Dementia? Who could tell?

I am very concerned about one of the older women at church. She seems a little confused. A few weeks ago she was lost it the church and couldn't find her way to a classroom she goes to every week. I think what worries me most of all is that she is still driving.  I adore older women. I love to spend time with them.   It makes me sad to see her in this stage of her life.

So this morning I was making myself some sugar biscuits (I really need to stop eating
those things) and a pot of coffee (I really need to stop drinking that stuff) for breakfast.  I put the biscuits under the broiler, turned the coffee pot on, and came and sat down and started up facebook. A little bit of time later (I have no idea how long) I was like "OH CRAP MY BISCUITS!"  I am happy to say that they weren't burned and I am enjoying eating them right now buuuutt you can't imagine how many times I do that and burn what is in the oven. It is fairly often. 



Now I know what you are thinking. Don't leave the oven when it is on broil. Don't get on FB while you are cooking. Set a timer or any number of simple solutions to my broiling issues.But that isn't what this blog is about today. I will write one someday asking all you sane people how to fix my craziness. Trust me I have been writing that one in my head for a while now.

Nope what this blog is about is how has I was standing there so relieved because I didn't burn my biscuits I thought of my grandmother at the end of her life. I thought of the woman I mentioned from church. Then I thought about my poor poor children.

See here is the issue. If I ever start to suffer from dementia I don't know how they will tell. By the time symptoms become obvious I will be pretty far gone. My life right now is a check list for dementia:

Forget things in the oven or on the stove.....check
Forget what you were going to say......check
Get lost or confused about directions to places you should know.... check
Losing everyday items ...... check
Putting things in the wrong place like milk in the pantry for example.....check
Missing/forgetting appointments...... check
Repeating things you already said..... check
Missing Birthdays/Holidays/Important Events......check

Yep. I am thinking by the time my children realize something is actually wrong there is not telling how far gone I will have to be.

Shell 

Thankful Friday?

Not working and the kids not going to school has me all discombobulated. Today is Friday. You know my have coffee with my friends day. My very most favorite day. The Dan is going to be off for two days after today day. That just occurred to me. So what that means is yesterday was Thursday. You know the day on my blog where I contemplate the things I am thankful for. Oops. Kinda missed that one didn't I. So this week you get Thankful Friday. Just doesn't have the same ring to it does it LOL.

This was a strange week. It has been terribly hot here. We really haven't done much of anything at all.  We had a small break in the heat but it is supposed to be back today.  So I guess what I am most thankful for this week is air conditioning and that all of my chickens,dogs, and cats have survived the heat

What I haven't done is a good job of writing in my Thankfulness Journal this week so you get a list but it is what I am writing today to cover the whole week instead of me picking from my week long list:

Air conditioning.
Swimming pools.
Sweet Frogs.
Silly boys.
A break in the tension.
Ladies all together.
Conversation starter cards.
The church minibus.
Crazy friends.
New ideas.
Babies where they are supposed to be.




Shell

Do Piles = Clean?

Okay many of you have probably heard me say this before but ... I clean like a man. (No offence meant to you strange and rare neat freak men out there). Now for the most part God did an excellent job when he paired me up with Dan. He is really good in the areas where I am not and vise versa. Buuuuuttt.. not so much in the cleaning area. Now this is a really bad thing because what that means is we both clean like a man.

I am really good at picking up. I can keep things basically sanitary. But it is those little feminine touches that just never happen around here. You know things like cleaning in corners (you should see the spider webs) or doing the window seals and baseboards (you could write clean me if they were wide enough). I rarely remember to clean things like door frames, light switches, or fridge handles so icky smudgie finger prints abound. The ceiling fan blades are something else that I never think to clean.

To me clean means there is nothing in the floor. And all surfaces are cleared except one. One out of the way surface in each room is an exception.  That is where all the books, papers, and misc. stuff from that room is neatly piled. Oh and there needs to be a cute basket on that surface where all the little things like paper clips, pens, electronic doodads, and other small junk that doesn't have a home goes.

Here are some visuals for you. The rest of these two rooms are picked-up or what I like to pretend is called clean.

