The Most Used Words or Phrases in My House

A few nights ago, I believe we were on the way home from church, a random conversation started, the kind of conversation that can only happen with the people that live with you day in/day out and know (almost) your every thought. 

If we made a list of the most used words or phrases in our home, what would it be?  Funny, serious, sad, happy, and sometimes maybe embarrassing, here's what we came up with in that oh-so-random conversation. 

In no particular order, mind you: 

• What?  Sometimes said with sarcasm, but mostly just said when you weren't really paying attention to the conversation until you hear something that piqued your interest.  Sometimes the person talking answers the question, but mostly we say something like "I'm not repeating myself." 
• I'm hungry.  If I ranked this list, this would probably be on top.  And will someone tell my children that repeating this phrase over and over does not magically make food appear in our cabinet or refrigerator or a wonderfully prepared meal appear on the table?  Gogurt's favorite time to repeat this phrase is first thing in the morning, especially Saturday and Sunday morning when he comes to cuddle in the bed with us but ends up repeating this phrase numerous times and ends up angering his mother. 
• I'm thirsty.  See above. 
• Stop.  Well, this is used lots and lots between siblings and parent-to-child. 
• Be still.  Unfortunately, this is not used in the context of one of my favorite Bible verses, but rather in the context of my son who is possibly the most fidgety human being on the planet. 
• I love you.  We do say this a bunch to our kids.  Brad and I probably should say it more, or at least I know I should, but my kids hear it several times a day.  Hopefully, this is the phrase they will remember from their childhood and not one of the others. 
• Are these clean or dirty?  Dishwasher, clothes in the floor, etc.  It always amazes me how my family members will walk across the length of the house to come find me and ask me if the dishes in the dishwasher or clean or dirty.  Why can't they just open the door and look?  Hmmm......
• This room is a mess.  Self-explanatory.
• Is it hot or cold today?  'Cuz we have to know what to wear to school. 
• When are we going to Disneyworld?  We've brought this one on ourselves because we've been discussing the possibility, so now our kids, especially Poptart, asks this question at least a few times a week. 
• Have a good day!  I yell this every morning as I watch my kids walk to the bus. 
• Do you have any homework?  Sometimes this question works, sometimes it doesn't, like the other night when Gogurt only remembered he did in fact have homework after he had already gone to bed. 
• No/not right now.  Used to answer questions about whether we will buy them something at the store, whether or not we want to play Candyland for the 80th millionth time, whether their brother/sister will let them have a certain toy, etc.  I don't like using the word no too much, brings upon too much guilt for me to handle, but I have gotten better at it as my kids have gotten older.  For instance, if one of my children asked me this question today, "Momma, will it traumatize me if you do not stop what you are doing (i.e. working to put food in your ever-hungry little mouths) and watch me jump off the couch?"  I could answer guilt-free, "NO".  Now, in my mind, there has to be a balance in your house between your yes' and your no's.  I don't say yes all the time, but I certainly don't say no all the time either.  It's that balance I've been searching for for the past 10 (almost 11!) years of being a mother.  Too many yes' and you have a spoiled child who thinks they get and deserve a parent's attention more than anything else.  Too many no's and you have a child who thinks they are not important to their parents at all.  Yikes.  I don't know if I've found the perfect balance, but for the purposes of this list, I'm just sayin' I finally know how to say No to my kids without worrying about it for the next 10 seconds minutes.  And may I just add that I've never worried about saying no to material things - I really could care less about what they have...it's the emotional things I worry about.  Saying no when what they want is me and my t-i-m-e.  That's the tough one. 
• Someone say the blessing.  Fortunately, my family is all home in the evenings to eat dinner together around the table.  Unfortunately, this is a time that usually falls apart with Brad irritated at Gogurt's smacking or messiness or Poptart's pickiness as to what is on her plate.  I'm usually tired by this time of the day and have no patience for any irritability.  Can't we all just get along?!?!?!
• Go get in the tub.  What ages are children when they self-initiate their bathing?  I would be curious to know how long my kids would go before they themselves said, "Whew, I think I need a bath."  I'd probably be embarrassed to find out...
• Can I play the Wii/the computer/Daddy's iPhone?    I wish, wish, wish I had a dime, a nickel, even a penny for every time I've heard this! 

