think you can tell from the picture, but the fabrics she chose have a lot of character, and I think I might actually enjoy trying to match them and making my room look like more than just the storage shed for the rest of the family.

She also sent me a bunch of stickers and die-cuts for my scrapbooking attempts, proving that she knows me pretty well. My approach to decorating scrapbook pages is: 1. Put the pictures down. 2. Put stickers around them. Voila. I can just feel the future accomplishment as I hold the envelope.

Anyway, for someone whose primary Love Language is "Receiving Gifts", this has been a wonderful day. I feel very loved.

Thank you C'J! I love you, too!

Even the Cat Wouldn't Touch It

I threw some pre-cooked shrimp and green onions into the rice cooker last night, and we had an Asian supper. (OK, actually we also had grilled cheese sandwiches, because we're gourmets like that.) It wasn't that bad, but didn't have a whole lot of shrimp because most of it was freezer burned. (Like rubbery bright white patches) Rachael Ray needs to visit western Oklahoma before she writes her next book. ("They'll have pancetta in your deli section and Romano cheese in the specialty cheese aisle." Yeah right!)

As much as I love my life, there are definitely frustrating things about living out in the sticks. I've mentioned that we don't have a grocery store or convenience store of any kind in our town. We have to drive to W'ville for anything like that. But W'ville, as grand and glorious as it is, has its own problems. There are two supermarkets, so plenty of food is available, with lots of selection. However, you never know about the quality. Things like milk, eggs, bread and the basics are fresh because they get rotated out, but you're on your own for "specialty" things like whole-wheat flour, shrimp, and fresh produce. They have them, but they may have been there for a while.

Maybe every grocery store has problems with that kind of thing. I don't know. It's really not a big deal, in the grand scheme of things, but it can be annoying when you've planned to cook or bake something, purchased the ingredients, and started mixing things up, only to discover that one of your ingredients is "off" as the British say.

Anyway, we ate what I could salvage from the freezer-burned shrimp, and I gave the rest to Gatito, thinking he would be in kitty heaven. (Isn't shrimp a flavor they put in cat food?) He wouldn't touch it. He sniffed it a second or two, gave me a dirty look, and turned around and sat with his back to it on the porch.

Some fat, lazy cat is getting too big for his own bri..er...fur.

The Perks of Belonging

I live in a tiny little town of about 500 people out in western Oklahoma and it's widely acknowledged here in this community that our greatest strength is also our greatest weakness. We are close-knit.

In fact, it's still a bit of a surprise to me that I say "our" and "we" because I moved into this community from "elsewhere", and there were moments at the beginning when I felt like a bit of an outsider; now, in so many ways, I find that I am comfortable and loved here. It helps, of course, that I married a hometown boy, but I really think I would have been anyway after attending high school and being involved in the church.

For instance, a friend, who also happens to be our church custodian right now, dropped by today to ask me a question about the set up for our ESL seminar tomorrow. She also brought by a little clear folder for my scrapbooking stickers, because she knew I was looking for one and she ran across it in the city. That's not an isolated incident either. People here care. It's nice.

Even though I live in what Marla Cilley calls CHAOS, (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) I just thrive on people dropping by to visit. It would be nice to have a thirty minute warning so I could speed clean the living room, but even with no notice I'll welcome in a visitor. I also love knowing that, if anything were to happen, my family could go to any of several hundred people in this area who would call us by name, take us in, and feed us something (delicious). Yes, most of them would somehow be related, but even the few that aren't feel like family and treat us as if we are.

Not everyone likes this much familiarity, I realize. I think Mama Lilibeth, despite her love for and role in our community, would be perfectly happy if she could spend a part of every year up in a little cabin that was a good brisk walk from anyone but the immediate family. I've never needed that much solitude, though. I would love some peace in the morning to spend time with God, but beyond that, I need people. I just bore myself silly because I like to talk. (Ask poor Art.)

I only hope that our relationship with this town is symbiotic and not parasitic. I hope that we are returning as much as we are taking, and that if God ever calls us to leave, we'll be able to take the spirit of belonging with us, instead of mourning its loss.

