Okay, I live in a state west of Ohio that is currently experiencing some of the most beautiful weather.  We had a day of falling snow with wind, not too bad, some accumulation, good for kids.  The next day was absolutely perfect winter weather.   Colorado ski country-perfect.  Big, puffy mounding snow with no wind at all and bright light.  This I could handle.  I have polar fleece lined jeans;  I have a four-wheel drive; I have Muck brand boots.  Life is good.

Then, as is our state's custom, the weather began to change.  Thanks to Algore, the temps started going up, which caused my favorite winter precipitation: wintry mix.  Who came up with this title--media marketing departments.  We can't have the weathermen using terms like, slush, slop, freezing rain and drizzle.  All of those have negative connotations.  Can you just hear car panels slamming together?  Let's find a perky, happy term--I know, how about "wintery mix".  That's fun!  Let's use that.

Our wintery mix continued for several days.  The snow did not really melt, it just sort of sagged a little.  My children had built a fort in the backyard using a baby pool, a turtle sandbox lid and, of all things, a 16' aluminum canoe (thanks to a suggestion from their father), as the roof.  Things were good until #1 showed me the new "addition" utilizing the canoe.  It was perched merrily upside down on four piers of snow.  "Look Mom, isn't that cool?  It was Dad's idea."  Meanwhile the thermometer is rising to the point that I am considering looking for daffodils..."Honey, that's seems a little precarious given the temps today.  It would crush your head--oh wait, no, your head is a D**** hard-head.  Your head won't break, but your little neck would snap, and that is one serious injury, Babe."

I let it go for another day.  Another glorious day in our tourist-magnet of a state.  I verbally hammered my husband; Why do we live here? (We're stuck here.  The operative word being "stuck".)  When do we get to move away?  So, you'll have to start your career over from scratch...big deal.  At least there'll be sunshine. 

Every April I have to trot out this little monologue: Don't look kids!  That glowing orb in the sky can hurt your little shrivelled-up white eyes that came about from living in the dim conditions!  It's not the rapture yet, it's just our side of the planet is getting closer to that big star that gives us heat.  You'll get used to it in a few weeks.  Shade yourselves!!

Anyway, the pasture was too mucky for horse frolicking.  The chickens were pathetic, hopping from one horse manure island of melted snow to the next.  The snow kept sliding down the metal barn roof to the very edge, over the doors, waiting for a victim.  Then finally, even the kids were afraid of the canoe situation.  That and the fact that to get underneath, in their "fort" required belly flopping in the mud.  I did four loads of muddy snow clothes.  It's a grand place we live in...

The horses are stuck on their little island of sawdust, really ticked that they're not allowed out.  Then yesterday, we almost got to flip-flop weather, with rain.  We routed our downspout from barn roof into the horse water tank and made it into a swimming pool.  All snow is now gone and the sun went with it.  When I went out for late haying the other night, it was horror movie weather...fog so thick I could not see the house...absolutely no light visible from the sky.  Mist rising from the sodden ground.  Yuck o rama.

I told the kids, one of our state mottos is, mud knee deep by Christmas!  I have a couple of gray turtlenecks that I feel compelled to wear on days like this.  Unfortunately, I don't have enough of them to keep up.  I have a scarf with lovely gold bells on the end, but it just feels really queer to be jingling and wearing mud boots at the same time.  The snow has finally left, revealing the doogy doo area in stark reality--thankfully reminding us where not to build snow forts.

I'm hoping for a cool-down, not for my comfort certainly.  I just want the horses to be able to leave their confinement for awhile, and that's not gonna happen while we live in slip-sliderland.  Kids are dreading another green Christmas--I actually consider it more of a baby-poop brown, but I know I need an attitude adjustment.  We're here.  Our families are here.  We love our place.  We just miss the sun.  By spring I feel like Golum...

Oh, and the canoe, resting comfortable, points buried in the yard.

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#2 is 9 today!  I can't believe it.  Nine years ago that I went in to be induced at 4:45 a.m.  It was pitch black outside, my fave/not! and all the nurses told me I would be first in--first out.  It'd be over by lunch and I'd be eating and hanging out with my baby.   Never, ever gamble with a labor/delivery nurse.

#1 had almost delivered herself.  I have the nurses on video saying "Your baby is delivering herself..."   #2 had alternate plans.  Her GPS had been recalled apparently.  I've blocked a lot of it out, all I know is that no matter what I did to progress, there was no success in my progress.  My doctor's office was across the parking lot from the hospital and they had called her over at least twice, maybe three times because they thought I was close, but no dice. 

Finally it was decided that #2 was "sunny side up", meaning face up instead of down.  They had me lay on my side for 20 minutes, maybe both sides, I've gotten over it now that she's got adult teeth.  I just kept seeing the monitor over my head that showed all the delivery room stats.  Gals that came in long after me were popping them out and heading upstairs.  I was hungry.  It was mid-day.  I had been induced for goodness sakes!

