Halloween Fun!

Here's our slide show from the Block Party at our church tonight. By early numbers, it looks like nearly 1000 people joined in the fun. Here it is through my family's eyes.

And WHAT IS a Snapdragon?

Heather's post today made me realize I forgot what it even meant to "be" a snapdragon (or any other flower for that matter)! SO....I went to look up the definition, here it is according to that quiz:

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

I don't know quite how to take that mischief part....she said with a smile and a wink!!

I'm going to blog more later....and I think I'm off to see if I can figure out what Echinacea is on that quiz. Lynn said someone came out with that description...can't even picture it. It's a little Fall fun anyway.

As I pointed out to Heather, I'm awful glad there ARE more flowers in the garden!! It would be rather boring if we were all the same, wouldn't it???

Just What IS Public Service????

I witnessed a car accident today. One car turned right without even stopping for the red light that was in front of her. She kind of "eased" into the road and the other car that was in front of me (with the green light) tried to move away from the car, but couldn't. It was almost like watching slow motion.

I pulled right behind the two cars as they pulled over. I got out of my car and soon discovered that these were very senior citizens. The front car (the one who doesn't understand red lights) lady asked me, "Why are we stopped?" I told her that she hit the car that was now behind her when she didn't stop at the light. She said, "Do you think I'll need my insurance card?" I told her I was certain someone would want her card because that car didn't have a front bumper anymore.

In the second car, was a couple. She immediately pulled out a plastic envelope filled with papers. I have to be honest I wondered if she'd done this a time or two. I asked them if they were OK and she said yes. She asked me if I saw the accident. I told her I did. She immediately handed me a card from her neat little packet and said, "Would you fill this out?" It was a "Witness Card" to be given to anyone at an accident who said they saw it.

I went back to my car and dialed 9-1-1. Enter Public Service.

The lady at 911 asked me a ton of questions. I told her I saw the accident, no one was hurt, yes the cars were damaged, no there was no power line down, no there was no leakage from the cars....she told me she'd send a public service aide right out.

And we waited. I had a meeting at 4:00 across town. I was obviously going to be late for it. We waited for almost 20 minutes. I called 911 back and asked them if I was OK leaving. She was a bit short with me, but said I could leave as long as I had given them my information. I let the people in both cars know that I was leaving and that someone would be right along.

In the meantime, I called my FIL who I knew was going to be in that area when he picked my DS 4 up from school. He went by there at 4:15 and there was still not a Public Service Aide there. These senior citizens had been sitting in their hot cars for close to 45 minutes! He called 911 to follow-up and the operator was not so friendly.

About that time, an undercover police officer showed up and took care of it.

I'm glad he showed up....I just have to wonder WHAT and WHERE was the public service? Should these people have had to wait so long in their hot cars for help? Should they have been left there on the side of the road without anyone else there? I think response time is important. I realize there could have been other things happening, but we don't live in a tiny town. There should be more than ONE person to respond. I was disappointed and surprised by the amount of time that passed before these people saw anyone besides me or my FIL. That is just not right!!

What do you think is fair "wait time" in this type of situation?

Because I Promised....

I've made two blogging promises that I haven't kept. The first is that I promised Lynn I would do this, here it is.....

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

Since Mary was also a Snapdragon...I am curious to know if there ARE any other flowers??? OR, are well that much alike in our answers?

And the second promise I made was to Dan that I'd post this picture for a friend of his from work

This is Paula Deen's son. We think it's Bobby. I am certain that those Paula and Son's experts out there will correct me if I am wrong.

OK, promises kept...I'll blog more later.

Photographs and Memories

Do you remember that song?

I am finally home and want to share my week of memories in photos:

Here I am with Mary in front of California Dreamin. We had a WONDERFUL visit! I knew she was neat before I met her face to face, but now I am certain of it. She is a true bundle of JOY!
After I met Mary and Mom and I hung out in Charleston a bit, it was off to Greensboro, NC for work! This is the view from our hotel where we could see the leaves starting to show off their Fall colors for us. I LOVE Fall...so was thankful we got to see some color while there. It was a REAL treat. And then we were off to Savannah to meet Sandy (aka Flip Flop Floozie) at Lady and Sons. Mom and I are standing in the line at 9:30 to get a number at 10:00 only to come back at 11:00 for lunch! If you have not read about Paula Deen and her great restaurant, here's a link: Lady and Sons.

