The Budda Bank

Today my father stopped by in the midst of all my chaos. Paige and I leave EARLY tomorrow for her Ohio trip. We will return late on Friday. Trent has strep throat today so we had to make a trip to the doctor's office in Lorain. Finals begin tomorrow for Austin and he is having a friend over to study and, of course, watch the Cavs game. Did I mention I need to have a snack prepared for his baseball team and I need to shop for a few last odds and ends?

Anyway, when Dad stopped by he was talking about making a list of the items he wanted each of us to have when he dies. Nice topic, eh? Personally, I HATE to talk about divideing someone's possessions when they are standing in front of you. But, Dad wanted to know what I wanted of his when he is gone. We discussed all his furniture, pictures, dishes, etc. But all I could think about was his Budda bank. A Budda bank, you ask?

Yes. My father, the mighty Lutheran has a Budda bank. Maybe it is a monk, but I really think it is Budda. It was given to him when I was young. I think it MAY have been given by our pastor. (Odd twist, don't you think?) Anyhow, Dad couldn't figure out why I wanted the bank and neither could I. Except for one thing......it reminded me of him. Okay, not that he LOOKS like Budda, but that he has this cool sense of humor. He also has an awesome acceptance of almost everyone he meets. And, or course, he is spiritual. (Wait, I should also mention he is tight fisted with the cash and DEFINATELY saves all his pennies!)

I like odd things. I like sentimental items. As Dad and I discussed, I like the squeaky metal glider from grandma's front porch. I like the metallic Christmas trees with the color wheels. And I MAY have found a place for the ceramic black panther that was perched on top of my Grandmother's television for years.

I don't have an interest in the most expensive item, your useless cash or your jewels. Sounds odd, I know. But I'm sticking with Budda.

So, if you had to have ONE item from your parents....what would you pick?

"It is strange that while praying, we seldom ask for a change of character, but always a change of circumstances." - Anonymous

Trent's Day

What makes May 28 special, you ask? That is Trent Blackburn's birthday. Today, the little bugger turned 8 years old. We had the family over to celebrate. As you can tell by the pictures, it was the usual odd Blackburn clan.

Obviously, the picture of Mike tells you why my kids are the way they are. You all thought it was me, didn't you???? Some people never change and my husband loves to be the cut-up. (ahem..Austin...ahem)

We had a cook out and a HUGE birthday cake with Pirates of the Caribbean 2 as the theme. The group picture shows all the cousins together. They spent the day on the trampoline and playing soccer, basketball and golf. It was so nice to be out in the weather, although I felt it was a little too warm for my liking. Do you see Dad and Vera playing basketball? HA! I love it! That tickled my funnybone!

Most of all, I love my 8 year old, but I HATE that he is already 8 years old! It is going too fast.

I'm out..................................

Shamelessly Bragging........

Let me just take a few seconds to SHAMELESSLY brag about my daughter. She is the coolest. She had her vocal recital tonight and she was wonderful. I just love her. Everything about her. This girl was shaking like a leaf on the inside and cool as a cucumber on the outside. Her recital was at Independance Village Retirement Home in Avon Lake. I like that they hold the recitals in this retirement home. It's nice that the residents can enjoy the kids, and they seem so appreciative to have the entertainment.

The top picture is a picture of all those in attendance. ((Okay, I am not in the picture, but I am TAKING the picture. Plus, I wore a white shirt. That is usually not a big deal, but when I downloaded the pictures, I resembled a snowball....so the pictures of me are out. Did I mention that I will, once again, be dieting? Yep....and I think I have to do something about the hair too. It was just an all-around eye-opening kind of photo that I wouldn't wish on friend or enemy.))

ANYWAY, if you look closely in the photo you may see something slightly unfamiliar to many of you. It is VERA! That's right....Dad's Vera is in the photo on his left. I don't have any other pictures of her, so this is a treasure! I love that she is so sweet and supportive of my kids.

