This is My "Real" Blog

Boy, are my arms tired!

2011-08-03T18:07:00.008-04:00

We did a whirlwind trip to Chicago this past weekend. Our friends, Steve & Char Hopeman (from Wheaton) have two daughters. A couple months ago, I got an email (facebook message) from their youngest daughter, Emily, asking if I would consider playing for her wedding.

I have to be honest - I was so homesick for. . .well, anyplace but here. . .I was willing. We worked it out -- and took off for the Windy City last Wednesday morning. But, the wedding was the last of our many stops along the way.

On Wednesday night, we had dinner with my aunt & uncle in Southern Indiana. Edison and I saw them back in December, when my great aunt died. But, it had been years since Mark had seen them. And no, they hadn't met Caroline, yet. But, met her, they did -- and loved her. . .? Well, that was assumed, wasn't it?

While we were in Owensville, we stopped in downtown to see where they were setting up for the Watermelon Festival - which was to happen that weekend. I have probably failed to mention that Gibson County, IN is the Watermelon Capital of the World. It's true. Melons there ROCK the Casaba (sorry, couldn't resist that pun!)

Anyway, my uncle had told us about a new memorial they were going to unveil on Saturday. Knowing Mark's interest in genealogy, he talked to a couple of his friends. . . .

That's right -- they let us see the unveiled statue three days before the actual unveiling. It was precious. And, to see the pride and patriotism in these men, as they talked about this monument. Well, quite honestly, it brought a tear to my eye.

We also spent a little time in the cemetery where my grandparents, and many other family members are buried.

While we were there, we ran into one of my second cousins (I believe) that I haven't seen in YEARS.

Ironically, he knew me upon seeing me -- and asked "Angie, how's Knoxville these days?!" I was stunned -- but delighted to talk to him. There's just something about seeing family that you haven't seen in a long time.

One of the reasons we visited the cemetery -- my aunt & uncle told us about a new veteran's plaque they'd had put on the back of my grandpa's headstone. It had only been on there about four days -- I am so proud of my family, and the men who served years ago to preserve my freedom today.

After leaving Indiana, we traveled home to Illinois. We took Edison to see the sights of Chicago. But, having very limited time, this was a driving tour only.

We tried to hit the major spots -- and give him a taste of what the city is really like. I think we did alright, actually.

After Chicago, we headed out the suburbs. We visited our favorite bakery:

had dinner with an old friend, and shared dessert with his wife & parents. This time was very precious to all of us. . . .

We had lunch with friends, and shared tattoos. (Theirs, not ours)

Oh yeah, and there was a wedding. (Our original reason for heading north). It was an outdoor wedding - and I'm still recovering from the sunburn. But, it was beautiful. . .

(Edison was my page turner - and I'm really glad I had him there. You'd never know it by my sunburn, but there was just enough of a breeze to be troublesome)

Steve & Char - the bride's parents (and our friends). For those of you who know about my quilting prowess (or lack thereof) this is my original teacher & inspiration.

And yes, when Steve & Emily shared their dance to "Butterfly Kisses," I was a mess!

There are so many more stories that go with the weekend, and the friends and family. . . but Mark just walked in the door with pizza. And, I'm hungry.

So, the stories will have to wait until the next blog entry. But I leave you with this thought. . .

"Yak in a Box"

More Thousand Words. . . .

2011-07-23T16:12:00.007-04:00

It's time to update - but I'll let the pictures do more of the talking. (Yeah, right)

Caroline lost her first tooth a few weeks ago -- this is a BIG thing for her, because there was thought that she'd have to have teeth surgically removed. Here's hoping they'll all fall out the "old fashioned" way!

Edison was in the Spring play at his school. They did "Our Town," and it was very good. He played the Constable. We were, and are very proud of him!

Two of his biggest fans were there on closing night:

This past Spring, Caroline had the honor of helping with the dedication of the new lobby at East Tennessee Children's Hospital. Her picture (larger than life, actually) is hanging in their newly-renovated lobby. This was a very proud day for our family. Here she is, helping cut the "film" (ribbon) for the dedication. The project was funded by Regal Cinemas, so the kids used safety scissors to cut the "film" for the celebration.

If you happen to go into Children's, please stop in the lobby and wave "hello" to Caroline and her teddy bear!

Spring also brings prom season. This year, Edison took Caitlin to his prom. Quite the momentous occasion!

Caroline continues to have fun with her "best friend in the whole wide world." (Her quote) She and Grandma always seem to find time for each other.

We have to give Grandpa a little equal time, don't we?

Edison & Caitlin on Easter Sunday. . .

Caroline & Mark on Easter. . .

Back in June, we went to a Tennessee Smokies game with a group from church. To prove that I indeed *do* allow my picture to be taken, here is evidence that I went to the game. . . and even had fun!

Fast-forward to July 4. We spent the day out at my aunt & uncle's lake house. Caroline was determined to get in the tube. She eventually did - but she was dry-docked. We hope to get her in the water (in the tube) before the summer is over.

Once I got out on the water, I had to update my facebook status. Come on, don't tease me too much!

I think I could stay like this for a long, long time. . . .

Forever Between Posts

2011-07-20T21:55:00.002-04:00

I don't know. . .I must've lost the blogging mojo or something.

But today, I've been reminded of what a blessing we bloggers can be to each other. . . and ironically (or NOT SO ironically) I was reminded by someone named Beth. Nope, not this Beth**. . . another Beth.

Beth Shibley is a quilter that lives in California. She must quilt around the clock - because she always seems to be finishing the most beautiful quilts, table runners, and pillows. She really inspires me.

Lately, when she's written a blog entry, or posted pictures of a project that I love - I've left her a comment. And every time, she's emailed me a sweet, brief response. Today, she blogged about some "ugly" (as she called it) fabric -- it was NASCAR fabric. Nearly broke my little boogity-boogity-loving heart.

So what did I do? I left her a comment saying that it is possible to quilt and love NASCAR.

And, what did she do? She emailed me back (within minutes) and offered to send me the few last bits of her NASCAR fabric. (If I'm honest, it really touched my heart -- I nearly cried)

And then, I started to reminisce about "my" Beth. I have thought of (and missed terribly) my Beth this week. I had my heart broken a couple of times over the past 10 days -- and each time, I found myself still wishing that I could call or email her. . . wanting to pour my heart out to her. I know that she would have listened, or read -- and would have replied with something that would have made it better.

But, alas, I can't email her. I can't call. And, that made me a little bit sadder. . . momentarily.

It's really okay. God has provided me with others to whom I can "let it all hang out" and, for whatever reason, they still accept and even like me. (Kinda like Beth did)

So. . . if you're a blogger, please take a minute to think about, and maybe thank someone who leaves a comment on your blog. If they're a blogger too, go to their blog and leave some love. You never know what might happen.

. . . you never know, you might even get some NASCAR fabric in the mail!

**I purposely put the link to this particular entry from Beth Cain -- it was one of the first times she created a scrapbook layout for Caroline. I just "happened" to stumble on it (Thanks, God) and shed a couple tears of joy over a friend who truly changed my life.

So Sorry. . .

2011-03-27T23:30:00.003-04:00

It's been far too long since I have written an entry. I can't say why - except that I've been quite busy. Probably too busy for my own good. So, what has changed since I last wrote?

Well, we finished the "Together" sermon series - and have also started and finished a series based on Francis Chan's book, "Crazy Love." Great book. I highly recommend it.

Kids are good. Growing up too fast. Want proof? Here you go. . .

Other than growing kids, making meals, driving a mini-van so much that its tires are wearing out, piling more books onto the "I want to read them" pile, and waiting with baited breath for the return of Bobby Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) to Law & Order: Criminal Intent. . . there's not been much going on.

Well, except for NASCAR starting up again. . . . and I realized that of the over 970 songs I had on my itunes - NONE of them were Michael McDonald songs.

It's a travesty, I tell you.

I had a few Doobie Brothers songs on there -- but honestly, that doesn't count. And, if I'm totally honest, I don't have his "Soul Speak" or either of his "Motown" albums on there yet . . . so the collection is sorely incomplete.

Hmmm. What else?! Oh yeah. . .the "big" news. I'm now a Mac user. In fact, this is the first blog entry written on a Mac. You could tell the difference, couldn't you?

I thought so.

The whole transition has gone fairly smoothly. Yes, I live in a PC house - but for the work I do, a Mac serves my purposes much more completely. I've even made my first movie on the Mac.

Okay - that's it. Just catching you up. Got a picture of the kids squeezed in - and some of the happenings in our household. I hope I filled in the gaps, and provided you with a few smiles. If not, come back tomorrow. . . okay, maybe the next day.

Together

2011-01-21T11:52:00.002-05:00

We're in the midst of a 5-week sermon series at church entitled "Together." It's all about intentional relationships. Getting to know people. Helping make disciples by purposely "friending" someone (Hello? Facebook, anyone?)

We've used one of my all-time favorite songs for "bumper music" the last couple weeks. While looking for it again this week, I found this. Couldn't help but share. . .

LOVE this!

Happy Weekend, everyone!

On snow. . . .

2011-01-11T20:40:00.008-05:00

Over the past couple of weeks, we have experienced snow on snow on snow. . .and, over the past couple of weeks, I've made references to "snow" with regards to my friend, Beth. In fact, when we got a decent snow a few weeks ago, on her birthday, I talked about singing "Happy Birthday" to her out in the snow.

Well, this week -- I've been at it again. We got snow.
Snow-Day Snow.
Stay-home-from-work-snow.
And again, I thought about Beth.

Beth loved snow. It was a good thing -- she lived in Canada. She got to experience it -- a lot. But, she wrote about metaphorical truths we can see in snow. Here's one of her excerpts from her blog:

And all day yesterday a hush fell over my heart as gently as the snow lay down a new covering of white.. in our neighbourhood we have mountain ash trees and in the winter they drop their bright crimson berries on to the snow, not too many - just enough so that here and there drops of bright red are seen on a brilliant gleaming white blanket. It's a picture, I tell you of a Saviour making paths through the desert, and through the sea.

So, it's only natural that I would take a picture like this:

. . and remember Beth.

Since she loved snow, she would have loved these, as well:

But, because she had adopted my two kids as her niece and nephew, she would have really loved these:

And, because she loved Caroline's voice. . . this would have made her very, very happy!

(Please don't crane your neck sideways. . . the camera operator eventually changed the camera angle!)

Who wants to be like Mike?

2011-01-08T13:56:00.006-05:00

Not Me. I wanna be like Kevin.

Who's Kevin? Why Kevin? Enough questions for one day. . .here goes.

Kevin Wolff is a friend that Mark met through baseball card blogging. I met him, too. He's funny. He's witty. He writes awesome posts on one of his two blogs. Not just one blog, but two. But here's where he's so cool. . . he puts the post on facebook, too.

So, in my pursuit to be just like Kevin, I am posting something here that I just put on facebook.

You have to make these cookies. No, really. You do. They rock. They look like this:

And the taste?

(See what I did there?)

A Little Light Reading. . . .

2011-01-03T16:16:00.003-05:00

Miss C was reading to her baby doll today. Couldn't pass up the opportunity to capture it on film!! Enjoy!!

Two Kinds of Tears

2010-12-29T20:22:00.002-05:00

I have never blogged from my phone. Don't know if it works or not. We'll see.

Today was my Aunt Millie's funeral. We spent last night greeting friends and family members. We shed a few tears.

Today, we said goodbye. I cried.

But I realized something as I was sitting there, crying.

As sad as I was about my aunt dying, I was doing some "delayed" mourning for my friend, Beth. Death always makes me sad. Seeing people mourn is difficult.

I played for a funeral a few weeks ago. I was sad for this family - but not knowing the man, I was somewhat able to detach myself from the grief.

Today - not so much. I grieved. And it was *my* grief.

But I have hope. And, as the pastor said today, death without hope is just that...hope-less. Death with hope means sadness, yes. But it also means rejoicing. It means that we acknowledge that we will, and do miss them...but we will see them again - someday.

And that is why, though I shed tears - they were not hopeless, sorrowful tears. They were....different.

. . .I still lost all my mascara, though.

Back Home Again. . . .

2010-12-27T23:30:00.002-05:00

I really am not that familiar with the song, "Back Home Again in Indiana," other than I know that it is sung (usually by Jim Nabors) before the start of the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day Weekend. But, for the next 40-48 hours, it will be my theme song.

My Great-Aunt Millie died on Sunday afternoon. She was old. (I know that sounds so harsh) But, she had lived a very long life. She spent the last number of years in a nursing home. From what we were told, she quietly finished her lunch on Sunday, and fell asleep and woke up in heaven.

She had been a widow for many years. I vaguely remember when her husband passed away, but I was either in middle school or high school. (Maybe even elementary school??) So, for almost as long as I can remember her - she was by herself. They never had any children.

She wasn't alone. My grandmother, aunt, and great uncle all lived near each other in Southern Indiana. (Evansville area, to be exact) My dad and one of his cousins were especially close to Aunt Millie. I believe she even helped support Dad some as he went back to college in the mid-80s.

She was so very sweet -- and she had a sweet smile and the quirkiest "southern" accent. It was a southern Indiana accent, which is very different from the southern accent we hear in these parts. My sister can still do an amazing knock-off of Aunt Millie talking about the "Church of the Nazarene," and we break into fits of laughter every time she does it.

Things I remember:
She was a long-time member of the Nazarene church.
She was a devoted follower and avid watcher of Billy Graham.
She always kept an orderly, simple home.
She always had a cloth calendar than hung in her dining room/laundry room.
She always called my dad "Jimmy."

And, although I haven't seen her in a long, long time, I mourn her passing. But, because she immediately went to be with Jesus, I am rejoicing. I know death is a part of life. Sometimes I think I have come to grips with that. Other times, not so much.

Tomorrow morning (Tuesday) Edison and I will travel with my parents to Indiana. We will attend a visitation service. We will attend a funeral service. We will take part in an interment service. Then, on Wednesday, following the funeral and interment, we will drive home.

While there, I hope to show Edison some of his heritage. I want him to see where my parents, and their parents were born and raised. I want him to experience a little of what I experienced during visits to the "Watermelon Capital of the World" otherwise known as Gibson County, Indiana.

I want to re-introduce him to his great-aunt & uncle (my dad's sister & brother-in-law) who still live in Indiana. He met them many years ago. He needs to meet them again.

So we will travel. I have some stitchery projects to take along with me. I have synced my mp3 player with my two new Darius Rucker CDs that I received for Christmas. I have a couple of books that I have been wanting to read (two out of a very tall pile, mind you).

I'm taking my son.
Back home to my home state. (Even though I only lived there a couple years)

Back home again in Indiana

And it seems that I can see

The gleaming candlelight, still shining bright

Thru the sycamores for me

The new mown hay sends all its fragrance

From the fields I used to roam

When I dream about the moonlight on the Wabash

Then I long for my Indiana home

I will remember and reflect on a life well-lived. And we will rejoice, through tears, for her homecoming to the home she's been longing to see.

Beulah land ... I'm longing for you,
And, some day, on thee I'll stand;
There my home shall be eternal.
Beulah land ... sweet Beulah land.

Rest in peace, Aunt Millie. You were a wonderful aunt, and a beautiful example of a devoted Christ follower. I'll see you one day. . . .

From Our House to Yours. . . .

2010-12-24T20:43:00.002-05:00

We want to wish you a very Merry Christmas!

May you be surrounded and embraced by those you love. May the joy of family and friends fill your heart with delight.

May you be like a child - caught up in the wonder and magic of the season.

May your surprises be good ones. But mostly. . . .may you remember the reason we celebrate:

"So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." (Luke 2:4-20)

Merry Christmas from the Aubrey family!!!

Way too fast. . . .

2010-12-16T14:47:00.003-05:00

These two kids of mine are growing up far too fast, in my opinion. I marvel when I look back and realize how quickly time is going by.

Someone, slow it down. Please?!?!?

All we are saying. . . . .

2010-12-14T20:35:00.006-05:00

Sorry, couldn't help but quote John & Yoko on such a monumental night.

Caroline loves peas.

We had no clue.

Tonight's dinner was simple: Roasted Chicken (very tasty), Baked Potatoes, Green Peas, and Cranberry Sauce. Yes, I know. . .I know. . .peas are considered starches. There was nothing inherently healthy about them -- except that they are beautifully green.

I love them.
Mark and Edison? Not so much.

I love them in Pea Salad (miracle whip, cashews, cheddar cheese)

I love them in 24-Hour Layered Salad (lettuce, peas, cheese, red onion, celery, green pepper, bacon, etc.)

I'm not such a big fan of split-pea soup.

And I loathe the "Army-green" peas that come out of a can.

(I think I just threw up a little in my mouth)

But, I love peas.

We noticed that Caroline, very quietly, was using the proper utensils to shove the peas into her mouth. (In my defense, they were exceptionally good peas) But, we really didn't expect this from her.

Our reaction? The silent gestures that said, "Did you see that?" and "Shhhh, don't say anything -- she might stop!"

But, she didn't.

She...ate...every...single...last...pea...on...her...plate.

I credit Veggie Tales. . . .

. . .now if I could just get her to eat squash!!

Happy Birthday, Beth. . . .

2010-12-12T14:11:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday, Beth. Under normal circumstances, I would have called - and the kids (or at least Caroline) would have sung that familiar birthday tune to you.

I know your family is missing you today. (They've missed you every day since you left) They're remembering you, and the joy that you brought to every day.

Your friends are missing you today, too. We remember and celebrate a life lived to the very fullest -- to the very end. (Which was all-too-soon)

In honor of your birthday, God is giving us snow. You would have loved this. What started as tiny, little delicate flakes has turned into bigger, puffier flakes. I expect that the ground will eventually be covered.

And then, all by myself, I'll sing you a birthday tune. . . .because I know how much you loved the snow, and the significant imagery that it brought your heart.

Thanks for telling me about it. . . .I always liked snow. Now, I love it.

I miss you. Just in case you wondered.

To Bake or Not to Bake. . . .

2010-12-05T22:29:00.002-05:00

this year, that is the question.

I'm not opposed to holiday baking, per se. In fact, I quite enjoy it. I'm just afraid that I'll do a mammoth amount of baking, and then the treats won't go any further than my living room.

Not a good plan.

If I do bake - and I'm sure I will bake something this season.. . . (For heaven's sake, we need something to set out for Santa Claus!) it will most likely be a reduced list from previous years.

Here's what I've done in the past:

Molasses Cookies
Sugar Cookies (cut out - and drop)
Gingerbread Men
Coconut Bonbons (these are amazing)
Austrian Chocolate Balls
Candy Cane Cookies
Snickerdoodles
Fudge
Peanut Butter Fudge
Microwave Peanut Brittle
Thumbprints
Shortbread
Biscotti

There are lots of things I've made in the past . . . .but this year, I really don't want to bake a ton of cookies - unless they're going out the door to someone else.

I'll work on this. Maybe I can send a tray to Mark's work. I don't want to bring a tray to my work -- it's a church, and lots of people end up bringing us stuff. We don't need it.

I don't know. . . I have to think about this for a while.

Results of my thinking to follow. . . .

Be Still. . . . .

2010-12-03T12:38:00.003-05:00

I have trouble with this. I don't find myself being "still" very often. In fact, when find myself running in 15 different directions, I wonder when I'll ever find time to slow down, or even (gasp!) stop.

Today - I was reminded of this while driving through town. Mind you, this has felt like a week where all I've done is drive. I've been chauffeur, taxi driver, and a delivery service this week. I even let Edison drive into South Knoxville on a very busy, dangerous road -- at night just as it had begun raining -- so I've not sat still for very long.

But today, while driving home from the grocery store (had to get groceries for tonight's staff Christmas party), I came upon a "new" stoplight that will soon be installed about a mile from our house. It's going to make things interesting for the first couple of weeks, but it's going to make things safer in the long run.

Regardless. I was at the light. There was one car coming - but I could've turned ahead of him. For some reason, that little voice told me not to do so.

Note: This is not one of those "angel on the shoulder" moments, where I just missed a car wreck -- don't get excited.

It was just actually an opportunity to stop. To be still. To wait. I actually consciously took a breath while I waited for the car. And, can I admit this?

I enjoyed just sitting there, waiting.

Why am I sharing this? Because I have this sneaking suspicion that I'm not the only one that is always in some state of motion. Don't get me wrong -- there's nothing wrong with being busy. There's nothing wrong with movement. In fact, I'm trying that familiar eat less, move more way of life. There's nothing wrong with moving.

But, trust me -- there's also nothing wrong with being still.

Sixteen? Seriously?

2010-11-15T20:40:00.005-05:00

Happy Birthday, Edison!!!

Sixteen years ago, on a cold, November day - Edison came into our lives. (He was born before digital photography, so I'm kinda limited by my selections on here) He was really a cute baby!

He's a kind, compassionate, talented kid. He keeps us laughing. . . most of the time. Emphasis on the word most.

He enjoys playing football nearly as much as he enjoys playing music. I keep thinking he gets that from me, but who knows?!?!

He has always had a strong (fierce**) love for his sister.

Always has. . . .always will.

I told him that I'd get sappy. . . but, since he's sixteen, I'll refrain from anything remotely close to emotional.

Happy 16th Birthday, Edison.
We love you.
We are extremely proud of you.

**fierce love is how my sweet, wonderful friend Beth referred to the love between her girls. As I have watched Edison's adoration grow for Caroline over the past six year, I can't think of a better word to describe or define it.

(Just another example of why I love and miss you so very much, Beth!)

Not Even Sure Where to Begin

2010-11-05T11:38:00.002-04:00

It has been almost three weeks since I have had a day off - by myself - here at home. I have run errands already this morning, and have had two phone calls - each about 45 minutes. Now what do I do?

