Must Read...

This post is absolutely hilarious!!! Warning: Do not attempt to drink any liquid and read at the same time! Go. Read. It. Now.
Antiquemommy -I Left the House

Play Along Bargain Hunters

On occasian Owlhaven will play a little game with her garage sale finds.
Here's the deal...take a look at what we found. Guess what we paid for everything. One total price. Enter your guess in the comment sections. One guess please. Winner will be announced on Monday. So here's the goods...

3 pairs of jeans, 3 pairs play pants (all girls size 12)

1 long sleeve old navy shirt (with bleach marks) 2 tank tops, 1 fleece hoody, 2 pairs of shorts and 1 purple dress (all size 12 girls)

1 campin chair, 2 stuffed animals, 1 ornate fan with phesant embrodiery, 1 small snow globe, 1 pair retro dress shoes(worn), 1 pair old navy flip flops(new).

So what do you think we paid?

Meet the Midwife, See the Baby FB#3

Have I told you that we don't always do things the normal or conventional way? It's true. Sometimes I don't know the specific reason God calls to do something a particular way. I just obey. Early in my first trimester DH and I decided to use a midwife for this pregnancy and have a homebirth. My sister-in-law and just had her first using the midwife we choose. And she had absolutely loved her. It was natural for us to choose Linda to be a part of pregnancy and birth experience. 1. There are not many midwifes qualified to do homebirths in our area. 2. She is a believer. 3. Her spirit is so sweet.
The first time I met her we drove out to her country home. We were greeted with a smile and ushered in. She offered us something to drink and led us over to her table. Since this was our first meeting we took some time to get to know each other. She asked us questions about our desires. About the pregnancy. About us in general. We asked questions about her experience. What to expect. Her in general. She was so warm and friendly. She was kind enough to not talk about food on that visit. I believe I had gotten sick on the way out.
Then we went into her side room. A futon with pillows lined one wall. Books galore about women, pregnany, babies and other things natural lined another. I laid down on the futon, excited and a bit nervous. Linda felt around my uterus, taking measurements. She prepped the doppler and put the slippery gel on my belly. A moment later we were listening to swishes, first mine then another. So rapid swish, swish, swish. It was my BABY! It had a heart and it was beating. Linda said it also had a brain because it moved away. How incredibly awesome.
So it was settled that it would be homebirth indeed. And Linda would be our midwife.

Much of the second trimester was uneventful. I started feeling better. I watched the girls everyday after school and occasionally on weekends. I could eat. I had energy and life was good.
I loved going to garage sales and find deals for this little one. Toys and such. I was a bit naive. Much of what I got was not necessary...oh well. It was a fun time of preperation. To say the least we were excited about this little life within.

Since we were having a homebirth it was our choice whether or not to have an ultrasound. As for me, I want to know. I want to see that little life. I want to know the sex of the baby. Please tell me, please. At 20 weeks we set up an appointment, drank the unreal amounts of water, waited painfully for the visit and arrived with much anticipation. These visits are so much fun; well the full bladder is not fun but I digress. The tech globbed up my belly, and went to work. There is black and white alein form was our little one. She went about measuring, telling us as she went what was what. Hands flailed. Feet kicked. And the heavens smiled as legs parted. It was beyond a shadow of a doubt...all boy. The tech in her humor even wrote penis on the picture she sent home with us. She was positive, I was convinced. Either it was truely a boy or it's thumb was very creative. No...it WAS a boy. It was right then and there in that office that our son was named. It was my hubby that spoke it and I was in agreement. Well, his middle name I had to think over but it sounded good to me. As we left the office the cell phone went to work. Calling everyone with the news. We don't do so good with saving stuff like that for face to face visits. We just have to tell the world.
One thing I loved about having the ultrasound and finding out the sex was that we could now pray for him by name. It was no longer this little one within me. He had a name. He was beginning his identity and it was good.

Email Info

I have switched my email address. It is now momteacherfriend@gmail.com

On account settings you can have an email alert you when someone leaves a coment on your blog. I learned a new thing from Overwhelmed. Let me share it with you. You can easily respond by replying in your email. It's great. Some comments warrant a response. Public may be appropriate but now I know I can do it privately as well. Go ahead leave me a comment so I can test out my new email and email response. Thanks!

A Fight With My Flesh

Having a hard time getting out of bed the last two weeks. I want to spend time in the morning, praying and reading my bible. I want to start the day in fellowship with God. It has been very difficult fighting this flesh. Sadly most days the flesh has won. I have a picture of what I want my time with Him to be like. Is it possible with two little ones around? I believe it is. That doesn't mean it's easy. I do get time in His presence. It may be after breakfast. It may be brief. I do get to read. It may be a few verses. It may be a chapter. I guess I am desiring uninturrupted devotion. To accomplish that it needs to be before the rest of the house awakens. Which means I need to wake up earlier. Which means I need to fight the flesh and get up. Sigh..