We finished the evening with dinner (compliments of Mike's parents) at the Winking Lizard. I have never been there before! The food was good, but reading the menu was a bit of a challenge! Seriously, the lizard was so cool!

For those of you questioning, Austin WAS at the recital. He left immediately following for a party and after-prom.

Sorry for the randomness of this post. I just wanted to put in a quick update and then get back to my family!!!!

Hugs!

If you are a Christian, you can expect folks to criticize, but you ought to live so nobody will believe them. " - Anonymous

Did You Ever See A Pirate......

Did you ever see a pirate without his eye patch? It's pathetic....really. Today is "Pirate Day." Trent had to read each night, over the past few weeks. Everytime you read, you received some "pirate booty" to use in buying "loot" at the "Pirate Shop" during "Pirate Week." Do you see a theme here? Anyway, we had to come up with a costume and this was Trent's costume...with one exception. HE LOST HIS EYE PATCH. According to Trent that is "the best part of the costume." Therefore, above you will see a picture of a pirate without an eye patch. Sad, isn't it?

Do you want to know the real kicker? All three of my kids were passing this patch back and forth to use and somehow I, the 44 year-old-mother got blamed for it being M.I.A. Now, maybe it's me, but I have yet to figure out what I would want with this patch. But it must be big enough that I was willing to HIDE an eyepatch from my 7 year-old son. Yeah.........

I should have mentioned earlier how much I loved my class last week that Trish taught. My album is coming along quite nicely. I can hardly wait to give it to Mike on Father's Day.

I will spend today cleaning. We have a big weekend ahead with after prom (notice NO PROM), Paige's Recital and Trent's birthday...but I will be checking back!

Hugs!

"The word of God hidden in the heart is a stubborn voice to suppress."- Billy Graham

Dare I Quote the Guy?

Soooo, I have been awake only a few hours and it isn't even lunch yet and I have manage to run into at least 3 know-it-alls! Ever meet one? You know, the person that has it all figured out. They have more wisdom than all the others. They are a master at EVERYTHING! Really! You should ask them!

This used to be kind of intimidating for me. Frankly, I don't consider myself a know-it-all. As a matter of fact, I could use some confidence. I am WELL aware of my many shortcomings. So running into these people can set me back. Well, it has taken 44 years for me to get it. By "it", I mean the quote my father used to tell us when we were (catty) little girls. I am going to quote my dad now and I am praying his head doesn't expand three hat sizes.

"Know-it-alls Know NOTHING!"

Phew! Feels good to say it. And today, I got it. Usually those that walk around lecturing, pushing their knowledge and authority, standing taller than everyone else...well, usually they are weaker. Because they have to WORK SO HARD TO GET US TO NOTICE THEIR WISDOM!

I think I will feel just a little better about myself today. Thanks, Dad.

God will never, never, never let us down if we have faith and put our trust in Him. He will always look after us. So we must cleave to Jesus. Our whole life must simply be woven into Jesus." - Mother Teresa

Well, Ain't I Lucky!

Mother's Day has come and gone and no post from me. I have been rather busy with the kids, but I do have to record some things about Mother's Day. I received a beautiful gift from Trent. They are learning contractions in school and there were a list of contractions about me. So....did you know that I hate sea weed? Yeah, me either! HA! Also included was a book of coupons. Apparently I can redeem these coupons for odd jobs around the house. When I opened and read the coupons Trent reminded me that he isn't able to do MOST of those jobs. **sigh**. There was a picture of a large flower with little sentences about me written on each petal. And finally, my favorite...a little box. It was decorated with little tissue paper squares, jewels and Trent's picture on the top. Inside was the following poem:

This box of kisses,

Just for you,

Is filled to last

A lifetime through.

So when we're old

And far apart,

Just lift the lid

And fill your heart.

Love, Trent

Well, I love these "homemade/schoolmade" gifts, so I cried. Then Trent told me how boring it was to make the gift and that big kids in first grade like to do more than glue paper. Again...**sigh**. But that would be Trent. Always putting a good spin on things! OH! Did I mention I got breakfast IN BED from my older kids? They are cool kids.