Here's the line...to the front door...and it got much longer than this!
And here's Sandy (on the left taking a picture) and Mom watching the lady that steps into the street and asks "Are ya'll ready to eat?" She doesn't ask once. Nope. She asks it until she's satisfied that the crowd is REALLY ready THEN she rings the dinner and says, "Come and get it!" (We obeyed!)

I had to add another post below to allow me to get all the pics in. Blogger wasn't cooperating...keep reading....

More Photographs and Memories...

I'm going to see if blogger will let me continue my story in this post.

Here's Sandy and I at Lady and Sons.
Here's Sandy showing off the buffet. She was good and didn't eat from it. Being visitors here and knowing it will be a long time before we come to Paula Deen's again, Mom and I had the lunch buffet. MMMMM!!!!


After we left Sandy, Mom and I toured the city. We enjoyed the many sites of Savannah. My favorite was the St. John the Baptist Cathedral and it's gorgeous stained glass windows!
I also quite enjoyed the tour of the Juliette Gordon Lowe Birthplace. You might know that this is the lady who founded the Girl Scouts. What I didn't know before is just how artistic she was. It was amazing. She painted, sculpted, carved wood AND she handmade this iron gate for her garden:


We rounded out our trip with a visit to a lady who was our neighbor when I was a child (more than 30 years ago). She is now 91 and lives in Savannah with her two daughters. It was so neat to see her after all these years.


As you can see, it was a WONDERFUL trip that will live on in these photos (and the many others that I took) for years to come. Thanks to everyone who let us drop in and visit a while. It was GREAT!!

Savannah Smiles!!

I have gone from Charleston Charm to Savannah Smiles!! Today I met Sandy for lunch. I can't wait to post all my pics from my "blogroll tour"....but will have to do it when I get home. I didn't bring my chord to upload pics.

We had a DELIGHTFUL time eating at Lady and Sons. It was wonderful. And what a trooper Sandy is for pressing on to find a parking space! This is a task that is nearly impossible here in Savannah I understand. I KNOW she looked for one for at least 30 minutes after the first time she passed us on the corner...so, Sandy, thank YOU for persevering!

I so totally enjoyed our time together. Yes, I do think it's a great idea to get together with those "friends" we've made via the Internet....

And, no, Sandy is NO axe murderer (even though I DID think about stopping a buying a plastic axe to bring with me)---DS 2, I am TOTALLY fine!

Home tomorrow....I'll update then.

Top O' the Mornin' To Me....

I tried to post this last night, but blogger wasn't cooperating. I know it's Thursday and time for TT, I'll have to do that later on this evening.

Yesterday morning, I received the most wonderful call from my sweet husband! I picked up the phone and heard these words, "Good morning love of my life!" Those words rang in my ear the rest of the day. I love that man!!!

So, to dh....

"Thank you for the wonderful wake up call....love of my life!"

I love that man!

Charleston Charm...

OK, I rolled into Charleston last night at Dusk and must admit I found myself wondering, "Where's that Charleston Charm that everyone talks about?" Mom and I went to the Mall, we drove a bit around in the dark, but still couldn't quite see it.

This morning I drove down to the Visitor's Center to see what we could find before our lunch "date" with Mary. I still didn't quite find the "charm" that I was looking for until we went to California Dreamin' at lunch. Mary is FILLED with charm!!!! It is so funny to meet someone in real life and already know so much about them. We shared a wonderful meal...including soup and salad that wouldn't go away despite the fact that I kept chewing and swallowing...and super conversation.

My Mother commented as we drove out of the parking lot, "It was as if you had always known each other." I think no higher compliment could be paid. She's right.

Mary, thanks for a delightful and CHARMING meal!! We had a great bus tour and found all the historic homes after we left our lunch...but the memory that shall remain dearest is actually meeting this person that I have considered "friend" over the Internet for the year.

Now, I CAN'T WAIT for Thursday when I get to meet Sandy!!

(I can't post any pics while I'm on the road, so you'll have to hop on over to Mary's Place to see them.)

Somebody's Been Sneaking in MY Room!!