Moments Like These

Peaceful. Slowing down. Butterflies flitting. A walk around the lake at our local park. We had dropped my nephew off at his friends and I knew we wanted to DO something. I didn't want to go straight home. I didn't want to spend money. I did want to be outdoors. So we went for a walk. At first there was some resistance. A walk? Why not the playground? Then...OK let's go. At first DD was whiny and wanted me to carry her. I did for a bit. Then we found them. A patch of berries. Ripe and juicy. We all got in on the picking. It became our mission as we walked along. Find more berries. It was fun; getting our hands stained with the red juice. YUM YUM. Then as we rounded the bend we hit the JACKPOT. Bushes and bushes of berries. WooHoo. My water bottle was empty and we began to drop the treasure in. And of course we ate some more. We collected over a cup and decided to move along, saving some for others. There was an older lady riding her bike, she passed us a few times. We let her in on the "secret" berries. Secret because I can not even tell you how many times I have gone past them without even knowing they were there. The lady was delighted. We continued on. We entered into the wooded part of the trail. Shady and cool. We climbed up the ridge to look over the lake then came back to the path. Then we spotted delight #2; the tinest frogs I have ever seen. The size of a pinky nail or smaller. As we walked along we spotted tons of them. We had to watch where we were walking because they were literally everywhere on the path. Never noticed those before either. We were inturrupted from frog watching when a turtle decided to cross the path. A female painted, probably 10 years old. (I love painted turtles and have done my share of research.) She walked away, we continued on. Emerging out of the woods we got a drink and then headed down the boardwalk. Little fish here and there. The kids searched the bank for the ellusive muskrat. Then we arrived to the swimming area. Everyone was wearing shorts and sandels so we waded in. Well the wading lasted for a moment. DD laid right down in the water. DS asked if he could go in. I knew that they had dry clothes in the car. No big deal...go ahead get wet. My neice was a little more difficult. She had no dry clothes in the car. She gave me the look and promised to sit on her blanket on the ride home. Permission granted. I rolled up the capris and waded in a little further. They splashed and swam. Then we dripped back to the car. I had a sweatshirt in the back; perfect for my neice. And changed my kiddos. Then we were off. A splendid afternoon.

Ignorance

Been thinking lately...is ignorance really so bliss? Sometimes knowledge brings with it information that challenges our current lifestyle or beliefs. Sometimes it forces us to draw a line in the sand and make a choice. To obey or not to obey. To live like you have always lived or change your ways. Yes, sometimes not knowing is more convient; but is it bliss?

Hosea 4:6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children

1 Timothy 1:13Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.

Acts 17:30In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

Ephesians 4:18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

1 Peter 1:14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.

Not wanting to live in ignorance; having to make some tough choices.

Laying Low?!?

Did I mention DS was to lay low today? The first half of the day, no problem. We watched TV and played board games. Monopoly Jr. Even DD got in on the action. Pretty low key, we set up the tent outside. A place to relax.

At three DS's cousin came over. The guidelines were clear. No jumping, running, climbing or biking. I know that is a tough request of two 5 year old boys. Really they are doing pretty well. They played games, cars and are currently building a robot. I can hear there little robot voices. Too cute. The last hour I had a few incidents were I needed to remind him to be calm today. To not climb and run around crazy. It is by no means his cousins influence making him want to run. In fact his cousin is a gentle reminder. "Um...I don't think you should climb right now. Come down here. Let's play this." Thankful to have an alias.

Little girl got dressed up all pretty and went on a date. Aunt Sherry picked her up and they were going out to do "girly" things. She was all giggles when I put her in the carseat. So excited

Not to mention absolutely adorable!