I have quilt projects that need to go from one step to another.
I have a house that needs to be cleaned.
I have company coming back to our house at some point this coming week.
I have a soon-to-be 16 year old's birthday to plan.

But for now, those things are going to wait. Because, I have a chocolate mocha cappuccino (with just a hint of french vanilla non-fat creamer) sitting here, and at least four (4) seasons of The Office on DVD. And right now, those are taking precedence over any other things on my to-do list.

Until next time. . . stay warm and enjoy the fall weather!

I Will NOT Become That Mother. . . .edited

2010-11-04T17:27:00.003-04:00

. . . okay, maybe I already have become that mother! You'll have to forgive the buttons popping off and flying all sorts of directions. But, I'm doggone proud of Caroline!!

This ad will be featured in the Saturday Sports section of the Knoxville News-Sentinel. And yes, we WILL be getting some copies for the scrapbook!!

Edited to add. . . Mark pointed out the irony that Caroline will be undergoing eye surgery in less than two weeks. We have thought about taking this ad in - hoping the surgeon will treat it as a coupon. . . ?

Which Recipe Do You Use?

2010-11-01T13:57:00.002-04:00

Last week, while publicly living out my life on Facebook, I admitted to making Chex Mix. My status actually said, "(Angie) just made chex mix and my house smells yummy!" (Or something to that effect) A reply to my status update made me laugh.

"Which recipe did you use?"

Normally, a reply like that wouldn't necessarily make one smile, I suppose. But if you know me - or have been around me when I've been cooking - you understand why I would laugh at that question.

You see, like my wonderful mother, I have this knack. I call it a "knack" rather than referring to it as a character flaw for obvious reason. (ha!)

I usually follow a recipe one time - and then "adapt" it according to my mood, pantry inventory, or opinion.

Sometimes, this works in my favor. Other times? Not so much. I think it drives certain members of my extended family a little crazy when they ask for recipes, and I admit that I really don't use one. I mean, there are some things (sloppy joes, spaghetti sauce, etc.) that you just make by feel. . . not by a recipe.

You don't? Well, I do.

Disclaimer here: When baking, I always follow the recipe. Too much chemistry involved in rising/falling cakes & breads. I don't claim to know that much about baking to make adjustments.

But Chex Mix? That, my friends, depends entirely on what is in the pantry. Usually, I try to follow the recipe -- but I fudge a little on the amounts of contents. I mean seriously? I don't count out nine (9) cups of wheat, corn, and rice cereal bits. . . in fact, when Crispix came out - I all but gave up on the "mixed cereal" idea. (Although, I really do like the little wheat chex bits - so I sometimes buy them.) But when it comes to CM (chex mix) I always opt for:

Cheez-it crackers -- they somehow get yummier with the butter/Worcestershire mixture.
Pretzels -- nobody in my family really likes pretzels in there, but I put them in out of duty.
Nuts -- here's where things get interesting.

**If I'm making Chex Mix for our family -- I use the nuts with NO peanuts
**If I'm making Chex Mix to give away -- I buy the can with "less than 50% peanuts"

I admit it - I am a nut snob. You always get WAY more peanuts than you want, if you're honest -- or from Georgia. Give me a good cashew, pecan, or almond any day -- and you can keep your precious peanuts!

On rare occasions, I will add cheerios, bagel chips, or french fried onion rings. But typically, I stick to the recipe above.

As for the "sauce" I know the players (butter, Worcestershire sauce, onion salt, garlic powder, seasoned salt). And sometimes, I use the correct ratios. Other times I have guessed. And when I really want to get crazy, I'll add a dash of cayenne pepper. (I know. . .I'm now just giving away the key to the mint!)

Okay. . . so getting back to this most recent batch. Yesterday, while watching football, baseball, or the NASCAR race, (honestly, I can't remember which one) Mark said to me: "Honey, this Chex Mix is really good. I could do without the Cheez-It crackers, but it's really good."

My reply was something like: "Well, I'll always use Cheez-Its because I like them. I'm not sure why I put pretzels in -- because no one seems to like them."

Here's the irony: This particular time. . . no joking. . . I followed the recipe exactly.

Chex Mix: 1
My Pride: 0

So what about you? Which recipe, if any, do you use? And, are you fastidious about recipes, or do you make stuff up on the fly?

And, by saying "on the fly" I am NOT suggesting that you have flies in your food. Just sayin'. . . .

Sometimes You Just Don't Wanna. . .

2010-10-30T22:36:00.003-04:00

That's been me and my on-again/off-again relationship with blogging. Sometimes I just don't want to do it.

It's been hard - coming up with things to say - that didn't center around Beth. And, honestly, when I think about her now -- I still mourn, but I'm also rejoicing. It's been just over three weeks since she got to meet Jesus face to face. And, if I'm honest, I'm a little jealous.

Please don't get me wrong -- I have lots of things here (on earth) that I still want to do. Not necessarily a bucket list, mind you. . .but there are things that I want to see and do and experience before I leave the earth.

And, deep down, I'm starting to get that feeling that I think you get when you realize that the things of this earth are just that: things of this earth. And, to be quite honest, some of the "things of this earth" are really starting to get on my nerves. What are some of those things? Well, let's see. . .

1) Charlie Sheen & Lindsey Lohan (feel free to insert any male/female actor or performer that is in the news more for the crap they put into their bodies than for any actual God-given talent(s) they might pretend to possess)

2) Election Years. (Do I really need to say more?)

3) Gray hair.

4) Achievement test scores for kids.

5) Cancer. (Add Alzheimer's to the list, too)

6) Halloween. Not a big fan.

7) Senseless arguments over stuff that doesn't matter.

8) Tissues with lotion and/or the Vicks Vapo-Rub stuff on them.

9) Alarm Clocks. (Feel free to add watches, calendars, day-planners, and bathroom scales)

10) Telemarketing calls.

The irony here is that I used to be a telemarketer -- at one time, I sold vinyl siding, cabinet refacing & replacement windows. Another job had me setting appointments for Olan Mills. So, you'd think I would be more sympathetic.

I'm not.

What would I miss? Oh, I think that's pretty obvious, isn't it?

I'd miss them both - but the one on the left has completely captured my heart.

I think you knew these two were next, didn't you?

There's still a lot of life left to live (if God wills it so). And, I've decided that I'm going to live it -- doggone it! There are things that I need to do that I've put off, and shouldn't have. (Refer back to #9 on my list) There are people to hug. Places to visit. Fences to mend.

And today. . . I've decided that living it out to the fullest is the best way to honor those who have gone before us.

What about you? What are you going to do?

The Letter

2010-10-16T21:14:00.003-04:00

The following letter is one I wrote for Beth's family after she passed away. I gave them the option of reading it at her memorial service, or just reading it among the family. I got a quick note from Tony, her husband, and I *think* they read it during the service.

I wanted to post it here -- because it's a tribute to a remarkable woman. A mentor. A friend. A mother. A wife.

Here it is. . . It's torture to post it and not "re-edit" it. So, I'm going to change the font, type color, and leave it at that. (Really, I am!)

Dear Tony, Florence, Jenni, Melinda, Mary, Katherine, Emily and Hannah. . . .

How I wish I could be with you today. My heart, for the last four years, has longed to visit Thunder Bay where I could experience the phenomenon that was Valerie Beth Cain. What a lifeforce!

Over the past couple weeks, I struggled with the fact that I’d one day write this letter. I anguished over finding the right words. How would I describe Beth? How in the world would I be able to express my feelings? I concluded that the only way to “sum up” my friendship with Beth would be to talk about her names. . .

Wife – I will always cherish her descriptions of you, Tony. I loved the way she would write about songs you had written. . . your expressions of praise to God were always such a source of joy for her. And, her brilliant way with words always made us feel like we were part of your precious relationship – even though we were miles away.

Daughter – Her love and admiration for you, Florence, truly inspired me. She worried about you. She respected and revered you. She admired you. She celebrated you. And, her memories and stories of her childhood always gave me such vivid images of life and joy. And, her love of hospitality and entertaining is something for which I know you are very proud.

Mommy – One of my favorite scrapbook layouts is the one where she tells about Melinda’s determination to call Beth “Mommy” for the rest of her life. She loved each one of you girls with all of her heart – you know that. She knew your strengths and celebrated them. She knew your weaknesses, and prayed diligently for you to overcome those weaknesses, and to learn more about your Heavenly Father through struggles and adversity. She was so very proud of you. To hear her talk (or write) about each one of you makes me feel like I already know you. I can tell each of you that over the past four years, when you were facing a struggle, she would write to me – sometimes with details, sometimes not – and ask me to pray for you. This was an honor. It will remain my honor to hold you before the Throne until the day I die. As a tribute to your mom, this is my promise.

Adopted Aunt – Sometime in 2006, she decided to become an “aunt” to my two children: Edison & Caroline. C*line, as she would call her – held a special place in her heart – in the same way Jenni holds a special place in my heart. Her immediate, strong, fierce love for my children absolutely blew me away. And, don’t get me started about the scrapbook layouts she created of Caroline. As we “adopted” each others’ children, the bond between us became even more like a sister relationship. I look forward to opportunities in the future, when I can tell Caroline about her “Auntie Beth,” who loved her without ever meeting her.

Prayer Warrior – Just yesterday, I realized how much I had come to rely on Beth as my prayer warrior, and how much she regarded me as her warrior. She held me up in prayer in 2008, as I faced the threat of cancer. Talk about tireless prayers. . . she never stopped. We went from “Plan A” to “Plan B” and she was committed to go to “Plan Z” if that was God’s will. That’s a prayer warrior. So, last month, when she called to tell me about the 3-6 month prognosis, she pleaded with me to “wrestle with God” on her behalf. Of course, I agreed. I’m not sure I lived up to her request, but I knew that her pleas for me to pray for her were genuine, and that I had an obligation to repeatedly go to the Throne on her behalf.

Friend – I have had friends pass away – but with Beth, I’m sure many people would agree, it was different. Beth was a friend like no other I’ve known. She somehow managed to get to know me in a very, very short time. After just a few months, I felt like I’d known her all my life. And after four years, she became the older sister I never had. Though I miss her with all of my heart, the fact that she is singing and dancing before in the very presence of God – celebrating the joy of her salvation, and enjoying the eternity we are all anticipating – well, I wouldn’t want to take that away from her. She has encouraged me – through her valiant fight and strong faith in the midst of utter pain & heartbreak – to emulate her. She has given all of us the most wonderful, courageous example of someone who fought the good fight and remained faithful to the very end.

Over the last four years, she made me promise a variety of things. I was to pray daily for the future spouse of my son. I was to continue to express myself artistically. I was to set the bar high for Caroline – and bring out the very best in her. And, in our last conversation, she made me promise not to let go of you girls. I promised her that I would not – and that is a promise that I will keep.

Jenni, Melinda, Mary, Katherine, Emily, and Hannah – I know you have aunts & uncles. You have cousins, friends, an amazing church family, and an extended, blended family that loves you. But now, I want you to remember, because of your precious, funny, wonderful mommy, you also have an aunt, uncle, and two cousins living in Tennessee that absolutely adore you. You are our family. We love you.

Angie, Mark, Edison, and Caroline (C*line)

. . .and as Forrest Gump would say: "That's about all I have to say about that."

(I love you, Beth!)

Remembering Beth

2010-10-08T19:18:00.004-04:00

(Beth and her daughter, Melinda)

Earlier today, Beth went home to be with Jesus.

If you have read my blog at all, you would be familiar with my friend, Beth.

I originally wrote this blog entry a week and a half ago, but pulled it off because I wanted to be sensitive to Beth, and her family as she went through these last days. Here's what I wrote. . . with a bit of editing.

Last week - I started rereading some of her beautiful blog entries. Starting with the most recent, and working my way backwards. Somewhere around November of 2008, I decided to do some cross-reference checking to my blog. Not sure of when she started commenting on my blog, I kept digging.

My very first entry has her beautiful comments on it. . . and she became a frequent commenter on my blog (hitting nearly every entry) for the past four years.

I don't think she got to read this . . . and that's okay.

Beth fought bravely in a battle against cancer. Last fall, she was diagnosed with cancer - a very aggressive cancer in her salivary glands and throat. Doctors decided to think "outside the box" for her treatment.

I remember getting a phone call from her last December, while doing some Christmas shopping - where she was so very excited about their non-textbook approach. It was a difficult conversation to have -- malls tend to be noisy places. But, it was encouraging, nonetheless.

Time has passed. Chemotherapy and radiation treatments helped to shrink the original tumor -- she named him "Ignace," or "Iggy" for short. And, although there was a definite decrease in Iggy's size, the aggressiveness of this particular cancer reared back and went into her liver, lungs, and bones. And today, she was allowed to rest in the arms of Jesus.

Cancer may have won this battle. But, Beth is going to win the war!!!

In the next couple of days, I will write a letter to be read at her memorial service. (Actually, I'm actually now looking at the possibility of going up to Canada for the service) But, I've never done anything like this before. As I told my dad on the phone, I have learned that friends have died. . . but Beth is the first close friend that I've lost.

. . . and I'm coming to grips with the fact that as I get older, it's going to happen more and more.

I've been shedding quite a few tears lately. Among laughter and smiles, tears flow quite freely. And yes, there are many reasons for those tears.

I am weeping for her husband, and her six beautiful daughters.

I am crying for her mother, who has lived with her the past couple of years -- and had to watch her daughter suffer from this horrible disease.

I am weeping on behalf of friends and neighbors that love her dearly -- children that she has adopted as her nieces and nephews (two of them are my kids) -- just because they are.

And yes, I am mourning for me.

I have lost a friend. . . a friend that I feel like I have known all of my life.

This friend was someone. . . .

. . .to whom I owe a huge debt of gratitude
. . .that wasn't afraid to ask me to do serious spiritual battle on her behalf
. . .that loved my children like they were her own flesh and blood
. . .who disagreed with me politically, but loved me in spite of it
. . .who valued and celebrated my artistic abilities
. . .I have never got to meet in person.

But we have two serious reunions planned. One, this Spring, when Caroline & I meet Beth's daughters in person.

The other -- when Beth and I are united in heaven.

And although that may always be one of my life's regrets -- never meeting her in person -- I will cherish every word that we exchanged. I have saved blog entries, emails, comments, facebook exchanges, and scrapbook layouts that she lovingly created. I will read them again and again and again. . .

and I will not be the same person I was four years ago.

I will be a better friend.
I will become a more devoted wife.
I will encourage and challenge my children in new ways.
I will develop my inner voice--and write the words God puts on my heart.

And yes, for her and those precious girls I love so much, I will learn to love Chris Tomlin's song, God of this City. Up until now, it has not been on my top-five list of songs. I'm not sure why I initially rejected it. Maybe because I couldn't get beyond the fact that I don't live in an actual "city" per se.

But it became Beth's cancer song and now, when I listen to it - I will see the greater things that were to be done through her battle. I will rejoice in the greater things that God is going to do through her girls -- and through her husband of so very few years. I will see how she glorified God - up until today.

And as the song says, I will declare that:

You’re the Light in this darkness
You’re the Hope to the hopeless
You’re the Peace to the restless
There is no one like our God

I love you desperately, Beth. I will keep the promise I made to you -- I will not let go of your girls. I promise.

More than Four Years. . . .edited

2010-09-27T02:01:00.005-04:00

That's right -- more than four years have passed since I began this blog.

In those four years, I have been blessed by many people - both getting to know them, and getting re-connected with them. Tonight, as the night hours become morning hours, I am thinking about my dear friend who has become as close as a sister. . . my friend, Beth.

About two hours ago - I started rereading some of her beautiful blog entries. Starting with the most recent, and working my way backwards. Somewhere around November of 2008, I decided to do some cross-reference checking to my blog. Not sure of when she started commenting on my blog, I kept digging.

My very first entry has her beautiful comments on it. . . and she became a frequent commenter on my blog (hitting nearly every entry) for the past four years.

Edited section follows. . . .

Last night, I wrote about how she is the battle of her life. She is battling cancer. Cancer may win -- or it may appear that cancer will win. However, JESUS is going to get the victory, no matter what happens!

I pulled my original blog entry, and am deleting the comments. There is still room for a miracle. I'm still going to pray for a miracle.

I will eventually put those thoughts back here on the blog. But for now, I'm holding onto my firm belief that MY God can do ANYTHING. He can destroy diagnoses. . . he can move mountains.

My God is mighty to save.

I'm going to close (or re-close) this entry with the verses that Beth has been claiming for the past couple of months. It's from Daniel 3. And, the more I read it, the more I find strength, conviction, and comfort in these words:

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

Redirecting

2010-09-08T19:36:00.002-04:00

When I get impatient, I watch the tab on my internet browser. It annoys me, because it reminds me that it's working, and I shouldn't be hovering in such an impatient way.

It's message?
"Redirecting"

My precious browser tab is telling me that it's going to the website I have directed it to go - which is obviously different than the one where it is currently residing.

You know this.
You read blogs.
You are familiar with website browser tabs.

Redirecting.

Right now, it feels like everything is being redirected.

My focus.
My energy.
My attention span.
My assumptions.

Redirecting.

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord, "Plans to prosper you, not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future."

Redirecting.

Even when His will points me in a direction I don't necessarily want it to go--or when His good (and did I mention "perfect") will means that the path ahead of me is not as smooth and walkable as I had hoped--He still is planning to prosper, not harm me.

Redirecting.

". . . prosper you, not harm you. . ."

Redirecting.

". . . hope and a future. . . "

Lord, you ARE good.
You are good.
And your mercy forever endures.

Where is that To-Do List?!?!

2010-08-07T15:34:00.003-04:00

It's been a while. I know.

I apologize.

Of course, I'm down to about four readers. . . and half of them are family. I sometimes wonder about the need to keep the blog. But, don't start any petitions just yet. I'm gonna stick around for a while.

Let's see. . . where to begin (again)?

Edison starts school on Monday. That's not huge exciting news around here -- especially to him. But, it will be good to get him back on a regular schedule. It will be good for all of us to get back on some sort of schedule. Ten days. Just ten days.

That's right, in ten days, Caroline will be in school, as well. Of all of us, she probably needs the routine the most.

She will be repeating Kindergarten this year. I think I've blogged about this before. If I have, forgive the repetition. If I haven't, please let me explain. . .

Children in our state can receive educational services (special education) through age 22. At this point, I don't know whether she will be in school that long. In fact, we are hoping that Caroline will be able to study beyond the high school level. We continue to hear stories about individuals with Down syndrome going to college. I see no reason for Caroline not to do the same thing.

Sorry, slight diversion. . . .Caroline will repeat Kindergarten this year, not because she is significantly delayed. In fact, I think they'll be pleasantly surprised at how well she's done over the summer. Her reading continues to explode -- and her speech is phenomenal. (of course, we've got to get her to start TALKING at speech therapy, but that's another issue!)

She will have the same Kindergarten teacher -- which will help with continuity and familiarity. She will still spend a fraction of the day in the CDC (special ed) room. But, at this point, 95% of her day will be spent in regular Kindergarten -- from the very beginning. The theory on repeating is that between her familiarity, and "understanding the routine," she will start Kindergarten on a par fairly even with this class. AND. . .since she's smaller than a lot of them, she will not seem so itty bitty - as she did by the end of last year.

This is fairly common--repeating a grade (or two). But, we are hoping that this will be the only year of repetition. Once she gets accustomed to a particular class, we want her to stay with them as long as she can.

So. . . all that to say, "Gosh, I'm ready for school to start again!"

I've been slightly busy, between taking kids back and forth to football camp/practice, music camp (church), and "jump start" camp (Caroline). But, it really is all good. Things at church are going well. We've had an exceptionally good couple of Sundays the past month or so. God is working -- and it's exciting to see the changes He is bringing about. He's also brought me some new singers/instrumentalists. That's always fun & exciting. So, the "busy" hasn't been harried. But, it has been busy!

I finally got around to trying my hand at Raspberry Pepper Jelly. There weren't many specific recipes online that I felt were exactly what I was looking for -- but I finally got my courage up, and tried one that I found in the comments of another recipe.

It's AWESOME!

I've come to the conclusion that as much of the "appeal" of the jelly is the "pickling" aspect (from the apple cider vinegar) as it is from the jalapenos. I was able to get nine (9) jars out of the recipe today -- and that utilized one bag of frozen raspberries, four or five jalapenos, two red peppers, and seven (yes, seven) cups of sugar.

. . .it's really, really good!

I'm still working on some of the baby quilts that I made in Birmingham. I finished hand-quilting the wall hanging for the kids' bathroom. (Last night, actually) I'm hoping to get it bound sometime this weekend, so that I can hang it up soon. It's really cute. I've still got to quilt the one baby quilt for our children's minister's new baby girl -- she arrived eight weeks early, so I have an excuse. Once that's done, I'll begin working on stuff with NO pressure.

. . . of course with the Buddy Walk in the near future, I'm not sure how little pressure I'll actually have. We're going to have another great one this year -- but the next two months are going to be CRAZY!!

So - I'm gonna sign off here. I'm sorry it's been such a break between posts. I have all these great intentions, but life sometimes gets in the way.

Please continue to pray for my dear friend, Beth. She is currently in the hospital - and is very weak. She has a very strong, solid faith -- and I am grateful for every day that I have known her. But right now, she and her amazing kids (lots of them) and loving, supportive husband need our prayers. Join me, will you?

Thanks.

