Snake Poop!

I know, I know. I haven't blogged lately. Really, my life is so interesting, there is barely anything to write about. But, TODAY there is lots to catch up on!

First thing this morning I received a call from my oldest, dearest friend Barb. Her dog ran down her drive and bit an older woman that was walking past. It certainly isn't the way I choose to start a day. She is going to have to find a new home for her dog. **sigh** I know that feeling...and it isn't a good one. So, if you are reading Barb, big ((hugs)) to you girlie. Keep me updated.

I went on a field trip with the one and only Trent Blackburn today. We went to the nature center. It really was a good field trip, but at one point these kids were kind of "talked out." They were starting to stare into space as the instructor was lecturing. Well, as luck would have it, that is when the snake (crawling about the floor) decided to poop. These kids went wild. Seriously. They lit up like a cheap Christmas tree. And you will also see, above, a picture of Trent with his teacher, Miss Luzier. Isn't she the cutest? And she is as nice as she is cute. And Trent COMPLETELY goes into a shell when he is near her. Yep, he falls apart. So, that is why he has "mushy" look on his face. When I asked her to take the picture she said "You know he isn't going to like this, right?" Little does she know, he loves it but doesn't want her to know!

Hey, we also got the sides up on our trampoline this week. FINALLY! The kids are loving it. We had a trampoline at our house in Bay but didn't bring it with us to our current house. The kids have missed it! So, they are loving being back on the trampoline!

"If we must judge, let us first use the mirror on our own wall for practice." - Anonymous

What Says YOU?

Its a rather quiet day at our house. I actually got all three kids to school today and came home to more Ebay. Have you ever sold anything on Ebay? I hate it. It is time consuming and a little nerve-wracking, but I love the cash! Hey, I would rather have cash in hand than box in basement!

Trish and Jen left at the crack of dawn for CKU. For the record, I AM TOTALLY JEALOUS! Let's see, the last time I talked to them they were due to report in five minutes and they were lost on the highway for their second time this morning. Actually, it was hilarious. They were having a great time and full of laughter which is cool.

I heard from an old friend and neighbor this week, Chris Rodriguez. They sold their house in less than a week (in Chicago) and are moving to Florida. I miss them so much. She was my "cool" neighbor. The only problem was ....she is as big as a minute and as cute as a button. NOT good for my ego! But I love her and miss her. They may be in town soon so I hope to catch up with her!

So....I have a little project for you. I am going to TRY to do a cool photo idea on the walls in my hallway. I need a picture of each of my kids but I didn't really want them posed. I have one I love of Trent, none of Austin (of course) and a couple of Paige that I love. But, I'm not sure if the ones of Paige are too "posed" looking. I am putting the pictures in this post. If you get a chance, will you let me know your thoughts? I want to send the pictures to www.scrapbookpictures.com to have a border put on them....in case that makes a difference. So....tell me your opinions! C'mon...like you have ever had a difficult time giving me your opinions before!

By the way, I realize I am not the BEST photographer. If you do not like the pictures...just PRETEND you do. Okay? Oh, and I will post the pic of Trent later!

Make it a good day!

"We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations." - Charles (Chuck) Swindoll

Who Am I?

Okay, so I am feeling a little "blue" since Paige is out of sorts. But, in usual fashion, this great song by Casting Crowns comes on the radio..... AND I LOVE THE WORDS. So.....hope you enjoy as I did!

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart
Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
........I am Yours, I am Yours

Who Am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love and watch me rise again
Who Am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me

I am Yours
Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
'Cause I am Yours
I am Yours

Okay, all better now! :)

It DOESN'T Melt In Water!!

Whomever it was that said sugar melts in water was proven wrong today! I'm sure if you know Trent well enough, you are aware that he FEARS water. So much so...the boy will only take baths. Noooooo showers. That would mean water on your head. After spending last summer watching him bob up and down in the swimming pool with all the three year olds, I decided to force the issue a bit. And here are the results. The boy with the death grip on the boogie board would be Trent. Today was his sixth swimming lesson (private nonetheless) and he still trembles when he has to go. All kidding aside, this kid actually shakes the entire car ride. I almost feel cruel forcing him to go, but I am so afraid he will have a swimming accident! Anyhow, my little guy, the one who is sweet as sugar, actually DOESN'T melt in the pool.

Another fun little tid bit about our resident "fish" is that he is chewing his clothes. Seriously. Most of the day his shirts are soaked halfway down. He will even chew on his socks while watching TV. Think he has anxiety in his future? Ummmm....yeah.