Remember when Goldilocks fell asleep in the Bears' house? Remember when they found her? I had a Goldilocks experience yesterday.

I am on a week-long trip to promote my new book. I have been in Orlando for the last three days. Yesterday, I came back to my room to do some work while my friend, M, went over to a keynote session. As I sat at the desk in the hotel room typing, I heard a key in the door. It was about time for M to be back, so I didn't think too much of it. I also heard voices talking. I didn't think too much of that either because we were meeting friends for dinner.

So I stayed at the desk and kept typing. I should note that the door opened in such a way that I couldn't see who was opening it until they peeked around it.

Well, suddenly I heard a voice say, "Somebody's in our room!" The voice, which came from a small scantily clad twenty-something girl, was a surprise to me. As she peered around the door at me, I replied, "NO, somebody's in MY room!" (in my best Mama Bear voice.) She and her friend turned to the males that now appeared with them and said, "What's going on here?" I said, "This WAS my room and IS my room until tomorrow." They apologized and shut the door.

I called the front desk. The lady there told me there had "been a mix-up" and they had issued these people a key for my room number when they meant to issue it for the room just across from mine.

All I can say is "Thank GOODNESS it was a "mix-up" and they were not axe murderers or something....!" And "I'm so glad I was working in my clothes and not my pajamas or something!"

Speaking of axe murderers, this week I get to meet two blogging friends, Mary and Sandy. I am SO excited! I remember when I read about three more blogging friends meeting with their husbands some months ago. It was really neat.

DS 2, however, has had a GRAND time with this. He said he can picture the headline now, "Learning for Lifetime killed by Flip Flop Floozie" (sorry, Sandy--he's a bit "off" sometimes). I had to LAUGH when I DID go visit Sandy's blog yesterday and found this picture of her in her Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt . I LAUGHED out loud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, I'm even MORE excited to meet these two sweet blogging women! DS 2 it will be FINE!!!!!!!!!

Besides, I "survived" Goldilocks in Orlando!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today's my Dad's birthday. I am the worst at picking out presents for him. I mean what do you get a person who has "everything"? I thought I'd send him this "blog card" to start with. Let me introduce you to this man:

Dad loves to laugh. He enjoys a good story and can make you laugh until the tears run freely down your cheeks. I think my brother mentioned the "jacket joke" on his blog not long ago. He is a great joke teller and the "jacket" is one of the oldest that we never tire of hearing.

Dad is a "softie". He sometimes presents a very tough exterior, but I think truth-be-told he's all MUSH on the inside. He has written me several letters over the years that I treasure. I think he's even gotten "mushier" as we've aged and added more and more grandkids to his "brood".

He knows and loves the value of family and its history. He is working diligently to put together our family history. He's not just making a simple "tree" to pass down. Instead, he is digging up stories from the past and the present and including them in what I am certain will be a treasure for years to come.

Thank you, Dad, for all you do and for all you are! I love you!

Five for Five Meme

A Meme!
I was tagged with this meme by Jane over at Cozy Reader with this fun meme:


1. Five minutes to yourself...How would you spend them?
-In total SHOCK that I had five minutes (OK, I'm kidding)
-Reading
-Breathing in and out and relaxing
-Whispering a prayer
-Blogsurfing

2. Five dollars to spend...How or where would you spend it?
-Shopping at the used book store
-Giving it to one of my boys
-Visit the dollar store
-school supplies
-My daily Diet Coke visit

3. Five items in your house you could part with right now.
-The light over my dining room table
-my carpet
-my husband's dresser (it doesn't match anything)
-the dishwasher (time for a new one)
-papers, papers, papers!!

4. Five items you asolutely, positively could NEVER part with.
-my photo albums
-the church pew
-my Grandma's paintings
-the old school desk
-my computer

5. Five words you love.
-meander
-absolutely
-passion
-adorable
-unconditional

I'm going to tag Mary, Dan and KT.

The Accomplice I'm Not

Tonight's the big game. I'm sure that no matter where you live, there's a "big game". You know, the two rival high schools meet on a football field and the town goes wild! Tonights our night. SHS meets RHS. Orange meets Maroon. I've been to this game once in the past eight years. It's high energy and it's fun...but it's a tight squeeze for seats to be certain.