We interrupt this broadcast....

Check out what a junior high teacher goes through when she tries to grade papers in class. Mama Lilibeth gives a verbatim report from her crazy junior high Bible class. It's funny stuff.

Thursday Thirteen below.

Thursday Thirteen #46

This is another guest post from my friend Tina. (I'm feeling much better, by the way.) Thanks Tina!

Today my Malaysian co-worker brought me a little gift and it made me think of this topic:


13 Souvenirs from Other People's Vacations (in no particular order)


1. Hot air balloon shaped picture frame from my mom when she and my grandma went to Albuquerque for their hot air balloon festival.



2. Wooden "Texas" postcard from when Joe went to San Antonio for a conference.



3. Small leather giraffe from when Joe went to his cousin's navy basic training graduation in Chicago.



4. Large wooden giraffe from Joe's parents' trip to Disney World Animal Kingdom. I had gone there the previous year and purchased the same giraffe from the gift shop, so I now have a pair.



5. Ceramic leaf shaped bowl from my sister's honeymoon in Jamaica.



6. Red bell pepper salt and pepper shakers from one of my in-laws' trips to Branson.



7. Gold Mickey Mouse ears and a large Christmas snow globe from another of my in-laws' trips to Disney World.



8. Wooden giraffe carving from one of my student interns who is from Africa. He didn't actually bring it back from a trip specifically for me, but he already had this and found out I liked giraffes so he thought I would like it. I have it hanging in my office.



9. Two "El Paso" refrigerator magnets Joe brought home from a business trip.



10. An alien snow globe one of Joe's co-workers got for us in Roswell, New Mexico.



11. A Las Vegas snow globe our friends brought us from--where else--Las Vegas.



12. A pair of wooden salad tongs and a tapestry my dad's cousin, who works in Saudi Arabia, brought me on one of his trips back to the states.



13. A pear shaped keychain and ceramic trinket box my co-worker from Malaysia brought me from her trip 3 week trip home. I took care of her plant while she was gone and she gave me these as a thank you gift.

Check here for more Thursday Thirteens.

Change of Plans

I was supposed to be in the City right now, at the GE's, but I came down with some kind of stomach bug last night. It was mercifully brief, actually, but I didn't want to risk driving to the city today, so here I am.

Luckily, Art had taken off work to go with me, so he's here helping me putter around the house and play with the kids.

I just hope and pray no one else catches it. Blech!

When I could finally fall asleep last night, I kept dreaming about Polish WWII battalions riding around in K'nex vehicles. Specifically, in the Chuck Wagon, which is what Mim and I built yesterday evening before bed. You really can't get more appropriate.

I'm going to do a little reading and then take a nap. May it be dreamless.

Ahh, the Memories

I was reminded of a book tonight that was one of my favorites in childhood. The book is called Dear Rat. I found it stuck in one of my parent's bookshelves one day many moons ago, and read and re-read it throughout the years.

The main character is a sort of Archie Goodwin of the rodent world. He's got spunk, attitude, a sensitive side and an all-American sense of humor. I won't give you a plot summary here and now, but suffice it to say it's heady stuff when you're in grade school.

Now that I see the other kind of fiction I've enjoyed throughout life, I'm not surprised at that selection all those years ago. It was like finding my literary destiny. Not for me those great children's classics. Give me a tough American rat fighting criminals in the sewers of Paris any day over some ignorant stuffed bear. (Sorry, all you A.A. Milne fanatics.)

I don't know what ever happened to that original copy, but after I was married and had discovered the joys of the internet, I found another used copy on amazon.com. It's not longer in print, which is quite sad, but at least I have a copy for my own children to enjoy someday.

Now I've just got to get started on a Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys collection...

In other book news, I finally finished The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Yep, all 1,500 pages. Hitler dies. We win. Who'd a thunk it?

Funny Stuff. (At Least I Thought So)

Look! It's a U.F.B.

What?

An Unidentified Flying Banana!

That may not sound funny to you or me, but apparently it's hilarious if you're three. That "joke" is found in The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System. Zaya kept making us go back to that page so we could read it again and again. After we finished the book I just gave it to him and let him read the joke to his hearts content. He cackled and cackled about it. The picture above is his face as he got to the punch line for about the 16th time.