Paige isn't feeling well today. As a matter of fact, she is in bed and not about to move. She thinks she may want to go back on her Zoloft. Poor kid. It brings me down to see her like this. We are going to tough it out another day or two and then call the doctor. I can't watch her like this for too long.

On the lighter side...MARILYN IS HOME! Don't you just hate when your friends go on vacation? I have picked up the phone to call her at least a million times this week (I actually do talk to her about a million times a week...just ask Mike). She had a great time in Costa Rica with her family and that makes me happy. She is a good egg and is always doing for others. So, its good she had some time with her favorite people.

Trish and Jen are leaving this weekend for CKU. I can't wait to hear about it. I wish I could see Ali again but it isn't in the cards right now. First Marilyn gets back and now I have to survive these two leaving me. UGH!

I'm sending special prayers up tonight for all of those involved in the shootings at Virginia Tech. How sad. It makes me worry about sending Austin off to college soon. I feel for the families affected by such a tragedy.

"The greatest privilege God gives to you is the freedom to approach Him at any time. You are not only authorized to speak to Him; you are invited. You are not only permitted; you are expected. God waits for you to communicate with Him. You have instant, direct access to God. God loves mankind so much, and in a very special sense His children, that He has made Himself available to you at all times." - Wesley L. Duewel

Where Do You Draw The Line?

I haven't been able to post much lately. I was busy with Easter and then busy with "Easter Recovery." But, I did want to pop in for one quick public service announcement.

Don Imus is a nutter.

This whole incident with Don Imus has dominated the news almost to the point of Anna Nicole. I, for one, am sick of hearing the same stories over and over again. It would almost be a blessed event if I turned on the news one day to hear "there is nothing to report today." Still, I have really become sickened by this story of Don Imus and his comments about the Rutgers Woman's Basketball team.

Firstly, lets get some points out of the way at the start.

1.) I know African American women feel they can call each other a "ho" and no one else can do that. I am okay with that. Frankly, I'm not interested in calling ANYONE a ho, so if they choose to make that exclusive to their race...so be it.

2) I know that Don Imus is in no way "new" to bashing, insulting and attacking people in the public eye. If you have seen the news reports, most of his prior collegues are not surprised by his behavior.

3) I know that for Don Imus, there is a fine line between shock jock and reporter.

4) I know this can be viewed as an attack on women in general. In fact, I am pretty sure that is how the Rutger's basketball team views this whole incident.

But for me, the shame in all this is that I feel it is an attack on youth. In no way did these young women put themselves in the public eye to be the victims of such senseless ramblings. These are intelligent kids. By "kids" I mean, FIVE of the ten were in high school just last year. By "intelligent" I mean future doctors, lawyers, teachers, mothers, etc. There doesn't seem to be an underachiever in the bunch. BUT, let's say there was. So what?

What Don Imus did was attack a bunch of kids, working hard to make something of themselves. They didn't enter Rutgers expecting to be in the spotlight, fielding criticism....let alone pot shots. They came to Rutgers for an education (which has been interrupted), to play basketball (which has been interrupted) and to have a social experience (also...interrupted).

So, where do you draw the line? The headlines have been completely FILLED with the constant abuse of children at the hands of adults. And you know what? I consider this to be more of the same. This is verbal abuse. Maybe some of you think I am taking it too far. But, if anyone called my daughter the words Mr. Imus used, there would be hell to pay. He has disrupted their lives in one irresponsible sentence that is no more valid than those used by playground bullies. An unprovoked attack.

When will we start to protect our kids from irresponsible adults. When will attacks on our beautiful kids end? When will we put people like Mr. Imus "out of commission" and lend our ears to more reputable people?

It's Painful

I had to share some pictures I took today. We took Trent to Bay Barber's today for a long awaited haircut. Needless to say, we put off haircuts because they aren't exactly his favorite thing to do. Apparently he has realized how "painful" it can be to become beautiful. He did survive the experience.













Luckily, when we got home, his buddy Griffin had gotten a new haircut too. So....here is to the two heroes who bravely survived getting coiffed.


It's always a good thing to have someone in the same boat.

"What seems too difficult for us is a sure sign that it belongs to God." - Marie DePree

HOLY! Week

I can't sit still. I am so excited that this week is Holy Week. Of course, the main reason I love Holy Week is because it is a renewal. New Life....Spring. It reaffirms everything I believe. It's the time of year when we should all realize just how much we are loved by God.