Now this may not seem like that big of a deal but here is what I have finally learned after years and years and years of trying to figure out how my house gets messy so darn quick. It only takes about 5 seconds for everything that is piled up to end up spread all over everywhere again. TAAADAAA! I figured it out. I am always cleaning (read picking stuff up) because I am constantly repiling the same crap over and over and over.

Anyway I found on online resource for the housekeeping challenged and printed out lists of what it means to actually clean each room. Did you know you are supposed to clean out all Hot Spots (that would be places where you pile stuff) and actually either put the stuff away or if it doesn't have a home find one for it or toss it. Did you know that you are supposed to take those light fixture thingies down and actually clean them? Okay somewhere in the back of my head I knew that but I am too busy making piles in the real world to dig through the piles in my head and find info like that.

So wish me luck. I am heading out on a new adventure. I am going to take a room a week and try to learn to clean like a woman instead of man!

Shell

On a side note. While searching for a picture for this blog I learned that "piles" is term associated with hemorrhoids and the google images are nothing anyone ever should have to see EVER. I think my retinas are permanently damages LOL.

My favorite thing on television.

We have always tried to be careful about what our kids watch on television. Our rule is if you have never watched it before the first time you watch it one of us has to watch it with you. I try not to say no to things just because I think they are ridiculous and stupid and worthless (Silent Library) and only say no to things that are really inappropriate (Family Guy and 2 1/2 Men). 

But here lately the thing that I have a problem with on television isn't the programing. It is the commercials.  First it was the Viagra/Cialis commercials. I didn't like them but they were kinda vague and only made me slightly annoyed. Then the Extends commercials came out. Less vague and a little more concerning. Now it is the KY commercials. Not vague at all and I am not watching them with my 13 and 11 year old in the room. 

So what is the answer? We use the DVR to record pretty much everything and fast forward through ALL commercials. Now that has solved the inappropriate commercial issue but it has caused another one. Truth be told, now I don't get to watch my favorite thing on television. Because, truth be told, as weird as this makes me, I LOVE commercials. Not all of them. Just a select few that I think are truly brilliant ad campaigns.

I am thinking that I can't be alone or the commercials during the Superbowl wouldn't be such a big deal. So in the spirit of what I have lost, thanks to the fact that there are more sexual references during the commercial break than during the actual shows, here are a few of my very favorites:

I have to say I absolutely LOVE "The Most Interesting Man in the World" commercials. I love all of them they are funny. They make me laugh. Here is just one of them for your enjoyment:

I mean come on how can you not love these? Here are some interesting facts about the most interesting man in the world:

"When in Rome, they do as he does."

"His mother has a tattoo that reads 'son'".

"At museums he is allowed to touch the art."

"Sharks have a week dedicated to him."

"He is the life of parties he has never attended."

and my favorite

"Both sides of his pillow are cool."

The Lauren Wallace Geico commercials are some of my all time favorites. Although they might not be as funny to those who aren't Nascar fans.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Mayhem guy from Allstate!

Okay and I am sure you have probably all seen this one but I absolutely LOVE it

Here is a new that I love mostly because of the music but I like the commercial as well:

Shell

It is all in how you say it.

It is all in how you say it.

When you think about it is kinda funny how true that is. How the same ideas, thoughts, and opinions can sound totally different all depending on how you say them. I am thinking mainly about how I keep telling Timothy this but he just isn't getting it.

What brought this to the front of my mind this morning was our weekly bible study. Something the author of the book said just really didn't sit right with me. It actually kinda bothered me, especially since this woman is one of my favorite study writers. Then someone else in the group said basically the same thing in a different way and I thought okay I can see that.

It isn't that Priscilla Shirer was wrong and my friend was right. It is that the way my friend said it resonated with me and the way Priscilla Shirer said it didn't. Got me to thinking about why we have four gospels even though they basically tell the same story over and over but that my friends is another post for another day.

Anyway that led me to think about how to get this across to Timothy. Only with him it isn't his choice of words. Not usually anyway, with him it is his tone of voice and his body language. I think when he is talking to his sister he can make Thank You sound like I hate you. His answer "I don't know why she got her feelings hurt all I said was thank you."

That led me to think about how we deal with people in general.