DSs 2 and 3 started talking about it last night. They had a plan. They wanted to go all out for the game. This morning they were still talking about going "paint shopping". My two normally level-headed children decided they wanted to be like the crazies who get on the fan film at football games. They wanted to paint themselves---maroon! Off they went to find maroon body paint this afternoon...but it's SOLD OUT! I thought October would be a "perfect" time to find it....no luck. They brought, instead, three tubes of red and one tube of purple at the clerk's suggestion. DS 2 also figured they may need black to tone it down.

I tried to help them mix it. First it was too red. Add more purple. Then it was kind of fuscia colored. Add black to tone it down. Then it was sort of brick red....we mixed and mixed. And the clock kept ticking.

Finally, DS 2 said he wanted to go to the other party store and see if they could just get maroon. No luck.

I'm not one that you would EVER find painted up at a football game. I like them, sure, but painted, NO WAY! I tried to help them....I wanted them to have fun....but I simply couldn't get the right mix.

Still they are gone. They are at the game. I'm sure they'll find a way to have fun sans the paint.

Now, I'm going to go figure out how to make maroon!!

And to think that I saw it in Taco Bell....

Tonight DS 4 and I went to Taco Bell for dinner. He and I stayed at school late due to violin and then planned to go to the school's skate night at our local rink.

While we were in Taco Bell, a young lady walked in with this little girl in tow. The lady was dressed in uniform and ready for work. She went to the cash register and clocked in. I kept looking for the person that was going to take the little girl...I totally understand tag-teaming. But no one came. The Mother went behind the counter while the little girl sat quietly in the booth waiting.

Soon, the Mother returned with a quesadilla and a drink. She cut it for the little girl and made sure it was cooled off. Then, she returned to the food line where she was stationed to make food.

This little girl is....well....LITTLE!!!!! She was so quiet. She'd speak in a quiet voice to others around her (I am pretty sure it was all Spanish)...but they didn't pay attention.

She sat still. She ate. Occasionally she'd pop up like you see her here and then sit back down to eat.

I kept waiting....but no one came. I watched this for nearly 45 minutes! I had to leave. I wanted to tell the Mom that I would sit and play with her. I wanted to protect her from the crowds of people that filled the restaurant...and so easily could have walked off with her before Mom looked back up.

I am sure Mom was doing the best she could. I know it was better than leaving the child unattended at home (I've seen that at school and in foster care before.)

But, she was so......

LITTLE!!!!!!!!

And the world we live in is so.....

BIG!!!!!!!!!!!

A Lesson that Stings a Bit

As some of you know, I have many teacher's guides that I have to write in the next couple of weeks. I have made a good dent in them and that is a good thing. In order to stay on top of them, though, I should write one each night (on average) to get them to the editor and the publisher on time.

Last night, I sat down with my laptop to check email, blogs, and "stuff". DS 3 was on the computer in my room doing his homework. As I sat on the bed, laptop in hand, I thought out loud, "Oh, I SHOULD write a teacher's guide, but I don't want to." It really wasn't meant to be a conversational statement...but it quickly became one. DS 3 calmly looked at me and said, "What if I decided that I don't really feel like doing my Science Journal tonight?" OUCH!!!

Again I was reminded that they are ALWAYS watching and listening to us! I told him he was right, dutifully started working on stuff that needed to get done rather than stuff I "wanted" to do!! Thanks, Son!

Monday Memory

I was trying to think of a good memory to share. Then I went to Lazy Daisy's place last night and read her memory of a church nursery nightmare. It reminded me of some of the funny stories I have had in church nurseries and Sunday School with my own kids. So.......

Did I ever tell you about the time my DS 2 fired his Sunday School teacher?

DH and I had just been appointed to a new church. We had two young sons at the time (ages 5 and almost 4). The almost-4-year-old went to Sunday School one week not long after we arrived at this church. The teacher came up to DH and I after church and said, "I need to talk to you about M." This always made me cringe because he was a bit strong-willed as a toddler. She continued, "He got upset with me in class today." I still can't remember exactly WHAT he was upset about...but it really doesn't matter. She said, "He looked at me and said, 'My Dad's the boss of this church and he's going to fire you!'"