I received an email from Trish today. You may have noticed that I don't send many of these types of questionaires out to my friends. I think I am afraid of how they will answer. But, I liked this one and I am feeling a little risky today. So, if you don't mind I will post it here and you can tell me the answers. Okay?

Hugs!

Your Name:
Where did we meet:

Take a stab at my middle name:

How long have you known me:

Do I smoke (or have I ever):

What was your first impression of me upon meeting:

Color of my eyes:

Do I have any siblings:

What's one of my favorite things to do (okay, besides scrapbooking!):

Do you remember one of the first things I said to you:

What's my favorite type of music:

What is the best feature about me :

Am I shy or outgoing:

Am I a rebel or do I follow the rules:

What's your favorite memory of me:

Any special talents:

If there was one good nickname for me, what would it be:If you and I were stranded on a desert island, what is one thing would I bring?

I choose joy... I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical... the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God." - Max Lucado

Falling From Grace....

Well, it was bound to happen, and today was the day. Trent fell from grace.

If you are the mother of little children, you may not have had to deal with this yet. If you are the mother of girls, it most likely will happen later. BUT, if you are the mother of a boy or boys, you most likely will remember the first time your son "fell from grace."

We went to our friend's house for a Cinco De Mayo Party (hope I spelled that correctly) and there were several kids in attendance. Well, Trent went into this mix of kids and became a follower. He was egged-on to use some foul words and he chose to comply. **sigh** He was busted by Paige and she told Mike and I. Needless to say, we hit the roof and he was sent to bed early (amongst other punishments). I know this isn't the worst thing in the world, but there just always seems to be a point when you know you need to come down on them a little harder. Today was that point.

I honestly wondered how he missed the whole lecture on using foul language. I know I have recited that lecture at least 50 times in his presence. And, if you know me, foul language isn't one of my favorite things. I was so angry, yet so sad. Not just sad that Trent made a mistake, but sad that he is older now. He is old enough for me to start to worry about his behavior and trusting and all that other junk. I just liked it better when he did everything I asked, no questions asked. And Trent, well...he is usually just sweet. Until today.......

The other part that bugs me is that after he was sent to bed, I felt terrible that I HAD to punish him. How dumb is that? First, I am breathing fire and handing down punishments and then I want to hug him because he is so remorseful and upset. Yet, if I go into his room and cuddle him, the whole punishment will lose its effect. So...I am waiting. I am waiting until he falls fast asleep and THEN I am going to go into his room and hug him and love on him.

At least tomorrow is another day.................................


"If God were small enough to be understood, He would not be big enough to be worshiped." - Evelyn Underhill

The Magician

When Austin was very little, Mike and I came up with a nickname for him. We called him the magician. We told him that he worked magic. The story was, as soon as he was born he performed his first amazing feat and made us a mom and a dad. We told him that being the magician would be the position that ONLY Austin would hold in this family. Before you get too excited, we have other "jobs" for Paige and Trent as well. But, today I bring up the magician because he is 17. Yep...17 years old today.

Today I was a little on the weepy side, because I realized that I don't have Austin in my house celebrating his birthday too much longer. I am excited for him. What an exciting time in your life to be experiencing all these "firsts." And I do think he is more ready each day, to go out and take things on by himself. But really, he is a huge part of me....a huge part of all of us. And not having him near me each day is going to be tough. But, I am proud of him. He is a GREAT kid. He is complete proof that we only do a small portion of parenting and that the Lord does the rest. Because, I never know what I am doing.....and he has turning out to be more than I could have imagined on May 3, 1990.

You will see in the pictures above an amazing cake made by Paige and Trent. It is complete with a miniature Browns bobblehead. This thing is so sweet you can feel the enamel melt on your teeth as you eat it. They were so excited to bake this for him. As far as a gift...he wants his usual "cash."

SO.....Happy Birthday, A! I love you so much.



"Of one hundred men, one will read the Bible; ninety-nine will read the Christian."
- Dwight L Moody