From One Generation to Another

2010-07-27T23:33:00.002-04:00

I did something tonight that I've always wanted to do. It was fun. It made my husband say thank you." (which made it all the more worthwhile) I made a recipe that is a favorite of Mark's. And, although I always knew I could do it - I had been avoiding it for some crazy reason. And when it was all said and done, it was easy.

"Tomato Pineapple Relish" is a wonderful accompaniment to fish, pork roast, ham, and my favorite -- meatloaf. It was one of the first recipes that Mark's mom handed down to me after we got engaged. How silly is this?!?! We've been married 20 years -- we were engaged nearly 21 years ago -- and I'm just now attempting this recipe?!!?

Well, it won't be another 20 years. In fact, when these 3.5 jars are gone - I'll be making it again. It's that good.

And. . . because I love you? I'm going to share it with you.

Tomato Pineapple Relish

2 c. prepared tomatoes (see below)
1 1/2 c. crushed pineapple (drained)
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
2T vinegar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. allspice
1/4 t. cloves
6 cups sugar
2 pouches Certo (1 box)

**If using fresh tomatoes, scald, peel, and chop tomatoes. Bring quickly to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes. Measure out 2 cups and put into large saucepan.

Once tomatoes are ready add pineapple, sugar, and seasonings to the pan. Bring to a hard boil (bubbling continues even when you stir it). Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat - stir in Certo. Skim off any foam and ladle into hot, sterilized jars.

Makes 4 (scant) pints.

Invert jars onto tea towel - let stand 5 minutes. Revert to upright status. Wrap (insulate) with 2 - 3 kitchen towels. The "pop" means they've sealed!!

According to my mother-in-law, it should make eight (8) jelly jars. I made pint jars - and got nearly four jars. The fourth (incomplete) jar will be put in our refrigerator -- because it needs to be used first.

I'm grateful I tried the recipe. I'm glad it worked. I rejoiced at the aroma in my kitchen. Between the cloves, allspice, and cinnamon -- it's a delicious aroma.

I encourage you -- nay, I challenge you -- to make this. It is delectable. It is delicious. It is unlike anything else I've ever tasted. And, you have to trust me on this, this relish will make you want to make meatloaf.

I'm serious. You will crave meatloaf from this point on.

Would I lie to you?

Heartwise. . . . .

2010-07-24T11:56:00.003-04:00

Our pastor will finish a 3-week sermon series entitled "Heartwise" tomorrow morning. It has been a fun series to program. Songs about giving our whole heart . . . video clips about heart health and strength. . . and stories about open heart surgery.

This story, as you can imagine, has changed our lives forever.

Enjoy

More pics - as promised

2010-07-23T12:00:00.000-04:00

I have to admit, this is being auto-posted by blogger on Friday. I will be busy pretty much from sun-up to sun-down. The final day of Fine Arts Camp -- getting 24 kids ready to perform songs, skits, and dances they didn't know on Monday morning. . . .getting them fitted for t-shirts, debating and deciding whether or not to print a program (97% of which will be thrown away)

Oh, and did I mention? Caroline will be participating in the program.

Yeah. It's gonna be a big day.

So, I'm auto-posting today. I'm hopeful that you will forgive -- because it is a few more pictures of my quilt weekend. I'm still fighting with my phone - trying to get a picture uploaded of the wall quilt. When that happens, I'll update. I promise. Until then, please enjoy these detailed pictures of the baby quilt in the previous post.

Yes, that would be me hiding behind the quilt. This is really a departure for me -- bright colors and more bold, geometric fabrics. But, I really like it.

Here's a closeup:

Not sure how I'm going to quilt the rows and sashes. We'll see in the days to come. I may get adventurous and use a colored thread for the sashes. That's pretty big for me. . . we'll see!

It was the best of pastas. . . it was the BEST of pastas!

2010-07-22T23:02:00.003-04:00

Two nights ago, I wanted to make pasta. No real reason why, other than the fact that I love pasta. It's true. I know many of you are stunned by this shocking revelation. Sorry to be the bearer of such electrifying news!

Seriously - I wanted pasta.
Specifically - I wanted orzo.

I have made orzo a few times for my family, and sadly, they don't seem impressed. I really like orzo. It's small, compact, easy to mix with other ingredients. I like orzo. Family? Not so much.

So, I made a dish for them. . . and one for me.

Taking inspiration from my friend and my one-time hero (not so much any more) I made two pastas. But, I made them my way. (Note, my friend's link is the actual recipe that inspired me)

For the family, I made a Roasted Chicken Spaghetti with Peas. I made my own alfredo sauce, tossed the pasta with fresh chopped garlic, onions, peas, and part of a rotisserie chicken.

Note: I never buy rotisserie chickens. Let me rephrase that: I never used to buy them. I will be doing this again. . . soon.

Here's what I served the family:

Okay, now for my dish which was, by the way, the tastier of the two. (Okay, I probably made that part up -- but it was good!)

I made Martha Stewart's Orzo . . . .

Only, as you might imagine, I changed it up a bit. I served it warm, rather than at room temperature. I used dried basil instead of fresh. I added some rotisserie chicken. I doubled the garlic (yum!). And finally, I added some roasted red peppers for color. And it looked like this:

And, if I must say so -- I wasn't disappointed with either dish.

Or, to complete the quote circle I began. . .

"It is a far, far better pasta that I make, than I have ever made; it is a far, far better carbohydrate-induced sleep that I go to than I have ever known."

Way Too Much. . . .

2010-07-18T22:51:00.003-04:00

I've got far too much on my plate this week (figuratively) to do a proper post about my weekend with Jean. But, she posted some pics on her blog, and I copied a few of them, and will add a few more of my own, a bit later on.

Fine Arts Camp this week - lots of stuff to do. Enjoy the pics. I'll write more later. I promise....

Me - sewing. Note the new reading glasses. I had to go from 1.25 to 1.5. I swear, I'm getting older by the minute!!

I finally got brave enough to attempt some half-square triangles. I actually put them to good use. (Will post later)

This was the first project I began - and finished - this weekend. It's a "Stacked Coins" baby quilt. The colors are pretty vibrant -- pink, yellow, blue, aqua, green! Fun!!

So, these don't do the weekend justice. Lots of fun. Loads of laughs. Great food. Deep, thoughtful conversation. Brunch at a German restaurant. Dinner at a Greek restaurant. Frozen Yogurt at a Hoity-Toity yogurt place -- YUM!

All the makings of a perfect weekend!

Thanks, Jean!!! You made it awesome......A

Up all Night

2010-07-14T07:49:00.002-04:00

Seriously?!?!

I woke up sometime between 5 a.m. and 5:15 a.m. this morning. I NEVER WAKE UP THIS EARLY!!!

I suspect it's because I have a buh-jillion things on my mind. . .including going away for 4 days. This morning. That's right -- as soon as Edison gets home from football, Mark and I are hitting the road!

Where are we headed? Why, to the romance capital of the southeast. Birmingham, Alabama. What?! You'd not heard it was the "Vegas of the East?" Where have you been?

Seriously.

He's going to a baseball convention. I believe it has to do with Negro League baseball.

And no. . I don't know. . . :)

But, he's going to be in "Baseball Nirvana" for a few days, so I'm meeting up with my buddy Lois - I think I posted a picture a couple days ago - and we're planning to quilt, talk, laugh, and eat.

I'm also taking some work along with me. Before you say anything -- please note that I am directing a week of Fine Arts camp at church starting on Monday. Not to mention the fact that the Knoxville Buddy Walk is less than 3 months away, and I am the Chair of that committee again this year. (It will be my last for a couple years - mark my words)

So, I will have plenty to occupy my time while Mark is doing his baseball thing.

Just thought I'd say "hello" and "goodbye" for a few days. Oh, and to mention that Reason #673 that I love living near my family is that I can do something crazy like this -- and know that my kids will not only be safe and cared for -- but they'll have the time of their lives!

Ciao!

Well, I'm not always right. . . .

2010-06-27T22:39:00.006-04:00

For the past year or so, Edison has been in charge of filling the bird feeders outside our kitchen windows. He has grown increasingly tired of filling the blue feeder that hold standard birdseed. It needs to be filled about every 3-4 days.

His theory? Squirrels.

I balked. I told him that because we have the small area of woods behind the house, the birds were just naturally drawn to the feeders. I figured they were especially hungry.

Turns out I was wrong.

He was right.

This next picture - or the actions that preceded and followed it - made Caroline laugh hysterically.

Yeah, he was slipping down, and nearly fell on his head. Serves him right. Silly birdseed thief.

In other news. . . . my goodness, there's lots more "other news." Which is a natural by-product of lengthy blog gaps. My apologies. It's been a very busy summer so far. Here's some of the evidence:

Over the past six years, I have become known for crocheting baby quilts for new babies in our family. . . our church. . . our friends. I've enjoyed it -- and have made some really cute blankets. But, I was feeling compelled to use some of the yards and yards (and yards) of fabric that I've accumulated over the years -- to make baby quilts. They can be very simple designs, which is the way I quilt. (Convenient, isn't it?)

So, a few months ago, I cut TONS of five-inch squares. Quilters call them "charm squares" and you can buy bundles of 40 of them from quilt shops. They're usually coordinated by a line of fabrics -- some are really gorgeous -- others, not so much.

But for a "fabriholic" like me, cutting charm squares from my "stash" was a more economical way to use up the resources I've been hoarding (I hate that word) over the years. What did I come up with?

This. . . .

A friend had her baby boy about four weeks early (two weeks ago). I had just started piecing his quilt when he was born. I still haven't completed the quilt -- the top is made, and the "sandwich" is assembled. I just need to quilt and bind it. (No small order)

Here's the project in its current state -- sandwiches, unpinned, not-yet-quilted, and unbound:

Of course, it's hanging on my ironing board -- and the ironing board cover doesn't coordinate. (If I was Martha Stewart -- it would certainly match, wouldn't it?) I'll include a photo when it's finished. Hopefully -- later this week!

In other happenings. . . .

Last weekend, we attended the wedding of a young couple that we've come to know through church. Their family has become very special to our family -- and we love opportunities to spend time with them out on the "mountaintop" where they reside.

Jenny & Jonathan had a beautiful wedding. It was hot outside -- but most of the festivities took place inside.

(Seriously -- that is the view from our friends' front porch - behind them! Truly beautiful!!!)

Before we went inside, we wanted to take a picture with Caroline and her buddy Riley, who is the niece of the bride. The girls share that "little something extra" that not only makes them all the more precious to us -- but it has bound our two (extended) families together in a very special, unique way.

But, there's more!!

And if that wasn't enough. . . .our social calendar was full this weekend, too! Our friend, Kelly, celebrated her 40th birthday -- only she didn't know we were going to celebrate, until she got to her parents' house. Caroline had never really participated in a "surprise" party before. So, explaining the concept both before, and during the party was a bit tricky.

But, Kelly had a good time -- and when it came time to open her presents, she had help.

Why the uproarious laughter? Well, let's just say that something Kelly and Edison laughingly tease each other about is her love of the Twilight series, and his disdain for it. Bath and Body Works has a new fragrance called 'Twlight Woods' and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to remind her of their love/hate relationship with each other.

Of course, she had to show her appreciation to Edison in her own way. . . .

Yeah, that's the guest of honor trying to give Edison a big kiss. And her husband trying to get a photo, too!

Awkward? Absolutely.
Hilarious? Yep.

Of course, cake is always good.

One of the neatest parts of the party last night was meeting Kim and Baby Addy - Addy was born with Down syndrome a few months ago, and we've been praying for her since her birth. She had to have heart surgery (same hospital and surgeon as Caroline) and suffered some trauma after the surgery. She was not only at the party -- she was another one of the guests of honor. My friends, meet Addy. . .

In Conclusion. . . .
As I seemingly always do, I apologize for the delay between posts. I have good intentions, but we all know about pavers and roads and good intentions. We are experiencing a busy but thoroughly blessed summer. We have all stayed relatively healthy, happy, and busy.

Every time we move toward the garage, Edison begs to drive -- and I'm getting more and more comfortable with him behind the wheel. I even let him drive home from church this morning -- and we had Caroline in the car. Heck, she's his biggest fan. . . .

A couple weeks ago, while riding with him the first time - I told him to slow down. Caroline had other ideas -- she started yelling, "Go faster! Go faster!" from the backseat. (Shakes head in despair)

Mark and I are planning a mini-getaway next month -- since we didn't take our anniversary trip to the coast, or on a cruise, we're going to hang out in Birmingham, AL for a few days. He's going to a baseball convention and my buddy "Lois" is going to join me for a couple days of sewing, laughing, and shopping. We met last year -- and had a blast!!

Okie dokie -- it's 11:42 p.m., and although I should go to be before midnight, I'm going to spend a few minutes doing some hand-sewing. Just to get a few more projects done.

Good night!!

65. . . will that do?

2010-06-12T23:44:00.003-04:00

Kindergarten Program - Little Miss Thing. . . .

Pointing out that her mommy, daddy, and grandma had arrived. . . .

A random shot captured by my mother-in-law. . .

A new family member arrived yesterday. My birthday present was a new light-weight computerized sewing machine. He's real sweet. . . a good "next step" machine for me. . .

Here's what he's done so far. . . .I see many more projects in our collective future. . . .

If it's true*. . .I've got a 4,935 credit to my name.

*A picture is worth a thousand words. . . .

Seriously?

2010-06-08T01:04:00.000-04:00

Have you given up on me yet?
You should.
Please don't.
I am coming back.
I promise.

Of course, you'll have to drag me away from the TV -- especially when "Jerseylicious" is on. I cannot believe I've gotten "snarled" into a reality show.

It consumes my attention - when it's on the air.

Cannot explain it.

I'm addicted.

Well, so much for posting more often. . . .

2010-05-04T21:09:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago, I believe I made a pledge to try and post more often. Unfortunately, I haven't lived up to that pledge in recent weeks. I have a few good reasons. Here they are, in no particular order:

Back in February, Mark received an official summons for jury duty. . . .federal jury duty. This is a 4-month obligation. He has faithfully called in each Friday afternoon, to see if he was to report the following Monday. And, until a couple weeks ago, there were no reasons to report. But we knew a case was on the horizon. . . and someone famous. . .

. . . would be headed to Knoxville for the trial concerning the hacking of her email account during the 2008 campaign. To be honest, we figured Mark wouldn't end up on the jury. We couldn't have been more wrong.

. . . and yes, we are very, very glad the trial is over!

During that time period, Caroline went to the dentist for the first time. And she did a GREAT job!!

Gina, our hygienist, wasn't able to polish every tooth, nor was she able to count every tooth, but she was able to get in there, and at least get her used to the idea of going to the dentist.

So -- yay, Caroline!

The next day - totally out of the blue -- we wound up at UT Hospital - by way of Children's Hospital. Caroline's pacemaker broke. Actually, the lead wire going from the pacemaker to the ventricle is what broke. . . or fractured.

How did this happen? We have no clue.

On Thursday night, the 22nd, Caroline was at the house with my mom. Mark was downtown for a concert (he stayed around after jury duty) and Edison and I were at the church for a band rehearsal. Sometime in the middle of rehearsal, my dad's cell phone rang. It was Mom. She said that Caroline had passed out, and was generally lethargic -- not typical behavior for Caroline.

After we talked, we agreed that Mom would bring her down to the church (5 miles closer to the hospital than if we'd have back-tracked to home) When they arrived, we decided to go to Children's Hospital - to have her checked out. Mark was called - and he planned to meet us at the ER.

When we got to the hospital, the triage nurses determined that she needed to be examined right away -- and I could tell by their expressions that something was wrong. Her heart rate - which should have been around 80 or 85 was ranging between 39 and 45.

Something was wrong.

A check of her pacemaker and an x-ray helped determine that the lead wire had fractured. An external (skin) pacemaker was attached, and we were off in an ambulance to UT Hospital. On Thursday night/Friday morning, she underwent a heart cath-like procedure, where a temporary lead was placed through her groin - into the heart. Once surgery could be arranged on Friday (or Saturday, if necessary) a new lead would be installed -- and possibly a new pacemaker.

We learned on Friday morning that her surgery would take place sometime after lunch. . . and those vague terms were fairly correct. It was after lunch. . . well after lunch!

This picture was taken while we waited for them to take her into surgery. . . .

. . .and yes, I cried a good portion of that day. I was scared. The doctors weren't sure whether or not they would have to crack open her sternum -- and of course, we didn't want them to do that. So, as I signed paperwork allowing them to do whatever was necessary, I silently cried out to God to heal her body without a highly invasive procedure.

. . . and He proved himself to be very, very faithful. The surgery was completed - and her sternum was left intact! They did, however, replace the pacemaker as well as the lead wire -- and they promised to pro-rate the cost of the new pacemaker because she still had 3 years left on the old one.

To which I politely replied: "Whatever."

After surgery, she was still pretty groggy for a few hours. But on Saturday morning, she was ready to rock & roll. . .

And then, on Saturday afternoon, after she munched down on chicken planks and french fries, we were outta there! Our instructions were that she should lay out of school for two weeks -- and no P.E. for the rest of the school year.

Seriously--this is Caroline two days after surgery. Can't hardly tell, can you??

(Her followup appointment was yesterday - and the surgeon says everything looks great!)

That's right. . . some kids ask for ponies for their birthdays. Our girl got a pacemaker! And, you'd never know that anything was done - except for her new scar. She's asked us to remove it, and of course, we would if we could.

Mark's parents arrived a couple days after we got home from the hospital - and have been so very, very good in helping care for her while I've gone back to work. And, now that Mark's case is over, having him around on a more regular basis is very nice.

I'm forgetting something. . . .

Of course - the birthday!! Last Thursday, the Princess turned six. I can hardly believe that six years has gone by so quickly. But it has. It's been a great, amazing, wonderful six years -- and other than the hormonal attitude issues, I can honestly say that I am really looking forward to the next six years -- because this little girl just brightens our lives in so many ways!!

On her actual birthday, we had birthday cake - and let her open a few presents. . .

Why yes, that IS a Dick & Jane card from her "Uncle" Doug in Illinois! She loves Dick, Jane, Spot, Puff, Tim, and Sally. Funny, funny Sally. . . .

Then, this past Saturday, we had her birthday party/cookout at our church. We thought torrential rain and storms were headed our way, so we "bugged out" to the church. Turns out, we would have been fine having the party outdoors -- but this was nice, too.

It was a Strawberry Shortcake Birthday party for our girl. And yes, that IS bright pink, red, and green. Thank you for asking. . . it was delicious!!

This little lady was part of the cake topper. Have I mentioned how much FUN little girls bring to our lives?!?!?

Yes, this would be Edison and his girlfriend. The last month, I have had to grapple with him actually liking a girl -- but then he took it (and me) to the next level by "going out" with her. And no, they're NOT allowed to go anywhere. Remember those days?!?!

Here's a better view of them. . . and yes, he is giving a thumbs up. What a silly boy.

People often wonder about children with Down syndrome, and whether or not they will look like family members. Caroline does have many traits which resemble me. But this trait, she shares with my sister. Thank you, Aunt Lori -- this is definitely a gift!

Proud? You betcha!

That's it for now. . . thanks for prayers and birthday wishes for our princess. She has had an interesting sixth birthday -- but we rejoice in a chance to celebrate her -- and the amazing little girl she is. She brings us joy that we never imagined -- and she constantly reminds us that God is good. . .He loves us. . . and He has a very special purpose for every individual on the planet.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you, not to harm you; plans to give you hope. . .and a future."

Another Step Forward

2010-04-16T16:46:00.004-04:00

Today was Caroline's IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting at her school. In attendance:

Mrs. M (C's Kindergarten teacher)
Mrs. B (C's CDC/special ed teacher)
Mrs. D (Asst. Principal)
Mrs. B (Speech Therapist)
Mr. B (No relation to Mrs. B - School Psychologist)
Mr. H (School Board Rep - took notes of meeting)
Occupational Therapist - didn't get her name (she made me mad)

Mark & Me

We had hoped that my mom would be able to attend this meeting -- not for any other reason than for her to experience one with us. There's a guaranteed meeting roughly a year from now -- or sooner, if we need one. We can always take her then, if she still wants to go.

[Sorry, by the way, for the EXTREME lack of posts. The last couple of weeks have been mind-bogglingly busy] "bogglingly?" I may have created a new word. Hm.

Bottom line: Caroline's meeting today went well.

Well. . . . .I had a few issues. And, after talking to a friend who teaches special education (in our school system, no less) I think I'm going to have these issues for a couple more years. Here's what it boiled down to:

Mr. B? The one who was running the meeting? Has never met Caroline. To him, in my opinion, she is a name, number, classification, diagnosis. . . she's not CAROLINE!

And you remember her, right. . . .?

Caroline

CAROLINE!!

Now, I need to be fair to the man. She's not the only child he has to oversee. And, he did say he feels like her IEP is "aggressive." I agree -- it's gonna be a great year, next year. This year has been a great year. He described her - based on the scores - using terms like: very well; advanced; achieving high. . . but I'm still her Mom. And, from this mom's perspective- she wasn't real to him. . . . maybe I should send him a link here, eh?

Regardless, we are grateful that our short-term future looks so bright. We are hugely thankful for teachers, administrators, specialists, and friends who are working with us -- not against us -- to make the world a better place for her.

One thing we learned today (and we've heard it before) is that, although she talks NON-STOP at home, she is extremely quiet at school. When I asked her speech therapist to work with her on pronunciation, she smiled and said, "I'd LOVE to work on that -- if she'd just talk!"

So, we've got our work cut out for us. Mark and/or I are going to attend some upcoming speech sessions -- to see if we can coax some words out of her. Our hope is that the more comfortable she feels with the speech therapist, the more she'll participate and talk. . . .and make progress. They even said they'd be willing to listen to or watch video tape footage of her talking--just to hear her do it. (This is the first time a professional has said they'd watch a video from home -- big encouraging words!)