Mim has an imaginary friend named Goki. Today, she drew a gift for him on paper. (It was lots and lots of circles and spirals) It was a sleego-sleego. (slinky) The conversation went something like this:

"I dwaw pwesent for Goki! It's a toy. It's a sleego-sleego."

"Do you mean a slinky, Mim?"

"Yeah! A Slinky!"

I think Goki enjoyed it. Later this evening she emptied her trash can into her laundry basket because he wanted to play in the trash can and it was full of junk.

I can see Goki (and his friend, Bobo) being the cause of a lot of trouble in the future.

Thursday Thirteen #45

13 Things That Give Me the Willies.

Some of these cause actual fear, some revulsion, and some discomfort. In my opinion these feelings are all summed up by the term "willies". Some are (relatively) frivolous, and some are shared by almost all of humanity. By its very nature, this post is slightly negative. Don't worry I'm not depressed or even upset about anything.

1. Cordyceps Fungi - (pictured at right) This is a newly discovered fear. This type of fungus is specific to different species of bugs. The one that lives in ants, for instance, causes the ant to lose its mind and crawl up high on a limb to die. Then the fungus grows out of the dead ant's head and eventually bursts, causing its spores to dissipate over a wide area. It can wipe out an entire ant colony. (Thank you Planet Earth by BBC for this latest willy.)

2. Turnip Greens - If I were starving, I'm sure I'd eat and love these...well, eat them. I am not, however, starving, and they frankly do not look like something that should be ingested by anything that doesn't live in a swamp. Which brings me to...

3. Murky Swamp Water - I still have nightmares about falling into water that is full of weeds and slime. It's not because it's gross. It's something deeper and more primitive. I can't explain it. Those patches of sea with kelp growing in them.. yeah, wigs me out.

4. Styrofoam - I hate the sound Styrofoam makes when you rub it against other Styrofoam or cardboard. It really makes me want to scream. The textures and sounds are almost more than I can take.

5. Spiders/Cockroaches - Yes, this one is very common, but the only time in my life when I've ever really, actually screamed was when two monster cockroaches crawled out of my drain in the dorm. Spiders too. I don't like any of them. Not even the cute little fuzzy black ones that Art likes to hold in his hand.

6. Large Animals - I've always been very nervous about large animals that are on the same side of the fence as me. The buffaloes that you can meet on the trail at the Wichita Mountains in western OK were always the scariest part of the hike for me. My farm-raised husband thinks I'm ridiculous to be afraid of the cows, but I am. If he's with me, I'm OK, but it terrifies me to walk through a field with cows or horses in it.

7. Precious Moments - I just don't like them. I'm sorry. I know that they're supposed to be cute, and I realize that lots of people are obsessed with them. Not me. Not ever. The big eyes, the weirdly shaped heads...can't do it.

8. Vomit - I don't even want to hear about it. If you've been sick, just keep the details to yourself. When my children urp, I pray to God that Art is home. I'll comfort the child, change their clothes, whatever, just don't make me clean up the puke. (On a funny note, Mim calls it "Kupe".)

9. The Princess Bride - A certain unnamed cousin (who happens to have her own blog) used to make me watch this with her when I was 5 or 6. Let me just tell you how very little one can grasp irony and satire in the kindergarten year. Not at all. I still can't watch this movie, cult classic though it may be. Count me out of that cult. (Love you anyway, J =))

10. Reality TV - Can we say "totally worthless"? I have yet to find a reality show, (and, granted, I've watched very little of very few) that doesn't make me want to SCREAM! Do they really think we're that stupid? Does anyone really believe that the way these people are behaving for the cameras is any indication of their true personality? The pettiness and the grotesque plays for fame make me sick.

11. Dry Skin - Please just put on socks. If your dry feet are making those awful scraping sounds against the carpet, I might just tackle you to the ground and gnaw your feet off. Art learned this the hard way. (He still has feet, but that's just because I love him so much. Oh, and I need him to carry out the trash.)