Okay, so there it is.  A list of the most used phrases or words in my home.  Is it just me or is it a little sad?  I think I should try to say more uplifting things in my home, go around quoting scriptures, speak in a British accent or something so my next list will look and sound a little more "perfect."  Yeah, right. 

Think about what you say in your home.  Are there phrases you repeat every day almost without fail?  It's an interesting thing to think about, a very convicting thing to think about actually. 

Happy Monday - have a good week!

Friends in High Places

I am not referring to a high-ranking government official or a school board member, a celebrity, or an athlete....no, I've got a friend, and he works at the car repair shop and that, my friend, is the best place to have a friend.   

While Brad was in Alaska, I decided it was time to get my oil changed.  I also decided to switch car shops because we weren't so happy where we had been going.  So upon the recommendation of a friend, I chose another particular shop close to my house. 

Little did I know I have a neighbor-friend that works there - and boy, is he helping us out!

We've been in twice now, once for the oil change and yesterday for brake work, and he gave  us a discount both times.  And not just a teeny tiny one either.  It's a deep enough discount that makes me think I need to bake this man some cookies or take him and his wife out to dinner or cut his grass for him or fall down on the ground and bow at his feet.  Okay, maybe not. 

But I am going to do something nice for him 'cuz he is certainly being nice to us! 

The Mindset List for the Class of 2015

If you've been on Yahoo today, you might have seen this, but in case you haven't, read this and try not to feel too old! 



The Mindset List for the Class of 2015 (entering college freshmen)



1.There has always been an Internet ramp onto the information highway.
2.Ferris Bueller and Sloane Peterson could be their parents.
4.The only significant labor disputes in their lifetimes have been in major league sports.
5.There have always been at least two women on the Supreme Court, and women have always commanded U.S. Navy ships.
6.They “swipe” cards, not merchandise.
7.As they’ve grown up on websites and cell phones, adult experts have constantly fretted about their alleged deficits of empathy and concentration.
8.Their school’s “blackboards” have always been getting smarter.
9.“Don’t touch that dial!”….what dial?
10.American tax forms have always been available in Spanish.
12.Amazon has never been just a river in South America.
13.Refer to LBJ, and they might assume you're talking about LeBron James.
14.All their lives, Whitney Houston has always been declaring “I Will Always Love You.”
15.O.J. Simpson has always been looking for the killers of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
16.Women have never been too old to have children.
18.Jim Carrey has always been bigger than a pet detective.
24.“Yadda, yadda, yadda” has always come in handy to make long stories short.
25.Video games have always had ratings.
28.Jimmy Carter has always been a smiling elderly man who shows up on TV to promote fair elections and disaster relief.
30.Dial-up is soooooooooo last century!
56.They’ve always wanted to be like Shaq or Kobe: Michael Who?
57.They’ve often broken up with their significant others via texting, Facebook, or MySpace.
63.They won’t go near a retailer that lacks a website.
65.When they were 3, their parents may have battled other parents in toy stores to buy them a Tickle Me Elmo while they lasted.
74.“PC” has come to mean Personal Computer, not Political Correctness.




Copyright© 2011 Beloit College


Mindset List is a registered trademark


For list in its entirety, visit http://www.beloit.edu/mindset

The Next Few Weeks

I'm still here - and if any of my readers are, bless you for sticking with me during this "posting drought" of mine.  I don't really have an excuse, but I can say that I just haven't had that much to say.  I'm sure you don't want to read about our day in - day out life experiences when they consist of sleeping, eating, watching TV, sibling rifts, typing, etc.  Exciting stuff. 

We are in VBS this week so that has kept us busy enough.  And Brad leaves Saturday morning bright and early for Alaska.  Please check back in every day next week for updates as I'm assuming my hubby will post from Kotzebue, AK, like he has in the past from Kodiak.  I know he is taking his laptop, but I haven't specifically asked him if he plans on blogging.  But maybe this will suffice as my asking? 