Yesterday

Yesterday began as a typical afternoon. The kids were playing outside. They had the water going and made a river in the gutter to go down to the drain. It was a science experiment that was birthed out of their own creativity. Love it. Near the end of the experiment DS put on his helmet, got on his bike, and rode down to check out the river. He was excited to see how far the water had gone. 5-6 houses and almost to the drain. I was on the sidewalk a few feet in front of him when I turned around and saw the horrific. DS face planting into the cement. I was there as soon as it was over. He was already beginning to bleed and I knew it was not your typical fall off and get back on. I scooped him up in my arms and called DD into the house. Laying him on the couch I could see bloody teeth and a scrapped up face. I ran and got a wet washcloth. Prayed over him. Brief but sincere. Then I got a cold pack. The neighbor had been on her way over to drop somethings off to me. She ushered DD in and brought the bike up to the house. DS was crying and whimpering. I called daddy to tell him and ask him to pray. He encouraged me to have him sip some water to calm down and clean out the mouth, so that I could take a look. DS really did not want the water but I finally coaxed him to take a sip. Inside the mouth it looked like one small cut on the inner upper lip. I felt his teeth and they felt rooted and strong. Nothing loose. Thank God! He began to get concerned about what his face looked like and wanted to see. He went into the bathroom, still whimpering, then came back out. He laid back down on the couch. At this point I am thinking...observation, I need to watch him very closely. I sit down to be with him and calm him. We took off the damp clothes from playing in the water. A few minutes went by and then he looked at me lost and blank. "What happened to me? How did I get hurt?" I asked him some basic questions. He did not remember riding his bike, he did not remember what he was doing prior to falling off his bike. After a call to daddy and the doctors office, we determined to take him to ER. The neighbor came over for DD and hubby headed for home. DS and I headed for the hospital. At this point I knew he had his motor skills. He was walking, talking; able to move. I was concerned about his cognitive. I asked simple questions, what is your name, What did you do this morning, what did you do there? He knew all these things. It was the period of the impact and just before that he did not remember. The doctors office told me to not let him fall asleep on the way. Half way there he started to fall asleep. "DS WAKE UP!!" He did wake up, thankfully. He was mad and cranky, he wanted to sleep. Leave me alone and the like. I had to be obnoxious in keeping him awake. Tickling toes, while he tried to hide them seemed to be the most effective. He was laughing as he tried to keep them from me. He then went from I want to sleep to I want to look out the window. I pleaded with him, please don't fall asleep. He stayed awake. We pulled into the hospital and got a parking spot near ER. We walked in, told them what happened. We were seen in triage pretty much right away. Then we registered. Then we waited and waited and waited. I am not complaining here. Hospital Emergency rooms are there for emeregencies. They are not a first come first serve; they are a evaluate and be seen according to severity. I took comfort in the fact that since we were waiting so long it meant it wasn't of the severe.
2:30- Time of the accident
3:30- Arrived at hospital
4:30- He remembers the impact and what he was doing just before. Praise God.
5:30- DS falls asleep in waiting room. I check with the front desk and they say it ok to let him sleep.
6:20- He is approved to move to fast track. Which is more like an urgent care within the hospital. He is still asleep so I carry him over. He was very heavy and the walk was some what long, going through and around different departments and hallways. I kept shifting him and his weight. When we were almost there I shifted him again and he woke up. He walked the last few feet, then fell right back asleep.
6:35- In a room. Still asleep
7:00 Seen by a Physicians Assitant. She looks over the abbrasions, feels his teeth, looks at cut in mouth. Checks eyes and ears. He checks out fine. Cut in his mouth did not need stitches. She requested a cat scan of the face and bone structure of the head. She warned us this may take awhile. A request earlier in the day took 3 hours to be seen. We waited, he rested in my arms as I watched Friends and Everyone Loves Raymond. I explain what the scan will be like, he seems ok with it. Then a few minutes later we have the following conversation.
DS I do not want this scan
ME Why?
DS Do you want to argue with me?
He was so serious, it totally threw me off and I laughed. Really hard.
8:15 We head off for the scan. Since he was considered a head trauma, he had to ride in the wheel chair. He didn't want to. So we both got a ride in the wheel chair. He thought this was great fun. Then we arrived at the scan. He didn't really want to do the scan. So mom got to do a scan first. I laid down on the bed. They raised it up and moved me into the circle. He thought this was funny. It did the trick. He took off his shirt and laid down. He was covered with a warm blanket and strapped in. This part was a little sad. Not that he was scared or anything. It was seeing him strapped to a board. He was now convinced that this thing was cool. He was told to hold still and when he went into the circle to not talk. He followed instructions to the T. Woohoo. He came out and said, that is funny. Not traumatized. That's good. The tech gave him stickers and we were out of there.
8:35 Back to our room. Told results should be back soon. Call hubby to update, DS talked to daddy.
8:45 We were walking out the door. The results came back, all clear. No damage to his facial structure and no internal bleeding. We were given our walking papers with instructions. Wake him in the middle of the night and take it easy for at least 24 hours. Come back if anything worsens.

As I write this he is still sleeping. We shall see if he is able to "take it easy" for the day. We canceled all the days plans. The plan is to lay low. I am so thankful for God's protective hand on my son. For his complete restoration. I am thankful that the process went smoothly and the staff was kind. I am thankful, he was not poked and prodded. I am thankful he was wearing his helmet. I am thankful for friends that pray.

Weekend Review

Vision's Friday night, the praise and worship there is great. Going deeper in discusion with people, greatly appreciated. I got home around 2:30am...and I was beat. I can not do the late night stuff like I used to. In the morning I woke up around 8:30...6 hours of sleep, decent. We decided to go to the Eaton Rapids Dam Festival (no joke that's the name.) We walked around old cars, civil war camps, painted a fish and watched some dancers. Prior to the festival we stopped by Heather's house. I think the kids had more fun in her yard then they did at the festival.
Overgrown weeds, neighbors cows and sheep, dandelion necklaces. Yup they liked that more.
After the festival we went to see the movie Cars. It was cute, good moral...well done. DD was restless in the theater...not quite ready for the theater yet. Good movie though definately recommend it.

Today was ride two for the motorcycle ministry. We had 10 bikes with 16 riders. Meandering through the country side, very peaceful. My parents watched the kids so I got to go along. Thanks mom and dad! We ate at a restaurant where the omelets are huge. DH and I shared a meal and had more than enough.

We offically own the new motorcycle. I never did find the title to the old. Thankfully they have the instant title. The new bike is much more practical for us as a couple. It screams...you are getting old! So be it...he is. HeeHee. OK maybe not old but mature..yeah he's that too.

REVISED*Yet another reason why I do NOT carry a purse...

http://www.snopes.com/medical/disease/purse.asp

I have always thought they were evil (jk)

*Really it is not the germs I am afraid of, it's the purse. But really people PLEASE do wash your hands.*

Go There NOW!