The side thing must have worked because at some point, or the kid's GPS rebooted, because the nurse left AGAIN to go call my doctor over.  It was just Handyman and me in the room.  I had never felt the primal urge that everyone talks about, to push.  Not with #1 and not now, no how.  All of the sudden I felt fullness where there had been nothing.   I said to him to go get someone and he just looked at me and I repeated it pretty emphatically and I reached down, because I remembered reading that you should keep a little pressure on the head, not letting it just pop out quickly and I figured I was going to be the one doing that!   Just then my doctor rushed through the door wearing her leather bomber jacket over scrubs.  I don't remember if she looked at my face, because she was seeing someone else's below.   As she crossed the room dropping her coat, she said, "Could someone get me some gloves...nevermind!"

She caught #2 barehanded!  She said it had been a long-time since she had caught one barehanded.  We were all kind of shocked and #2 was a lovely shade of navy blue, like I have never seen.  None of the professionals really said anything about it and my doctor sat down on her little rolling stool to start the repair work.  I saw they had #2 on her belly on the warming table, with her legs pulled up under her and I heard one of the nurses working on her say, "C'mon sweetie, you're scaring me."

Now, when you decide to become a labor/delivery nurse, I think this is a statement that should be eliminated from your professional vocabulary, don't you?  I realize that she was not necessarily saying that for public consumption, but she wasn't more than 6' from my bed.  Me, with the hormones gushing out of several openings in my body.  At the same time, my doctor kept leaning back from her jobsite to look over at the nurses, in a concerned sort of way.  I remember thinking to myself, "If she gets up off that stool and heads that way, I am coming off this bed to get to my child." 

Fortunately nothing bad happened.  The Apgar was 8, which stunned me, considering the blueberry tones.  The blues left the building and I got my replastering done in no time.  #2 was a whopping 9 lbs. 4 oz.  Not bad for 10 days early.  My doctor said several times, "I'm so glad she didn't go 10 more days!"  I ran into one of the nurses later in the doctor's office and she remembered me.  She told me I had been on the C-section short list that day.  They thought I'd be going in for the full-meal deal.

She was a darling baby, always smiling.  I remember Handyman telling me that I carried her around entirely too much.  I gave him the oh-yeahs, saying she might be my last baby and I was going to carry her as long as I wanted, that the amount of time she was carried compared to the course of her life would be the blink of an eye and he could kiss my library card! 

Well, she wasn't my last one, but she's still a smiley, little, happy-go-lucky sweetie.  She doesn't look a thing like me.  If I ever have to prove we're related, it'll be tough.  She has her dad's hair, his eyes and his flat feet.

Happy B'day #2.  You look great in navy! ;)

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I forgot to mention that last week was the clothespin harvest festival at our house.  That's the big day when winter weather actually commences and things gotta be done, or else.  Snow started fallin' and those clothespins gotta be brung in before they freeze on the line and are lost for the season.  We don't believe in removing the clothespins from the line for several reasons.  One being that someone, not me, lost the terrific little hanging bag that Handyman bought me from Menards.  It hung, it slid down the line conveniently and it held wrens who tried valiantly to nest in it whilst I kept scaring them out each night, think they were bats!!  Anyway, it's gone.  I'm sure it is buried, full of clothespins, in the room over the garage, our storage shed. 

Soooooooooo, without a hanging clothespin bag, I would have to carry the clothespins back and forth to the laundry area, which for those of you who have been to my home know is strategically connected to/inside my kitchen/dog kennel area.  

Sooooooooooo, rather than carry those pesky things back and forth, I came up with the brilliant scheme to just leave them on the line all summer.  That's where I need them.  That's where they do their job.  Why shouldn't they just stay there? 

So, they did and it's worked out swimmingly.  Until now.  The dreaded season is upon us and there is no denying it.  I held out.  Leaving my clothespins to struggle through autumn.  There were many great clothes-hanging days in autumn.   Days when I could still hang out my sheets and blankets.  There was even that one day/night when I woke to an early morning (4 am) thunderstorm out of nowhere and remembered that Handyman's jeans were on the line with some towels and that if I didn't get out there quick the weight of that stuff soddenly hanging would bring the whole caboodle down.

Sooooooooo, I drug myself out of bed at four.  Out into the pitch black side of the house where there is NO light whatsoever.  Wind is whipping, thunder is roiling--I'm in my jammies about to pee my pants.  I get the laundry down, slightly damp.  Of course the dogs take this as the signal that it's time to get up.  I cannot deny them because I know what it feels like to have your bladder in full anticipation mode--all bunched up and ready to unload.  

Soooooooo, I take the dogs out.  I start the dishwasher.  I unplug the tvs and computers for the storm. I fill the coffee maker and start it, impressing myself with my amazing organizational abilities at 4-stinkin-am and I head back to bed.  I know Handyman will be sooooooooo impressed to have coffee already done when he gets up.  I even manage to fall back asleep while the storm continues.

When Handyman says goodbye to me, still in bed, he adds, "That was the best pot of hot water ever Honey."   I think he will be finding clothespins in his sheets later.

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Check out The Pioneer Woman, I heartily recommend it.  Absolutely the best blog/website going. 

www.thepioneerwoman.com for life on a working ranch with amazing photography and great writing or www.thepioneerwomancooks.com , her cooking recipe site.

My husband loves it as much as I do.