Now you or I might have told a young mother this story with a smile. It IS kind of funny, if you think about it. She wasn't happy though. She was a bit older and really seemed to be from the "children were to be seen and not heard" era. OK, maybe she wasn't quite that bad...but it seemed like it to me.

The young pastor's wife turned beet red and pictured the next Staff Parish meeting where they decided that DH just wasn't a good "fit" for this place! It didn't happen (thank goodness).

On Morning Routines with Teens, Pre-teens, and Children

I am sitting in my room this morning reading and relaxing and preparing for our Sunday.

DS 3 came in my room half-dazed still from his night's sleep. He said, "I'm going to take a quick shower." (Picture Eeyore saying it.) I said, "OK. Do you want to use my shower?" He mumbled, "No, I'll use our shower." And off he went.

About this time, I heard DS 4 get out of bed. He was singing a glorious song to himself as he wandered through the house getting ready. He is still humming as I type this. I thought to myself, "I wish that everyone would get up singing and humming in the morning. How much more calm and relaxed might our day be?"

Suddenly I heard 18yo teen/adult DS 1 start banging on the bathroom door and yelling at his pre-teen brother to GET OUT OF THE BATHROOM! His tyrade went on about "bathroom etiquette". I am not sure if there's "morning etiquette" for yelling at your family members---although I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist in his book when he is in the "last-minute" mode and someone has cramped his style.

He gave his brother a lecture about taking too long in the bathroom (literally it was about 7 minutes) and I reminded him that we DO have more than ONE bathroom. That didn't really matter to him. He reminded me that his brother needed to know that other people had to get ready and that he was late and that he took too long in the shower...and so on and so on...I think I wanted to hum a pretty tune!!

And that is precisely what DS 4 is still doing!

We could learn a lot from children (and teens), can't we??? May we all have song in hearts today....AND avoid "long showers"!

Working FOR the Weekend...or ON the weekend???

Remember the old song, "Everybody's workin' for the weekend"? I've said before I always PLAN to work FOR the weekend. I work hard during the week so that I can have a weekend....but lately...I keep working ON and THROUGH the weekend. I'm trying to stop, really I am. This weekend I've been somewhat successful.

Today, we spent 3 and 1/2 hours at the soccer field. Between DS 2 and 4, we had back to back soccer games. It was actually nice that both games happened on the same field this week. Since DS 2's team travels, they are sometimes out of town, dividing our attention. DS 4 scored FOUR goals in his game. In fact, these were the only scores by his team. It was fun, but it was DARN HOT out there!!!! Just doesn't seem right that it should be 90 degrees in October.

I went to Walmart this afternoon....I can always do some damage there. I was so excited because my small group always buys water bottles as gifts for Women's Emmaus (weekend renewal). We are usually excited when we can find bottles for $1. Today, while browsing in Walmart, I saw a HUGE bin full of colorful water bottles for 10 cents (yep, you read that right) a piece!!!!!!!!!!! Who can resist THAT kind of a savings????? I promptly went to the front of the store and got an empty cart (because my cart was already full).

I decided that I'd buy for this upcoming weekend AND the next two (a total of 180 bottles). They filled the second cart. It was funny to see people's faces when they saw this crazy woman walking through Walmart with two carts and one filled completely with water bottles! What was even funnier is that every 20 or so steps, one bottle would fall off the cart!! I can never do anything quietly!

When I got to the checkout, the guy's eyes almost bugged out of his head when he saw my two carts. He had to ring up 10 cents all 180 times. When he pulled my cash register receipt, he held it up to see how long it was and said, "I've been working at Walmart a while and THAT is the longest receipt I've seen!" How proud I am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow DH leaves for a week. I am always sad when he's away, but am happy that he gets to travel and help churches all over the country. It's what he's passionate about...and that's a good thing.

On another note, for those of you praying for my SIL and her family. Heather came through surgery just fine. She will be in the hospital for the next few days and on strict no lifting rest for about 4 weeks. Please continue to keep all of them in your prayers as they receive pathology reports and acclimate to life at home with Mom on rest.

And finally, DS 3 has proclaimed me STRANGE...no surprise there. He was reading my blog and noticed that I wish I could wake up tomorrow and cartwheel. He said, "You could have picked ANYTHING, Mom....WHY cartwheels???" I don't know...it's my blog and that's what came to my mind!!!