This is too good not to share. Go check it out.
http://www.raisingsmallsouls.com/wp-content/themes/179/aschool.html

So what do you think?

Yuck Yuck and More Yuck FB#2

I don't know about any of you but my first trimesters are plain YUCK! I get sick, real sick. It is not just morning sickness; it is all day everyday. At the time the girls that I nannied were in school, major blessing. This meant I had the whole morning to get myself together before having to drive over to their house. I needed this WHOLE time to get myself together. Some days, ok, most days even when I got there I was still a mess. It became the daily routine for them to ask me how many times I got sick. I don't know why but along the way I counted how many times I got sick. A bit morbid, I know. When it was all said and done, I had thrown up 100 TIMES. Exactly 100 times. Yuck Yuck Yuck! I was not discriminatory over where I threw up. Pretty much anywhere I went. At my house, their house, in the barn, in the yard, driving (I stopped the car), outside of a restuarant (people walking in turned around and walked out) and the most embarrassing for me was the center court of the mall. Ew!
Many times I felt guilty about getting sick. If someone made a meal for me and I threw it up; I felt horrible. I would even cry about it. Ask Kristin...it's true. Those 10 weeks were long and hard. I feared that the sickness would never end. I feared that I would waste away to nothing. I feared my baby was not getting the nutrients it needed to grow. I lost 15 pounds during my first trimester. Most people gain weight in pregnancy...and here I was losing.
I know that many people prayed for me during that time. Protection over the baby, my health and that I would feel better. Somewhere around 18 weeks I did begin to feel better. I could actually eat. I had more energy. WooHoo.
Then it was off to the midwife...more on that in FB#3

An Improvement To Our Day

The inspiration:
I was listening to a teaching called Far More Than Rubies by Leslie Johnson. It is great. In it she talks about a frustration with her then 11 year old son. She would give him a verbal to-do list and expect him to get it done. He would do one thing and then diddle around. Her daughter had no problem finishing the things required so she didn't understand why her son was. She was getting more and more frustrated; thinking he was in rebellion. One morning after such list was given she came into his room to find him crying on his bed. She didn't understand. In her prayer time God showed her the son's heart. It turns out he would do anything for his mother. He just was unable to process the information in the same way his sister and mother did. God showed her to give him a list and he would respond. Sure enough, he did.

Our story:
There are many times I think DS is procrastinating or plain rebelling when I give him a task. I know he loves me and that he does desire to obey. I need to revise my plan. I need to do things in a way he understands.

The plan:
Yesterday I made these lists for both of the kids. The top says each childs name and then Morning Chores. Then there is a simple picture; I know I can not draw. And the act requested. It is a basic morning routine. Both kids have the same list with the exception of the animal. DS feeds the dog, DD feeds the cat. The list needs to be completed before any TV or computer time.



The result:
Today was a beautiful, peaceful morning. They both clearly knew what was expected of them and they got it done without a word from me. The last one on the list is "Ask Mom" This means when the previous 4 things are done they come to me and ask "Mom, is there anything else I need to do?" This gives me the freedom to tailor a request. I am going to try and keep this to one task. Today was wash your face. Tomorrow it may be pick up____. I love it...it is totally working. Added bonus; it is keeping me accountable as well.

Clarifing and Going Deeper

The things on the previous list are all things that God has been teaching me or dealing with me on the last two months or so. Some things are easy, some are harder; a true renewing of my mind. Take the King James. He placed the thought in my mind a few months ago to read the King James and see what it was like. There was another mention in a teaching on something, I went to Miss Sues and she offered her KJ. So I started reading it there. I came home and was hoping I could begin reading from the New King James. Further teaching and confirmation it was clear...no the KING JAMES. Sigh. This is a true renewing of the mind for me. For the last 11 years of my walk with Christ I have been reading from NIV. I know it, I am comfortable with it and I understand it. So why switch it? Because I have come to understand that when he calls me to do something it is for a specific reason. I may not clearly understand it at the moment. I don't need to clearly understand it, I need to obey. So the last couple weeks I have been doing my reading on www.biblegateway.com reading KJV. There are moments I don't understand. There are times I stop and think what does this say. Sometimes I read it in the NIV to get a grasp of an unfamilar word. I probably need to start going to the Strongs concordance and dictionary when I get stumped; take it a little deeper. One step at a time.

Loving my dog. I am frustrated with my dog at the moment. She is still a pup in many ways. Not in size but in age and mentality, she is. She digs(in my yard), chews(everything plastic or wood, some fabric and some rubber), barks and is rougher than I like. I am not giving up on her. We know much of it is training. Some of it is immaturity. We really need to focus on her training. This is much needed. I am trying to not speak negative to her. I have been known to call her dummy, peabrain and the like. I am trying to believe she can be a great dog. I am loving her, at moments this is difficult. I hope I feel differently in a year. I want to say...she is the best dog.