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from my birthday cake decorating.   I keep thinking my cake acumen will happen naturally.  Alas, tis not to be, I guess.  I produced another pathetic endearment for #2 last night.  I love bundt cakes.  The pan seems so pretty.  I especially admire those new bundt pans with the beautiful detail, although I have not allowed myself to buy one, yet.  So for a family get together last night, I whipped out my boring, albeit reliable, bundt pan for cake number two this month.  I always have such great hopes for the cake.  The pan is so lovely, and deep. 

There was a few moments of duress when, after being in the oven for about 10 minutes, I realized I had not added the "cinnamon swirl" packet.  I panicked, yanked the swelling concoction from the oven, dumped on the swirl packet, which warned NOT TO SWIRL MORE THAN SIX TIMES and swirled, 5.34 times. 

The cake crowned up nicely and I relegated it to the aptly-named baker's rack on the back porch--covered yet very cool--as usual praying for no chilly chickadees to come by.  "Hey Ethel, c'mere.  There's a little hot tub over here!"  Poop, poop, pe-doop.

Then, I asked the cake politely to de-plane (isn't that what it's called when the contents leave the metal container)?  It declined.  I shook gently and then sort of bonked it onto the cake plate, hoping to jar it loose.  No dice.  I politely ran my favorite kitchen tool (the thin plastic spreader) around the edge, carefully loosening the crystalized sugar/cinnamon concrete and invited the cake to emerge, again.  It responded with much more enthusiasm this time, but reminded me that I did not use the spreader around the interior of the bundt pan, the "hole".  There was some separation.

After some minor reconstructive surgery, I beheld my latest attempt at memorable birthday cakes...another tire.  Somehow my beautiful bundt pan produces little trailer tires.  That's what they remind me of.  While the pan has these little detailed nooks all around the side, I get little trailer tires.  And if there is detail when the cake comes out, they are quickly pasted over with frosting. 

So every year my girls celebrate their birthdays with various colors of trailer tires.  Last night's version was a doozy.  #2 is so understanding.  (I hear they are usually that way.)  I say, we have two partial containers of frosting in two colors in the fridge.   She says she doesn't mind.  (#1's birthday was two weeks ago, so she had a single color tire.)  So, #2 gets a tire that is 2/3 white and 1/3 pink.  It looks particularly hideous and amateur and the whole time I am trying to improve my technique, I am hearing in my head: "these kids are going to need therapy about these cakes.  Something has got to change."  So once the two colors are on, I am more embarrassed than ever and trying to think of some way to improve this debacle.  Of course, #1 got a new package of brightly colored sprinkles on her cake.  They are gone.  Of course, it is 45 minutes before we are supposed to show up at Grandma's so there is no time to go to the store.  Oh well, #2's are used to this... 

I do find on the shelf some elderly, yet unopened, holiday sprinkles.  They are green teeny capsule shapes with some red rounds thrown in, to look like holly and berries.  I sprinkle these all over the top of the tire, white and pink though it is and I must say, it did improve it.  Then I told myself that the pink 1/3 was to represent the red ribbon of a wreath and this looks like a wreath cake, if wreathes were white and pink inflatable swimming rings.

I decide to ask my sister-in-law (the best Christmas gift buyer ever, next to her husband) for cake decorating lessons for Christmas.  But I want cake decorating lessons for normal people who bake normal cakes.  I don't want to be a professional baker or work at a grocery, I just want to make some cakes that my children will remember with a smile, not a moan.

P.S.  It tasted fine.

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Yes, I have started my Christmas shopping, on the internet, of course.  I HATE shopping.   HATE, HATE, HATE.  Except, sometimes I like to go to Goodwill and I like to shop with my husband, because he likes to shop.  Sometimes I don't like shopping with him because he price compares, a lot.  My BIL and I are alike in that, we shop, we find, we buy--not too worried about price because time matters to us, a lot.  When my BIL lived in Chicago, and cel phones were fairly new, he would call us, sometimes on Christmas eve, usually very close to the holiday and say, "I'm at the mall, what'dya want?"  It's a joke for us now.

Anyway, I'm hitting big on Ebay.  Lots of new stuff there and stuff that's used that looks new.  I am purging Barbies this year and replacing with another sweeter doll, not named just in case someone I know reads this--she's bigger and softer and has great hair.  The mail lady and I are getting to know one another since I like to get all my shoes on Ebay.  I love to buy expensive shoes for $20!  I also get most of my horse equipment on Ebay--lots of savings there and a bigger selection.

My big horse has gone into denial on his age.  Absolutely refuses to eat his "senior" pelleted feed.  Just stopped one day.   I guess the vitamins really got him feeling good.  I tried mixing some into the regular old sweet feed that pony gets--no dice.  On strike.  Knocked his pan over for the chickens to eat, walked away.  Big protest.  Sooooooo, one new bag of senior feed opened, I stopped at the other feed store in town and explained as I was picking up chicken scratch and they tell me this happens with senior feed a lot and just try a different brand--sure I have enough room to have a borgasmord of senior feed 50# bags sitting around my breezeway.  Maybe I could invite Reno to come up to the house and just pick out which variety he would like each day.  Yeah...anyway, I buy brand #2 and take it home--did I mention my biceps are starting to look like Bob Sanders (Indianapolis Colts--World Champions)?  Reno loves it, almost knocked me over when I walked into the pasture, to get to the bucket.  It really makes me nervous when a 16+hh horse is jog trotting immediately behind me with this low pitched nicker.  The skin on the backs of my ankles cringes. 