I hate to even say this but school is just around the bend.  However, there's still some fun left to be had - I  have decided to take my kids to the Neshoba County Fair this year.  No, Brad is not going.  Too hot and too crowded and too socially active for him.  That's alright, it's his choice.  I, on the other hand, am soooo looking forward to it - it's been a few years since I've been.  I guess you can call it a reunion of sorts - my cousin Wendy will be there also.  We grew up going to the fair together.  For a week we were inseparable, and made lots and lots of good memories together.  I have a  feeling we will be doing a lot of reminiscing!  Of course, I realize it will not quite be the same.  I'm bringing 2 kids in tow and she will have her 2-year-old son with her.  So other than both being mothers now I'm sure we haven't changed a bit!  But FYI Wendy if you are reading this - you will not, and I repeat, will not get me on the Zipper this year.....

After the fair it will be time to start buying school supplies.  I've noticed Wal-Mart already has them out.  For those over-achiever moms.  Hehe. 

Well that's our next few weeks in a nutshell. 

Hope you guys have had a great summer.  Enjoy what's left!!!

Repairman

Do you ever think back to when you and your spouse were first dating?  Or maybe when you first became a parent?  And do you ever laugh at your own stupidity?  Or ask yourself, "How in the world did we ever make it?"

We often laugh about the time Brad changed the windshield wipers on my car.  We had not been dating long, and I suppose he wanted to help me out in the "manly" car repair stuff, so he took me to Wal-Mart and bought the windshield wipers.  Sitting in the parking lot of the Starkville Wal-Mart he began putting them on.  He worked, and worked, and worked some more, but those stubborn wiper blades just would not cooperate.  (This was also one of the first times I witnessed my future husband's frustration level reached.  I remember sitting in the car wishing he would just give up, hoping no one was watching this, and praying a drought would come to our area.  He finally got them on but everytime I used them, the right blade would slide out slowly.  In order for me not to totally lose the blade, I would have to stop and push the blade back in in the rain.  Yes, we laugh about that now! 

Oh my, how far he has come!  In the past few years, my hubby has progressed from changing tires to his latest venture, changing his starter.  He and his father fixed the brakes on his truck, and he recently changed the alternator on my car.  (Albeit, I do have a belt that squeaks rather loudly now and again since he changed it but I have no doubt he'll get around to fixing that too one day). 

What about his frustration level?  Wellll, that still gets reached but I have to admit not as quickly.  I have noticed a pattern though.  He works and works, reaches a point where he feels he has totally messed up the entire workings under the hood and will have to roll the vehicle into the Reservoir, comes inside, sleeps on it, wakes up the next morning with the revelation of what was done wrong, and has it fixed in about an hour.  That is the pattern I have noticed. 

This week he changed the starter in his truck.  It wasn't pleasant, and at times I wanted to call a tow truck and let the professionals handle it, but in the end he figured it all out and now his truck is cranking quickly and easily. 

I wish I could say tinkering under the hood is his "hobby," but it would be an untruth.  The truth is he has learned from necessity.  Financial necessity. 

Whatever the reason for doing it, I'm proud of him. 

Yes, he's come a long way since those first set of windshield wipers!

Which Club Are You In?

The other day I quickly ran into the library to get some books about dinosaurs for my preschool classroom.  I was by myself since both of my kiddos were in school.   

Think back to when you were engaged.  You thought, ate, drank, slept wedding plans.  You watched wedding shows on TLC and looked at wedding magazines and wedding planners every spare moment of your day.  Also, it seemed everyone around you was either about to get engaged or had just gotten engaged.   Your conversation centered around the to-be wedding.  You were in the "Engagement Club."

Then you got married and your club title changed.  You were no longer thinking about florists, cakes, and music.  You were thinking about how this marriage thing was really supposed to work.  You find out that planning the wedding was actually the easy part.  The marriage thing is alot harder!  So you seek out people in the same club as you to help you.  You are now in the "Newly Married Club."