Victory in the kitchen... Oh my, we have come a long way. I have kept it no secret that I struggle with housekeeping. For most of our marriage I have plain failed at it. I came to realize about a year ago that if my kitchen was in disorder it spilled out to the rest of the house. If the kitchen was a mess the rest of the house was trashed. If my kitchen was clean, I had some peace and it motivated me to keep the living room clean as well. If the sink was full of dishes, I felt discouraged. I would not even want to clean them. I would not want to do any of it. All because my dishes were more than I thought I could handle. Downward spiral. I have really been trying to stay on top of the dishes. After DH remodeled the kitchen I am SUPER motivated to keep it clean. We eat a meal I clean up after it, you may think, "No brainer" but this has not always been the case. Everything put in it's place, dishes in the dishwasher. Clean. Victory! Dinner's have also improved. I make a list of meals I have everything for and put it on the side of the refridgerator. As I make them I cross them off. This helps me know what I can make but does not stick me to having to make a certain thing on a certain day. I operate better with the freedom to make that choice at the time of preperation.

Housekeeping. This one has been over the course of the last two years but He's not finished with me yet in this area so it is most definately on the list. The issue(Lost: Green Paper) this week highlighted the fact that I am not finished. I have made tremendous progress in my home in the last year. Read past posts to know some of the steps I have made. I am to the point now that I am not embaressed by visitors, in fact I am glad to have anyone over. The main rooms of the house are in order. Yet lurking behind closed doors is the reality that much needs to be done. It frustrates me. It embarresses me. I want everything in perfect order so I don't have to live this way. I know that God put this desire in my heart because it has not always been there. I was perfectly content to live in disorder. My husband is not. Things are moving to the better. Things are happening and progress is being made. Again, one step at a time.

Giving heart. God has blessed me beyond measure. Not just materially. I have a great family, great friends, people that are generous to me. I also have lots of stuff! Much of it not necessary. As freely you have been given, freely give. Read Free Sale for more on this. Give. Give. Give. I am learning to give away what is in excess in my home. I am learning to give above and beyond what I am called to give. It has been a growing time in this area.

There is much more to the why's and how's of that which is on the list. That is what comes to mind at the moment. I do not wake up each morning with God bombarding me in each of these things. But I do have gentle reminders and correction along the way. My life is a work in progress. I know when I look back to who I was 10 years ago I am a completely different person today. I can only hope I am different in another 10 years. Perhaps I will even look at my list of yesterday and laugh, saying something like "Remember when ________was a struggle for me. Thank God it no longer is."

Laid Bare ...for a moment

So I am sitting here thinking about all the different things God is dealing with me on right now. And I have to say there is alot. I shall make a list. It may not be complete nor give an explanation but I feel that I am to make a list so that is what I will do. If anyone has a desire for more info you can email me.
In no particular order, God is dealing with me in the following ways:
Feminity
Positions in prayer
House Cleaning
King James
Everyday things that have infiltrated our lives that are occultic
Praying in the moment...be it on a comment of a blog, on the phone or over someone when a request is made
Giving heart
Respecting my husband
Balance
Consistent time with Him
Staying in the Word
Filtering worldly things for my family
Letting go of pride
Standing for Him when it goes against the norm
Obedience in all things...doing what He tells me to do
Worshipping from the heart
Prophecy
Ministry in training
Loving my dog
Daily schedule
He is showing me specific things for my kids, things I need to teach them
Victory in my kitchen
Angels
Health
Being a leader, making decisions in the Spirit
Some answers to why He called me to do some unusual things
Realizing that there is more to come
Hmmm...I am sure there is more but that is what comes to mind.

Ever growing, ever changing, ever desiring to be more like Christ

Treasure Tuesday

My new kitchen is my treasure for the day. I LOVE IT!! It is so much more functional now. I have counterspace to preapre and cook. There is no clutter. It is clean. It has more room...at least it feels like it has more room. Not to mention, it's pretty.
Let me take you on a little tour...

This is entering into the kitchen BEFORE...notice how your view to the left is blocked by the refridgerator.

AFTER...you can see anyone in the kitchen from the entry. Makes visits with friends, much nicer.


BEFORE...notice the clutter on top of old pantry.

AFTER...new coffee nook.


BEFORE...did I mention orange chairs...or things all over the fridge

AFTER...my sister-in-law refinished chairs she had laying around.


BEFORE...this picture taken by one of my children. I look thrilled to be there. Let's see the stovetop is lined with my spices. I am conviently blocking the clutter behind me. And oh yeah the cabinet fronts are brown.

AFTER...white cabinet fronts, no clutter, spices put away, and the stove is remarkably clean!


So there are some before and after pictures for you. Thank you blogger for co-operating today. Unbelievable I got all those pictures to upload...YEAH!

So what do you think of it?

What happens when a mom goes on strike...

Check out this blog as she shares her week on strike. Operation AWOL Mom is underway.

She already has completed the first day. I think she is on to something. Go check her out.

Lost: Green Piece of Paper

How much trouble can one small piece of paper be? If is a title to a vehicle and it is lost; PLENTY! My house is tore up trying to find the title to my hubbies motorcycle. It is not in any of the logical places, nor the practical places, nor the obvious. No it is not in any of these places. Other important papers are neatly placed in their folder. The one I need? Nope, not there. My house has it's fair share of clutter (my fault) it also has boxes and bags that have been carelessly shoved out of view (my husband's fault.) Somewhere in the midst of all of it, I should find it. How long will it take me? Who knows. It may be easier to pay the $20 and get a new one. But until we have one in hand I search and search and search. Please pray it be found and that I don't lose my sanity in the process. Off to tear apart the bedroom...

