this and that

busy day for me
worked at the main office
been out of the loop
and it is hard and exhausting
to be part of the working world again
even if it's only part time

especially when my heart
is still anchored deep
at home

sad news today
my friend with cancer
had a doctor's appointment today
and he said it would be best
to call in hospice
i talked to her daughter
who said the doctor
was not all that encouraging
and her time here with us
is short
on one hand
i am grateful that this faithful spirit
will be united with her Savior
and feel no more pain or hurt
and have no more tears
but i'm selfish
i don't want her to go
there's so much more i want to say
but how do i say it?
what is it exactly i want to say?
i don't know
and i feel the pressure
of time running out
i want her around to encourage me
as she has done for years now
who will continually remind me
that God is forever faithful?

you know
sometimes you just meet a kindred spirit
but i've never had one leave before
what do i do?

oh, Jesus
all i know is to come to you
you know my heart
you know how this is weighing on me
the tears that won't spill from my eyes
the ache in my chest
hold her
hold her close to you
ease her breathing
gather her strength
give her courage
most of all
sweet Jesus
surround her with your peace

blessings from fellow bloggers
i am continually amazed
with this blogging community
read a new blog today
she touched me with this post
especially in light of my friend
and a minute later
i was laughing my butt off at this
(did i just say butt in my blog?)
then there is brenda
and she visited my blog
when we were explaining our blog names
she said that my title reminded her
of an old gospel song about a lighthouse
i am just so touched by these words
and the music too
there are a few more blessings
i really want to share
but i'll save them
for another day

ending with good news
i was trying to find a blessing
in my day
and guess what?
i found TWO...
one, i met a really nice lady at work
and we had a conversation
about the local christian radio station
good stuff
and two, my friend's dad
that had the stroke
gets to come home friday
still lots of therapy
and a need for his short term memory
to restore
but he's coming home!
HOORAY!

now...if i can just catch up on
all those name explanations...

do not touch your dial...

no...it isn't your computer
and you don't have to click
refresh to get the updated page
i've gone back to my old template

sort of

i absolutely love the beach picture
but it made things hard to read
and since, well, this is a blog
there's a lot of reading going on
(i hope)

so every time i looked at it
i had this kind of weird feeling
like something wasn't right
and that was a problem

when i switched templates
i was able to teach myself some code
so now i'm able to make changes
to this one
like the sidebar on the other side

one of the main reasons
i made the change in the first place
was because i couldn't figure out
how to get more stuff in my sidebar

not a problem anymore

so welcome back to my lighthouse
stay for a while
(but make sure you comment!)

word cloud

Found this on Barb's blog...it takes all
the words you use on your blog and
creates a little list, with the most used
words being bigger and bolder. It's kind
of neat to see what words you use most.
If you'd like to try it, click here.

100 things about me

in honor of my 100th post
(yup, this is it!)
i am going with blog tradition
of telling 100 things about me
(try not to fall asleep, ok?)

1. First things first, I'm really stressing about this. Why? I don't know. Maybe afraid too much information will bring the "ring of thieves" or embarass my husband or maybe, gulp, you won't like me anymore. How silly! Get over it and get going!!

2. My name is Andrea but in preschool, everyone called me Andi.

3. I was born on March 19th.

4. I took 13 years of French in school. I gotta go to France soon or I'm not going to remember a thing!

5. Sometimes I think in French. Which is weird. Especially when I think out loud and it sounds so, well, foreign!

6. I attended a small, Christian college in Kentucky for a year. I didn't realize how lucky I was to be there.

7. I have my associate's degree in Communications from the local university that's named after the city I live in.

8. I don't like Communications - as far as the degree is concerned. I had to take two Comm classes and I didn't like either one.

9. I want to return to college once my son starts school. I want to get my bachelor's degree. Not sure what to major in yet.

10. I am an only child.

11. I was raised in a single parent family way before it was "normal". I turned out okay (in my opinion) thanks largely in part to my mother's determination.

12. I knew my dad and had a distant relationship with him. We got closer when he got sick. He died in 1998.

13. I've been married twice.

14. Just celebrated my fifth anniversary in my second marriage and it's going strong. Married my soulmate exactly one month prior to Sept. 11, 2001.