Oh, the internet--here's how much I shop on the internet, versus "live" shopping.  My eight year-old says this summer, Mom, someday I want to go to a mall...inside I was cheering, literally!  I say, really, why?  She says she wants to ride an escalator!  I'm winning, I'm winning.

P.S. We have one of those new open concept outdoor town center mall things in our area, it really is pretty and interesting and I would probably like to go there, with my husband.  But...and it's a big one...there is a Victoria Secret store mid-way down one side and it has a front window that is as big as my sliding barn door--so that's about 10'x12', at least and it has reclining mannequins wearing slut-wear, so slutty that I complained and my friends complained to corporate on many levels when the "center" first opened, to no avail.  Anyway, I am embarrassed to drive through there because you certainly cannot miss it.  My friend has sons.  She says she pays a lot of money to keep her sons from seeing that stuff on the internet and she can't stop them from seeing it in their face, in their town.  Soooo, I don't shop there.  What's the matter with the world?

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Yea!  Vision Forum is having another drawing with www.lifeinashoe.com !!  Sign up now because it closes this weekend--AND--it's even bigger than the last one!

Same rules, except this time will be bigger and better and you must link to your wishlist post. Here we go:

1. Get your new catalog - if you’re not on the mailing list, get on it now. No time to get it? Download the new 2008 Vision Forum catalog as a PDF here.
2. Flip through the pages, oohing and aahing over all the wonderful items, new and old. Note which ones are published by Vision Forum - you’ll see a VF logo near the title of the item. Try not to drool on it; you’ll be needing your catalog for the next step.
3. Now the fun part: Put together your own dream order of $150 $250 or less of VF published items and post it to your blog with a link to Vision Forum and a link to this post. Yes, the stakes have been raised!
4. Leave me a comment here with a link to your post so I’ll know you entered. No entry without a valid link will be eligible. One entry per household, please, and if you won last time you already had your fun. Save some for others.

We will close entries this Friday (November 2) at 11:59 PM, CST and will choose 3 winners to receive all of the items on their wishlist!

On your mark…get set…GO!

HERE'S MY LIST--AGAIN:

My Dream Order:

Passionate Housewives       page 6  84332      $16

How to Protect your Children from Becoming Bitter p.26 20752 $10

Home-Making                      page 24  34801   $20

The Wise Woman's Guide to Blessing Her Husband's Vision

                                       page 25   68221        $16

Raising Maidens of Virtue   page 25   68538          $20

So Much More                page 5            57882      $20

Strength & Dignity for daughters   page 5  67832  $10

What's  a Girl to Do? page 7   68207  $10

Discovering Life Purpose   page 7 68213  $10

Mother                            page 24       34898          $20

Of Plymouth Plantation     page 41   84149       $24

Strategic Siblings  page 27  58785  $10

How to Avoid the Destructiveness of a Wrong Self-Image   page 26  20764  $10

The History of the Sunday school movement  page 28 58779  $10

The Original Blue back Speller  page 42  51030  $13

The New England Primer  page 42 12755  $10

Christians vs. Deists  page 45  64107  $10

Christian Modesty & and the Public Undressing...page 45  59622  $8

Here's hoping I'm a winner!! 

You can't win if you don't enter...

www.lifeinashoe.com

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Okay, can I just confess to everyone, that I could be addicted to Doritos?  I honestly have trouble setting down and closing a bag if it is not empty!  There must be some addictive transfat thing lurking there, calling me further and further into the bag...

Gotta go, I hear someone crunching, somewhere.

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Okay, if I was ever to get a tatoo, this would be it.  I don't know if they could dress it up to be a little more hip--with vines of roses going around the word James--now that I think about it, having a man's name tatooed on my body would be a little provocative at Bible Study, wouldn't it??  Especially since it isn't my husband's name! 

Anyway, I'd want it tatooed on my wrist so I could see it frequently.  Maybe on my wrist and the back of my hand.  Maybe on both wrists and the back of both hands and the tops of my knees, so when I'm resting--those few moments in the necessary--I could contemplate it.

I am thankful for the Holy Spirit--oh, about every 20 minutes.  I am thankful to hear him.  I am thankful that I have listened enough that my ears are attuned.  I am thankful that finally, at about age 40, I learned that emotions do not have to control me.  I know that is ridiculous.  No one ever explained that clearly to me.  I remember the moment I learned it, at a conference for childrens ministry workers at Willow Creek Church in Chicago.  They read a scripture out of Romans that our emotions are under the power of our will.  A light clicked on in my head.  I am embarrassed to say it--but there it is.  Thank God, I heard it then and not when I was 70!!

Anyway, I explained to my #1: It's like if there was an accident and little #3 was covered with blood.  You would be horrified and frightened and grossed out--but you would pull yourself together and do whatever was needed to save her--no matter how awful.  That's the power of will over emotions.  Now we have to train that whole idea down from emergency use to practical, everyday use.  And it can be done.  Emotions are great guides--but terrible masters.  I think that was Dallas Clark--oh no--Dallas Willard who said that.  (Sorry, had a Colts moment.) 