That's all for now...just didn't want you all to think I'd fallen off the blogging wagon!!

Prayer Requests

I'm going to ask anyone who reads this post, to send up a special prayer for my SIL, Heather. She's experiencing some health issues and could use some prayers. Hope you are feeling better soon, Heather.

Also, say a special prayer for my cyberfriend, Mary. She lost her 47 year-old Father-in-Law in a tragic accident this week.

Please pray for peace for both of these situations. Thank goodness we serve a God who loves us and wants to hold us when things are rough.

Blessings!

Brand New Meme

Marytagged me with this interesting and meaningful meme:

1. Favorite memory of your mother? My Mother is pretty spontaneous. I think one of my favorite things that makes me smile is thinking about her hearing sirens and saying, "Let's go see what happened!" Or, all the times we just stayed home and laughed and enjoyed each other. One thing we used to do at home is sit together on the piano bench and play and sing through the hymnal. I loved that! I am so glad that she took the time and felt the conviction to raise us in the church. I know it has set my entire life on a path that is filled with blessings.

2. Favorite memory of your father? I think family vacations would have to be my favorite memories here. We'd travel and listen to Eight Track Tapes (some of you aren't even old enough to remember these!) and sing and laugh. I also remember when we'd ask what time it was, he'd reply, "What time do you have to be there?" His likes to make sure people around him are laughing and having a good time. If this meant that HE needed to provide the humor, he would (and does).

3. What one skill would you like to wake up tomorrow and be able to do (though you'd never learned it)? OK this is kind of strange. I wish I could have learned to do a cartwheel. I tried. It wasn't in my genes, I guess.

4. Which one of your dreams has come true?Besides my wonderful husband and family (which is definitely my #1 dream come true...I have been able to be in a career to which I felt called. I have not only been able to touch a small class of kids, but have seen God expand my horizons by letting me work in classrooms and schools all around the country.

I'm tagging: Heather (when she's feeling better), Dan, and Lynn (I'm hoping that Dan and/or Lynn tag Greg--hint, hint!)

More Reading Notes...

If you read my blog regularly, then you know that I am reading Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver. I posted about this last week here.

The story is a famous one from the gospel of Luke where Jesus drops by the house of Mary and Martha. According to some scholars, he may have dropped by with up to 70 other people. While Jesus sat in the Living Room teaching, Mary sat at his feet. As her sister, Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, Martha was scurrying about to make preparations for the meal. She gets a little testy and goes to Jesus and complains about her sister's lack of care in this situation.

Now, many people that I talk to are in the SAME boat as me...they wonder just HOW the work would get done if the hostesses BOTH sat down. They did, however, have to eat, right?

I just finished chapter four and think that Weaver agrees with this. It's not that the service was wrong, it was that Martha was worried and couldn't stop and sit still for a moment at the feet of Jesus.

Weaver notes that in that day it was certainly expected that women would make all the preparations. It certainly wasn't that Martha didn't LOVE Jesus, she DID invite him into her home. But Jesus sensed her worry when he said, "Martha, you're worried about many things, but only one thing is needed." His note would have surprised the men in the room, because he was inviting her to take a seat with her sister at his feet. He was inviting her to rest and to know him.

This chapter ended with a BIG ah-hah for me. We ARE surrounded by legitimate needs and legitimate areas of service. When you have a Martha personality, it's your nature to jump up when no one else will and say, "I'll do it." We might even do it well...but it's not what God wants us to do.

Weaver says...

while there are manythings that need to be done, things I'm capable of and want to do, I am not always the one to do them. Even if I have a burden for a certain need or project, my interest or concern is not a surefire sign that I need to be in charge. God may only be calling me to pray that the right person will rise up to accomplish it. What's more, I may be stealing someone else's blessing when I assume I must do it all.

Interesting, isn't it? Weaver quotes Charles Spurgeon who wrote:

"Her fault was not that she served. The condition of a servant well becomes every Christian. Her fault was that she grew 'cumbered with much serving' so that she forgot him and only remembered the service."

May we all choose "one thing" that is needed today and not bite off more than we can (or we SHOULD) chew!