 I was thinking about how many times a day I have told someone they weren't important enough for me to listen to or talk with. Have I EVER said that to a single person? Not with my words but yes with my actions. When I stay on my cell phone while a cashier at Walmart checks me out. When I keep surfing the internet while I listen to Caitie's latest story. When I act frustrated when I have to take out my ear buds on my latest audiobook. It is all in how you say it.

Shell

Matthew 15:18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.

I got nothin'!

I haven't blogged since Friday. That is really unusual for me. But truth is I have nothing to say. Me! Nothing to say. Hard to believe isn't it?

Usually if I don't blog it is because I have like a million thoughts all running around in my head and I can't seem to narrow it down to one idea. Not today. Nope. I got nothin'.

So because I got nothing at all here are some links to some of my favorite blogs from days when I had a brain that functioned. If you haven't read them, do, if you have read them well shoot read them again LOL. So in no particular order:

The OR principle aka Soapbox Saturday

The Things I Get Into When I Am Sick

President Obamas Birth Certificate aka What is Wrong with you People!

No Hoochie Clothes

Michelle's 7 Tips to Avoid Messing up the Space-time Continuum


Have a great rest of your day maybe my brain will return over night.

Shell

Have modern conveniences become necessities?

It is hot. Straight up no doubt about it HOT!

Now I could go into the whole thing about how it is hotter in Texas but is more bearable because it is a dry heat but unless you have experienced both you can't understand how 98 can feel hotter than 110.

But that is not what I am thinking about this morning.  I am thinking how hot it feels in my house. I am thinking about how high my electric bill is going to be because the air is running 24/7. I am thinking about the 22 people they are saying died because of the heat wave that has swept across the country. 

I am thinking about my grandmother and those who came before her. Those who had never heard of air conditioning. Those who lived without ceiling fans, box fans, or any other type of cooling.  Those who lived without refrigerators, washing machines, and dishwashers. That sounds horrible. Those who lived without television, internet, or cell phones. Okay that doesn't sound anywhere near as horrible.

Did people die then from the heat? I am sure they did. But I am betting they dealt with it much better than we do. I think about the grit that women used to have.  Have you ever seen documentaries about the wagon trains that headed west? Let me tell that took a toughness I can't even fathom.

This will sound odd but I this is the thought I can't get out of my head. Can you imagine being on a wagon train in 110 degree weather with the dust and the dirt and the lack of food. All your worldly goods riding beside you in a wagon. Fearing everyone might not make it. Fearing Indian attacks or animal attacks or illness. All while having PMS? Can you imagine "that time of the month" without our modern feminine hygiene products while on a wagon train?  It is a wonder there weren't women who went on rampages and killed the entire wagon trail party.

Remote controls, cordless phones, stores open 24/7, riding mowers, all these things have made our lives easier. Made us lazier. Made us weaker. Somehow along the way I think we have lost that grit that people used to have. Is it better now? Is it worse now? I don't know. Now is now and this is when we live.

Shell

My Biggests

Biggests. Wow that is quite a word. I love it. I am pretty sure I made it up. LOL It is right up there with audacity and persnickety in my opinion. Anyway I am stealing yet another blog idea from my friend Andrea over at Live with Laughter where she says she stole it from a friend on another blog so if you want to read the original copy go check out her blog.

The idea is to list your "biggest" things from the summer.

So here are my Biggests for the summer:

Biggest Dream: That I will get things running on some kind of routine around here so we can have more fun time and less stress.

Biggest Regret: That I haven't worked on my school work this summer.

Biggest Hurdle: Lack of motivation on a daily basis

Biggest Accomplishment: Keeping my office area from getting junked back up.

Biggest Mistake: Volunteering to do so many things away from home that I haven't had time to do what I wanted to here.

Biggest Sacrifice: Quitting my job to stay home with the kids this summer.

Biggest weakness: Books

Biggest Goal:  To use the rest of my time off from work wisely.

One of these days I think I will do a biggests list for all time instead of for the summer but for right now this is it. Hope you all have a cool day.

Shell

13. And so it begins.

I don't know about the rest of you parents out there but I am not looking forward to the teen years. First of all just saying the words I have a teenager make me feel OLD but that is a whole nother issue LOL.