After a few years you decide you've got the marriage thing downpat and you decide to add a third person to the mix.  You get pregnant.  Warning:  The "Pregnancy Club" is the most active club.  When you are pregnant, you see pregnant women everywhere.  All you talk about is pregnancy.  All you think about is pregnancy.  All you read about is pregnancy.  This club's activities are some that you'll remember forever.  And when you "graduate" from this club, you will pass your experiences on to the newer club members by telling them your harrowing stories of 17-hour labors, passing out twice, getting a blood transfusion, and not being able to stand or sit comfortably for almost a year.  Oh, that's not what the new club members need to hear? Sorry. 

It's ironic - the same thing happens with pregnancy that happens with the wedding.  You find out that what you thought was the hard part turns out to be the easiest part.  'Cuz now you find yourself responsible for another person's well-being, health, and happiness.  And sometimes the little bundle of joy you've just ruined your body to get into the world is the same little bundle of joy you want to put back in.  You need to find the members of the "I've Got a Newborn and Haven't Slept in 4 1/2 Days Club" to let you know your discouragements and frustrations are normal and in no way makes you the most horrible mother the earth has ever produced.  

Eventually, your newborn will become a toddler and you'll join the "I Can't Sit and Have a Conversation Because I'm Chasing My Kid Around to Make Sure He Doesn't Choke on a Lego" Club.  This, along with the newborn club, is an exhausting club to be a member of.  But, as you know, this membership expires quickly.   

"The Preschool Club" is a little easier, in my opinion.  There are good preschool programs out there (I could personally vouch for one in particular!) that can give you some much-needed time away.  It is while you are in this club that you realize how fast they really are growing up.  The next club's membership is looming on the horizon. 

Now here's the club I'm in.  The "Kids In Elementary" Club.  Graded papers to sign, lunch money checks to write, science projects to plan, etc. 

Since that is the club I'm presently a member of, I cannot speak from experience about clubs to come.  Clubs like the  "My Kids Are In High School" Club or the "Finally in College" Club.  My sister will have to tell me how to navigate those two clubs!

So back to being in the library by myself, kid-less.  I happened to be there just as the door was closing to the room where lap-sit storytime was starting.  The storytime I took both my kids to at that age.  I saw a few late-arrivers carrying their babies on their hips, opening the door, and slipping in. 

I looked at the door.  It was closed.  And I couldn't open it. Because I'm not in that club anymore. 


***
At this moment, I know members in each one of these clubs (except the engagement club, can't think of anyone who is engaged).   

Some of you can put your hand on your belly and feel that new life inside you.  You are wondering if the day will ever, ever get here where you actually hold them in your arms for the first time and love them with a love so deep it shocks you. 

Some of you have a newborn at home and things aren't going "picture-perfect."  You are starting to question whether or not you will ever have a moment of peace and quiet again. 

Some of you have toddlers throwing temper-tantrums and testing you at every turn. 

Some of you have preschoolers trying to act more grown-up than they are, and you are beginning to want them to stay little forever. 

Some of us have elementary school aged kids who are slowly but surely not needing us quite as much as they used to. 

You may be in a different club....there's several I didn't get to in this post.  The "Struggling Marriage" Club, the "We're Broke" Club, the "Sick Parents" Club, the "Rebellious Child" Club," and the list could go on and on.  Whatever club(s) you find your membership in, know you are not alone.  God is in all these clubs, and I can guarantee you he will help you find other club members to help you through. 

So let's all enjoy the club we're in today.  Tomorrow may require a whole new membership altogether. 

Open House

No, I'm not having an open house per se, but I am making a conscious decision to have an open home. 

And not just for kiddos.  My home has always been open for neighborhood kids, school friends, church friends, and the like.  On the weekends you can almost bet money there's more kids in this house than I actually birthed. 

I'm talking about, deep breath, adults. 

I have never been the hostess type.  Heck, I'm still not the hostess type.  But I'm making a determined effort to be more hospitable in this home.  It's clean (for now), and I am hoping if I schedule some sort of get-together every few weeks months,  I will be more inclined to keep it clean (forever). 

Last Saturday night was our Sunday School party.  We had it here, and I think it was lots of fun.  Just sitting around talking, eating, and playing Pictionary on Poptart's easel.  I did think about taking pictures, but when I got my camera out to share with you all, I realized my card was full so I have zero pictures of our party.  