Banana Pudding

Yummy Yummy!

Since I have returned from Miss Sue's I have made it twice. It is very good. The second time I made it I did not let the pudding thicken as much as it should have. I hear it was very tasty but it earned the name Banana Soup. So lesson learned.
Here is the recipe:
2 bags vanilla wafers
6 bananas
In large baking bowl alternate wafers and bananas.
You can decorate edge with wafers.

3 eggs seperated-whites for icing/ yolk for pudding
1 C sugar
4 T flour
1 can condensed milk
1 can water
Mix well and heat until thick. You can do on stove top stirring consistently. Or double boiler. I found I am a better judge of thickness on stovetop. Must be careful not to overcook when doing it on direct heat.

Once thick add:
1 stick butter
1/2 cap of vanilla
Mix well. Pour over vanilla wafers and bananas.

Icing-
Take three egg whites. Make sure there is NO YOLK! In glass bowl beat on high for several minutes. Will peak, then add cream of tarter and sugar. Amounts are questionable, in true southern style. The recipe says 1/2 capfull. I think my caps are differetn then Miss Sue's were. Somewhere between 1t-2t is probably right. Sugar will be between 1/2 C and 1 C. I prefer 3/4 C. Add slowly add taste to liking.
Beat on high. Icing will be done when beaters stand upright when removed from beater.
Spoon onto pudding. Bake at 350 for 5-15 minutes. Cooking time really depends on your oven. Once peaks brown slightly it is done.

Can be eaten hot or cold. Both are delicious.
Note: Whites can be in pudding mix but yolks can not be in icing.

Enjoy!

Two Pink Lines FB#1

It was evening Friday August 11th 2000. I had to go to the bathroom and I could not wait any longer. I drove to the grocery store and got a test. As soon as I got home I took the test...and waited. Before long the first pink line appeared and then seconds later there were two. I just stared at it in amazement. It was really true. I WAS PREGNANT! a tiny tear at the reality. I was going to be a mama. Hubby had been taking a nap so I went in and tapped his shoulder. When he woke up I said "Guess what? We're pregnant!" He was so excited. We laughed and hugged then made MANY phone calls to share the news. DH joked that since it was a pink line that meant a girl and since there were two lines it meant twins. Hmmm twin girls? Everyone we called was thrilled to hear the news. The next morning I went with a friend to a Folk Festival. There was a dance floor; kids and their moms and dads were dancing together. I got teary eyed. I wanted to dance with my kids.
At the time I got pregnant I was a nanny for two wonderful girls. I love these girls, at the time they were 10&12. I called them with the news along with the rest of the family. When I arrived to their house the following Monday the girls had decorated with streamers and ballons. On a white board they had written "Congradulatoins Sarah!! It's a baby!" It was so sweet. Let me just say they were excited. I can still here them giggling and shreaking!! lol

The following are letters they wrote to the baby:
Dear Baby,
Hello, I'm Kate. I have so many things to tell + explain to you. You'll never know how very much you were loved from the time we found out you were in mama's stomach to the day you die. We all love you. When your mama found out she was preganat w/ you she was so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so happy + excited to become a mama. Before mama was pregnant + before she had you she used to watch us. She taught us many things for school + or life. Your mama wants to name you Alison if you are a girl and for a boy she's not sure but she loves you very much either way. Alison was her old cats name but don't feel bad because I was named after a cat + your grandmas dog!! Well I wasn't named after them but I have to share my name with an animal. Mama thinks its funny. She laughs everytime I say that. She used to sing me a song:
Think of me everyday
Hold tight to what I say
And I'll be close to you
even from far away
Know that wherever you are
It is never to far
If you think of me I'll be with you!
I hope I can sing it to you someday! I love you very much! Right now your the size of a cracker crumb.
Love, Katey

Dear Baby,
I'm not named after a animal unlike my sister. I'm so special. We'll I'm so excited I can't wait to babysit for you. When your mama told me that you didn't have any ears I flipt out. Oh well your still so tiny
Bye Baby
Love Leah

More to come...look for Flash Back(FB) #2

Sounds of Summer

Last night we were invited by friends to join them at the park for a free concert. It was her kids bithday today so we got there early and had a picnic. Awesome food! Since we arrived early we had front row seats. The performers are twin brothers, Gemini. Very talented. Very entertaining. We loved it. At first they were a bit shy but before long they lost all inhibitions and were singing and dancing all over the place. Below are some of my favorite shots.
We had a great time, listening to the music and fellowshiping with friends.





During intermission, we went over to the 3 wheeler track. They have 20 or so three wheelers for the kids to ride for free. The track has a swooping hill that goes up then winds back down and through a tunnel. Both kids love it.

I Think Goldwyn is Wrong

Samuel Goldwyn
"I don't think anyone should write their autobiography until after they're dead."