Go Colts!!

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The very first blogger? 

God, of course!  How fun is that?!  That was part of the neat message last night at our new church's Harvest Festival.  We are in the process of changing churches.  Not easy or fun, but the Lord has made it a little simpler by making DH supremely busy with work all summer.  So much so that our attendance has had no choice but to taper off at the old church.  Down to almost not at all.  The sad part of that is that no one ever called us or apparently missed us. 

Actually, I wasn't too shocked.  After six years of attendance and faithful service we had almost no friends.  #1 had NO friends there at all.  At first I thought you shouldn't choose a church based on whether your kids like it or not and then I figured out that she would grow up and leave our home and say, "I never liked church.  No one there ever liked me.  Why should that be part of my life?"  Then I was jerked into action.  One of the big things for me was that the church did not support homeschooling.    Once they opened a Mom's Day Out, and then a preschool, it was clear that this was going towards the typical "leave your kids so you can be you" kind of place.    It was very "seeker friendly" and too culture driven for me.

Soooooooo, the "new" church is bigger, and there are several families there from our old church and several families there that we know from different homeschool groups.  Although we've only attended one Sunday morning service, #2 and #3 are going to Awana on Wednesdays, so they are getting familiar with some other kids.

The childrens ministry director from the old church called this week.  She had sent an email asking which children's room we were wanting to serve in this school year (since we have served without fail for 6 years!).  I emailed her back that we were laying low and in case anyone hadn't noticed, we hadn't been there since Memorial Day!  So, she wanted to know if we were "plugging in" somewhere.  I was pretty upfront without being rude or unkind.  I just said, we don't fit it there, and I know we're in a little bit of a fringe group, but I know there are others like us and we need to get where they are.   A place where hubby and I can get a Sunday school class ourselves, and so our kids know that they're not weird and that there are people whose lives don't revolve around American Idol and CSI.

I told her that my girls were the only ones last year, in the whole church, over the age of 5 wearing beautiful dresses on Christmas Sunday.  They love having beautiful dresses but felt awkward wearing them to a place where all the other kids are wearing jeans and flip flops.  I don't buy the whole "come as you are thing" not because I think God cares, but because I think you encourage an attitude with young people that nothing matters.  It's okay to encourage youth to honor the Lord, even with their attire.  There's nothing wrong with dressing up, a little to show respect.  I don't think you need to drink soda in the worship service either.  I know these are nit picky, but there it is.  I want my children to know there are different behaviors for different places and worship service is not a football game/concert environment. 

That whole seeker friendly thing irks me anyway.  If you have to dress Christ up to look like the world so that newbies will feel "comfortable", then I think you're watering down the power of the message.  Jesus didn't make people feel comfortable.  Besides, it's all of us regulars who are serving and tithing and running the whole show.  Where do we fit in that whole priority list?  If you're not meeting the needs of your bread and butter attenders, what happens then?

So, the Harvest Festival last night...what a blessing!  Three bounce houses, face painting, balloon animals, free popcorn, putt putt, all kinds of tossing games, cake walk, prize rooms to use the tickets you won at the games to buy prizes, free supper of hot dogs, chick nugs, chips, fruit chews, apple slices, cookies and drink and then a big bag of candy when you leave!  How fun is that?  The best part was the little "story time" in the middle when the games and food were closed down for 45 min. and the speaker made it very clear that Halloween was a celebration of evil and God is the God of candy!  How funny!  That was one thing he said, not his point--but that all good things are from God and celebrating darkness was going to keep your name out of the book of life at the end.  So refreshing to be somewhere where they aren't afraid to draw a line in the sand.

Hopefully we'll get to church tomorrow.  Hubby is in the middle of a 10 day straight stretch of work.  Praise the Lord as we're trying to get out of debt, but it's tough to feed him at 10 pm, get into bed after he's asleep and he leaves again as I'm heading out to the barn to feed.  See ya!  in the dark both directions!! 

Thanks all for listening to my rant...

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Life in a Shoe is hosting a Vision Forum Contest.

1. Get your new catalog - if you’re not on the mailing list, get on it now. No time to get it? Download the new 2008 Vision Forum catalog as a PDF here.
2. Flip through the pages, oohing and aahing over all the wonderful items, new and old. Note which ones are published by Vision Forum - you’ll see a VF logo near the title of the item. Try not to drool on it; you’ll be needing your catalog for the next step.
3. Now the fun part: Put together your own dream order of $150 or less of VF published items and post it to your blog with a link to Vision Forum and a link to this post.
4. Leave me a comment so I’ll know you entered. One entry per household, please.

I’ll accept entries until Friday, October 26, then I will draw 5 winners to receive the items on their wish list, courtesy of Vision Forum!

That’s $750 in prizes! What are you waiting for? Get to it!

Important: Please be sure to follow the directions above. If any of the winning entries don’t qualify, I will draw a new winner.

Drawing is open to anyone with a shipping address inside the US or Canada.