15. I have two children - girl, 10 and boy, 3.

16. I work part-time at a bank as an assistant manager of sorts. Actually I do whatever they tell me to do...teller, manager, new accounts....

17. I babysit my friend's son and have since he was 6 weeks old. He's like one of my own.

18. I've been a Pampered Chef Consultant for the past year and a half.

19. Hilarious, because I really don't like to cook.

20. I love to bake cakes and if I had more time, I would bake more complex stuff. Yum!

21. I really enjoy spending time with my family.

22. I am blessed with "good" in-laws.

23. I'll be getting a new sister-in-law next September, thanks to my brother-in-law who I affectionately call big little bro. (He calls me little big sis - he's way taller than me but I'm older).

24. I have two houses at the moment. Anyone wanna buy a house? Aw, come on, please?

25. I listen to Christian and country music.

26. Amy Grant is my favorite music artist.

27. I love, love, love to read.

28. Karen Kingsbury is my favorite author.

29. I have a slight addiction to people.com. I don't know why. The paparazzi should leave these poor people alone. I'm only feeding that frenzy. I know, I know. I deal with the guilt. I just love to see the families. It really is just about the people to me.

30. I love to eat.

31. Especially at restaurants. Something about the atmosphere and leaving the dirty dishes sit there instead of cleaning them up, I guess.

32. I'm trying to lose weight (but have very little discipline).

33. I have a condition of the bladder that makes me have to pee all.the.time. (too much info?)

34. I LOVE mail. Any kind really, but especially snail mail.

35. I collect stationery and note cards. I even use them pretty regularly.

36. I have a Hallmark problem. (see #35)

37. I collect Willow Tree Angels by Demdaco. They are so neat!

38. I've owned/driven many cars over the years. '87 Toyota Corolla Tercel, a couple Honda Civics, a Ford Focus ZX2, a Ford Explorer, a couple Toyota Camrys, a Ford truck, a Geo Prism.

39. Except for that year I was at the college in Kentucky, I've lived in the same city my whole life.

40. I won the contest for school motto in 8th grade. (pathetic but I'm running out of ideas here...)

41. My favorite color is purple.

42. My favorite vacation spot is Chicago in the spring or fall. Especially at the end of the Navy Pier, looking out over the blue water.

43. I went on a cruise to the Bahamas for my honeymoon and LOVED it. Blue water and all the food you can eat available 19 hours a day is the place for me!

44. I spent a lot of time with the lady that lived upstairs from us when I was a kid. My mom named her my godmother when I was baptized (the first time). She meant a lot to me.

45. My godmother died when I was 16.

46. (I know you are probably wondering so...) I've been baptized twice, confirmed once, and transferred my membership to my current church. I'd say I've got the bases covered, don't you?

47. I'm very active in my church.

48. I have a system I use to keep track of my girlfriends (although I've been really bad about it the past few months). I put two names on my calendar at the beginning of each week and make an effort to contact them some way during the week. Usually it's a card but sometimes it's a letter or *gasp* phone call. (I don't use the phone unless I have to, usually). Each month, the system repeats so I have monthly contact with "the girls".

49. I have struggled with depression. I have more good days than bad lately.

50. I kept a journal my senior year of high school. I started another one the day after I married my husband. Blogging has kind of taken it's place.

51. I would love to take an art class or two to see if I could develop the ability to draw and/or paint. I'd love to be able to do these things. But I'm scared to try.

52. I love to watch old reruns of "Little House on the Prarie", Diagnosis Murder, and Murder, She Wrote.

53. I wear contacts.

54. I love to shop at Crate & Barrel (even if I can only afford a napkin ring or coaster).

55. I also love to shop at Ikea. (There's one coming to town soon!! Woohoo!)

56. I grew up around a Greek family and found "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" hil-ar-ious!

57. I've always dreamed of teaching deaf kids. I think American Sign Language is awesome.

58. I find thinking up 100 things about me extremely hard.

59. My favorite Bible story is found in the first chapter of Ruth, about Ruth refusing to leave Naomi.

60. I don't like seafood of any kind.

61. I didn't like vegetables as a kid, but as I get older, I like broccoli, cauliflower, sweet peas and green beans.

62. I really like dried apricots.

63. My favorite lunch meat is oven roasted turkey. On a sandwich with swiss cheese and mayo. (Can you tell I took a break and ate lunch?)