I have said it before I shall say it again. I believe life is unique and personal but meant to be shared. So share my life I will...while I am alive.

There is much from the past 28 years that you don't know...so I think I am going to start doing some flash backs. Yes that is what I am going to do!

Falcon Update

The facons are now flying! Pretty cool. Even cooler is the new feature they added to the site. Live video feeds. No more needs for refreshing. See it live and in living color from 9am-8pm (Eastern) So you can actually see them fly! You also see carcesses of meals finished...but hey.

http://www.ohiodnr.com/wildlife/falcon_video/default.htm
Go check it out.

Amazing Experiment

What do you get when you have Diet Coke and add mentos. Watch this to find out.
http://www.eepybird.com/dcm1.html

Wasn't that cool?

Coming Home

After saying good bye to Miss Sue and family we were on our way. We had 7 hours of driving on Monday, broke up with bathroom breaks and lunch at McDonald's. I was SO PROUD of DS at Mc D's, after they finished their lunch they had permission to go play. It was one of the tallest playscapes I have seen. DS scooted right up, DD had a little trouble going from platform to platform. She was almost tall enough, almost but not quite. DS helped her up then stayed with her the rest of the time while they played. He encouraged her on the wobbly parts and congradulated her when she made it. Her second trip up she figured out a way to use the rope sides to do it by herself. Still he played with her, laughing and having a great time together. It was a sweet picture to me, I actually got teary eyed watching them. Before dinner we arrived at our destination for the night. A nice state park, I got a site for only $8! woohoo! There was a restuarant at the park so we ate dinner there looking out over the lake. We purchased our firewood and went back to our site to make a fire. What is camping without a fire? I tried and tried and tried to get that fire going. We had collected plenty of kindling and built just so; it would not start. In dispair I went to a neighboring campsite and asked for help. A dear lady in her 70's came over to help me. After many douses with gas it took hold and we had a nice fire to sit around and talk and sing. After dark a raccoon came to visit and DS decided he would rather be in the tent, he fell asleep immediately. DD stayed with me at the fire a little longer and fell asleep in my arms...so sweet.
Tuesday we got up, showered, tore down our camp and was on the road a little after 9. The drive home was uneventful. A few squabbles. Listening to music and Stuart Little (books on CD) After lunch we went to Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, entry was free thanks to our membership with our local zoo. So it was a welcomed break from riding in a car. It was a very nice zoo. I give it a 8 in compaison to Memphis. Not nearly as large but alot to see with well arranged exhibits and landscaping. In fact some of the exhibits were worthy of a 10 rating..really they were. Like the rain forest and the australian walk through. You actually walk though an open enclosure of kangaroo. The kids got SOAKED in one of the three fountains that our are designed for playing in. Thankfully we had a weeks worth of clothes in the car...so not an issue. After changing their clothes we were back on the road. I had explicit instruction to not come home before 6:30. DH wanted to be home from work when we arrived. At 6:35..perfectly timed, we pulled in the driveway and were greeted by my hubby waiting on the porch. He took the camara from me and ushered us in.
Now I had mentioned that he finished DS's room while we were away. And I had mentioned I love my hubby. Well if I loved my hubby for that I am madly in love with him for what he really did. He took me into the kitchen and it is so beautiful! He completely remodeled it while we were away. Adding cupboards and counter top, moving the fridge, repainting and decorating it as well. This was a complete suprise to me! He had taken the week off of work and been a very busy man! With the help of our friends he finished the kitchen, DS room and many other much needed repairs around the house. I am thrilled! After going through the reciepts and his log of costs, that he titled "big trouble", it was all very worth it.

So do you want to see it??

Hmmm.... I attempted 3 times to add pictures. I will try again in a bit!
After MANY attempts I finally got one pic to load... this is only half of it...hopefully the other half will load in the morning.
Alright...blogger pictures is NOT co-operating. Those wanting to see more pics from the kitchen and DS's room, email me and I will send them in an email. iammomteacherfriend@yahoo.com

Leaving Arkansas

My time in the South is nearing the end. Today I will begin our travel home. I did do this trip by myself. Me and my two kids. I had a lot of help once I got here. Miss Sue, Mr Phil, their son Doug and there grandson Andrew(11) The kids travel really well; otherwise I would not even attempt it. But we have been traveling solo since DS was born so they are both used to it. This has been our furthest trip and well worth it. While we drove down in one day we are going to take two days to get home. Camping tonight! (SMILE) I am excited about what I will come home to....DS's room is finished! I love my hubby! It is a suprise for the boy so it will be fun seeing his reaction.

A few last things I learned in the south.
1. People down here are real nice.
2. How to talk Southern...it is funny how subconsciencely you do this.
3. Children down here just do not keep their clothes on...in the yard. I don't know what gets into them but next thing you know they are running around in the buck.
4. They know how to cook, they know how to eat and they always make MORE than enough.
5. I have now been to a "dry" county. There is no sale of liqour in Miss Sue's county. This is partly because of the large settling of Southern Baptist. And prohibition.
6.The main roads are 23 miles apart. This is how long it takes by horse to ride in a day, trading post to trading post.
7. Those miles are now endless fields of rice. Some cotton. Some beans...but mainly RICE!