I have heard people say things like I don't know what happened he was such a sweet little boy or one day she was my little girl and the next day she was my enemy. I was hoping to avoid such a drastic change. I was hoping for a smooth transition from childhood to adulthood. I was hoping for peace. I was delusional.

I have noticed little at a time over the last month or so an attitude creeping in.  An attitude that says "You just don't get it" "You don't understand" "Nothing ever goes my way" "Why should I have to do that" "Why can't I just do what I want" Teenage angst.

Right now he wants to dye his hair Fire Engine Red. Do I care? I am not sure. They aren't supposed to have distracting hair styles or colors at school which is only a month away. If we do it now it will still be there come school time. Does bright red hair equal distracting hair? I have seen other kids with it. I am thinking he needs to pay for it himself. If he earns the money to do it am I okay with it? I don't know. Fire Engine Red seriously?

It is always something. The games he plays, the movies he watches, the friends he has, the work ethic he lacks. Always something to argue over. Our common ground is shrinking every day as he pushes for independence.

Man it is a good thing nobody ever said parenting was easy cause if they did they would be lying.

Shell

Painting Houses, Filling Food Bags, and VBS.

Last week I went on a mission trip with some of the youth in our church. It was an eye opening experience in a lot of ways.  So many times when you go to help someone else you end up getting as much out of it as they do. This week was defiantly one of those weeks.

We left Sunday morning before church and headed South West to the mountains. We had two jobs to do while we were there. We were going to paint a house during the day and run a VBS at night. It was a beautiful drive but I admit I was a little concerned about how things were going to go. As I have said many many times I am a planner. We didn't really have a plan so I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I didn't want to show up at this church and them be disappointed by the VBS. I kept telling myself God had it all under control but I admit I had my doubts.

It was very hot last week and the painting was rough work. We had to take frequent breaks to drink and cool off. We weren't really sure if we would get the house painted or not. The wood was old and untreated. The primer was oil based and had to dry completely before the top coat. The wood was so dry it just soaked the primer up I think those kids painted that house with the primer 10 times before it was covered.  We had rain one day so we lost a day of painting. It was close but in the end the kids pulled through and got it done. They even finished a couple hours early the last day.

The day it rained we took them to a food bank. Now I am not saying I didn't want to paint (okay yes I am I didn't want to paint LOL) but the food pantry is more my speed. I am not really much of a manual labor kinda gal especially in the heat but I could really get into the idea of filling the bags and sorting the clothing donations to help families out in this way. They have a great operation running there. It was wonderful to see the volunteers all working together to help those in need. Truth be told it was just about as hot in the warehouse as it was outside but we had a good time.

The VBS was where you could really see God at work. We showed up about 45 minutes before the VBS. Nothing was decorated and we didn't even know if the kids were going to rotate or stay in classrooms. Our youth stepped up and made it all happen. We decided to rotate the kids like we do in our VBS since that is what they would be used to. They each took groups. They lead them around like pros. They taught the Bible Story (with Pastor Jonathan's help), they ran games, they helped lead the music, it was amazing. It went smoothly and I think all the kids had a good time.

It was very different from the VBS we run here. It reminded me of the way we did VBS when I was a kid. It was fun. It was simple. It wasn't overdone. The kids had a blast. The snacks were so cute but simple compared to the stuff we do. I don't know how to explain it except to say that in some situations simpler is better.

I met a wonderful couple at the church where we were doing the VBS. They are adopting a baby from Belize. That was eye opening. I learned a lot about what that process has been like for them. I am keeping them in my prayers and it would be great if you all could too. It has been 2 years in the making and hopefully Addy Grace will be coming home to live with them in a couple months time. I had no idea the interior of Belize was such a sad place.

So that is what we did. It was hard work, it was fun, it was eye opening in many ways. It left me with some big thoughts. I am making some changes based on some things I believe God was showing me on the trip. Things I am not ready to do anything but pray about yet. As I said in the beginning I believe that when you put yourself out there to help others many times you are the one who gets the most out of it.

Shell

Time keeps on slippin' slippin' slippin' into the future.