64. I love surprises (most of the time).

65. For a while, I was hooked on Nancy Drew computer games (and my husband kidded me about it forever!).

66. I haven't had any carbonated, caffinated drink in almost four years (except for the occassional drink of cherry Pepsi). This was done for medical reasons and not by choice, but ya know, it isn't so bad.

67. I drink a lot of Propel water (flavored water made by Gatorade). Lately (pat on back), I've been drinking lots and lots of tap water (ice cold).

68. As a kid, I played soccer for six years.

69. I was in gymnastics for a couple years when I was little. I don't remember how many years, I just know I loved it.

70. In high school, I was on the JV volleyball team for three years.

71. I played basketball in middle school.

72. Oh, softball in middle school too.

73. I have always liked sports - now I get to hear about them alot. :)

74. I think I like baseball the most. The "local team" is doing really well right now.

75. Since I'm on a sports kick here, I'll tell you my philosophy on football. I think it's a bunch of grown men playing "Ring Around the Rosie..." (is that even the name of the song?) They run around and then "all fall down!". I watch it more now than I ever have - mostly by default because my lovely husband is watching it.

76. I wrote most of our wedding ceremony. It was a mix between the United Methodist service and a really cool ceremony in the book "From Beginning to End: The Rituals of Our Lives" by Robert Fulghum.

77. I love to play video games. Especially the old ones, like Super Mario Brothers. I used to be really good at them but the older I get, the worse I get. The brain must be slowing down...either that or each kid took more brain cells when they were delivered.

78. I love a sale. I don't care how useful something is, I got a bargain! (I can see my husband nodding his head and rolling his eyes right now!)

79. I have a special liking of (trying to find a better way to say I love... and make this more interesting...) Eeyore. His philosophy on life matches mine on most days (even though it shouldn't!).

80. I had to take a test to attend the high school that I graduated from. I still don't understand what made that school such a big deal. Probably because I never attended any of the other schools.

81. I was awful in math until I had to take a remedial course at the university when getting my associate's degree. Then it clicked and I LOVE it.

82. My dad was a scientist. My father-in-law is a scientist.

83. I love genetics. It's really interesting. If it weren't for chemistry, I would probably try to major in that.

84. My father was half Chinese. Which makes me, what?, 1/8 Chinese? You'd never know it by looking at me.

85. I don't speak a lick of Chinese.

86. I really like to sing, especially praise songs and old hymns.

87. I am able to sleep anywhere, anytime. Except that one night a couple of weeks ago when I had my first insomnia attack ever.

88. I like the look of a freshly made bed and I like to sleep on clean, fresh sheets.

89. I have a new addiction: blogging. Lots of really nice Christian women out there!

90. I like white cake with white icing.

91. When I was in college (Kentucky), my roommate and I used to sleep until the last minute and throw a hat on some greasy hair and run to class. What? Doesn't everybody do that?

92. I'm afraid I'm going to get to the end of this (since I'm getting so close) and post it, only to come up with something really good.

93. I've been told I'm a loyal friend.

94. I like the comic strip "Baby Blues". "Zits" is good too.

95. I collect fancy pens. But they can't be too heavy because my hands are little and it's hard to write with a top heavy pen.

96. For the past 13 summers (minus the summer I had my daughter, the summer I had my son, and the summer my dad died), I have been a counselor at a Christian camp for 4th, 5th and 6th graders. (Shameless plug: please pray for this camp as the funding is gone and they are struggling to continue).