After you read the next paragraph, my blog title may seem ironic. Hear me out, please?

For those of you that we haven't told -- we want to be very clear about the plan for next year. Caroline is going to repeat Kindergarten. She's not failing Kindergarten. This is our agreed-upon plan with the school system. Remember:

She is a YOUNG Kindergartner - she's not even six yet.
She's EXTREMELY small for her age.

Her teachers (and us) agree that an additional year in Kindergarten -- much of which will NOT be spent getting used to chaos, noise, and a new building -- will be a very action-packed adventure for her. "Aggressive" is a great way to describe her goals for next year. . . and I am thrilled that potty-training doesn't appear ANYWHERE on the IEP. (They do, however, want her to be more verbal when she needs to go potty)

So, all in all, it was a good day. Nope - it was a GREAT day! I will learn to like this Mr. B. I promise. My teacher/friend told me that he will be one of Caroline's greatest sources of encouragement as she goes through the next 6-7 years. And I believe my friend. . . . I wish I believed he could pick her out in a group picture. But maybe I'm asking too much!

(She's the one in navy blue in the front row -- maybe enlarging the pic will help?)

So, for now -- we're rejoicing in another milestone meeting taking place. And with the weekend upon us, we're planning to kick back, relax, and enjoy some time together!

Pics. . . too tired to write

2010-04-04T21:06:00.004-04:00

Yep - I never thought we'd see that one. . .not that I'm opposed to the Easter Bunny per se -- she's just been terrified of pretty much all costumed things. Go figure. We've outgrown that fear.

Opening Easter Baskets on Sunday - Edison got a new t-shirt from Nana & Papa.

Caroline (obviously tickled pink) received new Dick & Jane books. Seriously - she wanted to sleep with one of the books tonight. I had to *promise* her that we'd read it tomorrow. She reluctantly let me put it on her bookshelf for safe keeping.

Her "debut" in Big Church this morning. The kids sang, "Mighty to Save," which is Caroline's personal favorite. She did an awesome job.

Here's a closeup - I told you she was amazing!

Happy Resurrection Day!!!

3-2-1 . . . .

2010-03-21T19:32:00.007-04:00

Blastoff, right? Nope. Not even close.

It's actually 3/21. . . and yes, it's today's date. But it's more than March 21. It's even more than the first day of Spring. Today, March 21, is World Down Syndrome Day.

(And yes, those are pajama pants you see Mark wearing. We were in a hurry to get Caroline to bed!)

I'm sure there are people who are thinking that it's another pathetic excuse for Hallmark to make, distribute, and sell cards. But actually, it's a bit more than that. And I personally think it's a bit more special than that.

As most of you, my faithful readers, know - Caroline has Down syndrome.

Down syndrome is a condition (not a disease) that comes about at conception when there is an extra 21st chromosome. When she was born, based on doctors' observations (some of the markers were very clear) and genetic tests done within hours of her birth - we learned that she has Down syndrome.

That "little something extra" is in every cell of her body. . . . brain cells, skin cells, muscle cells, teeth cells, and I could go on and on. Because that extra 21st chromosome is in every cell, it affects every system of her body. Some systems -- growth, height, weight, joints, skin -- the differences aren't life-threatening, or even noticeable.

Other systems -- respiratory, gastrointestinal, cardiac, circulatory, auditory, neurological -- well, those can have more serious implications.

Many of us with children with Down syndrome refer to that extra chromosome as the "happy" or "love" chromosome. . . and most days, that would be right on the money. But Caroline is typical when it comes to behavior issues. . . she's like everyone else.

Every child with Down syndrome does not have heart issues. Caroline did.

Every child with Down syndrome does not have gastrointestinal issues. Caroline did.

Every child with Down syndrome does not have hearing issues. Caroline does not.

But, every child with Down syndrome does have that extra 21st chromosome -- and as you've gotten to know Caroline, or others with Ds, you can see that it does make a difference.

Developmental delay is part of the diagnosis of Down syndrome -- but it doesn't mean she's slow. Developmental delay means that she processes things differently, and in a more purposeful manner than her peers that are what we call "typically developing."

You see - we don't say "normal" around our house when we talk about kids that don't have Down syndrome. Because. . .Caroline is normal. She may not be developing at the same speed or pace that her peers are -- but she's normal.

I'm not going to hop back up on a soap box about the "R" word - -because that's not what today is about. Instead, I'm going to celebrate this child of mine.

She's my joy.

She's my challenge.

She's my Rubix Cube that wears a size 3T pants and a size 5 shirt.

She's my favorite person with whom I color.

She's my "backseat driver" who now knows what red lights are for.

She's my favorite soloist.

She's my daughter.

Today, Caroline - I'm celebrating YOU. I don't know what I did to deserve a blessing like you. I certainly had no idea how much joy you would bring into my life -- but I'm grateful God chose your Daddy and me to be your parents.

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord, "Plans to prosper you, not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

Happy World Down Syndrome Day from our entire family!!

Ah, the memories. . .

2010-03-18T23:03:00.002-04:00

Last year, I wrote a blog post about our trip to Bristol for the NASCAR Race. And yes, in spite of the fact that 90% of the sports-loving world is glued to the TV to watch College Basketball, this is Bristol's Spring Race Weekend.

I soooooooo wish I was going again this year. But not to work -- to watch. Oh well, maybe next year.

Right now, we're taking special care of a young lady who has come down with croup (again). It's not bad this time. . . or so it seems. We took her to the doctor today, and after two doses of her prescribed steroid, she hasn't coughed at all. . . and she seems fine. So, we'll see.

We're also dealing with 15-year-old syndrome. I know we'll get through this, but there are days when I wonder.

So, in between a couple of engagements that we must attend to this weekend - including me getting some new walking shoes, a DSAG family get-together, and the family trying Red Robin Restaurant for the first time. . .

"Red Robin. . . YUM!"

Sorry, slight diversion there.

In between all of that, we'll be watching Speed TV, CBS (for basketball), and Fox (Races, baby) in an effort to keep our "sports nerd" fix going strong.

And, if for some reason, you doubt my true devotion to NASCAR, specifically Bristol Motor Speedway, here's a blog entry from last year. (Thanks for the reminder and link, Steve!) It will not only show my love for the world's fastest half-mile. . .it will remind some of you of some seriously funny stories!

My Super(Hero) Kids

2010-03-11T20:37:00.005-05:00

That's right -- my girl's got MAD SKILLS!

On Tuesday, Caroline got off the bus - nothing unusual there. But in her book bag a little fuzzy muzzle peeked out at me. And, I got curious.

Mind you - she hasn't taken to a life of thievery, but I wasn't sure if this cute little puppy was *supposed* to come home with her, or not. Turns out, he was. He accompanied this certificate -- with her teacher's congratulations for reading all of her Kindergarten sight words.

Big day.
Big, big day!!

She's my (super)hero!

In other news. . . .

Edison is still on his class trip to Florida. On Tuesday, they visited Universal's Islands of Adventure, where he rode this

Here's another angle

and this

He complained that too many of the other rides were broken down. I assured him that I would much rather a ride be broken down before he got on it, than while he was on the ride.

He didn't necessarily agree with me. I can live with that.

On Wednesday, they visited St. Augustine. (Yes, he can - in a perfect world - share pictures when he gets back) But, remember, this is my 15-year old taking pictures on a class trip. I'm not holding out a lot of hope.

St. Augustine sites

And today, he went to Kennedy Space Center

I remember seeing this when we went through the tour in 1976. . . and yes, I was older than my son is now. (Sigh - anyone seen my Geritol?)

So far, from what we can piece together from text messages, he has had a good trip. Just surviving those two rides at Islands of Adventure qualifies him for sainthood in my book. He's had a good time -- this is the furthest he's been away from me where he wasn't with family.

He's done fine.
I've done fine.

. . . but every superhero needs to return to his home eventually.

Mine comes home tomorrow. And, I'm glad.

Because of Caroline. . . .

2010-03-03T12:23:00.005-05:00

Mark wrote a beautiful blog entry today -- about today.

Today, March 3, is a day very near & dear to my heart. . . because of Caroline.
Our family has taken this pledge. . .because of Caroline.
We would be honored if you would do it too. . . because of Caroline.

Our lives changed six years ago - and in honor of our little girl, please read Mark's blog and consider making this change. . . .

blog link

. . . because of Caroline.

S & S. . . really?!

2010-03-02T09:48:00.003-05:00

Growing up, people redeemed S & S Green stamps for all sorts of fun things. I remember going into a redemption site one time, with my mom. It was near, or actually *in* the Plaza in Park Forest, IL. I remember seeing items that cost WAY more in green stamps than they appeared to actually be worth. But, when the Brady kids wanted to cash in their stamps, they got to choose between a sewing machine and a row boat. Seriously.

That's not the "S & S" that I'm referring to, today. (I know -- you had already figured that out, hadn't you?"

Mine would actually be more appropriately titled: ST & SD.

And yes, I realize that a very scary combination of the two would be STDS. YUCK.

Nope, this acronym stands for:

Strep Throat and Snow Day

Yesterday, while attending a day-long "retreat" with the rest of the Church staff, I got a call from Mark. Mark had taken part of the morning off to accompany Edison to the doctor's office. Edison is going on a class trip next week - to Florida. Edison has been sick. Edison has strep throat. Edison got a shot. Mark went to the dump.

Yeah. . . we're living the high life here once again.

And today - as snow gently falls outside my house - I have two children at home. When we went to bed last night, we anticipated a 2-hour delay for Caroline. But, at 7:47 this morning, the phone rang - there was no one there.

An immediate check on the "crawl" while watching the "Today" show revealed that Caroline's school was cancelled for the day. And, for the first time in a few years, Sevier County has used up all of their snow days. Also, for the record? Some of our worst snows have actually occurred in March.

So. . . . we'll see what happens this summer when the kids are supposed to be out of school.

As always, it will be interesting.

Okay. . . a few updates, and then I've been requested for some Wii bowling. . . .

Homecoming went well last week. There were a few minor hiccups - but overall, it was very well received, and ended on a good note. It was mentioned that I brought 23 musicians with me to participate in homecoming. Of course, we all didn't play all the time -- but in various rotations, I used 23 people. And there were at least five people that weren't involved. I'm pretty blessed.

Science Fair - Edison will compete in a regional Science Fair at the University of Tennessee later this month. We're not sure what the next step(s) might be - but we're glad that he's getting to take it to the next level.

Sight Words - Caroline's teacher sent home flash cards for the basic sight words that the Kindergartners are working on this year. She has almost half of them learned - and some of the trickier ones: where, what, and that - are just about mastered. She loves doing her sight words so much that last night, she didn't want to leave the table until we'd gone through them twice.

Wii Bowling has become a beloved pastime at our house. Caroline has a mean hook - and she's figured out how to adjust her throw to the right enough to get strikes and spares. She's hilarious. Of course, Edison and Mark put spins and curves on their throws - so I never know how the game is going to end - but one of the two of them usually beats me.

And finally. . .

Potty training is going much better. [Side note: NO - I never dreamed that I would blog, much less blog about potty training! Just wanted to make sure you understood that.] I was really concerned that the interruption in schedule (all these crazy snow days) would throw Caroline off her "game" when it came to potty training. But, remarkably it hasn't. She is staying dry nearly 100% of the time -- the only exception is at church. And, we've worked through that, I think. In fact, on Saturday, we took the kids shopping - and I can't begin to say how cool it was to go into four (4) stores -- and finally wind up at a restaurant, and have her say - just before we left that she had to go to the bathroom. No accidents. No pull-ups. No joking.

Well, as I finish this up - someone is at my elbow begging for me to come bowl with her. It's a snow day - -we're both in our jammies - - how can I say no?!

. . . I can't. See you all later!

Fasten Your Seatbelts. . . .

2010-02-22T19:54:00.002-05:00

Well. . . the first of two very crazy weeks has begun. After a brief "rest" yesterday afternoon--note I didn't say "nap," but "rest" -- I headed over to JBC for setup and a fairly comprehensive rehearsal with the different morphs of our band. That's right -- in five (5) services there are at least four (4) different configurations of singers & instrumentalists.

It worked -- it was busy, but it worked.

I spent the morning at work (like usual). And, we had our "typical" Monday morning staff meeting -- although there were doughnuts. And sadly, that's not the norm.

After my meeting, I played "catch up" and tried to start getting things checked off the never-ending "to-do" list. I'm fairly certain that all things that need to get done will get finished, but there's always a bit of a challenge in the process.

I have a student at JBC that is doing a "mentoring leadership" project with me this semester. She and I meet once a week - for an hour or so -- and we spend time talking about the role of women leaders in churches. She's had some very interesting challenges -- she's a preaching major -- and by and large, Christian churches do not support the ordination of women. So, in one sense, she's already fighting an uphill battle. However, she's planning on going into Women's Ministry -- and there won't be nearly as many obstacles for her to overcome in that realm.

After our meeting - I eked out a bit more work, and headed home to greet a school bus. It's always disturbing when Caroline comes home in different clothes than the ones she was wearing when she got on the bus, but I've learned to take things in stride.

This afternoon, however, she got off the bus in a long-sleeve red shirt (it was Clifford the Big Red Dog day), black leggings that she's nearly out-grown, one sock, and two shoes.

Yep - she was quite the picture.

Turns out, she had an accident at school -- and I know there will be more of them before we completely cross the potty-training hurdle. But, the "ragamuffin" look she was sporting this afternoon was a stretch.

Dinner came together -- and following bathtime, we decided to make a movie. I know it was pushing her actual bedtime -- but there are just some things you do because your spirit tells you that you need to do them.

And with that, I present our movie. It was made for Beth . . . with lots of love. . .and a few blinked-back tears.

After that, what more is there to say? I can't think of much more.

Pray for me. . .for us. . . for this week. It's going to be a long one. But, in the end, I think it will all be worthwhile. Bottom line - we're worshipping, not performing. And as long as I remember that -- and keep the thought in the front of my mind, all should be well. People are praying. God is good.

. . . seriously, is there more to say?

I didn't think so.

Go Jesus! Go, go Jesus!

2010-02-20T14:33:00.004-05:00

In between hearing sweet statements like, "What happened?" or "Mommy!" or my personal favorite, "I have to go potty," we sometimes hear "Go Jesus, Go!" That's right--Caroline is now cheering for Jesus. Let me explain. . . .

On the Wii, you create characters -- Mii's -- for each family member. We have Mark, me, Edison, Caroline, Becca (my niece), Grandma, and Grandpa . . . . and Jesus.

I guess there's some code you can put in to create a Jesus Mii for your Wii games. And yes, very often, Jesus shows up -- he may be bowling in the frame next to you. Or, he might be cheering for you during a boxing match. He's always in a white robe -- even on Wii Sports Resort, where everyone dons Hawaiian shirts. Not Jesus -- he's still in his Jerusalem garb.

So, it was natural, I suppose (earlier today) to hear Caroline "cheering" for Jesus. I'm assuming he was bowling. Edison has played as Jesus a couple times -- and although acting as the Messiah, he (Edison) has beaten me -- he (Jesus Mii) doesn't possess any divine powers that make him a superior Wii player. And I'm glad.

. . . because that would make playing the Wii a whole lot less fun. I'm just saying.

Welcome Spring!

No, I'm not naive enough to believe that we have left all the winter weather behind. But, we are supposed to make it into the mid-50s today. . . and 61 tomorrow. Honestly, that's typical late-winter weather for Tennessee. And this recent cold SNAP of 20 degree weather, including snow, ice, and freezing rain has (quite honestly) stunk. (I was going to use another verb - but chose this one. . . Mom reads this, don't you know?)

I just leaned back in my computer chair - and can see the mountains in the distance. It's either English Mountain or LeConte - not sure which one. The sky is a gorgeous blue, and there's still a bit of snow up on those mountains. After the last couple of weeks - they can keep it. I love looking at it from a distance -- but one of benefits and blessings of living in the southeastern United States is mild winter weather.

He Won! He Won! He Won!

On Tuesday, Edison had to submit the display board for his school Science Fair project. Praise the Lord in Heaven -- this is the last one he has to do. I believe he will have the option to participate in the coming years. But, I suspect that his science fair career has ended. And not a moment too soon. . . .

On Tuesday night, he received a text message from his biology teacher - letting him know that he had received some sort of award. But, she told him there would be no details until Friday.

Fast forward to yesterday - I drove over to the school during his 7th period class to pick up his bass guitar and amp, and he pulled a purple envelope out of his pocket. It simply said, "President's Award: Music of my Heart"

He had won the President's Award - which is basically the Head Master's favorite project. Pretty cool, eh? Even "cooler" was the enclosed gift card for Cold Stone Creamery. Mark has told Edison that he's to take me with that gift card -- because of all the work I did. But, honestly, I think I did far less this year than in years past.

. . . but if there's a free cup or cone in the future, I won't turn it down! Ha.

That was not, however, the biggest news. He was also awarded the Grand Prize for the Science Fair -- and will take his project to the University of Tennessee sometime in the next month (we assume) for further competition. I don't have any idea if he will win there, or not.

But this really is one of those times when it's an honor to be nominated.

Other Happenings. . . .it's BUSY!!

About this time last year, I agreed to lead worship at Johnson Bible College's annual Homecoming. It's a 3-day event at the Bible College just 7 miles from our house. Not being an alumnus of the college, it's kind of a huge honor -- and I'm extremely grateful to be taking 15 or 16 of my worship team members (many of them alums) to lead with me. However, this has added an enormous amount of work to my already busy life. It probably wouldn't have been so bad - but Caroline had that 2-week sickness--and four or five snow days following.

Yeah. . . .it was a good thing when she want back to school this week!

Homecoming is this Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday. I'm excited. I'm nervous. I'm anxious.

But, I'm doing my best to keep my focus on the fact that we're not "performing," we're leading. There's no competition. . . no judges. Just worship. And, I can live with that.

. . . but it will be nice to have it finished on Thursday.

But, that's not all I've signed up for. . . you know me better than that, don't you? I'm also leading worship at our upcoming Women's Retreat for church. It will be a 4-session video teaching by Beth Moore - whom I adore. We have about 45 women planning on attending. I'm very, very excited. But again. . . that's four additional worship "services" that require planning and execution - along with the usual stuff I get to (have to) do. So, I'll be jumping from one big project to another.

But wait!!! There's more. You kinda knew there would be, didn't you?!

On Friday (yesterday) I received an email from one of the Youth Ministry professors at JBC (Johnson) asking if I would teach a class for his preaching class -- about leading worship, worship planning, and balancing work/ministry. As flabbergasted as I was to be asked -- I was totally honored. And, once I worked out some logistics with Mark -- I was able to respond that "yes" I would do it.

When is it, you asked?

OH. . . the Friday afternoon of our Women's retreat. Of course.

I don't need to be at the retreat until sometime after 4 p.m. -- and the class will take place at 1 p.m. - and it's only an hour or so. So, I'll have plenty of time. . . . yeah, right.

But, as my mom reminded me on the phone this morning -- I tend to get myself into these situations, and somehow come out without being killed, wanting to do myself in, or murdering someone else. So, all in all, it should be fine.

Yes, I'll keep you posted.

Ya Wanna Be a Pirate, Matey?

Caroline had a follow-up visit with her eye surgeon (she didn't have surgery, but he is a surgeon) to see if her glasses have been helping her eyes. And, they do see some improvement.

However, they're still seeing some "wandering" with both eyes -- so we are beginning (today, in fact -- in just a few minutes) a rotating patch on each eye. She will wear an eye patch for 3 hours - on alternating eyes - six days a week. Rather than put something on her lenses, we've gotten a bandage-type eye patch.

The way the doctor explained it to Mark - this is going to "trick" her brain into not favoring one eye over the other. From the way he described it to us back in the fall -- she doesn't have a "lazy eye," as it were -- but there are some muscle control issues. And, if we can eliminate the need for surgery by doing this --we're ALL for it!

Because of the limited amount of time she has to wear the patch(es), we will do it during the afternoons, when she gets home from school. I have no idea how this is going to go over, or even if it is going to go over. But, we're going to follow doctor's orders, and see what happens.

Saving the Best for Last. . . .

Beth sent an email last night with the incredible, spectacular news -- the doctors feel like the tumor in her throat has decreased in size. So much so. . . .that they've almost completely ruled out surgery. (That part is HUGE!!!!)

She will, however, continue her chemo treatments (two more) and begin radiation (35 days, basically) after the chemo is finished.

Oh, how I wish and pray that the doctors would say that the tumor (she's named him Ignace) has completely disappeared -- and there's no need for any additional chemo or radiation. Wouldn't that be one for God's Record Book?! Man, that testimony would preach!

. . . but so will her current journey. The faith and trust that she and Tony, and all their kids and extended family have placed in our Faithful God. . . and the assurances they're getting from him as He is healing her and giving her back so much for her faith?

Friends -- that is a testimony that will preach!

Well, that's it for now. It's been a long time since I've blogged -- nearly a week. I'm sorry. But, as you can see, life at the Aubrey house is moving at its typical frenzied pace. And although I wouldn't want it any other way. . . sometimes I find myself looking for that brake pedal.

Enjoy your weekend!

It's My Super Bowl. . . .

2010-02-13T23:17:00.006-05:00

. . . I can cheer if I want to!!! That's right, baby! Tomorrow - as soon as we can pull ourselves away from church - we'll begin watching the 52nd running of the Daytona 500.

This is my Super Bowl.
This is my Opening Ceremonies
This is my Gala.

. . .and yes, this year, this is my Valentine's Day.