WOW! Do you guys realize it is the 18th of July? My summer at home with the kids is half over. I haven't accomplished even a quarter of what I wanted to do though. Funny how that works. I kept waiting to start the big stuff until all our trips were over and done. Well here we are they are over an done. Time to get down to some serious business.

I have a whole list of stuff I want to get done at here at the house. We have some good habits we were hoping to establish before the summer ends. I have a ton of school work to do and the time to do it all is just slippin' away.

As of right now we don't have any big plans left for the summer. I am hoping to manage a short camping trip towards the end maybe over Labor Day but other than that nothing. So I guess I need to sit down and make a plan for what I want to get done and how we are going to accomplish a summers worth of stuff in half the time.

On a side note ... if you were thinking the first thing I would write about when I got back was the mission trip that post is coming. I am still writing and rewriting it in my head. It was a great trip. I have a lot going on in my head right now as a result and until I get it processed I guess my head is were it will stay.

Shell

Our bus overfloweth.

The youth from our church are going on a mission trip to the western part of the state. I am one of 4 adults who are going with them. I really thought we would have 4 or 5 kids. Well we ended up with more kids going then would fit in our church minibus. I think that is really exciting.

This isn't a lets head to Busch Gardens for a fun day of fellowship kinda trip. This is a service trip. We will be painting a house and running a VBS for a very small church in the mountains. I am very excited to see so many kids who want to do something for someone else. It is always easy to get kids to sign up for the rock climbing, roller coaster riding, band playing, have fun kind of youth activities. But these kids signed up knowing it was going to be work.  Now don't get me wrong we will have fun too. The kids know that. They also know we will be getting up early and working till late. They are excited. They didn't just sign up they overflowed the bus LOL.

So that said I will be gone all next week. Pray for our youth. Pray for me. Pray for poor Dan who is stuck here feeding all my animals. With out his support I couldn't do half the things I do!

Shell

Seeing everyone you know at the store

Why is it that when you run to town to grab something and you look absolutely horrible you see everyone you know?

Yesterday I had been outside in the rain and mud trying to fix the dog fence. I had waded through puddles and crawled under honeysuckle. I didn't want to take a shower because I was planning on taking a nice long soak when I got home. We only needed a few things at it was late so odds are I could get in and out quickly.

First I saw our churches newest little addition. She was cute. She was tiny. I was too nasty to even think about holding her. Luckily she was sleeping so I didn't have to make any excuses.
I saw one of Timothy's friend's dad. We have know them for years. I got to meet his new lady. She was nice. She wanted to chat a bit. Then I ran into a friend and talked for a while.

Isn't that how it always goes?

Shell

Intentional or Good Intentions

I am a very thoughtful person. I know many of you don't know that. In particular those of you that I bought birthday cards for but never mailed. Or those of you that I never sent graduation money to. Or those of you who still have a Christmas present from 3 years ago sitting in my closet. Or those of you that never got the casserole I meant to make to take over to your house after your surgery. Or those of you whose babies were in toddler clothes before I managed to drop of the newborn outfit I had purchased for him or her.  Or those of you who never received the Christmas cards I filled out, stamped, and never mailed.

I am guessing you can see a pattern here cause I sure can. I truly truly am a "thoughful" person. But without action those thoughts really don't mean much now do they? You know what they say about good intentions. I am pretty sure road to Hell isn't really paved with them but I can tell you the road to guilt is.

I can give you a million reasons why this happens. Poor planning, procrastination (which could be what the road to Hell is actually paved with), not using a calendar, over scheduling, busyness, forgetfulness, I could go on and on. I think that it is time to do away with reasons, excuses, and good intentions. I think it is time to replace them with something else. Something better.

Instead of having good intentions I think it is time to live intentionally!

Shell

Friday's Fav Five

Live to Tell the Story


1. We had a great 4th of July weekend. We got a lot done on Saturday then had cook outs on Sunday and on Monday. Both were good times.

2. We got my daughters haircut over the weekends and it is really cute short. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out but I like and so does she.

3. We have had a ton of thunderstorms. I LOVE thunderstorms.

4. My gladiolas are blooming. Just a few but still they are there. I was afraid they had been crowded out by the day lillies and weren't going to bloom at all. I really need to thin that area.