12. Old Food - My mother, Lilibeth, mocks me for this on a regular basis. (As does Art) I don't care. Call me crazy; call me obsessed. I don't want to eat bad food. Does the phrase "food poisoning" not cause anyone else concern? If it's years, or even months, past the expiration date, I'm not going to eat it. Sorry. I don't care that there are still canned goods found from the arctic expeditions one hundred years ago that would be edible. Not doing it.

13. 3/4 Time - I would like for a real drummer to just show me how to play 3/4 time on a trap set. The only thing I can come up with is a terribly pathetic, basic rhythm. I need help, but apparently I'm the only person in my entire town who plays the drums, so there's no one to teach me. The only help I get is the occasional guy at church who says I need to just "let it go" up there. Hard to "let it go" when you're playing worship songs, fella. I'm pretty sure I want to keep "it" right where it is, thank you very much.

Check here for more Thursday Thirteen.

Of Slugs and Swarovski

Something very tragic happened here at our house on Sunday morning. I accidentally shattered a star point off of my lovely new Swarovski pendant. I was trying to put it on and it slipped off the chain and hit our tile in the bathroom. I HATE tile! (Just for the record.) Art threw it away for me because I couldn't do it myself and would probably have started bawling.

My poor, long-suffering husband was actually great about it. He said, "Easy come, easy go" alluding to the fact that it hadn't actually cost him anything since it was a 'business courtesy gift' from a vendor at work. But still..!

I just feel awful about it, even though it's been three days now. It was so pretty and it just re-emphasized my basic inability to take care of anything. It's only by the grace of God that I have not inadvertently caused permanent injury to my children or spouse.

Oh, and I still haven't found my wedding ring. I feel like a slug. A clumsy slug.

I tried to upload a cute video to cheer us all up, but it didn't work. Figures.

Loverly Day

Today was beautiful (like yesterday) with little or no wind and temperatures in the 70s. Yes, it's January. I checked the calender.

We went for a walk to the school to see Grandma Lilibeth and then walked by the little horse paddock at the end of our street on the way home. Mim and Zaya decided that they had some pet horses too. They each have two of them. Mim's horses are called "Booboo" and "Meeba". Zaya's horses are "Conpantry" and "Meadow". I had nothing to do with any of those names.

Now I know where to take the carrots, apples and other produce that we never get around to eating, though. The horses have been down there for a couple years, but it never occurred to me that the kids would enjoy tossing the occasional bruised apple into their pen.

Mim is calling for me to come sit on the porch with her while she visits with Gatito. Why not? Art will forgive me if he comes home to a crazy house just this one more time, right? I'll have it all clean from now on. Really. Maybe.

It's All Part of the Fun

Sure it looks cute from the front...

but this...



...is why I wonder at the Divine decision to give me a daughter.

The poor little girl's going to have to learn how to do her own hair by the time she's three, purely out of self-defense.

At least it's now long enough for pig tails etc. It'll help with the craziness, I hope.

Styrofun

This is the kind of thing that can happen when I take my evening soak. Art "watches" the kids after supper while I go have a nice quiet bath and do a little reading. I'm so glad he lets me enjoy than brief respite, but it's best if I just don't think about what might be happening out in the living room. At least he cleaned most of it up before I got out of the tub.

Thursday Thirteen #44

13 Presents I received this year. (Not all, just 13 of them. If I missed yours, don't be offended.)

1. A new computer chair. - From Mom and Dad. It's a nice black leather chair that I am sitting in at this very moment.

2. A brown leather purse - This is from my mother-in-law. She was nervous about choosing the right kind because there are so many options out there. I told her I'd much rather she or her daughters pick it out because then I think it's probably in style. (I have no clue about that kind of thing myself.)

3. Season 1 of Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain - Mom's been looking for these for her three "kids" for a long time. She finally found them on amazon.com and gave us each one season of each series. (We were big fans as kids and young teens.)

4. Disney's Robin Hood - This was from my husband and was originally on my amazon wish list.

5. The Muppet Movie - Also from Art and also on my wish list

6. A wind-up radio flashlight - From Grandma and Grandpa P. This flashlight doesn't need batteries so it can be used in emergencies. Call me a boy scout, but I like to be prepared.