(I think we're even having leftovers from last night's really good dinner - just to keep the romance alive!)

I love everything about the Daytona 500. I love the interviews and feature pieces on drivers - old and new.

Mark Martin - in my humble opinion, if Jeff Burton doesn't win, this the guy I want to see grabbing the checkered flag!

I love the back stories from owners and drivers that I truly admire.

This guy is welcome to have dinner at my house -- anytime. Mark and I both enjoy every thing he says, does, drives, or watches. Michael Waltrip is a class act!

I love hearing his big brother, Darryl Waltrip say, "Boogity Boogity Boogity - let's go racin' boys!" (Of course, I get to hear that more than just for the Daytona 500 - but I still love it)

And I love the fact that this guy

Whoops. . . I mean this guy

is willing to watch all these wonderful races with me. He's even been crazy enough to take me to a couple of them.

Oh -- and the Olympics? Amazing, so far. I'm a big Apolo Ohno fan

Just watching him glide along -- and overtake guys in a split-second? Does me in.

So, for someone who has (literally) no athletic ability. . . and is famously not the world's greatest driver? I'm kinda liking this time of year.

What's that? You want to see a famously awesome driver?
Okay. . . you twisted my arm.

That's right -- Edison is now the proud holder of a drivers' permit. (I have taken up the use of controlled substances!) Nah, I'm kidding. He's not bad for a rookie. I've let him drive my van twice since he got his permit on Thursday. He's only really scared me two times. And both of those times, it was more my "Mama Nerves" than his inexperience. He's going to do great.

So there you have a brief recap of our week -- racing, skating, baking, and loving. That's right -- I'm loving these next couple weeks. . . and months!!

It's Not Me!

2010-02-09T11:35:00.002-05:00

This beautiful new blog header you see? It's not me.

It's my wonderful friend, Melany, who originally got me into blogging. She designed my first blog -- maybe even wrote the first post (ha ha!). But, over the "years" she has kept me looking good -- well, you know what I mean.

And, this is no exception -- this blog header is great! Girl, you rock! Thank you so very, very much!

Now. . . . go over to her blog, and tell her what a great job she did! Go ahead . . she's really sweet -- and she'll love the attention.

This One's For You. . . .

2010-02-04T22:27:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago, on Facebook, I declared that "Weekend in New England" was my favorite Barry Manilow song. But, for me, that's kind of like trying to pin me down on my favorite flavor of Sonic flavored Diet Coke. There's lime, vanilla, cherry, diet cherry syrup. . . .so many flavor combinations. . . so little time.

I really do like the song, "This One's For You," and remember many afternoons singing into my microphone (hairbrush) to that song -- dreaming, hoping, wishing that Barry was singing a duet with me. I know. . . I know.

Sorry. Slight digression there. But, if you remember Barry, you're humming one of two classic songs. And. . .you're welcome.

I realized, with the busy-ness of the holidays, and getting a new computer -- I haven't posted pictures in ages. I'm sorry. I really am. So this long-awaited photo-filled post should hopefully fill some need in you, if you've wanted to see pictures of my family. Or, at least the kids!

I don't set out to put cryptic titles on my blog posts. And yet, I nearly do all the time. Today's post . . . .today's title. . . it is for a very special someone -- and her mommy. Jenni, my sweet friend. . .this post is for YOU!

I don't *think* I posted a picture of this. . . .I went on a field trip with Caroline's class in December. It was a lot of fun. We went to the Christmas Show at the Black Bear Jamboree in Pigeon Forge. We actually had to leave during the show - two times (!) - to go potty. Her, not me. That was a fun, fun day! *Even though her face doesn't seem to reflect the joy!!

Jenni - here's where you're gonna love this post. Guess what Caroline is OBSESSED with these days? Jigsaw puzzles. Seriously -- if she could color, play her drum, and do jigsaw puzzles all day, life would be a dream!

. . .and the little stinker is getting really good at them!

She's also decided that this. . . .

. . . is the face that she'd like to use for all pictures in the future. Ahem.

Back in December, our family went to Country Tonight theater, in Pigeon Forge for their Christmas show. It's kind of become a tradition with us. . . Dad takes harmonica lessons from their musical director, and Mike (Dad's teacher) gets us freebie tickets. Great deal -- lots of fun. During the Christmas show, they always sing a song about children -- and invite kids from the audience to come up and sit on the stage while Mr. Kevin sings to, and about them.

Caroline has done this two or three times -- usually with an escort (Edison or Mark). This year, she declared that she was "big and brave," and was going to go up by herself. And that, she did. . . .

The young man to her left, I have learned, is a student of my friend Kathy. The young man on the right shares that "extra little something" with Caroline. He is the Theater Manager's son - and though I'd heard about him - we hadn't had a chance to meet him through our local Down sydrome group. It was very interesting watching him watch Caroline. . . instinct is strong. And, they both enjoyed hearing Kevin (good looking guy in the red jacket) sing. Caroline was very proud of herself - and we were proud that she was "big and brave."

One of Caroline's Christmas presents was a doctor kit. Our local library has one -- and every time she and Mark visit the library, she gets the doctor kit out, and plays with it. Needless to say, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman may officially have some competition -- because Dr. Caroline is on the case!

The patient (victim) in these pictures is her newest baby doll, Polly. Polly is a great baby doll - but she's BIG. She wears 3 month clothes. It's comical, watching Caroline try to cuddle, or even carry her around. But like everything -- she'll grow into her!

And of course, when the doctor is done, what do they do with their stethoscopes?

The put them around their necks. See??

The doctor is in. No waiting.

This past weekend, my niece Becca, came for a visit. Unfortunately, Caroline was very, very sick in the early part of Becca's visit - so they only got to see each other for a couple hours. They made up for the limited time by filling every minute with Wii bowling and boxing. . . .

And, of course by filling our hearts and minds with the joy that only music can bring. . .

Yes, that is a recorder. At some point, just before the 4-snow-day week we endured after two weeks off of school, Caroline's music teacher sent home her recorder. I can't say as I blame her -- I would think getting recorders into the homes of 250 kindergartners would be more pleasing than keeping them at school. Sigh.

Speaking of music. . . .

I am so proud of this young man. He is really starting to "blossom" as a musician. He has filled in twice for Mark on the bass at church. One Sunday, while Caroline was sick - he agreed to play, and was sightreading the entire service. Granted, he knew the songs. But still. . . .

And yes, we are staring down the barrel at "get your driver's permit" week. He seems to think it's going to be one day next week. We will have to see. I'm not sure there's enough Tylenol PM in the world for me to sleep once he's got his permit.

Last thing. . . I promise. (I'm out of pictures)

Since the advent of this blog, many of you know that we moved into our house nearly two years ago. I love my house. I loved my old house. I love the fact that I've lived in my little (unincorporated) town longer than I have lived anywhere - in my life. And, the twelve years that we lived in our old house -- was the longest I've had the same address and/or phone number. EVER.

But, I love my house. I love the people that used to live in this house. I love the fact that this house was designed for them -- and it meets my family's needs. I love that it's quiet. I love that it's on the end of a dead-end street. For the most part, I love my neighbors.

The only thing that I was lacking? A pantry. And, if I'm honest, I didn't have one in my previous house, either--or the one before that. But the one before that had a kickin' pantry. And once you've had a pantry -- you somehow always need one.

So, what do you do when you need/want a pantry, and there's place to carve one out? You tear out a wash sink (that you never used) and take down a mirror, clock, and towel bar. . .

And, you put in these awesome shelves. . . .

And then, you relocate stuff out of crowded cabinets - and fill them up. . . . and there, my friends, you have a pantry!

For you "anti-pantry" people out there. . . . can't imagine there are too many of you -- because pantries ROCK? We have a message:

Hee hee!

Seriously - I have to thank Mark for the awesome job he did on these. I just mentioned it one or two (hundred) times. And he came through in a big, big way.

Thanks for making it all the way through. Jenni - like I said, this one's for you. Your love of jigsaw puzzles has always made me smile. And your love for Caroline has been such a HUGE blessing in our lives. Give your mommy a big old hug from Caroline and me. One of these days -- I promise -- we'll come to Canada and do jigsaw puzzles with you.

Fourteen days, baby. . . .

2010-01-31T21:45:00.004-05:00

You probably think I'm talking about Valentine's Day, right?

WRONG!

It's fourteen days. . . a mere 336 hours (or so) until the Daytona 500, babies!!!

We will attend a Super Bowl party. In fact, we're having some friends over next week for the game. We'll play some games (I think) . . . one couple STRONGLY roots for Indianapolis. So, I'm not sure we'll be doing a whole lot of anything but watching football. And, I'm good with that.

But on the 14th, my family will gather -- we may have homemade pizza. . . or chili. There will be chips, dip, lots of diet Coke of Dr. Pepper. Heck, there might even been cookies.

As soon as we get home from church, the adventure will begin. We'll watch all the pre-race coverage. . . the interviews, and films about what the teams have been doing in the (brief) off-season. We'll watch the pre-race concert, listen to the National Anthem being sung, and we'll wait for those four words that I love to hear every Sunday (and occasional Saturdays) during race season:

"Gentlemen, start your engines!"

And a new season. . . coupled with a new chance to watch him. . .

(sigh) . . . will be upon us.

Until then, do your best to bide the time. Sign Valentine cards with your kids, hang pretty pink & red hearts in your windows, celebrate any snowfalls that might come your way.

But on February 14 -- buckle your seat belts! It's gonna be a great race season.

(Can you believe I devoted an entire post to NASCAR?!)

If you can't. . .you haven't been reading my blog long enough!

It Has Begun. . . .

2010-01-29T16:08:00.003-05:00

What the weather personnel in E. Tennessee are calling the "worst storm since 1996" has begun. Schools were closed in anticipation of record snowfalls today. Both kids could have probably gone to school safely -- but they've enjoyed a snow day with no snow.

Caroline has croup. So, even if we get blanketed with the much anticipated 5-9 inches they've predicted, she won't be playing in the snow.

Since getting her home from the doctor, I've made a beef stew, set out dinner rolls to rise, baked brownies, two loaves of banana bread, and started some chicken with vegetables for some homemade chicken noodle soup.

Oh? Did I fail to mention - she gave me a cold.

So, while we "hunker down, and pray that everyone gets to and from their respective places, we'll enjoy some family time.

My wonderful husband bought me shelves for my laundry room last night. I'm finally going to have a PANTRY!!!! The little two-shelf cabinet my dad made me a few years ago just doesn't cut it anymore. That cabinet will become storage for either my fancy glass bowls and whatnot, or that ever-growing pile of rubbermaid containers and lids.

Final note -- Until today, when they canceled school - Caroline had an awesome week of potty-visits at school. She came home in the same pants she wore to school every day. We've not completely crossed over into the Land of No Pull-Ups, yet. But, I swear we can see the city gates! :) God is good.

I'm sure that I'll post some of our Winter Wonderland pictures - if this storm actually develops. We'll see. Until then, I'm going to continue enjoying unlimited "pajama time" and a little chance to catch up on some reading, crocheting, and some sewing I've set aside. I may even pull out some scrapbook materials, and try to start that hobby back up after what feels like a three-year hiatus.

Stay warm!
Stay safe!

Exceedingly more than we ask or imagine. . . .

2010-01-26T23:45:00.004-05:00

I'm having an Ephesians 3:20 day. And there's just 15 minutes left of it.

For a Tuesday, it was actually kind of normal. . . busy, but I got through it. I had to make a frantic dash across town for a meeting. . . and a quick trip by Mark's office to get some cash before the meeting. (Lunch had to be purchased, and I was broke!)

Anyway, got through the meeting. . . all went well. Dashed to the grocery store and made it home with two minutes to spare (literally!) before Caroline's bus pulled up. When she got off the bus, she said two things:

"Hey, it's snowing!"

and

"I stayed dry today!"

Both statements were true. It was "spitting" snow -- nothing to be concerned about -- and she had, indeed, kept her Minnie Mouse undies dry all day. We're two for two -- and I'm over the moon excited.

Looking over her report card, which came home today -- I was ecstatic. The reports just keep getting better and better!

After picking up Edison from football -- and immediately sending him into the shower. (ick) I started working on dinner. I was going to make spaghetti -- but decided that a spaghetti casserole - I made up the recipe - was in order.

It was good. I mean really, really good.

After dinner, Caroline did her homework and Edison finished his, as well. After a huge giggle-fest with Mark while got her ready for bed, she went immediately to sleep.

You'd think those were the highlights of my day. Not even close.

Around 9:45, the phone rang. Part of me worried that it was the school system calling to tell us that Caroline wouldn't have school tomorrow. I could have handled a delay, but thankfully I was wrong.

It was my friend Joni. I wrote about Joni a few weeks ago - after her husband passed away very suddenly. Earlier today, she posted her first blog entry since Boyd passed away. I left her a lengthy comment -- I know, hard to imagine, eh? After my comment, she wanted to call and talk to me.

Have you ever heard about going to a funeral and the family ends up being the ones comforting the people that came to the funeral to comfort the family?

Well, that's how it was talking to Joni tonight. We laughed, reminisced about former blog entries, craft projects, and shared stories of our holidays. She talked about her two beautiful daughters, and how they'd been a huge support and joy to her as she walked through those first couple of weeks.

We talked about Caroline. I told her about the huge strides she's been making the past couple of weeks -- and I told her about Caroline's report card, which came home today. (Did I mention that was excellent, by the way??)

And, we shared words of encouragement to each other. I did my best to encourage her that life would return to an "adjusted normal," and that she would enjoy the beauty of spring when it finally comes to her corner of the world (Wisconsin). It's cold up there these days.

We coined a new phrase while we talked -- and because I know she's eventually going to read this post, I know I can share that term with you. We talked about "emotional vertigo" which she said pretty succinctly describes her during the past three weeks.

We talked about scrapbooking -- a passion we both share. We talked about the value of chronicling the stories of our lives -- and how both of her daughters pulled out her collection of mini-scrapbooks as they reminisced about Boyd.

It was an amazing conversation. It was over too soon -- and yet, we tempted fate by stretching the power of her "bars" on her phone. They miraculously lasted longer than they should have. I told her it was God.

Joni, it was wonderful to talk to you. Let's do it again, very soon.

Then, tonight - while perusing Facebook - I got an update on Beth through one of her wonderful daughters. It appears that the tumor is shrinking. . . and their next steps (which include chemo and radiation) are positive ones (as bizarre as that might sound).

Here's a portion of Beth's email. . . I wanted to share this joy with you, because so many of you have said that you're praying for her.

Beth's email:

Quite simply, there is a big development. The doctors have decided to continue with more chemotherapy. This is good news because initially the first two cycles of chemo were a trial ... to see if this cancer would respond. Dr M. believes the tumor has responded well enough not only to do additional chemotherapy, but also to add radiation to the treatment plan. This is an important development because the doctors had been "saving" radiation to use after surgery. Now they are adding radiation to the chemotherapy as the two (radiation and chemotherapy) make each other more effective.

Dr M. examined me this morning. This decision is not based on an MRI, but as mentioned in the last email, the excruciating pain went away when we began chemo last time, my speech has improved and the terrible congestion has vanished. There will be an MRI, possibly in the first half of February, which will give us a more definitive indication of progress.

Additionally, Dr M's team is working on moving both the 3rd and 4th cycle of chemotherapy to Thunder Bay along with the radiation. Dr M will retain oversight of my case; a decision that gives me much peace of mind and comfort. We will be utilizing tele-health video conferences.

Tonight, finds us elated and filled with gratitude for God's mercies. We are also thankful for the many people who are praying (around the world, including some people we have never met.)

. . . and that's where I came up with my blog title.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

Someone pointed out earlier this week the use of the words, "immeasurably more" and "all we ask OR imagine. . . " This is big, my friends. Big!

All (night) DAY Long!

2010-01-25T21:29:00.003-05:00

I love this Joe Walsh song. I love Joe Walsh. I even have a picture of him on my wall in my office. Come to think about it - there are no pictures of Mark in my office. Just my kids and my prized autographed picture of Joe Walsh.

Hmm. That could start rumors. Oh well. I'll risk it.

Why the Joe Walsh ditty on the blog - instead of sitting and watching "Big Bang Theory" with my husband (whose picture really doesn't appear in my office) Mark?

Well, I want to brag a little. This girl. . .

wore her big girl underwear to school today -- and not only stayed dry all day -- she stayed dry until bedtime!!! That's right -- we've gone well over 36 hours (had a little accident at church yesterday) without any "spills" of the biological kind! We are in celebration mode, my friends.

So, sing along with me (and Joe). . . .'All day long. . . all day long. . . .all day long. . .she stayed dry all day long!"

Getting Called Out vs. Getting Preached About

2010-01-24T15:57:00.002-05:00

Growing up in church, as I did, there were moments that made my mother want to kill my sister and me. Talking during church -- especially in those back three-four rows where the teenagers always sat. Piano side -- near that back entrance -- so you *could* sneak out, if you so desired. Many did -- some got caught.

Growing up at Park Forest South Christian Church - now Deer Creek Christian Church - I don't remember Earl (our minister) calling anyone out for talking or misbehaving. But, there was always that thought that he might say something if we got really obnoxious.

Then, there was. . . the look. My mom could, actually she still can, give a look that strikes fear into everyone. A few years ago, I realized that I use the look -- my choir members have assured me that I've got it. When they miss an entrance -- I give them the look. When someone else misses a cue -- I'm told -- I give the look. And, when my kid is acting up in church, I can assure you, I use the look.

But the look is one thing. Being called out is another.

When we came to Seymour Heights, there was talk of my former boss "calling people out" during a service. That's the stuff of legends, my friends. Being told to be quiet during church?!?! Holy cow -- that would do me in. And trust me - if I ever would have gotten called out during church, I would have done myself a multitude of favors by just running away during the invitation hymn -- because life at home would have been a veritable hell on earth had I actually gone home after such an event. In fact, the hair on the back of my neck is standing at full attention as I type -- just thinking about the trouble I would have seen. . . .

So today - I was reminded of the idea of being "called out" in church. But, thankfully, it was Mark that got the attention this time -- and not me.

Mark and our preacher have been emailing this past week about one of the points in last week's message. It was a sermon on materialism. It was a good sermon. It was a long sermon.

But, the point was that we need to "admire, rather than acquire" to help us deal with materialism. Mark thought this was a good point -- and used it in a blog entry. Then, he emailed my boss about the entry (no doubt providing a link) and lo and behold. . . .it got mentioned during church today. Randy shared that Mark - although interested in the $200 baseball card - is content to admire, rather than acquire. (Can I get an amen!?)

Following church today? People asked Mark about his blog. People asked for the address of the blog. People asked Mark what card he was looking for. People called our house wanting to talk to him about baseball cards.

HEY!

I blog, too, ya know?! I write about stuff with more eternal values than baseball cards?!?!? And he gets the mention in church? Totally unfair.

Actually -- as much as I enjoy blogging it kind of freaks me out when people tell me they've read or seen something in the blog. I often will go back through old entries -- making sure that I've not written anything that would be a major embarrassment to me, my family, my employer. . .you get the picture.

I am bold enough to put my blog address on my facebook profile. . . and the email template I use for all my church emails has a little icon with my blog header *(and an embedded link) so I'm putting myself out there. Anything I say or do really *can* be held against me.

. . . but hopefully, it won't get talked about from the stage in big church.

That would be just too, too much!

So Much for my Big Scoop

2010-01-22T13:18:00.003-05:00

. . . no, I didn't have a kitchen incident involving the loss of an ice cream scoop.

I did, however, read someone's facebook status, and interpret something that was TOTALLY off-base. I did a little fact-checking, and my mind was immediately put at ease.

But, communication can be tricky like that. Very often, our interpretation of someone's cryptic words, or "tweets" as it were (Twitter users) can lead to misunderstandings, hurt feelings, or worse.

I'm glad that what I read was a misinterpretation on my part. It would have meant that a good friend was moving away from me. (Ironically, we've joked about them moving away before) But all of a sudden, the joke didn't seem funny. At all. And, what I thought was a "big scoop," turned out to be someone else's information - not mine.

I'm glad I was wrong.

For the record: those are five words you will rarely (if ever) hear me say!

Have an awesome weekend!

Making Progress

2010-01-16T17:23:00.002-05:00

I worked a little on my quilt yesterday. Sadly, though, I had to spend time pulling out seams that had been sewn in wrong. . . .on sixty blocks. That sucks.

But, they're done -- and the next bits of sewing on each block is nearly done. My next steps will include:

1) snipping the corners off of each block
2) laying out the 81 blocks in a pleasing pattern
3) joining said blocks into rows
4) joining said rows into a quilt
5) snipping little snips into all the "ragged" edges (roughly 324 edges)
6) washing the quilt
7) drying it in my dryer
8) sending in an excavation crew to clean out the lint from the trap

So, we're probably talking 3 or 4 more days. But, if I get real industrious tomorrow, it might get finished this weekend.

After that, I have three (at least) quilt tops that I'd like to get sandwiched and quilted. One is just a simple wall hanging or table runner . . .in other words, small. The other is a lap-size quilt and I'm honestly not sure how I'm going to quilt it. It has some major flaws in it (MAJOR) so I'm half-tempted to put it away, and start on something new.

As always, I promise to keep you posted.

Potty Update. . . . you know this stuff grips you all!!!

Caroline has had some awesome days this week. She and I went shopping today, and she stayed dry while we were gone -- and went potty as soon as we got home and went to the bathroom. I'm just about ready to test the waters (so to speak) and send her to school in her big girl undies. We actually use the other word -- the "p" word around the house -- (big girl p***ies) but I don't want creepy people on my blog because they saw that word. HA!