Oh yeah, one last thing...
We awoke to a phone call at 3:30 this morning. Miss Sue's daughter-in-law is in labor. She is going to have her a brand new grand-daughter by the end of the day. She is besides herself with excitement. Not to mention her grandson who is besides himself with excitement over meeting his new baby sister.

So please pray for safe travel and for Miss Sue's daughter-in-law. Talk to you all soon. Much love.

Memphis Part 4

After the Children's Museum we went back to the hotel for another swim. Then it was on to downtown Memphis. I had heard of Beale street so this was our intended destination. We headed for downtown passing by a mansion that was previously owned by a cousin of Miss Sue's. We went down Madison to get us closer to town when we noticed a trolley station. Thinking it would be fun to ride the trolley we parked the car and walked to the middle of the road to catch the next trolley. After a few minutes it arrived.

Trolleys are a fascinating piece of work. They run off electricity from the cable above. They stay on the track. The driver can drive the trolley from both ends.

The worst of Memphis was previously mentioned. Here is the rest of the story. We had to get off the trolley to make a transfer on the the Riverside Loop. As soon as we stepped off the below gentleman went to work. What speaks tourist better than a video camara. He asked for me to take his picture, which I did. He then went on to tell us that he was from New Orleans. That he was now homeless, lost it all...which very well may be true. He wanted money...for food. We honestly did not have any...thankfully. We only had $2 in quarters which would be our fare back to the car. So we kindly told him. Then he went to guilt...I guess I won't get to eat lunch. His manner was of a total player. UGH. Then he went on his way.

A few minutes later a homeless drunk was passing by. He stopped and said I likened to his sista. He looked on for a moment then got teary eyed. He began to walk away and then turned to say something about the kids...about him having them and not doing it right. He never asked for money, just continued walking. Sadness and regret in his eyes. The riverside loop finally arrived. It was driven by a rude women, who had no tolerance. Her tone was short and mean. We didn't like her much. But the view on the loop was nice.

Here is a shot of the Mississippi River.

When the trolley came around to Beale Street we decided it was a place we didn't want to take the kids, be it daylight or not. So we headed back to the car. We had seen parts of Memphis, some we liked better than others. I would like to return someday with my hubby. He loves blues and I think we would enjoy Beale Street without the kids. Someday.

This is Panda Driven Mama saying so long Memphis...it's been fun.

Memphis Part 3

Children's Musuem continued..

They have a pint sized grocery store.
Grab a cart a shop for three items...


Once at the cash register, the kids are the scanners.
Complete with receipt.


Next to grocery store is the bank. Kids can use the ATM...it gives them $20 per transaction.


Or see the banker. Write checks. DD wanted a check for $2. Here I am writing her a check in the amount of $2. You get what you ask for.


This is the recycle center make crafts using recycled supplies.


This is DS on the police motorcycle. Complete with flashing lights.


The boys dressed for the fire...here they are rushing to the call.


And since DS LOVES to climb this sky scrapin tower was just his thing.


In the garage there was simulations for driving a car, axels, brakes and other things car.


And last but not least...sweet cowgirl! I love this picture..love it.

She reminded me of Aunt Jan in this pose.

That concludes Memphis Children's Museum but more Memphis to come. Part 4 coming soon.

Miss Sue

I started to respond to this in a comment and it grew into a post.
Who is Miss Sue?

Miss Sue is a dear friend. When her husband was relocated to Michigan she left her family in the south. We met her through my parents, my dad worked with her husband. They were in Michigan for 3 years, in that time she adopted my family as her own. She was included in birthdays, camping trips and would often take the kids while I had bible study. She is a dear friend indeed. When she moved back south at the beginning of the year, we knew we wanted to keep in touch. When she offered for us to come down, we jumped at it. She is teaching me all things south including how to cook. We absolutely love her and Mr. Phil.

Memphis Part 2

We were at the Memphis Zoo for 5 hours. We timed it perfectly. We had a parking spot as close as you can get to the entrance. It was not crowded. As we were leaving it opened up to Tuesday free time for Tennesse residents. There was a mile long wait to get into the parking lot. Yup we timed that right. This morning we finished a video of the Memphis Zoo...all the footage put together to music. 5 hours condensed down to 16 minutes. We would love to show it to you when we return.

Tuesday night we stayed at a hotel. We swam and relaxed. Walked the mall. Then came back to the hotel to swim some more. Wednesday we went to the Memphis Children's Museum. Very hands-on exhibits. Like the zoo; it was excellent.

They have an area devoted to aviation. Here is the cockpit. So many gauges and gadgets I don't know how they keep track of it all.

This showed the air thrust. The kids could fly the plane up and feel the wind it creates.

Air traffic control. Watch monitors and communicate with the cockpit of the plane

This is the water table a replica of the Mississippi River. The bridges are the Memphis Bridge. Old and new.

DD fishing...

The pump and water wheel...

The kids performing surgery on a poor unfortunate soul.

The show...we laughed SO HARD at their antics.

Including but not limited to the court jester...


This place was fantastic...will share more later...in part 3. Stay tuned.