97. I love to have my back rubbed.

98. I met my husband in 6th grade.

99. I am getting excited because there is only one left and I feel like I've been working on this for hours!

100. I have my own personal tool box that my husband bought me for Mother's Day.

I know...I should have ended with a bang, but goodness gracious, I can't think anymore, let alone think of things that are relevant to this post!! Hope you are still awake and that you learned something interesting...Thanks for stopping by!

friday's feast #108 (#2 for me)

appetizer
If you could have a free subscription to any magazine, which one would you like to have?

oh boy, oh boy...hmmm...should i select Real Simple or the new Hallmark magazine? or what about Country Living. and then there's Oprah's magazine. and Today's Christian Woman. and Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion (that the library just stopped getting!!!). well, i guess i'll go with People because it's the one that's so darn expensive! can you tell i love me a magazine or two? (and isn't it funny that i hardly capitalize anything in this blog but the magazine titles are capped? unintentional - really!)

soup
Describe your living room (furnishings, colors, etc.).

the living room is the one place i try to keep "visitor friendly". sometimes it works and most times it doesn't. it's a big room with a white couch we got when a dear friend passed away. we just got these two light blue chairs that my husband loves. there's a brown recliner in the corner. a cedar chest that my daughter's uncle made one Christmas. a bookshelf with 1/2 of my library (it won't all fit!). a curio cabinet with lots of prettys, especially the start of my collection of willow tree angels by demdaco. oh, the curio cabinet has the wreath of flowers i wore in my hair at our wedding too. i love that. there is also an antique sewing machine in this room (i told ya it was a big room!). there is a blue rug on the floor (a housewarming gift from my lovely "mothers") and a big bay window that gives a view of our backyard. it's painted an off-white color and has a hardwood floor. my husband hung my coat hanger thingy from ikea at the entrance to the room and i love that too. nothing else on the walls yet. just moved in. i know, i know, we moved 8 months ago. so i'm a little slow on the decorating. i want to do it once and do it right. i'm thinking... :)

salad
What does the shape of a circle make you think of?

my wedding. you know..."the ring is a circle that symbolizes your love for one another...no beginning and no end..." and the connection between God and a couple. at the time, it also reminded me of our families joining together as one.

main course
Name 3 things in your life that you consider to be absolute necessities.

man, this is testing my brain power! only three? okay, here goes:
1. my relationship with Jesus
2. my family and friends
3. my chapstick (aw, come on, you gotta be shallow sometimes!)

dessert
What was the last really funny movie you watched?

cars, i guess. don't watch too many movies. and there are some really funny "adults" moments in that movie. they are so clever.

To learn more about Friday's Feast, click here.
To get the questions and participate, click here.

thursday thirteen #1

13 things i love about my husband

1. his vast knowledge of trivia (both common
and obscure)
2. his brown eyes
3. his gentleness with the kids
4. his ability to just look at me and know i've
had a rough day (when i'm wielding a household
item as a weapon, i guess it's pretty easy to
tell...but still...)
5. his work ethic and the fact that he works hard
so i can stay home with our kids
6. his patience with my new addiction to blogging
7. the concoctions he comes up with when he cooks
8. his family
9. his sense of humor (note: not sarcasm, humor!)
10. the fact that he's known me since i was 11
11. okay, okay, i'll admit it...i love his love of sports
12. that he never, ever forgets our anniversary
and actually remembers our "other" important days
13. his willingness to go to church every sunday with me

wait, that's it?
i have so many more...
like when he acts like a bigger
kid than the kids when they play together,
or how about the times he brings me tea,
or...okay, okay...i'll stop.

i never have been very good
with saying things quickly...
guess that's where my daughter got it.

Get the thursday thirteen code here.

See other thursday thirteen participants here.

the pizza box meme

okay, for those new bloggers out there
(and to further my own knowledge)
a meme (pronounced meem)
is "an idea, question, statement
or project that is posted in one blog
and answered to in many other blogs."
(as per about.com definition)

and i've been tagged with my first one!