I have already volunteered to host a baby shower for my teacher-friend here at my house in May.  This makes me quite nervous although I'm not sure why.  Another teacher thankfully offered to "co-host" with me.  I think she could sense my trepidation about hosting it in the first place. 

I have always considered myself and my home pretty open, but having a friend drop in is alot different than hosting parties and showers. 

I'm gonna hang in there though and see how this whole hospitality thing goes. 

Dreams

Dreams have always fascinated me.  I once started a "dream journal" years ago.  It was a little journal I kept by my bed.  In the mornings I would jot down details I could remember from any dreams I had had the night before.  I felt silly writing down weird details that seemed to make absolutely no sense at the time.  However, it wasn't until years later when I happened upon that journal and re-read my entries that I was astounded.   There were some dreams I had had that I could definitely tie into something that had happened in the years since I had written the words.  Of course, I couldn't relate all of my dreams to a specific real-life happening, but some I could.  And that to me was simply amazing. 

I am a believer in dreams.  God spoke to people throughout the Old Testament in dreams, and I firmly believe he does the same thing today. 

Do you dream alot?  Some people do, but I have heard some people say they very rarely dream.  Some people lie awake at night worrying about circumstances.  Apparently, I go to sleep and dream about them.  Some make sense, some do not.  Some are easy to "translate," some are not.  (If you've never googled "dream interpretations," do it.  Bookmark a good site and then when you dream something strange you can try and figure out what it means.)

One of the first conversations I have with my family each morning, especially on the weekends, (we don't really have time on school days) is about our dreams.  We've done this since the kids were little.  "Did you have any dreams?"  Maybe you do it too with your kids and spouse.  Or maybe we're just weird.  Whatever the case, we share our dreams from the night before.  It's fun to do with little kids - - they can make up some very colorful dreams!  Poptart will start telling us about her dream and when we think she's done and someone else begins, she exclaims, "I'm not done yet!" and keeps on talking.  Gogurt loves to call her out and accuse her of making it all up, but she promises she is not.  And who can really say? 

I've dreamed all sorts of things in my lifetime, and I'm sure you have too.  Do you have recurring dreams?  I've always heard if you dream something 3 times it will come true.  That terrified me as a kid.  I remember one scary dream of a Chinese dragon (you know the kind people walk under in their parades?) coming out of the woods and chasing me.  I dreamed it twice and was scared to death I would dream it again.   As far as I can remember, I never dreamed it that dreaded 3rd time. 

My most recurring theme is showing up somewhere unprepared.  For example, I have dreamed unnumbered times that I showed up for a basketball game only to realize I had forgotten my jersey.  That dream has sort of faded as I have gotten older, but it has been replaced by the dream of arriving at a wedding at which I was the pianist and realizing I had forgotten my music.  Do you see the theme there?  I wish I would have kept a tally of how many times I had dreamed those two dreams in my lifetime.  I'm guessing a dozen at least. 

Have you ever had the dream where your teeth just crumble out of your head?  That's an awful one.  I read somewhere the meaning of that dream.   It means one of two things, either your health or business is in jeopardy or you have spoken poorly of someone and it is coming back to haunt you. 

What about dreaming someone you love has died?  That's an emotional one.  What about the dream your spouse has been unfaithful?  (And you wake up seriously hurt and mad!) 

Then there's the totally nonsense dreams that as far as we can tell make absolutely no sense whatsoever.  Those are the fun ones to share together - it makes for a good laugh!

The thought I would like to leave with you is to not dismiss your dreams.  From my experience, dreams can absolutely give insight to what is happening around you in your "awakeness" that you may be ignoring.   

And never, never doubt that God could be using a dream to tell you something. 

Sweet dreams!

Life Lessons I Learned From Basketball

Nothing takes me back to those days like watching the State Tournament on TV (which is what I'm doing as I write this post).  Nowadays our Mississippi Public Broadcasting channel, or PBS as we know it, airs the State Basketball Tournament.  Back in my day, they didn't. 

But my day was back in the late '80s/early '90s. 