My Dream Order:

Passionate Housewives       page 6  84332      $16

How to Protect your Children from Becoming Bitter p.26 20752 $10

Home-Making                      page 24  34801   $20

The Wise Woman's Guide to Blessing Her Husband's Vision

                                       page 25   68221        $16

Raising Maidens of Virtue   page 25   68538          $20

So Much More                page 5            57882      $20

Mother                            page 24       34898          $20

Of Plymouth Plantation     page 41   84149       $24

Here's hoping!  You can't win if you don't enter!

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Back again--supposed to storm tonight.  We sure need the rain.  Glad hubby is here.  I really hate storms when I'm the only grown-up! 

Feeling a little less lonely today--got some nice support messages from some of you.  Thanks for that.  I agree with one of my messengers about the Lord really doing some of this to get my reliance on Him, not others.  I don't want my kids to be reliant on their peers, so I need some of my own medicine, I guess.   And of course, when you reach the end of yourself, there's the Lord just sitting there waiting for you--thank Heavens. 

It's a relief to know, and to say, "Lord, I just cannot do this--don't even want to.  I'm tired of being mature.  I'm tired of taking the high road."  It's a great comfort to know I can just say what I think, where I am, no holds barred.  It's been a long time since I've been in a place like that and I realized today that these situations that I deal with are my cross--I could trade them for, oh I don't know--a child with cancer like Sean in New Zealand--or a husband who's not a Christian, or parents who I'm not close to--but I don't have any of those situations.  And like my friend Leslie once said, really at the end of the day, if you could throw your life onto a pile and choose someone else's life from the pile instead...would you do it?  Probably not.

My issues are custom made for me--to grow me in the image of Christ--to show my daughters what a woman declaring Christ should live like.  That's a tall order.  If I'm not willing to stretch and grow and take the high road again and again and again--what right do I have to ask them to do it?? 

Good grief, Girl--soldiers are dying over there and "I'm tired of dealing with my teenager" or "I'm sick of my messy schoolroom" or "My friends aren't available".  Boo hoo. "My kitchen REALLY needs remodeled."  Give me a break!!  What a pansy I am being.  ;)

Thanks for listening--if you made it this far--let me encourage you on your walk today--Stop staring at your navel (as my father so often said).  Look up.  Look at the Cross.  Look at Christ.  Forget the obstacles, don't look at the waves.  Look into His face and step out of the boat! 

Thanks for listening

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I have been gone from here for awhile, I admit.  It has not been without contemplation, however.  I have thought often about what I could/should be blogging, stuff that I think matters.  But I haven't made much of an effort, I guess because I'm feeling pretty alone lately.  My hubby has been traveling a lot more than usual, so my work load is greater and my time is less my own.  But more than that, I just feel alone. 

I blogged earlier about a close friend putting her kids in school, so that friendship, for my daughter, has waned significantly.  In fact, she (#2) feels like she has only one homeschooled friend left and that is a girl we haven't done a whole lot with this summer.  #1, of course, has already been feeling totally solitary for almost a year now.  Her best bud went to school last year and then another one moved away last winter and has hardly been heard from since.  Soooooo, I guess it is only fair that I would experience what my girls are experiencing, huh?

We went to a Renaissance Fair last weekend.  That was fun but incredibly HOT!  Much too hot for velvet and tights!  We went, just us girls--BECAUSE WE HAVE NO FRIENDS--wink, wink, nudge, nudge--and it turned out to be very enjoyable to be just ourselves.  It was hot and we got a little crabby, but it was nice to not have to worry about someone else's schedule or wants or needs.   There was a "statue" lady you could walk up to and have your picture taken with--she dipped glitter out of a basin and wiped it on your hand or head when you approached.  #3 wouldn't let me bend or touch her hand for an hour!  So cute, can't wait to get the pictures back.

Horses are great.  I have decided I can pay for their hay with my health savings account since they provide a mental health benefit for me.  Hee Hee.  One is on "Neigh-lox" for her tummy--only $150/5-gal bucket and they are both on a vitamin supplement $80/5-gal bucket.  If only my kids ate so well!  Such indulgence.  I have to keep selling stuff on Ebay to keep my horses fed.

We made a great batch of baked potato soup a couple of weeks ago--I think it was the heavy whipping cream that did it.  It's about time to make the Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli recipe too.  Love that stuff.  My Christmas Club check came in the mail and I refuse to cash it or it will become a car payment!  I have bought a couple of little things for Christmas.

My FIL is in the hospital.  He is 85 and having a bone scan today--could be bone cancer.  That would be bad, I know.  But I think if you make it to 85 before you get it, that's a good thing.  He's having tremendous back pain.  It's a tough call knowing how much to rely on my 77 yo MIL and how much we should be participating.

Well, gotta feed horses, let out chickens and get kids out of bed.  I sure wish I could figure out how to add things to my blog, those sidebar things.  I cannot understand how to do that for the life of me.  If there's a user-friendly tutorial, I wish someone would direct me to it. 

Did anyone read Gena's blog about what California has legislated for their public school kids--what is the world coming to!  Everyone, get ready to vote!!

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Wow-- I just found out that I was tagged last month by 4everHischild--so sorry to be tardy!  This is a very interesting one--something to lift me out of the doldrums and give me plenty of coffee-talk fodder for weeks to come. 

The rules of the tag are to go to Wikipedia and type in the day and month of your birth, excluding the year, and hit search. Then you are to list three events, two births, and one holiday that occurred on your birthday.