barb at A Chelsea Morning tagged me
yesterday with a meme from Code Yellow Mom
that she adapted from a game
on a pizza box

without further ado
here is my first meme

what was your favorite thing about being a kid?
listening to the "Annie" record or Tina Turner record
in my best friend's pink and white room or playing with
Castle GraySkull in her brother's room with the blue shag
carpet, swinging on the tire hanging in a tree at her house,
going to flea markets with my godmother, playing in my
sand pit, eating lemon squares and potato chip cookies,
larosa's pizza and a shirley temple at least twice a week,
smelling jean nate and bengay, and most of all, not
realizing the stress that being an adult with
responsibilities can bring.

what was your favorite subject in school?
probably language arts (aka reading and writing)
and then later psychology
maybe french too
and still later (college)
believe it or not
math clicked and i LOVED it

who was your best friend when you were 10?
chelsea. from kindergarten until after 4th grade
when she moved away. thinking about it makes
me sad to this day. especially since we recently
reconnected. i would have loved to have her as
my best friend in high school but we just grew apart.
she lived too far away. but a true friend 'cuz we
picked right back up where we left off. (and i'm
not just saying all this because i know you are
reading this...)

if you could be any animal, what would it be?
a monkey of course. don't ask me why - i don't know.
have always, always loved monkeys. (and just think
about it...no more shaving required!)

what would you change about your school, occupation,
life right now?
i'd go back to school
i'd find an occupation i love and felt i could do well in
i'd heal my friend ms. a
i'd sell my house
i'd restore full health to my friend's dad
i'd go on a cruise (blue water)
oh, okay, if you insist
i'd buy a new car

what's your favorite color?
purple and blue

what's your favorite type of crust and
favorite topping on a pizza?
traditional crust with extra cheese
from larosa's
it's a local thing and i love it!

whew! i did it!
now i'm supposed to tag someone
and seeing as i only really know
two bloggers and one of them
tagged me, i guess there's only
one thing a girl can do...

TAG Chels, you're it!!
(aren't you glad i filled you in
at the top of this post as to
what a meme was?)
don't feel obligated but
it is kinda fun...

(and like Barb said, if you want to join in...it's an open meme, feel free!
just let me know you did it so i can read it too!)

first day of school...last day with the tiger

she made it through
the first day of 5th grade
surprisingly quiet about it
strange for her
is this the beginning
of not wanting to talk to mom?
i hope not
(i can't believe i want her
to talk...how many years have
i endured the ceaseless chatter?)

last day with the tiger
his mom picked him up
at the soccer field
he seemed largely unaffected
and although i promised a dance
i actually felt a little sad
for a moment
that little boys grow up
but a shout from my son
pulled my attention to the field
"pway baseball wif me, mommy?"
and the moment faded away

working tomorrow
on my lunch i will visit
my friend ms. a
please pray for me
i am struggling with her suffering
and i want to convey my concern
but more than that
i want to be a reflection of Jesus
she has been that for me
so many times
and i feel that her only comfort
can come from feeling
the love and peace of Jesus
i don't want to get in the way of that

i've been tagged to do a meme
and if you don't understand
what that means
stay tuned
i'll explain tomorrow night
when i post again...

until then,
take care

football or baseball?

I was going through our pictures
and found this one from last year.
I thought it would be perfect to post
because I don't know about you, but
football is starting to rule our TV. And
it isn't even the real season yet! With
it being baseball season still too, "we"
flip back and forth from baseball to football.

Last year when he first got this jersey,
he would ask to wear it almost every
day (is he his father's son or what?). So,
if you look closely, he is wearing his Griffey
baseball t-shirt under the jersey. I just
noticed that today and laughed out loud. It
is an actual snapshot of what is happening in
my life right now. Football on top of baseball.
How exciting! :)

health & school

today
i had a dr's appointment
to check to see if i was healthy

that's weird

actually it was a "pre-op" appt
to prepare for a little "procedure"
that's being done in mid-sept
no big deal really
(at least, that's what i keep telling myself)

my daughter also had a check-up
to see if she was healthy
which she is
praise the Lord

a few recommendations
sent my head
reeling
but through prayer and discussion
we will make it through

last night
went to see my friend's dad
the one that had the stroke
and he was doing really well
by the look on my friend's face
i knew that he said a few things
that were out of place
but if i didn't know her eyes so well
i would never have known
what a mystery
the brain is