She also had the end-of-semester "exams" where she had to identify her letters, and her sight words. Have I mentioned??? The girl is READING!!! I'm truly amazed at what she's doing, and am so excited to see how the next couple of years unfold in her life.

. . . so grateful for this little girl. Can't even describe it!

So, I guess that's about it. Edison just learned that his class trip got changed from the State Capital to Florida (including Universal Studios Adventure Park). He's not too upset - let me tell you. Of course, the freshmen are traveling with the sophomores. And, from what I can tell, the freshmen are fine -- the sophomores, not so much. (go figure)

Oh. . . and he's busily studying for his driver's permit. I expect we'll take him to take the test and get his permit sometime after the first of the month. (at which point, I will begin ingesting some sort of controlled substance) Too soon. Waaaaaaaay too soon!!

Okay - one last story. And, of course, I don't have any details. But, I have to file this under, "Things that I'm Glad Happened to Someone Else - Big time!" Mark is attending a men's conference at another church today. The conference began at 1 p.m. (seemed odd to start so late) and he won't get home until 11 p.m. I really encouraged him to go - because a lot of new guys from church were going -- and I want him to get a chance to meet some of them.

So. . .they left. About 3 o'clock (while Caroline & I drove home from Hobby Lobby) Mark called to let me know how it's been going so far. The headliner guy - a former Mob dude - didn't show up. You know me:

Angie: "Didn't show? What - is he in jail?"
Mark: "Well, uh, er, yes. He was getting off the plane, and was taken into custody last night."
Angie: "Whoa. Oops."

So. . . I'm sure there's a story -- and I probably shouldn't find this as mildly amusing as I do. But, I do. Talk about a "whoops" moment!

Sure glad that's not me. . . .! Have a great weekend!!!

The Need to Sew. . . .

2010-01-15T11:37:00.001-05:00

. . .is outweighing the need to blog. ('Tis true)

So, when I've gotten a good amount of "miles" on my machine, I'll come back over (across the room) and blog.

Until then. . . be blessed.

And yes - BOTH my children are in school today. The sun is shining. It's a beautiful day!

Baby Girl's Got Game - Edited

2010-01-10T19:08:00.003-05:00

What? You don't believe me? Check it out. . . .

http://ma-bonne-vie.blogspot.com/2010/01/caroline-wii-bowling.html

This is Caroline bowling on our new Wii. She's a crack up. Especially when she "picks up a spare," which she learned from her grandpa. Say what you will, but the Wii has made all of us more active and more competitive with each other.

We've had a pretty uneventful weekend. Edison enjoyed TCTC (Tennessee Christian Teen Convention) this weekend, and has slept most of the afternoon. We suspect he didn't get nearly as much sleep as he should have gotten while away. Go figure.

Caroline has yet another "inclement weather" day tomorrow. Roads around here are clear (well, the main roads are) but there are side roads and mountain roads that cause the county school system to shut down. They have lots of snow days built into the schedule. Edison gets snow days too, from time to time -- but not nearly as often as Caroline does.

He had one on Friday, actually -- which helped him finalize all the last-minute details he needed to complete before TCTC.

In other news, but still weather-related news - we canceled one of our church services this morning. We have two services - one at 9 a.m., and one at 10:30 a.m. We figured that we'd give the sun a little time to work on the icy spots by keeping people home an extra hour and a half. Of course, that's always a risk -- how do you make sure everyone knows? What about Sunday School? And various other questions. . . .

We dealt with them by email, website, and local TV stations -- and for the record, only had six (6) people show up that didn't know we'd canceled the early service. For a church of (roughly) 400 people, that's not too shabby. We'll see what happens the next time. . . .

There really isn't much more to say, so I think I'll close this exciting (ha!) blog post. Beth came through the first week of chemo treatment. I encourage you to keep up with her through this process. God is going to do something spectacular, and I want YOU to be able to see it firsthand.

I haven't heard anything more from my friend Joni - but that's to be expected in situations like hers. I still marvel at the depth of relationships when comment interests and beliefs are part of the equation.

So, with an evening of Sunday night programming in front of me (Hello? Law & Order:CI Marathon on Bravo - every Sunday night!!) I leave you to go stir a batch of caramel corn (last stirring -- almost time to enjoy!) and wish you a blessed week full of love, joy, peace, and laughter.

Edited to add:

I have been meaning to confess this for a long time. . . . .I have a new addiction. And although I know admitting is the first step -- I have no intention of letting go of this addiction. I just want to share it with you - and maybe you'll get "hooked," too.

Have you ever had this???

This is red pepper jelly on top of cream cheese. In this case, you see it on English Muffins - which I, sadly, haven't tried yet.

I have, however, eaten this DIVINE concoction with Wheat Thins (both regular and reduced-fat). And, my friends, I am hooked. It is lovely, delicious, tangy, sweet, a little spicy -- and just plain good.

(Note to self: buy english muffins at the store this week)

I haven't scoured the shelves of Kroger or Food City (my local venues) for red pepper jelly, yet. A friend gave me some for Christmas - after she and I got hooked on the stuff by yet another friend. (I love these girls, really -- I can be myself with them) But, I have seen it at a little gift shop in town.

I kinda have designs on making some homemade pepper jelly -- I've made boysenberry, blackberry, cranberry/apple, and apple butter. Surely I can make red pepper jelly. As always, I will keep you posted.

But I knew I had something special to share -- and that was it. Enjoy!!!

Caramel Corn is cooling -- and sooooooo tasty. See ya!

But the Words Got in the Way

2010-01-06T23:03:00.005-05:00

Don't you hate that. . . when you feel like you need to say something but the words just won't come out? I remember the words to an old Carpenter's song (Yes, I am that old!)

". . .we tried to talk it over but the words got in the way."
(Masquerade, circa 1970?)

I have a lot that I feel like I want to say -- but there are so many, and yet not enough words to say what's on my mind and in my heart.

Two posts ago, I told you about my new blog. (This will actually be the first of two new blogs -- stay tuned) And, I mentioned that I use the sidebar on this blog (names listed) to visit other friends' blogs. I started the Becky Homecky blog so that I wouldn't have a list of 2,000 quilt, scrapbooking, and cooking blogs to visit -- by launching from this blog. It's all about the integrity of the "sitemeter" count.

Anywhoo - I have been using my list on the right hand column to check blogs for the past couple of years. I don't have them "ranked" in any specific order -- other than having Mark's two blogs at the top, because he's well. . . .you know.

I used to have them grouped by categories (in my mind it made sense) and there's a bit of a grouping now -- but I'll never explain my reasons. You'd really think I was crazy. Nevertheless, I spent a little time this morning -- while staying home for Caroline's second consecutive snow day (do NOT get me started. . . ) reading some of these blogs I love so much.

Hoping for an update, I popped over to my friend Joni's blog. Upon arriving there, I learned that her beloved husband, Boyd, passed away very suddenly at home on Monday evening. And my heart broke.

They hadn't been married very many years -- but they lived a lifetime of love together. They loved to watch PBS movies & TV series. Boyd loved to bake -- he was especially good at baking bread. And, she would often tell me about his adventures making french bread -- something I've always wanted to learn, but was too afraid to try.

Boyd had been battling some illnesses recently, but he and Joni continued to celebrate every day -- and she was scrapbooking the memories with great stories including ones about her two beautiful daughters, her cat named Gabby, and of course, her beloved Boyd.

So, I reflected. I wrote her a comment on her blog -- and sent an email because I wanted to say more than just a passing comment on her blog. I tried to express what was in my heart.

". . . but the words got in the way."

Then, I went to Facebook to get an update about Beth. After reading on her blog about how these first day(s) of chemo were taking their toll on her body, I changed my facebook status to read:

"Angie (Knowles) Aubrey is praying for friends today -- for Beth who made it through her first day of chemo. . . and for Joni, whose sweet husband very suddenly passed away two nights ago. God is good. . . .all the time."

And oh baby, I wanted to say more:

". . . but the words got in the way."

About an hour later, I went back to Joni's blog -- out of curiosity -- to see if a mutual blog friend had left a comment yet. When I got there, I read this message -- from Beth to Joni -- and they've never met:

"Joni this is Angie's friend, Beth. I am so sorry... i am praying for you and your family, I am feeling a loss for you and so your sense must be huge. Dear Woman with so much wit and warmth may God be so very present to you with the marvelous roots of his love evident as you discover how high how wide how deep how long they really are... much love"

Again. . . they have never met -- but they've each met me. And I wanted to try to express to you how much this series of events meant to me. And, though it may not seem like it:

". . . the words got in the way."

Today, I pray for you -- no matter what the situation you might be facing -- I pray for clear vision, gentle words, and a kind spirit in which to express those words.

Tonight, as I go to sleep, I will be praying prayers of comfort and sympathy for my precious friend, Joni. I will ask God to comfort her in supernatural ways -- and to bring peace and joy to her heart and mind in the coming days and weeks. I'm also praying that God would be BIG, HUGE, and gracious to Beth as her body is under attack.

Here's how Beth described it:

". . .right now, unseen to you, to me…RIGHT NOW AS I TYPE, coursing through my body is a killer army of drugs hunting down cancerous cells as it surges along… taking down in “friendly fire” my white blood cells, my hair follicles, etc as it advances."

So, I'm praying prayers of protection for her hair follicles and for her white blood cells. (Don't usually see those things listed on a church prayer list, do you?) I'm praying that these killer drugs will do what they were designed to do -- kill the cancer cells. I'm praying for strength for her weary body, restoration for her soul, protection for her family (8 hours away while she's in treatment), and complete healing from this vile disease.

And just in case you are worried that I won't be able to get those words out, take heart:

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:26-28

Again, with the daily posts?!?

2010-01-03T22:02:00.002-05:00

Please, please, please don't get too excited. This blogging-every-day-thing is not going to be a sustainable pattern. Trust me. I wouldn't lie to you.

It is, however, time for me to announce. . . drum roll, please. . . . .I need to announce some big, big news. . . . no, I'm not that. (Can't even bring myself to type the word) That would be monumental. Seriously. Talk about defying science. No -- it's nothing that earth-shattering.

I launched another blog.

Now, you may ask yourself: "Why, on God's green earth, would someone who struggles with weekly - sometimes monthly blog posts begin another blog?!"

Here's why: I like reading blogs. I like reading quilting blogs. I like reading cooking blogs. I really like reading scrapbooking blogs. And, rather than run a list a mile long on the sidebar of this blog, and have to navigate in and out of here each day (like I do to read the blogs you see listed) I have created (with Mark's help) a blog that I can visit to see updated blogs about quilting, cooking, and scrapbooking (eventually).

Seriously, my sitemeter numbers are seriously jacked up because I "launch" to other blogs from my very own blog every day -- sometimes two and three times a day. I really don't care about numbers of hits on my blog, but this will help keep traffic to a minimum on this blog.

Right now, the new blog "Angie's Becky Homecky" only has about 18 quilt blogs and one cooking blog on it. (No, I didn't name it. Mark did. But I like it) I intend to increase the cooking & scrapping blogs. . . but not tonight.

So, if you're interested, I will post there from time to time -- but VERY rarely. You are welcome to follow it, or link to it. I've put a link on the right side of this blog, too. Please don't get too excited--other than the fact that it actually works -- it's not very exciting.

But, I thought you would like to know!

Yeah, yeah, I know. . . .

2010-01-02T21:30:00.003-05:00

two posts in a row.

This is a horrible precedent to set. Oh well. . .it's all about determination, right?

Before I head to bed on this cold (albeit not as cold as the midwest) January evening, I thought I'd share some of the fun & frivolity of our last couple weeks. There was much fun. There was much frivolity. And, then there was. . . the other stuff.

The Fun
Our Christmas plans were a bit more "traditional" this year - as Mark's family was not with us over the Thanksgiving holiday. The last 4 or 5 years, they have been with us, and we've celebrated time together -- including opening presents -- in November, rather than December.

But this year, we pretty much kept the present-opening to one day -- December 25. Can you imagine?!

Prior to the "Big Day," Caroline had been bringing home various drawings and pictures -- letters to Santa, even -- describing what she wanted for Christmas. The main thing that kept coming up:

a drum

That's right -- she wanted a drum. And, eventually she added a "motorcycle" to the ever-growing list. But, I was stuck on the crazy drum.

I even went so far as to write a small article for our church's "newsletter-ish" publication. For December, each staff person wrote a brief Christmas greeting for the entire church. Mine had something to do with the fact that Caroline's wish list had changed/altered itself over the course of time. And, if memory serves, I made it very clear that I was not going to get her a drum.

I'm surprised no one called DCS. I got threats, sideways glances, and disapproving looks from members of my worship team -- because the girl needed drums. Now, please note: she never said drums she just said a singular "drum."

So, a day or two prior to Christmas, while out running some other Christmas-ish errands, Mark picked up a drum on behalf of Santa. And, when she came out to the tree on Christmas morning - she was quite delighted.

Of course, in the meantime, other presents (puzzles, a doctor kit, a baby doll, etc.) have taken her attention away from the drum. But every once in a while, she'll pull it out and start tapping away.

I'm glad that we were able to grant that wish for her -- there's something about fulfilling the wishes or desires of another person -- and watching the delight and wonder in their face as they realize a dream has suddenly come true.

The Frivolity
One of Edison's wishes came true in that we got a Wii for Christmas (Thanks, Nana & Papa!). We are now the proud owners of a Wii, Wii Fit Plus, and four controllers with rechargeable bases. The kids have really had fun with it . . . .all four kids. Just tonight, Edison and I played his new game "Wii Sports Resort" which has archery, bowling, table tennis, canoeing, and various sky games on it.

We rocked at table tennis. I beat him at the 3-point challenge in basketball. He didn't like losing. . . especially to his mom. But, the crazy thing has us playing, laughing, and exercising together -- and that's the whole point.

The Foibles
This year, we were concerned about the rampant nature of the flu -- the H1N1, to be specific. To date, neither of the kids have had their H1N1 shots, but we've managed to dodge it. Caroline, however, got sick (stomach bug) on Saturday night, December 26. She (and of course, Mark) was up pretty much all night - throwing up. Mark, thankfully, didn't get anything from her -- but Grandma, who had spent the morning playing with Caroline -- wasn't quite so lucky.

After the initial 6 hours of sickness -- and the tired that accompanied it, both Mom & Caroline bounced back to normal. (Or so we thought. . . .)

On Monday morning, I noticed that Caroline's hands were purple. So were her lips. Rewind five years -- she had open heart surgery because of congestive heart failure due to a Ventricular Septal Defect. Cue ominous music. Cue panicking mom. Cue call to doctor.

Load up car and go to the cardiologist.

The pediatrician's office said that they would be more inclined for the heart doctor to see her -- so off we went! Our regular doctor was on vacation, but his associate is wonderful. After an EKG, echocardiogram, and full inspection by the doctor, we were told that she was probably dehydrated. He said that typically when a body becomes dehydrated the body acts like it's in frostbite-mode. The blood circulates away from the extremities -- and goes to vital organs.

In other words: Give her some juice, and she'll be fine. And, she was.

It amazed me how quickly I gave into fear. I knew in my mind and heart that her heart was okay -- but there was that one voice -- ringing in my ears. And, in my most frightened moments, that was the voice to which I listened. O, to have listened to that still, small Voice telling me that she was in His hands -- and that I didn't need to worry. Because, that still, small Voice was right -- she was, and is fine!

The Other Stuff
Over the last year or so, Edison has begun playing bass more seriously -- with the church's youth band, with his school's worship band (chapel), and more recently with the choir at his school. He's pretty good -- and I take no credit for his ability or skills. He is primarily self-taught -- and he had a good little teacher.

So, when I started making plans for this year's Christmas Eve services, I was planning on Mark playing during the early (6 p.m.) service, but thought it might be nice to add Edison to the "band" for the 11:30 service. Edison agreed to play - and after a pretty laid-back rehearsal, he did an awesome job.

Fast-forward to last Sunday, as I'm driving to church - realizing that I have NO band to speak of, and just lost my bass player to Caroline's stomach bug - I turned to Edison, as we drove to church. "So. . . .do you want to play bass with me this morning?" I told him the songs - which he knew most of them - and agreed.

We got to church, set things up, and began practicing. He did GREAT! I was, and am, so very proud of him. I purposely didn't make a big deal out of it -- announcing it to the congregation -- because I didn't want to appear too proud. (But, baby I was!) It helped that one of our good friends came up to me (in Edison's presence) after service and commented that he was so glad I'd gotten rid of that "other" bass player and replaced him with Edison.

(I think that comment, alone, made Edison's day -- I know it made mine!)

So, there you have some of the fun, frivolity, foibles, and other stuff that made up our Christmas. It wasn't Norman Rockwell -- but then again, what is?!?!

And seriously. . . like the old song says, "Baby, baby, don't get hooked on me. . ." because my blog-writing stamina may not hold out for more than 3 posts per week.

You can't say I didn't warn you!

I am Determined

2010-01-01T21:08:00.003-05:00

Two years ago, I chose a word that would be my word for 2008. That word was "Simplify" and I loved it so much, I used it again in 2009. Silly me. . . .but you can't blame me. I'm devoted.

This year - although I'm hanging onto "Simplify" as my sub-title, I have chosen the word "Determined" as my one little word for this year.

Why determined? Oh, there are lots of reasons. Some are more frivolous than others, I suppose.

I am determined:

*to make some necessary health changes this year
*to get organized
*to make better use of my free time (reflected in both previous statements)
*to READ (books)
*to quilt
*to take pictures. . .and then scrapbook them
*to decrease my caffeine intake
*to increase my water intake
*to read my Bible
*to finish projects that need to be completed
*to blog more frequently - but not obsessively

And now here's where the rubber meets the road. . . so to speak

I am determined to be strong - even when the world and other forces want to take away my joy.

I am determined to be bold and full of faith - even when science and the media shout other messages in my direction.

I am determined to see my faith come to fruition - and I fully intend to see a miracle or two. (Maybe more. . . .)

Whether you have chosen a "one little word" for your year, or not, you can always choose one. I encourage you to do it--and if you're looking for one, "Simplify" is up for grabs.

Happy New Year!!

p.s. Thanks, Laura. That was just the kick-in-the-pants I needed.

World's Fastest Blog Entry

2009-12-14T21:23:00.002-05:00

. . .well, maybe not. But, I've got a goal. "Big Bang Theory" begins in 7 minutes (acc. to the clock on my browser) so I've got an end-goal in sight.

I'm so sorry it's been so long since I posted last. As you can imagine, this time of year is crazy for everyone -- but music directors (heaven forbid I be called a "minister") have extra fun times on their calendars.

It's not been bad, actually. Here's a bullet-list of things that have occurred since I last posted.

1) Staff Christmas party - had my butt handed to me playing ping-pong from a 5th grader
2) Mark's work part - fun, great food, cold night. Brrrrrr.
3) Beginning wrapping presents
4) Baking marathon begun
5) Planning four, yes, FOUR services that will take place in a 6-day timespan. And yes, each one is entirely different than the other
6) Buying angel tree presents -- way fun!
7) Getting a new computer at work
8) Getting a new computer at home
(I didn't say it wasn't an expensive couple of weeks)
9) Baking Honey Whole Wheat Bread
10) Making a double batch of apple butter for teacher gifts for both kids
11) Going on a field trip with Caroline -- just this morning, actually
12) Buying myself a few new shirts/sweaters for the season (and PJs for Christmas Eve)
13) Making plans with friends over the holidays
14) Dumped boiling water on myself - burning a 4x3 area on my tummy.

Seriously, I could go on and on. But, I now have three minutes until BBT - and I don't like to miss this show, or the one that follows it on another network Castle. Really good show - check it out, if you haven't

I'm also finishing projects, wrapping more presents, buying presents, celebrating birthdays and anniversaries - saying "goodbye" to a colleague, and trying to sit still long enough to enjoy "White Christmas" or "Elf" but so far, that hasn't happened.

I'm almost afraid to type this -- but Caroline is making HUGE strides this week. She went to the elementary-age Children's Church this past Sunday, and did GREAT! My mom peeked in, as part of our disability ministry, and when Caroline saw her, she waved, and went back to singing and dancing with the big kids. I've been told she even raised her hand and answered a question in the big group.

And. . . . drum roll please. .. she has had three (3) very successful days in the bathroom side of her life. She even asked to be excused to go to the bathroom on her field trip today -- and HAD TO GO! Then, during dinner tonight, she asked to go to the potty - and big girl went!!! I'm so excited -- I told her this could be my present for Christmas. And, I mean it!

She's really growing up - and we're seeing it more and more.

Well, time for the show to start -- two minutes ago. I cannot, for the life of me, do something short-winded, can I ?

Oh well.. . . .

Are YOU talkin' to ME?!?!

2009-12-02T22:16:00.003-05:00

When I see this face, I can't help but think of Robert DeNiro. . .

Caroline went to Build-A-Bear tonight, as a guest of her cardiologist and his practice. This is her 2nd year to go -- and my first year. What an experience! She chose a reindeer. At first, we wanted a panda. . .but then this little guy, Jacob, won our hearts over.

Having done the Build-a-Bear thing now four (?) times . . .she's pretty familiar with the drill, and did an awesome job.

I am sorry I haven't posted lately. It's been a crazy couple of days. But, having the kids back in school is helping with some of the mayhem. I knew it was time when even they were ready to go back.

I did get our decorating done for the year. I still want to do window/outdoor lights -- but that's going to have to wait until next year. I keep hoping to buy exterior lights after Christmas this year -- to get them on special. We'll see.