7. The Quote Verifier and Sink Reflections - From Art's cousin's fiance. Ok, I know that sounds strange, but we drew names at Grandma T's house, and he got my name. This book was from my wish list. Sink Reflections is the Flylady's book about how to manage/clean/organize your home. I like to read it and pretend that I'm going to put into practice. Tomorrow.

8. Bread Machine - From my mother-in-law. I made a loaf with it this morning, and it turned out just right. Mmm. Nothing like fresh-baked bread and a minimum of effort.

9. Stretchy Scarves - These were from Aunt Hazel. They're lovely and warm

10. Swarovski Snowflake Necklace - This was from Art. Sort of. Actually it was an ornament from a vendor. (A business courtesy gift) Art went to Wal-Mart and bought a silver chain for it, so now it's my genuine Austrian crystal snowflake necklace.

11. Scrapbook Stickers - From my sis-in-law Lizzy. She knows me well. I'm all about the stickers for scrapbooking. Making those special little borders and designs out of cut paper is all well and good, but it's just not going to happen here. Sorry.

12. Digital Photo Frame - This was actually a birthday gift from my mother-in-law, but since my birthday is so close to Christmas they tend to run together. Art loaded up an SD card with pictures from the last 3 or so years and it plays a constant running slide show on my piano now.

13. Planet Earth - Also a birthday gift. From Art. I've already watched almost all of it, and it's very interesting. The kids like it too. (As long as I fast forward the predator scenes.)

Check here for more Thursday Thirteen.

West Texas Christmas (On New Year's Day)

Well, we survived a total of 5 1/2 hours in the car with the kids yesterday. They were actually very good, because we left home early in the morning and left Texas late in the evening, so they were tired.

The kids loved opening presents from Grandma and Grandpa P and all the aunts and uncles, even though we didn't actually get to see everyone. We enjoyed getting to meet Hazel and hope to get to know her better in the future as she adjusts to us and learns more and more of the language.

I have a few great quotes from this weekend. If you don't know my grandparents this may not be funny, but since most of my readership consists of family members, these shouldn't need much explanation. The quotes are from memory and may not be verbatim. I don't think Grandma and Grandpa would've appreciated my putting a digital voice recorder in front of them and asking them to repeat themselves. A little awkward for the flow of conversation.

Grandma P


"I don't know why so many women think making pie crust is hard. It's just like playing with playdough." - Grandma makes those absolutely perfect pie crusts that are just the right texture, color and taste. According to Grandma, it's easier than it looks.

"I can't believe it's January and we're still eating tomatoes. We literally had thousands of those things this year." - The Victory Garden still lives in my Grandparents home.

Grandpa P

"They had peas and corn 3 for 89 cents so I bought a couple cases." This would be par for the course at my grandparents house. Grandpa is always on the hunt for a good bargain.

"I wonder what's in this can." - Grandma wanted Grandpa to get a can of green beans out from the shelf, but he wanted to see if one of his label-less cans might have green beans. After finding one full of spinich and one full of some strange tomato/green stuff he gave up for the time being and got a can with a label on it.

"That carpenter's glue was all gummed up; you couldn't even pour it out. When I put it in blender the blades wouldn't move, so I put it in the mixer instead and added a little hot water. I think it'll work now." - There is no effort too great if it saves a little money. (I would be comparing the cost of a new blender to a new container of carpenter's glue, but maybe there's something I don't know there.)

"I had seven eggs for breakfast yesterday. Of course, 6 of them were Banty eggs and the other was a pigeon egg." - I think I can safely say that my grandpa is obsessed with birds. He always has chickens, and almost always another type of bird as well. In the past there were ducks, geese, turkey, quail and others. Now it's just chickens and pigeons. Art calls them Grandpa's Random-Acts-of-Kindness Pigeons. The flock started when Grandpa rescued pigeons here and there. Some from under an overpass, and the first one from a hawk that he yelled at. Now he's got a little flock that lives with the chickens and, apparently, provides eggs, although Grandpa said they cooked up strangely.