today
i talked to my friend from church
ms. a
hurts my heart to say
things are not so good
short of breath but wanting to talk
a nightmare to me
still such a gentle spirit
with a positive outlook
an inspiration to me
please if you don't mind
keep praying for her
she needs to feel Jesus close
and feel the peace that comes
with that

last day
with the tiger tomorrow
if you see a woman
with bed head and pj's
at 6 in the evening
doing a funny dance
in her front yard
just wave and keep driving
it's my own private celebration

it's not that i don't want him here
please don't get me wrong
it's just a release of commitment
and a relief that
the behavior from another house
that's so different from mine
will not be modeled by my son
anymore

the tiger is moving on
because he starts school
on monday
i can't believe he's old enough
already

speaking of which
the 10 year old talker
starts school
tomorrow
fifth grade
sixth year of "big girl" school
she's been counting the days
is she ready for this?

am i?

either way
here we go...

career test

Calling all bloggers in a career crisis!
You know who you are...
Here is a little test I found
that is completely unscientific
but i'm the answers for me
are strangely accurate...
maybe.

Your Career Personality: Detail-Oriented, Observant, and Hard-Working

Your Ideal Careers: Designer Family counselor Independent store owner Interior decorator Museum curator Nurse Preschool teachers Social worker Stay at home parent Teacher

The Quick and Dirty Career Test

html

Okay
it's officially an addiction
every spare minute
this weekend
i've run back to the computer
to fiddle with the html code
in my new template

i've changed the entire profile box
(i still can't figure out why there is a black dot there)
i've added links to some of the blogs i read
(i'll add the rest soon)
i've added my library thing with recent books i've read
(click on the little bity words -library thing- to see the rest of my library)
i've change the size of the title
(jury is still out on the color - any suggestions?)
i've changed the colors of things you wouldn't even realize
(florescent green isn't my thing but any shade of purple will do)
i've even removed a link so you can't click on it anymore
(why in the world would you want to click on the time
to link to the post you are already reading?)

i'm so excited that i've figured it out
i shouted out loud the first time it fell into place
and my family came running to see if i was okay

i started to explain but saw the glazing of the eyes
so i buried myself back in the code
"the davinci code"?
nah, i'll take html

i found myself humming as i did the laundry
i feel like i've done somthing productive
i do have brain cells left in there
after almost two years staying at home

i promise that tomorrow
i'll post about something other than the computer
but if you'll excuse me
i need to go figure out that black dot
oh, and change a color or two...

ta-da!

So...

how do you like it?

it all started
with wanting to add
a different font
(and I'm still
working on that one)

and after a day of
playing with the html code
i changed my template

the beach
blue water
ahhhh.....

thanks barb
for the help
even on your birthday
i'm amazed at what
i learned today

i still want to tweak
it a little bit
like the size of the title
(just figured that out - woohoo!)
and probably the color of the title
(what color do you think it should be? )
oh and i have to add my
library thing in again

but honestly
i'm almost cross-eyed
from this little project
and really tired

besides
i wouldn't be surprised
if my family thought
i was sucked into the computer
never to be seen alive again

so put on your sunscreen
and enjoy this view
i'll be back soon
i'm going to take a little nap
and dream of this blue water :)

friday's feast #1

There is a these preset things that some bloggers do on the different days of the week. I'm thinking about doing some of them. It's neat. For Friday, it is called Friday's Feast. Here goes my first one...

Appetizer
What color is your car?

maroon or burgandy

Soup
If you could wake up tomorrow with full training in another occupation and a job in that field, what would it be?

the million dollar question...if i knew that, i'd be doing it! but i guess i'd have to say either a teacher to deaf kids (my dream since i was a little girl) or a social worker. i would really love a profession where i felt i was making a difference in the world. i keep reminding myself that being a good mommy is making a difference. sometimes i forget...

Salad
How many times in your life have you had the flu (or something similar)?

not many. usually just awful, breath-taking colds.

Main Course
What is something that has happened to you this week that you didn't expect?

i got two brand new tires for my car. aren't i exciting?