I knew I wanted to play basketball from an early age.  Don't ask me how, I just did.  In fact, in 6th grade when they took us incoming 7th graders to the band hall to play around with the instruments and decide if being in the 7th grade band would be a good fit for us, I decidedly turned them down (even with my music background) because I knew that the school schedule would not allow me to play in the band and be on the basketball team at the same time.  You had to choose one or the other.  There was only one free period so it was band or basketball or PE or whatever else there was to choose from. 

From 7th grade through 12th grade I was on the basketball team.  I started in 7th, 8th, and 9th grades but of course when I came onto the high school team, I was a benchwarmer like most sophomores are.  My playing time increased game-by-game and by the time I was a junior I was playing entire games. 

Watching these young guys on TV brings back so many memories.  My first year on the high school basketball team, we were fortunate enough to make it to the "Big House" and play for a state championship.  And believe it or not, we won, and I have a ring to prove it!  Actually, I don't have the ring in my possession.  It is hanging on a nail in my father's bathroom.  He was afraid I was going to lose it (and he was probably right) so he decided he would  "keep it" for me.  Every few years he thinks to ask me if I want my ring back now that I'm an adult and could probably be more reponsible with it and not lose it.  I always say, "Nah, you better keep it." 

We never made it back to the championship game, but through all of my practices, games, time in locker rooms, weight rooms (yes, I lifted weights), I learned some very valuable lessons. 

• Listen to authority.  This is the first thing you learn when joining a team.  Listen to your coach.  He is always right, and his word is final.  If he says run another lap, run another lap or pay.  I saw what happened to girls with attitudes toward the coach, and I decided early on I wasn't going to be one of them.  He may yell at you, push you, anger you, but in the end he has made you a better player and a better person.  

• Be unselfish.  Pass the ball when someone has a better shot than you.  Don't try to be a hero all the time.  The best teammates are the unselfish ones, the ones who are just as happy to see someone else make the bucket as they are themselves.   It's true, there is no "I" in team. 

• There will always be someone better than you.  

• Never give up.  Getting beat is one thing, giving up is another.  Hold your head high no matter what happens.  You make a mistake?  The game doesn't stop for you to mope and hang your head...you gotta keep going. 

• Anything worth having is worth the work it takes to get there.  I remember the summers in gyms with no air conditioners, the after-school practices that seemed to go on forever, the running, running, and more running.  It was work! 

• Don't take anything for granted.  At the beginning of this post I told you I knew from an early age I was going to play basketball.  What I didn't know is that when my senior year ended, the year that was supposed to be my shining moment, I wasn't playing basketball at all.  In January of 1993, after missing 5 games due to mono, I was making my return.  I had missed more games than I ever had before, and I was determined to end my career at Neshoba Central on the best note I could, playing the best ball I had ever played.  I couldn't wait to get back on the court and play out the rest of the year.   I believe we were playing Choctaw Central, but I'm not sure.  What I am sure of is that I heard it when it popped, and I immediately hit the floor.  My knee was hurting, bad.  I couldn't move it at all.  I was literally running down the court one second and lying writhing in pain the next.  That's how fast it happened.  A teammate came over and I remember squeezing her hand and saying with panic, "I can't move it, I can't move it!"  My coach carried me off the court.  And that, my friend, is how my last basketball game ended.   On Senior Night, instead of running to midcourt to accept my plaque, I hobbled out on crutches with a blue cast covering my entire right leg from my thigh to my ankle.  Don't ever assume you have another game, another day, another anything. 

• Have fun! Some of the best memories from my basketball years are the off-court experiences. Road trips all around our state, a trip to Tennessee, and even a trip to Kissimmee, FL (Disneyworld!)

So there you have it, a few life lessons I learned from basketball.  Oh, and there's one more.  Use it or lose it.  If I had to run a suicide right now, I think I would die.   

This Time Of Year

Eighty degree days....perfect!  (For me anyway.)  The mornings and evenings have a little chill in the air but during the day it warms up quite nicely. 

This time of year is great......football games, trips to the pumpkin patch, homecoming parades, and it's all done without having to bundle up in coats, gloves, and hats. 

However, this time of year always brings a point of disagreement between my husband and me.  In the car or in the house, he still thinks it is AC-on kind of weather.  I think it is AC-off kind of weather.  So the battle goes on and on every day.  But since I'm here during the days and he's not, guess who gets to control the AC?  But as soon as he walks in the door, he turns it down and I start reaching for one of the dozen blankets the kids and I keep handy around the living room. 