Until then, please enjoy some pictures of my indoor decorations. And yes - I do have two indoor Christmas trees. They're not fully pictured here because I need to get a good indoor/low-lit picture of each one of them. I'm going to work on that tomorrow. For now. . .enjoy!!

Mark got me the creche for my Willow Tree nativity this year for Christmas. . .and it seemed a shame to leave it in a box until Christmas morning. :)

This nativity set belonged to my grandparents. My grandma kept the green felt that she used to put on top of their console television with the pieces. When I pulled out the set -- for some crazy reason -- it was the felt that made me cry. I cherish this nativity set.

This is the tree in Edison's room. It has gold beads, colored lights, and his blown glass ornaments on it. It's really pretty when the lights are out.
This tree was in Caroline's room last year - but is in my kitchen this year. It's got white lights, plaid bows, and miniature gingerbread ornaments on it.
This is the tree in Caroline's room - next to Maria, one of her previous Build-a-Bear friends. It has simple pink plaid bows, and white lights. That's all.
This is the tree in my sun room. I might add that it's the non-heated sun-room, so right now, it feels like winter in there. Colored lights - gold star garland, and simple glass ornaments. Since this picture was taken, I added four stuffed snowmen around the base of the tree.

On either side of the TV in our entertainment center, I have some small trees that I have either made, or just collected.

My mom gave me the tall tree in the background, my mother-in-law gave me the little tree made out of yo-yos, and the medium tree is one I made last year out of some fabric trim. It still needs a tree topper - but I like the unique look of it.

These three trees are on the other side of the TV. The button tree is one I made last year. I love it. The yo-yo tree is part of the two-tree set from my mother in law. And the biggest tree is a mini-tree I decorated with jingle bells, and homemade crocheted snowflakes from my friend, Jane. I made the little star on the top of the tree. Simple, but beautiful.

Caroline has taken on the job of putting the star on the tree. I have pictures of Edison doing the very same thing years ago. It's amazing how much they love doing that! This is the more formal tree in our office/dining room. It has our heirloom ornaments (Hallmark, family ornaments, kids' creations, etc.) It has the traditional "pickle" ornament that gets hidden each year. It has a simple gold bead garland and white lights.

Mark and I have a tradition of buying an ornament when we go on trips -- so we have ornaments from Montreal, Shipshewana, Chicago, Kentucky, Arizona. . . all on this tree. I cherish it, and the memories that it holds.

My "other" full-size tree is my first-ever THEME tree. I never thought I'd actually do a theme tree. But, I finally have enough resources to decorate it. . .so I've had fun with it. It's my "country" tree. All the ornaments on it are either homemade, or have a country (especially primitive country) feel to them. It has white lights, a precious angel on the top made from an antique dresser scarf, and red "cranberries" (wooden beads) garland. Also, from the top, it has small streamers of red and beige raffia.

I'm really proud of this tree -- and other than the fact that it has no Christmas tree skirt (yet), it's probably my favorite of all of them.

There are two other small trees -- one is in our bedroom. It's just a miniature tree in an antique crock. The boughs have fake snow on them, and the small brushed red glass balls make it a very "classic" looking tree. The other is in the hallway leading to our bedroom. Again, it's a small tree -- with brushed ivory glass ornaments, small red wooden beads, and white lights. It's really quite cute -- and I love having it in the hallway.

So, there you have it -- I have finally posted pictures, with the promise of a few more to come. I pray these days find you blessed, content, and feeling God's favor.

I'm No Lionel Richie. . . . .

2009-11-26T10:32:00.004-05:00

"I had a dream. . . I had an awesome dream. . . "

Last night, I had an amazing dream. A dream that I am praying comes true. Wanna hear about it?

Last night, in the midst of my slumber, I dreamed that I was babysitting. That's not so miraculous, or spectacular. But here's the part that's kinda cool.

It was Beth's granddaughter. (And said granddaughter hasn't been (conceived) born. . . yet) But, nonetheless, I was walking around my living room with this precious little girl -- dressed in a striped pajama/sleeper. She couldn't have been more than 4 months old. And yet, she spoke to me. She said, "Sing." So I sang to her. (When an infant tells you to sing, you sing!)

"You are my sunshine. . . my only sunshine. . .you make me happy when skies are gray. . . ."

And, as the words came pouring out, my front door opened. In walked Beth

Melinda (the baby's mother)

Jenni

Katherine

Mary

Hannah

Emily

Now, there are more family members in their "clan," including Tony (Beth's husband), Earl (Melinda's husband), Sarah, Joel, and a host of other kiddos and family members that have become so dear to my heart. But last night, the girls -- even one that hasn't yet drawn a breath -- walked into my dreams, and into my living room.

As soon as I realized what was going on, I woke up. In fact, I think I had actually kicked off the covers at that point. Maybe I was trying to go out to the living room--to see if it was real? Regardless, I woke up -- and almost burst into tears because I wanted to go back to sleep and finish out the dream.

But, alas, it was not to be. I went back to sleep--no more dreams.

When I awoke I thought about my blessings. I am thankful for my friends and family. Grateful for food on our table, blankets on our beds, and a roof over our heads. I'm grateful for two kids that continually make me laugh (or grimace--depending on the day), and a husband that loves me in spite of myself.

I'm grateful for a Savior who loves me and forgives me on a continual basis. I'm grateful for a church family that encourages me. I'm grateful for my neighbors who, although we haven't all met, smile and wave at me during my countless trips in and out of the subdivision. I'm grateful for reconnecting with old friends via social networking (Facebook) and for the little community of bloggers that have become friends and family to me.

My heart, my head, my dreams -- they're all full. Full to overflowing with blessings. And that, my friends, is my prayer for you. I pray that today (and every day) you will be blown away by the blessings that God has lavished on each one of us. He is so good.

Happy Thanksgiving!

And yes, Beth -- I woke up believing that God was telling me that you'll be here to see your grandbabies. I remember you prayed that prayer for me -- fully believing God was going to be faithful. I also think God was showing me how precious it will be to finally hug you in person -- and all those amazing daughters of yours!!

I've got a few more questions for God. . . .

2009-11-20T00:50:00.003-05:00

I have been quoted (many times) saying that I had all sorts of questions for God when I got to heaven. (Yes, we are making that assumption) Those questions range from:

"Lord, why did you create mosquitoes, really?"

to

"Seriously God, why cancer?"

Tonight, being mid-November, I'm not asking about mosquitoes. Those questions usually surface in mid-July.

Tonight, I'm asking God (yet again) about cancer.
I'm asking Him why it strikes so often.
I'm asking Him why it's striking someone I love. . . again.

I'm not going to assume anything about His answers. All I'm going to assume is that His will is perfect, and that His ways are higher than my ways.

If you've read the blog at all recently, you know that we were awaiting news on the pathology for my friend, Beth. Although I believed, and firmly held to the belief that the mass in her throat would be just that. . .a mass. I just found out that it is cancer -- two types of cancer, actually. And, the two words I dreaded the most: advanced stage were part of the diagnosis.

It's nearly 1 a.m., so I haven't called up to Canada to talk to Beth. I know, at some point, she'll be reading this. (And you know I love you more than my words can express) But, had I called -- I would've had no words. I'm amazed that words are coming out right now -- except for the fact that I don't actually have to talk. Typing is easier, because the words aren't getting caught in my throat.

I don't know when they learned the news--I just read the email within the last 15 minutes. I was at a worship team rehearsal tonight. It is comforting to reflect on the songs we rehearsed tonight. But it's funny....I remember having a thought, during rehearsal:

"If Beth gets news that isn't good news, these songs are going to be hard to sing on Sunday."

And, I was right -- they will be hard to sing. But, not because they're not true. It's because they suddenly mean so much more to me than they've ever meant:

Blessed be Your name, on the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering, Blessed be Your Name
You give and take away, my heart will choose to say:
"Lord, blessed be Your name!"

and

No guilt in life; no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Til He returns, or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

not to mention

On Christ the Solid Rock, I stand
All other ground is sinking sand

and then there's

You took my sin and my shame
You took my sickness and healed all my pain
Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord

If pressed, I would said that I really do have questions for God. But, it would be offensive, wrong, and weak of me to ask them. What do I do instead?

I bow at His feet. . . accepting that His will is perfect. I acknowledge that He knows and sees more than I will ever know or see. I worship Him for being holy, righteous, perfect, and GOOD. I praise Him for loving us more than we can describe. I thank Him for Jesus. . . and I marvel in the joy of my (and Beth's) salvation.

Beyond that. . .I (we) have got His word. And, while here on earth, that's gonna have to be enough.

Isaiah 55:9
"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Habakkuk 3:17-19

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights."

Isaiah 41:10

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Isaiah 40:28-30

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Ephesians 3:20-21

Not that I'm questioning God's will or anything . . . but I am asking Him to amaze the heck out of a few doctors. I believe (with Paul) that God has the ability to do anything--even the stuff we can't imagine Him doing. I am asking Him to heal Beth without the need for radiation, chemotherapy, or more invasive surgeries. Because my God can do immeasurably more than I ask or imagine.

And. . .I'd be honored if you'd join me in that prayer.

Pictures for Beth!

2009-11-17T08:35:00.004-05:00

One of the things Beth has told me is that pictures are good for her healing process. And she's right, on many levels. So, for your health's sake, here are some random scenes from our life over the past three (or so) days. I had hopes for more pictures, but they really didn't turn out. Oh well. Enjoy these few pictures.

Today is "transportation day" at Caroline's school. . . that's right, we got to make her a car. Of course, with her missing nearly a week of school over the past two weeks, we were cramming to get her car done last night. It turned out fine. . . .for a first timer! And yes, she wanted to be Number 51 - her brother's football number.

Speaking of that brother. . .

Edison helped Caroline with her homework yesterday afternoon, while I worked on supper - and took pictures, of course. She had to distinguish between upper- and lower-case "N" and color the picture accordingly. She did great. Here - Edison is helping her write her name. She's getting quite good at writing her name. And yes, I am kicking myself for not giving her a simpler first name. . . Ida, Ada, Ann, Bea. . . .whatever.

The finished homework -- and one proud little girl! *and yes, it IS warm enough in mid-November, for her to be wearing a sleeveless shirt. Yikes.

The thrill of a 15-year old's birthday is hard to capture on film. *sigh*

On Sunday, Caroline wore a new dress that was came from Arizona. It was mixed in with a bag of baby clothes for her baby dolls. I nearly missed it. Thankfully I found it -- and it was warm enough on Sunday for her to wear this short-sleeved dress (with a white cardigan, of course). The foot turn? She gets that from her Daddy. I have a picture, somewhere. When I find it, I'll put the two together. It's kinda uncanny.

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

It starts. . . .

2009-11-15T22:39:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite scenes in the "Lion King" is where Simba starts to figure out who he is as (the future) King. As he's talking with Timon and Pumbaa, there's an exchange between the characters, and at the end of the exchange, Timon (voice of Nathan Lane) looks down, shaking his head in anguished disgust, and says, with this beautiful New York/Long Island accent: "It starts."

I would do anything to find that clip -- but it's late, I'm tired, and to be honest, it's not that crucial to the post. But, it has begun. Edison's 16th year on the planet. Like many other things, it began with a whimper, not a bang.

He's tired. He's had a busy weekend.

Friday afternoon, two of his friends came home from school with him, in anticipation of our youth group's lock-in on Friday night. Just after Mark got home from work, another friend (church friend) joined the three teenagers here at the house, and the enthusiasm increased even more.

After feeding them two full-size (homemade) pizzas, and a gallon of lemonade, they were off. My word, can four teenage boys eat, or what?!?!? (Julaine, you have my lifelong admiration!)

We dropped them off at the church at 7 p.m., and promised that we'd pick them (or an assortment of them) up at 7 a.m., when the lock-in ended. And, we did. Only this time, we brought a different friend home -- and off-loaded the other three boys to their parents.

This time, I made biscuits, sausage gravy, and scrambled eggs for Edison, Kyle, and the rest of our family. They were definitely NOT the best biscuits I've ever made -- but I was pretty sleepy. And, the gravy was good -- a little spicy -- and it needed to be thinned out a bit. Oh well. The boys ate.

Then, a sensible mom would make her kid sleep, after being up all night, right? Yeah. But, who has EVER accused me of being sensible? (awkward silence)

So, a mere hour after they finished eating, they were back down to the church to help a local missionary film a training video. I have no idea what the actual quality of these videos are -- but I keep reminding myself that once they've been translated into three or four other languages, the bleary-eyed condition of Kyle and Edison won't matter. (Here's hoping)

Finally, around noon, Edison was home, and headed for bed. We let him sleep until about 4:30, and then it was time to head out to my parent's house for a campfire birthday celebration. With his birthday in November, and the weather in TN usually cooperating, we've had campfires for his birthday for a number of years.

Now, mind you -- Caroline and Mark are still recuperating from their various illnesses. So, we kind of went about this birthday party thing on a low-key setting. And Luke, one of Edison's friends from the lock-in, was our invited guest. And, as you might imagine, he fell asleep during the opening of the presents. (Turns out, he hadn't yet gone to bed since coming home)

After the birthday hoo-lolly was done, we headed to the house -- it was just 8 p.m. With the time change, it felt like midnight, but we still had lots of time. Edison and I ran down to the church to make some last-minute arrangements for our Thank Offering Celebration (details to follow) and run to the grocery store for apple juice for Caroline.

We finally got him home, and into bed around 10 p.m. He slept. And slept. And slept.

Around 8 this morning (when I am typically arriving at church) I was able to leisurely get out of bed, take my shower, and head down to church at 8:45. Our church services normally occur at 9 and 10:30 a.m., but today, we just had one BIG service. It was a lot of fun -- it ran a bit long -- but it was amazing. My worship team outdid themselves -- twelve songs! That's right, TWELVE. But, it was good.

And, for the record, I only fell apart and started crying twice -- once was for Beth, as we sang "Mighty to Save" and the other was during the song, "When I Think About the Lord," and again, I think I had Beth on my heart. The rest of the morning, I was good.

The focus of the morning was our "Thank Offering Sunday" and we took a special offering -- just to thank God for his blessings. Last year was the first time we did one of these -- and we gave over $160,000 for last year's offering. This year, as a church we gave a thank offering of just over $90,000. Both of these offerings are going to be used to help pay down the debt on our building. We want to be free to do ministry -- and don't want to be tied down to a mortgage. It's really awesome -- and very exciting to see God moving in such a new and exciting way!

After church, we handed Caroline off to Grandma -- and headed downtown for the TKA Football Banquet at Calhoun's on the River. Now, if you're not from these parts, the name "Calhouns" doesn't mean anything. This, my friends, is the home of some of the best barbecue in these here parts. And, they served pulled pork, chicken fingers, two salads, baked beans (with the pork in it), corn muffins, biscuits. . .yeah, it was amazing.

We missed a Thanksgiving dinner at church -- but, it was worth it. And, it was worth it to celebrate a great football season with the team.

On our way home, you would think we were about at our "melting point," and you would be right. But, of course, what non-stop day would be complete without a trip to WalMart!?! So, we stopped, bought our birthday boy two new pairs of shoes, some new t-shirts, a dress shirt (he's outgrown everything he has!) and a 12-pack of Sierra Mist (free) with Cranberry. It's only available during the holidays--and I love this stuff.

After picking up Caroline at Grandma's -- and discovering that we'd forgotten to pack her tennis shoes. How did we know? She and Grandma were coming back from a hike in the forest -- in her good church shoes. Oh well. . .they're just shoes, right? We were finally headed home.

Mark spent a couple hours outside - blowing fallen leaves over the back fence. Edison worked on homework. And Caroline and me? We watched Dora the Explorer and ate popcorn and apples for supper. After that, Caroline and I called Beth to say "Hi" and "I love you" before going to bed.

After we got Caroline in bed, it was time to catch up on kids' notebooks for school, field trip permission slips, fund-raising order forms (due tomorrow, of course) and re-packing backpacks and tote bags.

A quick perusal of Facebook, that wonderful (brief) talk with Beth in Canada, and three loads of laundry later, I'm ready to call it a day. An exhausting, thrilling, emotional, wonderful day.

I promised an update on Beth. She's home from the hospital. Please continue to pray -- we are awaiting news from the biopsy. It was so much fun to hear her voice -- even though it sounds a little different from the surgery on her throat. It was thrilling to hear updates on all her kids -- and to know that Hannah, her youngest, was prancing around her until she told me "hi" over the phone. (Hannah, I know you'll eventually read or hear about this -- and that just made my heart feel so good!!! I love you, sweetie!)

God did amazing things here this weekend -- and he's doing amazing things in Canada. He's doing amazing things wherever you look. Seriously -- look around, even in the small, seemingly insignificant things-- HE'S THERE, and HE'S DOING A NEW THING!!

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."
Isaiah 43:19

Friday, the 13th. . . Sunday, the 15th

2009-11-13T10:08:00.002-05:00

I never really get that superstitious about stuff.

I don't walk under ladders -- um, because that's just not safe.
I don't throw salt over my shoulders -- um, that's messy.
I don't spit into the wind -- um, because that's just dumb.

So, today doesn't freak me out at all. In fact, it's a good day. It's a day where I'm not going to work. (Some would call it my "day off") I'm going to clean my house.

. . .so maybe it's an unlucky day for dust bunnies and germs. I'm just saying. . . .

But on Sunday, the fifteenth, my baby turns fifteen. That's right...we're now starting to talk about drivers permits. And yes, I would recommend you start buying stock in Miss Clairol right now -- because vanity is about to get the best of me, and I'll start washing this gray right outta my hair after the first of the year.

Edison is turning 15.
15 years ago today, I was in church -- answering all sorts of questions about whether or not I thought I would *ever* have this baby. I was preparing for a natural delivery (no drugs or surgery). I had no clue. Seriously, I had no clue.

Edison was actually due on November 14 - and was only one day late. I had no idea how or when to take my maternity leave -- so my first day of maternity leave was Monday, November 14. Talk about a leap of faith. That would take me through the first week of January -- and then I headed back to work.

After that first day of leave passed with no baby, I started to get emotional. I know. . . it's a stretch for me. I started to think that I should have worked even longer -- to get every possible minute with Edison that I would need/want.

And yes, the next morning, I woke up -- in labor. Seventeen hours later, I was nearly 35 pounds lighter -- and over ten of those pounds were HIM.

But, since that day -- yes, I'm gonna say it -- my life has changed forever. I wasn't just a wife, an employee, daughter, or accompanist. I was a MOM.

And this year. . . for some reason. . . the monumental thought of having been a MOM for 15 years is hitting me in a new way. I'm grateful. . .and humble. And suddenly, I'm even more cautious about decisions and reactions that have effects that I may never see in my lifetime.

So, please join me in wishing Edison a very happy 15th birthday -- on Sunday. He's a great kid. He's becoming a phenomenal young man. I see amazing talents and leadership qualities developing in him, and I just pray that with the time Mark and I have left with him at home, we'll be able to help hone some of those abilities & skills -- while taming down his sarcasm. (I swear, I have NO idea where that comes from. . . .)

I'm also asking you to continue to pray for Beth. They are awaiting pathology reports. They are doing some pre-emptive research and consultation -- in case the answers continue to be answers that need follow-up treatment. But, we continue to believe that God can do "immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. . . " (Ephesians 3:20)

I told some friends yesterday that when I went through my testing two years ago, Beth and I talked about "Plan B" when the first answer was inconclusive. Eventually, we wound up at "Plan C" as I had to undergo yet another surgery. One of my favorite posts she wrote was "Z for Zealous" in which she pledged to walk with me -- even if the plans lasted until we finished the alphabet.

That is a friend. That is a warrior.

That, my friends, is faith.

Simply Believing

2009-11-11T15:55:00.003-05:00

My signature line isn't just something I came up with on a whim. Nope. Not even close.

Nearly two years ago, I faced a fear many women face. I had a breast cancer scare.

My mom is a breast cancer survivor -- 15 years this past April. She battled courageously and victoriously, and for that, and many other reasons, she obtained "hero status" in my book.

There are other heroes I've come to know throughout my lifetime -- and a number of them have battled, or are currently battling cancer of some form or another. And although their faith, courage, and triumph is an encouragement to me -- just saying the word "cancer" is enough to send that eerie chill up my spine.

This particular faith expansion project occurred two years ago, in the midst of this Bible study:

I underwent multiple mammograms, ultrasounds, core biopsies, and eventually a surgical procedure -- to determine whether or not I had breast cancer. I didn't. But, those four or five weeks were some of the longest (and most painful) weeks of my life.

It was during this time (and during this Bible study) that I came to a deeper realization that I not only had to know why I believed, I had to know the God in whom I believed. And not only that, I had to understand some basic truths about the God in whom I had put all my hope and trust. I learned that, and claimed boldly that:

God is who He says He is.
God can do what He says He can do.
I am who God says I am.
I can do all things through Christ.
God's word is active and alive in me.

And as I clung to these precious words of faith, I was reminded that my God is a mighty, healing, all-powerful, good, Holy, and most importantly BIG God. Nothing is too difficult for my God.

Throughout this entire process, I had friends and family who were praying me through this ordeal. But one, in particular was doing this from far, far away. Her name is Beth. And she is one of my faith heroes.

I have referenced her many times here on the blog. I've talked about her and her "forty five" kids (it's really just ten -- counting her hubby's kids). I've talked about Jenni and Caroline and how these two girls - separated by 25 years and two countries have indelibly bound our families together. I've recounted stories about shared scrapbook layouts, and recipes.