Dessert
How old were you when you had your first kiss?

i honestly have no idea. guess it was really earth-shattering, huh? i remember my first kiss with my husband, though. it was awesome and that's what counts to me!

To see some of the answers of others who participated in this, click here. Feel free to post your own too! Happy Friday, everyone!

title? what title?

so all signs are pointing
to no with "mildly interested"

but it's been nice
having a few nibbles
reminds me that this
can't go on forever

worked at the bank
again yesterday
and boy, was i tired
at the end of the day

and today i have
all the animals
from the circus
in my care

so far, so good
but the noise
is about to drive me bonkers
i think it's called
only child syndrome
i can't stand all that banter
back and forth
back and forth
it sounds like arguing
but i've been assured
that it isn't
what do i know?

also wanted to let ya know
that i've been a pampered chef consultant
for awhile now
and i've got a website
if you want to check it out
email me and i'll send you the link
i'd list it here but
it's too much info for
"the ring of thieves" :)

okay
well
hope everyone is having a good day

talk at ya soon

mildly interested

*UPDATE - 10:21 PM* "mildly interested" called today
and set up a showing that happened this evening.
haven't heard anything yet but twice in two days
is a good sign, i think. pray, people, pray!! :)

why would a realtor
encourage someone to bid
on a house that is listed
at $15,000 over
what they are approved for?

i mean, i know this is a crazy market
but come on...
all i can do is just shake my head
in wonder

so, needless to say
the deal did not work

another mildly interested person
(whatever mildly interested means)
came to the open house yesterday
maybe there is still hope

although i'm usually only
mildly interested in going to the dentist
or cleaning the bathroom
or changing poopy diapers

i sure hope we have different definitions
of mildly interested

maybe i should say the phrase mildly interested again
i haven't said it enough already in this post...

fingers crossed
and mightly loud prayers!!

offer

not much info yet
but we got an offer on the house

it is a really, really low offer
and there are those of us
who are pretty frustrated with it

but to me
it's an offer
and that's more than we've seen
so far

for those of you new to my blog
i will tell you that
this house has been for sale
for 10 months
just too many on the market
right now

we have countered
haven't heard anything back
yet

please pray
we really need this to work...

sleepy

enjoyed an evening with my hubby
and then an evening with his parents

we were married one day shy
of his parents' 34th wedding anniversary
so we usually go out to dinner
with them at a really nice place
as their anniversary present to us

not having much family
i think it is the coolest
that our anniversaries are so close together

my mom was oh so kind
as to keep our little one
so everyone got family time
which is always nice

but now
my whole family is cranky
because we are off our schedules
you would think that me and my significant other
are grown enough
that schedules don't matter
but they do
we've both taken more naps in the past few days...
which would be fine
except for the exploding hamper of dirty clothes
the trail of dirty dishes across the counter
and the overflow of garbage spilling on the floor

i hate cleaning the kitchen

even more than the bathroom

actually
my wonderful husband helped me
and it is getting back under control
maybe we can finish soon

but first (yawn), i think we should take a nap
i'm awful sleepy

shmily 2

i used shmily
yesterday in my post
as a little connection
to my husband

i got to thinking today
that i would like to share
the meaning of that special phrase
because it is really neat
and we really didn't make it up

we used to do devotions
from the book, nightlight
by james and shirley dobson
there is a story by laura jeanne allen
that talks of her grandparents
and how they would surprise each other
with shmily written everywhere
on the end of the toilet paper roll
in the ashes in the fireplace
the steam on the mirror
notes in the car
you get the picture
when one person found a shmily
it was his or her turn to hide a surprise
shmily

this intrigued me
surprises from the one you love
what a wonderful concept
proof that i am on someone's mind
when i'm not even around
priceless

we don't do it to the extreme
that this old couple in love did
but it is one way we connect
in this crazy, busy world we live in

oh, and shmily?
it means "see how much i love you"

so feel free to take this little phrase
and make it your own
if you want to read the whole story
it's on page 12 and 13 of the book

tomorrow marks five years
happy anniversary, honey!

shmily

today
the circus is back
in full swing
only one more day
with the tiger
is it wrong of me
to be happy about that?