My question to him is always this - why does your comfort supercede mine?  There's never a good answer to this question except him mumbling something about the fact that I'm always cold which, by the way, is not always true. 

I'd like to say that disagreeing on the temperature of our house is the most serious thing we have to disagree about, but I'd be oh-so-wrong.  There are many things my hubby and I disagree on, some serious issues, some not-so-serious issues, but when I'm cold, I tend to be more disagreeable.  So honey, it's in your best interest to keep me comfy and warm. 

Love Your Neighbor - But What About Their Dog?

The Bible is clear.  Love your neighbor.  But a question kept coming to my mind yesterday, do I have to love their dog?

We have lived in this neighborhood for around 9 years.  We've seen lots of people come and go.  Fortunately, the 4 houses on our side of the street have been occupied by the same people from the beginning.  That is pretty amazing!  However, across the street, down the street, and everywhere else, people typically stay for about 2 to 3 years. 

You know I love my neighborhood, but yesterday I was tested. 

Our backyard neighbor's house has a fence and we do not.  Our yard goes right up to their fence.  Behind this fence is 2 dogs.  They come to about your ankles, I'm not sure what kind they are, other than crazy-barking dogs. 

We happen to love being on our backporch.  The problem is this.  As much as we love being on our backporch, those 2 dogs hate us being on our backporch.  The minute they hear us talking, the barking begins.  And it doesn't stop.  I honestly did not know a dog could bark at that frequency and volume for that period of time. 

Yesterday was a Sunday, Poptart had invited D over from church, and I was enjoying some leisure time on the backporch swing while they played.  The barking ensued, and I fantasized about what I could do to those dogs.  I'm afraid D heard me yelling at the dogs and mumbling under my breath just what I would like to do to them.  I assured him that I would never actually hurt the dogs and I certainly do not yell at children that way, just those blamed barking dogs that wouldn't shut up! 

Even Gogurt came around the house asking what we could do about the dogs.  "I don't know, son.  But I know what I would like to do."  

Don't worry...I'm not actually going to harm these dogs.  But I am contemplating a conversation with their owner.  But that's alot like confrontation, and I'm so NOT a confrontational person. 

So for now, I guess I'll just be glad winter's coming and we won't be outside much anyway. 

If you have any advice on how to get a dog that doesn't belong to you to stop barking, I'd love to hear it!

Things I Do Not Know

A funny thing happened the other day.  Brad asked me if I had noticed how Poptart has started saying, " I know" to everything.  Now this in itself is not funny, but in light of the post I've been working on (in my head) it is a little ironic. 
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I remember a specific conversation with a cousin when I was younger.  I don't remember the exact age, lower-elementary-age I would guess, that I still remember to this day. 

Apparently when I was that age I had a pretty bad know-it-all attitude.  And this cousin called me on it.  Also apparently, I said "I know" to anything and everything that anybody said to me.  She called me on that too. 

In my defense, I think I was saying it more as in "I hear you and I agree with you," but it came across as "I already knew that, why are you wasting my time telling me?"  Thus the ever-needed attitude adjustment my cousin gave me that day. 

So in honor of that conversation, here is a list of things I do not know (or perhaps just don't want to try and figure out):


I don't know why I got all teary-eyed when an elderly woman in Wal-Mart looked me in the eyes and told me to enjoy Poptart all I could - soon she'll be grown, she said. 

I don't know why hangers make me angrier faster than anything else in this world.  You can't deal with more than 1 hanger at a time or they get all hooked together and it's just infuriating. 

I don't know why I am having a hard time allowing God to have His way in my life. 

I don't know why I can't be as honest as I would like to be on this blog. 

I don't know why I bought a new bedspread that does not match the color of my walls. 

I don't know why my children have to have the TV up so loud. 

I don't know why it's so hard to keep in touch with family and friends. 

I don't know how anything works. 

I don't know how I can go to the grocery store with a well-made, well-planned out list and still think of something I forgot by the time I get home. 