Wowee!  That's really cool!    And here are my choices...

EVENTS:

4004 BC - Date the universe was created according to British Archbishop James Ussher after using the Bible's chronology to calculate the date.   Am I special or what???

1692 - Last hanging for witchcraft in the United States.  Thank heavens...

1981 - The United States Federal Labor Relations Authority votes to decertify the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization for its strike the previous August.   This is getting really weird. My dad was a member of PATCO, on strike at that time.  He lost his job and his retirement (22 years gov't service.) That summer I had won a national essay contest put on by PATCO, with a scholarship award--which my mother had to talk the gov't out of, since they had frozen the union assets.  The name of my essay: "How My Parent's Job as an Air Traffic Controller Affects My Life."  I did go on to college (lots of aid available for children with unemployed parents.)  And about 14 years later, my dad returned to controlling airplanes.

BIRTHS

1811 - Franz Liszt, Hungarian pianist and composer (d. 1886)

1903 - Curly Howard, American actor and comedian, member of the Three Stooges (d. 1952), oh pleez

1938 - Derek Jacobi, English actor , I knew I liked him.

1938 - Christopher Lloyd, American actor, I like him and my husband has worked with him.

1942 - Annette Funicello, American actress  , did I mention I hate limits?

HOLIDAYS

Zip, nada, zilch, oh well, glad I picked more births.

Wow--that was fun and informative--I'll be tagging now:  Godsgirl1993, crossroadsmama, MommylovesRJ, labellavita and lauralu.  You go girls!  (hopefully a little more quickly than I did!)

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It's been too hectic here lately.  DH has been travelling, which doesn't happen a lot, except this summer!  Now he's never here.  Ugh.  I have been wanting to blog but just can't squeeze it in.  We did start school, more of a stumble up onto a curb.  I WILL NEVER LAY OFF MATH FOR THE ENTIRE SUMMER EVER AGAIN!  What a huge mistake.  We are paying for it.  The part that hurts the worst is that it makes #1 in particular, sure that she is stupid.  The negative pressure/stigma that it has delivered is definitely not worth the layoff.

But to the purpose of this particular posting.  "Another one bites the dust."  Hmm, a song from the 80's by that freakish group, Queen.  I remember this song being played at football games..."and another one's gone and another one's gone.  Another one bites the dust.  Hey!  Gonna get you too.  Another one bites the dust."  Didn't know it would return to my life with such meaning.

One of my current close friends, who I only met through homeschooling 2 years ago, is putting her kids in school on Monday.  What a bomb!  She folded her hands nicely and said, "There's something I've got to tell you."  All I could think was, "Oh ____!"  Then when she told me, of course I wanted to be supportive and honestly, I understand and agree with her situation, for all her reasons. 

But, the big but is, sadly, how does this affect me??  The big Me again.  The longer you homeschool (this is my 8th year), the smaller your pond gets.  My pond is tolerable, friend-wise.  My poor kids' pond doesn't even qualify as a pond anymore.  This is our first year with no co-op commitments and the friends who are parents of my daughters' friends have dropped like flies.   I'm sure part of the reason is the Lord is peeling away all my security, the herd mentality you know--safety in numbers.  "If they're all doing it, you're okay." 

My friend visited her school and met the teachers and told me her daughter's room is like a dream school room, attached to the school nature center!  It was so hard to hear.  I wanted to puke.  My schoolroom was recently moved upstairs, is in chaos and has a cat litter box in the adjacent bathroom.   Yipee.   While I am glad for my friend, it reflects on me and where I am and shows me that I am squarely in the mediocre category.  Yuck.

Am I crazy to keep going?  I have NO desire to send my kids to school, but I also have no desire to give them the most weenie education around--and I'm worried that I'm worried more about my reputation than I would like.  Most days I feel like I'm shoving mules uphill with my shoulder.  I'm tired of leaving my home in uproar to run other places to have playdates.  I want to stay here and have it together so these girls grow up in a home that is together, so they'll want to be that way!  

What are my goals for their education?  How do I get there?  Back to Michael Pearl, if I can't be joyful or pleasant, my chances of raising joyful children are slim to none.  Is it too late?  I tend to be task oriented--not because that's my personality but because I feel like I am judged on two things, my home and my kids.  If I'm always behind, I'm always trying to catch up a little anywhere!  Every room needs caught up...so no time for nature study, gotta do laundry!

Sooooooo, her announcement has sent me into a tailspin.  Probably for the wrong reasons.  But life's about change.  Nothing ever stays the same, no matter how much we would like it to.  And change, even good change can result from crisis--that's what I'm shooting for here.   Again, I totally support her position and this post was not intended to criticize her in any way.  She's in a spot from a couple of different directions and this will be a good solution for them, for now.   I know she and her husband have been on their faces over this and want to honor the Lord and serve their family.  They are both mourning the loss of homeschooling, but know they need to make some changes, even temporarily.   I told her and her husband, this isn't forever.  It's what's needed now.    Now if I could only discover what's needed now, here.  :( 

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Summer must really be ending.  We were at the State Fair today for a style show.  DD#1 modeled her costume for the historical museum where she volunteers.  Mimi made the costume--with great historical accuracy, so the show was for her.