so i'm hanging out
with four kids today
how did this happen?

but it's all good
they love playing together
and i love watching them
interact

my anniversary
is coming up
i just can't believe
that it's been five years
already

i think the coolest thing
about marriage
is the evolution of your love
for each other
when i married my husband
i thought i couldn't feel
any closer to him than
i did that day
in front of all our friends and family
but through the valleys
i've learned so much more
that deepens my love for him
as each day passes by

no, the valleys aren't much fun
and there are plenty of times
when the kids get my attention first
and it's hard to reconnect when
i've got hundreds of things to do
and i'm exhausted

but if there is one thing i've learned
there is an ebb and flow
to relationships
and rarely do you have all highs
it takes the lows to get to the highs

that was hard to learn

so, here on the brink
of the start of our fifth year
i say to my husband
(who asks every day if i've blogged
so i know he's reading this)
thank you for loving me
and thank you for being
a good husband and daddy
SHMILY

take care everybody!

tending home fires

so much happens so fast
and then the days just slip by

i've missed everyone
in bloggy-land
all 3 of you that read my blog

let's see...

the mom of the woman
who was hit by a train
was in church sunday
and crying
please keep praying

ms. a is a bit down
and it hurts my heart
to see her struggle
things are not good
but she wouldn't say that
pray God's strength for her
and that He holds her close

my friend's dad
who had the stroke
has been moved to a therapy room
which is a good sign
but there's lots of fatigue
so i guess praying
God's strength would be good here too
and for continued healing

on top of all this
(which really these things
don't affect my daily life
just my heart)
we've made the decision
for me to return to work
two days a week
in addition to the
every other saturday
i've already been working

our old house still hasn't sold
and unfortunately
it remains a buyer's market
and something's gotta give, ya know?

so i call and think
it will take a few days
to set things up
and i'm given dates to work
the first being two days away!
that was last week and
i've already worked
3 days since then
good money
very tired

luckily
i have a wonderful
mother-in-law who is
watching my young ones
on those days
but soon
school will start and
the schedule will change again

and in the middle of this
i get a call from my chickadee
that flies the coop for the summer
per the custody order
and she is miserable
she wants to come home
two weeks ahead of schedule
her dad must have had enough
because he tells me to come get her
i'm hesitant for many reasons
but i go
i always promised myself
that if she wants to be here
and he doesn't want her there
i am there in a heartbeat
secretly
i hope this sets precedence
for next year and
i get my girl all the time
but that's a battle
for another day

so as you can see
i've been a little busy
tending the home fires
and starting the work fires

by the way
my son just kissed
the engine
and both cars
of his train
ah, the love of a 3 year old's life
*sigh*
i've been replaced by a train
how fickle a young heart is...

thank you, Jesus, for
being with those that are hurting
for those that are sick
for those that are healing
thank you for a job
thank you for the few extra weeks
with my little girl
who is growing so fast
thank you for a husband
who is trying to plan
a celebration so i can
have time to look forward to it
thank you for a little son
who blows me kisses
when he goes out to play basketball
with daddy and sissy

to quote karen kingsbury, my favorite author,
thank you God who for now
has blessed me with these

amen.

this is my life

so i haven't posted
in a few days
for a couple of different reasons

first
i went out of town
with my mother-in-law
to take my husband's grandma
back to her home
from visiting here

it was a little tiring
but fun to be with
the matriarchs of the family
and i liked the down time
that not having kids around
brings

and then when we got back
from our overnight trip
i had the hardest time
easing back into things
one night shouldn't do that
but it sure did

and then
i was ready to post
and found out that my friend's dad
had a stroke and
is in the icu in critical condition
so i wanted to write
about that and ask for prayer
but i just did that on my last post
and i don't want to be a total
downer every time i write

but
i decided
this is my life
and that's what i write about
what is happening
in my life

so i am asking you to
please pray
for this man
who was in the landscape
of my childhood
in more memories
than i thought

i'm so shocked
about this
and i'm sure my friend is too
she and her mom are very strong
but that doesn't stop
the need for prayers

lots of them

thanks