I don't know what Brad is going to be when he finishes school or where we'll have to go for Brad to be whatever he is going to be when he finishes school.  I do know this terrifies me. 

I don't know how Poptart is going to like Kindergarten. 

I don't know what the parents of my students think of me as a teacher. 

I don't know if my friends really like me. 

I don't know how Gogurt can eat so much. 

I don't know why I let some people intimidate me. 

I don't know how to stay close to God all the time. 

I don't know why I love chocolate so much. 

I don't know why men are so sexually driven. 

I don't know why God keeps blessing me when I do not deserve it. 

I don't know how to really have church. 

I don't know how to tell people what they mean to me without crying like a blubbering idiot.

I don't know why I can't witness. 

I don't know why my feet stay cold all the time. 

I don't know how Brad and I are still together. 

I don't know why, on the warmest day yet, I feel like crap and just want to go back to bed. 

I don't know what my kids will end up being.  


So there you have it.  A partial list of things I do not know.  It could go on and on.  While making this "I don't know" list, a song popped into my head.  I will leave you with the lyrics...

I don't know about tomorrow, It may bring me poverty;
But the one who feeds the sparrow, Is the one who stands by me;
And the path that be my portion, May be through the flame or flood;
But His presence goes before me, And I'm covered with His blood.

Many things about tomorrow, I don't seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow, And I know who holds my hand. 

Sayings to Share

I have always enjoyed reading quotes from people who are far better than me at putting a profound thought into a small statement. I received an e-mail with several quotes supposedly written by a 90-year-old woman. I suppose she has learned quite a few lessons the hard way.

I wanted to share a few of my favorites and add my commentary (which will probably not be profound or small) but since this is my blog, I can be as long-winded as I want to!

OK. Here goes.

*When in doubt, just take the next small step.*

The most important word in here to me is small. I think the problem Brad and I have been having about his going back to school is trying to take the next GIANT step instead of taking itsy, bitsy small steps. We were trying to figure it all out and have all the answers before we ever took the first small step. God is waiting to see us step out on faith, and I hope He is pleased. (I mailed the application today!)

*However good or bad a situation is, it will change.*

Yes, this is true and similar to the saying, "This too shall pass." Unfortunately the only thing constant in life is change. And I deal horribly with change. But, after growing up a little, I have realized that no situation, no feeling, no circumstance will always stay the same. This is somewhat comforting, but it can also be disturbing. If you are going through something right now and you see no way out, just remember, you won't be here forever. Your circumstances will change and this situation will eventually be a memory.

*Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.*

Oh, I like this one! And isn't it so true! We worry about ourselves, what we said or didn't say, what we did or didn't do, and I think we'd be surprised to find out exactly how little other people even pay attention to what we do or say. Of course, this is not to say we should not be careful in how we treat others, but no one takes us as seriously as we do. So, in the words of my husband, the words that instantly has the reverse affect on me, "Chill out."

*What other people think of you is none of your business.*

This one sort of goes along with the prior one. How much time do we waste wondering what other people think of us? It's none of my business what you think of me. If you choose to tell me, I will take it in and I will appreciate your honesty. If not, I shall not waste another moment of my precious time worrying if you like me or not. I promise. Really.

*If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.*

There's nothing like a little perspective to put our problems in their place. I might think I have problems, but all I have to do is start talking to someone, anyone, and my problems seem to fade into the woodwork. I wonder if everyone feels that way? I don't want your problems, and I don't believe you want mine. I wouldn't know what to do with your problems, and you wouldn't know what to do with mine.

*If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.*

This may be my favorite. I have a feeling I'm gonna use this alot with my kids in a few years. If you can't tell Momma about your girlfriend, then she ain't right for you! It's not only for teenagers though. Plenty of adults need to heed this advice. It is simple. If your relationship has to be a secret, something is bad wrong. And you better get out.

*Don't wait until God says go. Go until God says stop.*

This wasn't in this same e-mail I received but was told to me later. I pray this is what we are all striving to do. Go until God says stop. Boy, that's scary. Exciting! But scary.

Okay, that's it. Hope I didn't bore you. Feel free to share which of these is your favorites or if you have another favorite you'd like to share with us!