Of course, there are other reasons that Holy Week is exciting. Firstly, Trent gets to eat potato chips again. PRAISE GOD! No more whining....no more begging.....no more salivating. Also, as much as it is a spiritual holiday, the bunny thing is pretty fun. I am trying several new recipie ideas, such as molded sugar. I am on my third unsuccessful batch. Last night, I was about to throw in the towel. Today....I am gonna get this if it kills me. They are too pretty to pass up!

Our morning was pretty rocky. Austin just plain old doesn't want to go to school anymore. Trent refused to get out of bed because Ohio State didn't win. And my Paige, well.....I wasn't that nice to her this morning. Did you ever do that? You fight with your kids before school, maybe say something hurtful just because you are grouchy and then they are out the door. She looked hurt when I dropped her off and I have felt guilty all morning. Why do I do that? She is so sensitive and she is really the LAST person I would want to hurt. So, in the spirit of Holy Week, I turned to the Bible and the verse to the right popped out. God is good like that. He puts his words before me to whip me into shape and I needed it. I will, once again, be apologizing to Paige tonight. It is a good thing for me, that she is so forgiving and kind. I'm glad she allows her mom to screw up and apologize!

I'm meeting dad for lunch today. That will be fun....Panera! I am going to do a little Easter shopping and then pick up the kids. I'm going to try to make a bit of Austin's track meet and then take Paige to voice lessons. I love taking her there and listening to her sing. Mike and I were talking about that last night-how if Paige never sang for anyone else we would always want to hear her just sing for us. :)

Anyhow, in the spirit of Holy Week...do yourself a favor. Give a little time to God. Ponder all of your blessings and then praise him!

"The loss of mystery has led to the loss of majesty.

The more we know, the less we believe.

No wonder there is no wonder.

We think we've figured it all out.

Strange, don't you think?

Knowledge of the working shouldn't negate wonder.

Kowledge should stir wonder.

Who has more reason to worship than the

astronomer who has seen the stars?

Than the surgeon who has held a heart?

Than the oceanographer who has pondered the depths?"

.............Max Lucado

$65, 40 burritos, and fundraising.

Our weekend started with a bang. Mike came home with a temp. of 102.0 on Friday. His fever finally broke this morning, although it looks like it may come back. Keep in mind, my dear friend Jen has the "flu" also. I WILL be checking into this. LOL! Actually, he really was of little help this weekend. Although he did muster up the strength to cheer Ohio State to victory and to complain of any noise during the game.

On Saturday, Trish once again managed to be an enabler. She had told me about these great cookie cutters on sale at William Sonoma for $11.99. I came home $65.00 later. I got, NOT ONLY, the Easter cookie cutters, but an adorable rabbit cake mold and a sifter. How have I baked from scratch all these years with no sifter? Anyhow, LOVE William Sonoma. I walk in the door and I immedately want to cook and bake. It is heaven on earth. Plus, lately I am really enjoying being in the kitchen cooking and baking.

Saturday evening was fun, as usual. AND I made an amazing discovery. It is actually more expensive to break up with someone than to date. Really! You see, in the interest of having Austin spend more time with the guys, we once again entertained the whole "posse" this weekend. And all I must say is 40 burritos. You heard me.....40 burritos. Thats what we had to buy to feed the guys. Let this be a warning to all mothers of young boys. And who said movies and dinner were expensive? Prom? Nothing! But having these boys over every weekend.........

Lastly, LOVED seeing Ali Edward's success at raising money for Autism Speaks on SixDegrees.com. And, I was not surprised to see that Trish had donated prizes for the occasion. So her.......What I have come to know (in my ripe old age) is this: You never know until it hits you and no one is exempt. You see, many of us grumble when we are "constantly" asked for a donation. Maybe you get sick of seeing the "pitiful" commercials on TV. But, until it hits your home...your front door, you may never get it. I would jump at the chance to make a difference for those with Alzheimers or OCD. You know why? I have had a taste. Maybe you haven't. I pray you never do. But think of the odds. If 1 in 10 boys gets Autism, it may not be your son. But it could easily be your grandchild. Maybe your situation won't be a mental disorder. Maybe it will be an addiction or a chronic illness. It may be abuse or a learning disability. But I do know one thing.....once you watch someone you love suffer, you will use every avenue to put an end to the pain. And for that...I applaude Ali. What a waste it would be for her to have an opportunity to make a difference and let it pass.

{{Jumping down off my soapbox....}} Do something good today!