Two years ago, Beth "held my hand" from Thunder Bay, Ontario to Seymour -- and when my spiritual (and physical) arms got tired, she held them up. You see, she was doing the Bible Study with her girls and a few precious folks from Canada at the same time we were doing it here in Tennessee. She developed a message board on her website for us to talk and pray for each other. She even added a signature line to her blog reflecting the blue bracelets we wore. You can see it on her blog.

Well, today? I've got my blue bracelet on again, for Beth. And today , I'm claiming all those things about God that I believe with all my heart -- on her behalf. And, I'm asking you to do the same.

Beth had a biopsy done today for a lump in her throat. You can read the full story here - her beautiful daughter, Melinda, is doing such a great job keeping information flowing.

But today, would you please pray for her? Would you pray for Tony? Would you ask God, believing that He is BIG, and mighty, and powerful -- to sustain and heal her? It would mean so much to me. . . and to Tony, Jenni, Melinda, Mary, Katherine, Emily, and Hannah.

UPDATE:

I just spoke with Katherine, who is at the hospital with Beth. They completed the biopsy, and the lump that they had hoped would be just an infection is not just an infection. So, we are now praying that the results of the biopsy (1-2 weeks) would be benign. And yes, the waiting is probably one of the hardest parts (if I'm allowed to quote Tom Petty here)

I'm praying for a miracle.
I'm believing in a BIG God.

. . .and I'm asking you to pray with me.

Aforepromised? Word? Not a word?

2009-11-09T20:58:00.005-05:00

I may have made up a word--I'm not sure. Regardless -- as opposed to "irregardless" which is NOT a word -- here are some pictures that I've promised over the past couple of weeks. Sorry for the delay.

Caroline trick-or-treating at (coincidentally) our old house!

Caroline trick-or-treating at Miss Carole's house. (Coincidentally, we currently live in Carole's mother's former house)

Caroline trick-or-treating at Grandma's house. (No more "coincidences" coincidentally)

Caroline and Mommy at the DSAG Fall Festival - October 24. We got lots of mileage out of that ballerina outfit.

This precious little girl just warms my heart. Wanna know why? It's because SHE is the baby that Mark and I prayed for over a year ago. Her mommy and daddy were getting all sorts of confusing information and advice from the medical community before she was born -- they knew she'd have Down syndrome at birth. And sadly, as many doctors and professionals are prone to do -- these parents were being encouraged to consider abortion. Mark and I had the privilege of telling her parents about Caroline, in an effort to encourage them to follow through with the pregnancy, and welcome this precious little girl into the world.

Please know this very true fact: We take NO credit for their decision. But, I was never happier to see a little girl than when I saw her for the first time at Buddy Walk. Getting a chance to actually talk to her face-to face on this day? Well, that was just a joy I cannot express. Welcome to the World, Miss C!!

My little Martha Stewart in training!

Grandma & Caroline at a recent family wedding.

Mommy & Caroline at that same wedding.

Okay - here's where the blog post gets fun. A couple months ago, I was privileged to reconnect with a friend from college. We hadn't seen each other in nearly 20 years -- but through the magic of Facebook, we have been reunited.

His 25th reunion at Milligan was a couple weekends ago. On his way home to Illinois, he stopped here at our house, and spent the afternoon with 3/4 of our family. (Edison went to Dollywood with his grandparents) Caroline and Doug became immediate friends. In fact, she woke up the next morning -- wondering where he had gone.

It was a great time - reconnecting with Doug. And, I have to thank Mark for being so gracious -- and letting us reminisce (gossip) about old times and old friends.

Well, whether or not I may have made up a word, who cares? I did follow through on my promise to post pictures. That's really the most important part of this post.....unless you count the fact that I've blogged twice in one day. That, my friends, is fairly monumental!

"No, Mommy. The Sun is up!"

2009-11-09T14:21:00.000-05:00

That's Caroline's new reasoning for why she won't take a nap -- even when she's falling asleep sitting up. She can't sleep. The sun is up.

Some days, for me, that's all the reason I need.

I know I've been away for far too long, and I apologize. It's been a normal (insane) couple of weeks for our family -- including my dad undergoing surgery yesterday morning. He's doing fine -- should be coming home on Tuesday -- but, still.

I will try to post some Halloween pictures tonight. That's right -- I said I'd blog twice in one day. Kinda scary for me, but I'll see what I can do.

In the meantime, enjoy the sunlight--and remember that it's the reason that you're awake!

Of Tacos. . . and Dolphins - edited

2009-10-23T11:21:00.004-04:00

Last night, while eating her dinner, Caroline announced:

"Mommy? I like tacos. . . .and dolphins!" Clearly, there is no correct response to such a declaration. (laughing doesn't count)

We are enjoying a day at home -- together. She has a 1-day "Fall Break" this weekend. Edison is probably on his way to Nashville, as I type, for his final football game of the season. We're all ready for football to be a thing of the past.

Tomorrow holds a Fall Harvest Party for the Down syndrome group. I am scrambling (literally) go come up with a costume for Caroline. I may have nailed down a ballerina costume from all of her "stuff" but I have to check on some slippers/toe shoes. (Hello? Target?!?!)

I'm not a huge fan of Halloween. I endure it - mainly for the mini Baby Ruth bars. I'm not one of those dedicated Moms who goes out and buys foam, fabric, stuffing, and 17 pounds of glitter for costumes. It's probably hereditary. My mom settled for the "Cinderella" costumes with the acetate/nylon dresses and the "make sure the eyeholes are lined up" masks that got all moist and sweaty inside while you trick-or-treated.

Edison has been a baseball player, Batman, and other various costumes. I think I purchased the Batman costume--and swore I'd never do that again.

Caroline has been Cinderella (purchased -- what can I say? I had a girl) She has also been a pumpkin and a UT cheerleader. (The last was my personal favorite)

Like I said, I'm going for the easiest (cheapest) costume I can find this year -- and the one hitch? It's supposed to be a storybook character for her school costume day next Friday. So, we may have to find a ballerina book to justify her costume. (Yeah, like that's gonna happen)

Otherwise today. . . let's see. I've got a pork roast in the oven, with two loaves of pumpkin bread. My house smells HEAVENLY right now. After the bread is finished, I'll put in a potato casserole. We're making dinner for a friend who broke her arm last week. Not sure what we are having for dinner, but the McRary's should be eating well tonight (if I can say so myself!)

Tonight, I'm going to revel in a night at home. No meetings. No games. No kids (after 8 p.m.). I have a few projects I'm trying to finish up -- so I hope to get them "launched" and completed tonight.

After our party tomorrow, I hope to do a little more relaxing and crafting. Who knows? I might even get back into that scrapbooking room, and try to pick up where I left off four months ago.

Then, on Sunday. . . . oh man, Sunday! I am so excited. My alma mater is having Homecoming this weekend. It's not one of my "monumental" years (20, 25, 30. . .shudder!) so, I'm not going over for the festivities. It's my Dad's 20th reunion -- so he and Mom are going over on Saturday. But, on Sunday afternoon, one of my favorite people from my college years - seriously - is coming for a visit on his way back to Illinois. I haven't seen Doug in over 20 years, so we have tons to catch up on. (However, Facebook has helped us make up for a lot of lost time) He's excited to meet Edison & Caroline (and Mark, of course) and I'm just looking forward to laughing and catching up with someone I love so much.

So, we're looking at quite the weekend. I can't wait -- but what scares me is that it will be over in a flash! Here's hoping it slows down long enough to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells.

. . .and, of course, the dolphins & tacos!

Edited to add: Melinda reminded me about Angelina Ballerina. After checking the "inventory" in Caroline's dresser/closet -- we are going with ballerina! :)

Well, would you lookie there?

2009-10-22T17:11:00.003-04:00

The sun did indeed come up -- and Tuesday was a better day than Monday.

In fact, I apologized to the bus drivers for my "outburst" on Monday -- and after a little convincing, they accepted my apology.

And, as I type this brief recap, Caroline has "redecorated" my kitchen floor with Dora the Explorer memory cards (a matching game) by putting them in her new, plastic jack-o-lantern. I guess she figures Dora cards are the next best thing to candy. (Oh my, she has a lot to learn) She's also using some stray computer cord to "click" them. Not sure what is really going on over there -- but I'm able to type in peace.

It really has been a kinda crazy week. But, I've made it through.

She doesn't have school tomorrow -- Fall break(?). It's homecoming weekend for Seymour schools -- so they had the parade today, and she came home with candy. Not so bad, I suppose. And, being "pizza day" today, she was pretty darn glad to go to school this morning.

Edison's final football game for the season is tomorrow night. It's an away game -- nearly in Nashville. We're going to cheer for him from the comfort of our home. One game in middle TN per year is probably going to be our limit.

He had temporarily decided to join the bowling team after football season, but we've encouraged him to enjoy a bit of a break. He has been doing football since late July -- and with practices not ending until nearly 7 p.m. every night, he's been tired. I think he'll enjoy the break from extra-curricular activities. Of course, he's still involved in the worship band at church, and the worship band at school. So he'll have plenty to keep him out of trouble.

I need to stop this -- and get some more stuff done around the house. I've got a band rehearsal this evening -- and although I'm looking forward to learning a new song, or two -- it's always stressful (just beforehand) getting stuff together, and getting everything organized for a seamless (yeah, right) rehearsal.

So, until I write again. . .

Epic Fail

2009-10-19T23:59:00.003-04:00

That was my Monday. Epic Fail from start to finish. Why? It's simple. I am not a good confront-er. I don't like to ruffle feathers. I don't like to make waves.

I love living out that Eagles' lyric: "I got a peaceful, easy feelin'. . . " You know? Today was not that, at all. My final FB status update for the day was, and is:

Angie Knowles Aubrey

Ya know? I'd almost go for a "Groundhog Day" do-over. I would *not* have made a phone call. . . *not* entertained a discussion that has me stressed out. . .and I would *not* have wasted a couple hours at home this afternoon -- wallowing in my crappy day. Oh well. . . it's almost Tuesday! 6 minutes ago clear

For those of you with a facebook account, you will recognize that I pretty much just cut & pasted that status update. If I still had a Twitter account, I'd have "tweeted" that as well.

There are stories behind those "vignettes" and more stories that aren't reflected in the brief re-cap of my day. But, I'm not going to tell those stories. There really wouldn't be any good point in doing that. Bottom line: Today sucked -- out loud.

Tomorrow? Well, I'm hoping for some resolution to the chaos from today. I'm hoping for a "reconciliation" between a teenage boy and his parents who had a little "discussion" tonight about the proper and improper use of cell phones during the school day. (Ahem. . . ) And, above all, I'm hoping that our Buddy Walk de-briefing meeting tomorrow night will be fun, exciting, and filled with lots of laughter. I could use laughter right about now.

And so, with that, I have very little else to say. Tomorrow, by all odds, has to be better. I suppose it could be worse -- but that would surely scare the bejeezers out of me. So, I'm grasping onto some hope that the sun will, indeed, come out tomorrow. . .

. . . bet your bottom dollar!

In Daunting Company

2009-10-16T14:27:00.003-04:00

Just got home from a whirlwind shopping trip in anticipation of my cousin's wedding this weekend. Caroline needed dressy shoes. . . Mark needed a new dress shirt and tie. . .and I needed something to wear. I looked at a dress. . . but didn't like the only one I tried on. So, I opted for a new black/white/tan tunic that will go nicely with a pair of black wide-leg dressy pants. (They look like a skirt. . . so I'm good) I also got a new necklace to go with my tunic, and another new blouse (work clothes for me!)

Then, I stopped at Big Lots -- and stocked up on fall placemats, and a bunch of scrapbooking supplies. Sweet!

There was also time squeezed in for Chick-Fil-A. If you have never experienced a Chick-Fil-A sandwich, my friends, you just haven't lived. Those of you that enjoy sweet tea (ick) . . .I hear theirs is good. They have Diet Dr. Pepper -- so they're aces in my book.

There was my trip. It was quick, but fun. And best of all - productive!!

Now onto other things. My title, for one. . . .

While I was driving home (sitting in a drive thru at Sonic) my phone let me know that I'd received an email. Sure enough, it was from my sister/friend Beth in Canada. She encouraged me to go to her daughter Melinda's blog because there was something of interest there for me.

If you haven't clicked yet, here's the link.

That's right -- sweet, wonderful, naive Melinda referenced me as a recipe source with the likes of Martha Stewart and the Pioneer Woman. I was dumbfounded. . . .but very honored.

So, in Melinda's honor, I'm going to give the recipe for a soup that I "invented" last week. I didn't really invent it, I just adapted another recipe to suit my tastes -- and the leftovers I had in the freezer. If you make it, please enjoy it with my best wishes (gosh, now I sound like Paula Deen!)

Smoky Chicken Corn Chowder

You need:
Chicken (3 boneless/skinless breasts)
Bacon
Potatoes
Carrots
Red Pepper
Celery
Onion
Minced Garlic
Milk
Flour
Butter
Chicken Broth
Parsley
Cayenne Pepper
Nutmeg
Salt/Pepper

If you've got that stuff, you'll be fine!

1) Cut an entire pound of bacon into pieces. Then, fry it in a skillet. KEEP THE DRIPPINGS. Set bacon on a paper towel-lined plate to cool & drain.
2) Dice 1 onion (or so) 1 red pepper, and 3 stalks celery - saute them with 1 t. minced garlic in the bacon drippings. Pull them out when the onions are soft.
3) Cut your chicken breasts into small pieces. Fry them in the bacon drippings. Add more from your jar of reserved drippings (fridge) or add olive oil, if necessary. When the chicken is done, pull it from the skillet.
4) In a separate pan, make a roux from 2 T each butter & flour. Add 3 c. milk and make a white sauce. Add a pinch of nutmeg, cayenne, and salt & pepper to taste.
5) In your favorite soup cooker -- put onions/celery/peppers, 2 chopped carrots, and 3-4 peeled & diced potatoes. Cover them with 2 cans of chicken broth (or one box). Cook until veggies are soft.
6) Stir the white sauce into the vegetables.
7) Stir in the cooked chicken (which should have little "bacon bits" stuck to it from cooking in the bacon grease)
8) Add in the 2 cups (or so) of leftover corn you've been keeping in the freezer. Or, drain and add two cans of whole corn (or 2 cups of frozen bagged corn)
9) Add 1 T dried parsley and stir everything together. Allow it all to come together -- the longer it cooks and sits, the better.
10) If your soup is thin, you can add 1/3 c. instant potato flakes to thicken it up -- otherwise, let it cook with the lid OFF -- and the steam will escape and thicken the soup.

To serve, throw a handfull of the chopped bacon on top of the soup and enjoy.

I know it seems kinda haphazard -- but that's kinda how I cook!

I love you, Melinda!!!!

Change is . . .

2009-10-15T08:15:00.003-04:00

difficult
painful
exhilarating
emotionally draining

. . .and it's happening around here.

Last night, at the conclusion of youth group, our youth minister announced that he is going to a new ministry in Virginia. Most of the kids were surprised -- but oddly, none of them showed their raw emotions while still at church.

Once they got home? Sounds like a different story altogether. And yes, that includes my house.

Indeed, things are quiet and "sulkish" if that's a word. Sullen is another one that comes to mind. Edison is taking this one on the chin -- he was, and is very close to Tim. And, he's not the only one.

I've worked with Tim for nearly four years. I've gotten used to him sneaking in my office -- throwing things at me -- wrestling with colleagues (not me, of course) -- and making me laugh just before it's time to pray. And those, my friends, are the things I'm going to miss.

Being in ministry means saying "goodbye," and that's one part of ministry that I despise. But, God leads -- God calls -- and God provides. He already has in mind the person that will come and take Tim's place. My prayer is that whoever this "someone" is. . . .he'll love on our kids that are so desperately hurting right now.

Other than that. . . we are experiencing good changes. The weather is finally starting to change. Leaves still retain their "greenish hue" but the days of gold, orange, brilliant red, and brown are coming. Which also means -- our leaf blower will come out of seclusion very soon. (sigh)

This past Monday, we went to parent/teacher conferences for Caroline -- two, because of her inclusion class & her special education (contained) classroom. They both went EXTREMELY well. She's doing great -- spending nearly 10 hours each week in regular Kindergarten. We've asked for that to increase, and I hope that it will -- very soon.

But, according to both teachers, she is adapting very well to the school environment. She had one day -- a couple weeks ago -- where she had croup, and we kept her home (I think). She managed to get beyond that, and has just flourished at school.

She loves Thursdays -- that's Pizza day!

She loves when the Home Depot people come to her class (once a month) and help them build projects. Yesterday, it was a bank.

She loves when the "Habit" Dog comes for a visit. This is ironic - because she's afraid of dogs, usually. I was told that it was a very "mature" golden retriever -- in fact, Caroline's teacher said that the dog sleeps nearly the entire time she's with the class. So, she's obviously not a threat to Caroline. But, she loves when the dog comes for a visit.

Bottom line: Baby Girl loves school. And, from what they told us -- school loves her right back.

Last thoughts -- change really is all around us. On Saturday, my cousin will marry a really nice guy. Edison is one of the groomsmen/ushers -- so yes, there will be some smokin' tuxedo pictures come Sunday or Monday.

I'm going to end today with a quote from the enlightened philosopher, Ferris Bueller:

"Life moves pretty fast; if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it."

Just One More Reason. . . .

2009-10-09T14:47:00.002-04:00

Here's another reason why I love him so. . . .

Caroline's Hero

Since I love him so much -- and you like me (at least most of you do) -- please visit his site, and thank him for this post.

Thanks!

Have we Met?

2009-10-05T22:55:00.005-04:00

I used to blog . . .here. . . at this site. (ha ha!) Yes, I am back -- and if I still have any readers, I'd be honored to re-introduce myself, if necessary.

Okay, all joking aside. Here are a few pics. The stories may have to wait until tomorrow. But for now, enjoy. . . .

Yep - that's my girl, riding on a pony. The look of shock on my face is probably due to the fact that last year, she wanted NO part of any rides involving equestrians of any kind!

This is my birthday buddy, Leilani. Baby Leilani is now nearly a year and a half old. In this post, we were at a butterfly release, praying for good health for Leilani as she faced open heart surgery. I'd say those butterflies successfully delivered prayers to God, wouldn't you??

This is Caroline's favorite uncle -- Steve. We say "favorite" because he blogs and I blog, and on each others' blogs, we throw the word "favorite" around. (Lori, if you're reading this -- assure Chris that he's Caroline's favorite) (Steve, when you read this, disregard the comment to Lori & Chris!) Ha ha ha ha!

Grandma & Grandpa got to walk Caroline this year -- and the stroller was chosen more for ease -- theirs -- than for Caroline's. (Did I mention how she likes to bolt from us when she can?!)

This my precious friend, Narda, who works for the city of Knoxville. I swear, I don't think I could have gotten through the walk without her expert help and encouragement. Having her attend the walk was even more special -- because all of our (combined) hard work finally came through with something awesome!

Yeah, at the end of the day, it all comes down to the cotton candy!

Still Here

2009-09-22T21:18:00.003-04:00

. . . just going back and forth between feeling sick and overwhelmingly busy.

We're good.
Kids are well (sorta)
Jobs are good
God? Oh, he's ALWAYS good

I promise I'm coming back.
I'll even promise pictures.

If I do, will you still be my friends?

I sure hope so. . . . .

Never Give Up

2009-09-13T22:24:00.002-04:00

. . .on wayward bloggers. They eventually make their way back "home" to their blogs. Unfortunately, this is one of those brief, somewhat meaningless blog entries. Because, alas, I am exhausted. . . and I don't have any inspiration on which to write.

But I do have this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oas7Ggqq6b0

. . . . it's the promo that we're using at our church for this year's Buddy Walk.

I've been sitting on this for a few days. . .not wanting to upstage it's debut this morning at the Externally Focused Ministry Fair at church. (DSAG qualifies!)

So, here you go. It will also be linked on facebook, in case you want to see it again--in between taking those ridiculous quizzes, and sending your friends flowers, boxes of candy, and redneck gifts! :)

Enjoy!!
Angie

Road Trip!!!

2009-09-05T21:21:00.006-04:00

We have just arrived back from a whirlwind trip to Nashville. We went over for one of Edison's away games. . . and had a ball. Yes, I said, "We." Yes, that "we" means Mark, Caroline, and me. And yes, baby girl loved her some football.

okay, there were moments when she wasn't thrilled. But, there were more moments when she had fun than when she didn't. Want to see? Okay, I'm happy to oblige. . .

That's right. . . she was enthralled by the cheerleaders. Seriously.

Can you say, "I wanna be just like those girls?"

. . .I thought you could! :) And, they couldn't have been sweeter. Seriously -- these girls were so precious with her last night. It was amazing. No doubts--we'll go to more games, just so she can get to know some of them better.

Oh? The brother? Yeah, he was there, too. . .

(he *might* be in this picture -- other side of #15 (green team) but I'm not sure) This next one is DEFINITELY him. . . Number 51.

This picture has Edison in motion. .. hence the blurry picture. But, check out #51!!

Even though is a rear-facing shot, this next picture is one of my favorites thus far. . . .

I see a scrapbook layout in that picture -- not sure which one, but I see one. (black & white. . shadowy images. . . yeah, it's there!)

I'm now going to attempt to upload a video of Caroline (maybe two) jamming with the cheerleaders. It was hilarious -- but so much fun!!

What you may not be able to see/hear at the end? Words that we love to hear her say. . .

"I did it."

Pardon me, I may need to shed a tear or two -- you see, I want her life to be one long series of exclamations like that. She's an amazing little girl -- and I think we've only just begun to see what she can do.

My challenge to you? Stay tuned--because this will be one of the first places where we'll post her amazing contributions to society.

Oh, and Edison's team won. . . .which made the trip even more fun!