Also I am getting a hankering to knit or crochet or something.  Might do something for Linus project.  I want to knit a sweater for DD#3 before she gets too big.

DD#1 rode the old horse tonight.  It was fine.  The fat pony was galloping around the paddock having a little hissy fit that her man was outside the enclosure and she was not.  What a little oinker.  Crazy horse threw my trainer today and coulda killed her.  Fortunately she was wearing her helmet and protective vest, but fell on her back and head.  Soooooo, she's getting her back xrayed on Monday and he's heading out ASAP.  I worked with her, with him, in a round pen yesterday and told hubby I wanted to wet my pants.  I can't believe how much nerve I have lost over the past ten years, three kids and lots of health insurance struggles!  Several times during the 30 minutes we were in the round pen, I told her--let's just sell him now--it's not worth it to me.  Let's just sell him.  Today she agreed.

Still a drought here.  I heard we are 7" behind since April 1.  I remember that in November of last year, we were 9" ahead.  That was driving me crazy.  I'm glad I'm not a farmer.  I'd be in a continual snit!

Well, time to get the school plans mapped out.  Hubby is leaving tomorrow for a week--which is a big bummer, but I get a lot done when he is not here.  One less person I have to take care of.  Poor kids though.  Dinner quality really shrinks when he is gone...

#1 has decided to try for a cel phone!  We offered her the opportunity to have a cel phone around Christmas last year.   We wrote up a contract for her to sign.  No dice.  She had to keep her room clean.  Do her chores and homework each day without complaint and have a good attitude overall.  Wouldn't even try.  Well, a friend was spending the day earlier this week and something was said about a cel phone and I explained, in front of the friend, how that opportunity had been offered and declined because #1 just didn't want to do that much.  Friend's mouth dropped open, sincerely, and she said, "Let me help you clean your room."!!!  So funny.  This story was repeated to Grandma today while we were walking through the State Fair and I think #1 got a little light bulb over her head, that maybe this item was in reach, and she just had to do some work to get it, because all systems have made an abrupt change to starboard as of 5 pm.  Clean up messes...no problem...be nice to sisters...yes maam...notice help that can be given...she's on it.  She asked for the contract and has marked her calendar!

Who is she and what has she done with my child???!

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So, some friends joined us at an outdoor concert downtown last night.  It was pretty fun.  We brought our own food and beverage and reserved a table and listened to bluegrass for a couple of hours.  My friend's husband took their six year-old son to the restroom during the break.  I was told that there were several men already using the facilities when they arrived.  The father and son were taking care of their business when the darling son pipes up: "Dad, what are chicken uteruses??"  

Seems the family always watches the weirdest foods show on the food channel, where some insane man travels the globe looking for and eating the most disgusting/bizarre/ridiculous foods from whatever village he ends up in and last week it was chicken uteruses, with eggs in process included, I think.  

So at what point did Little Buddy come up with that question and save it all week to ask Dad in the busy public restroom?  And what did the other gentlemen (who all busted out laughing) tell their wives that night?  And what must they be thinking about my friend's husband and how would his cute little son even know the word chicken uteruses???

That's one for the Christmas newsletter, I think.

Just to keep up, my middle daughter asked me one time if any of our relatives had a peg leg and did Mimi ever smoke cigars??  ;)

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I'm wondering if anyone is studying Japanese?  Why and what method are you using??  I heard that you should learn Chinese first...is that true?  I'm trying to choose a language, probably using Rosetta Stone.  I keep noticing that we are almost always in the minority at the neighborhood swimming pool, as caucasions.  I'm thinking maybe learning Japanese would be very advantageous to the girls later.  I would be interested in hear from anyone studying any Asian language about why they chose it, what they are using and whether they enjoy it...

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In my recent review of my entire school life, I neglected to mention anyone by name...and yes, I did have friends and smile sometimes!

Because I have a new reader who is very dear to me, in fact, who is almost my oldest friend, but definitely my closest, I want to add that when I moved in seventh grade out to the sticks that were not like Mayberry RFD, a new pastor came to visit my parents and we went to join his church.  He preaching led my parents to Christ and life changed in a dramatic way.  He had two daughters, younger than me and because our parents were friends, we were thrown together often. 

A couple of years later we were sent to church camp together.  I think it might have been the summer after my sophomore or junior year.  (She can probably tell you!)  When I was a senior, she was a freshman and we got to eat lunch together.  Her parents went through some very tough times and my parents, even from a state away were able to help them through some of those patches where Christians do their utmost to wreck one another's lives.

The bottom line--this girl is still my dearest friend.  She has kids, I have kids.   She has a husband.  I have a husband.  We all have bills and inlaws and clutter.  We see each other infrequently, but talk regularly and her number is the first one I call when I need support.  Isn't it amazing?  Out of that wacky little town that is on the way to no where, two girls met at a little home church and are friends thirty years and seven children later. 

I suppose after my salvation and the salvation of my parents, she is probably the precious jewel I have gained from that time.  Who knows which person will turn out to be the gem you will treasure??  I am lucky to have such a faithful, steadfast friend. 

In all honesty, I was focusing on school last night, not people.  But, it was my error to leave her role out of any narration of that time. 

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