5. We started our online bible study for the summer. I am glad to be talking about a book I have liked as much as I like "Discerning the Voice of God" by Priscilla Shirer.

Shell 

Accidentally Finding Your Thing: Thankful Thursdays

My brother has worked in the same job field for a very long time. I am not sure how long. I am going to take a guess and say almost 10 years.  First he worked for another company redoing hardwood floors. You should see the pictures of some of the floors he redid they are beautiful.  Having had mine redone here by someone not so great I can honestly say that doing them well is a true art.  A year or so ago he decided to branch out and start his own wood flooring company. He bought the equipment and was ready to get started. But being the smart responsible guy he is he realized he needed something to pay his mortgage while his business got started. He took at job as a cook at his local country club in the evenings and planned to do the floors during the day.   Come to find out he kinda likes working there. They sent him to a class to learn to do ice sculptures. I always knew he had an artist's spirit. He may still get his business going I don't know but I think he is on to something where he is right now.

This is one he did for the 4th. It had red and blue lights that shined under it as well. The pictures of those just didn't show how amazing the star is though.

Here he is working on the star. I think it is so WOW!
















Here is one of the earlier ones he did.

  This is Chris with  Amanda my soon to be Sister-in-law.

So today I am Thankful that sometimes what seems like what we "need" to do turns out to be what we "want" to do.

So now on to my list. Here are some things I am thankful for this week from my journal:

Kids asleep all over my house.

Cook outs with friends.

Freedom.

Fireworks.

Sitting on a dock in the dark.

Grass mowed.

Bible Study started.

House clean.

New babies.

Shell



Super Summer Clean Up!

What a day this is turning out to be. I have so much to do. I am trying really hard to get my "spring", yes I know it is summer, cleaning done before I go on the church youth trip for a week. We will have an amazing week I am sure but I will have a better week if I know I have everything finished here before I go.

The house is a mess right now. That I would die if anyone came over kind of mess. But it is a work in progress mess so I am hopeful I will get it all done. I am shooting for July 23rd for my yard sale. I am thinking if I can get every room sorted by the end of this week I will have the week I get back to price everything and be ready. I have a friend who at one point wanted to do it with me so if she is still game it should be fun.

I have errands to run but I don't want to go because they are going to get in the way of my cleaning. But I am having lunch with a friend and that I am going to do regardless so for that short time the cleaning can wait. I am trying to devise a plan that will allow me to do 4 days worth of stuff this morning so I can go to lunch and then not worry about it afterwards but I don't think it is going to happen.

I am actually enjoying the cleaning this week. Good music alternating with a good audio book are good things.  Hope everyone else is having a good week so far.

Shell

How to figure out if it is okay to have "drink" when you are hanging out with your Christian friends.

Okay I know alcohol is a touchy subject. Especially if you consider yourself a Southern Baptist. Personally I think the church makes too big a deal out of it. But that said I also realize it is a serious topic for some people and I am not writing this post to debate about it. I will if you want me to though, trust me I have an opinion.

But if you are a Christian and you are either going to invite your Christian friends over for a cook out or you are going to go to their house for one OR more importantly if you are going out for Mexican food (cause you know margaritas just go with guacamole like gravy goes with mashed potatoes) and you need to find out if they are going to go all "oh no you didn't" on you if you order a beer here are some tips:

 

If you are going to their house you have a couple options:

1. Try to score an invite ahead of time and snoop around a bit. Is there beer in the fridge? Don't forget the one in the garage. Do they have a wine rack? Check in trash cans for empty bottles and don't forget the recycle bin. If you are lucky there will be some evidence there for you and then you can offer to bring a 6 pack without fear.

2. You can call ahead of time and say "Is it BYOB" then if they get all "Umm excuse me we are Christians so we don't drink" you can say "I know that. I meant beef bring your own beef". Now I know that is lying and lying is also a sin but since the church covenant probably says you won't buy or sell alcohol but doesn't mention lying lying is obviously a lesser sin so that is okay especially if you are doing it so you won't offend anyone.


Now if they are coming to your house you there are a few things you can do:

1. You can serve beer and then wait to see if they drink any. Then if they don't you can claim you only served it so the other people you know the "unsaved heathens" you invited wouldn't feel judged. I know, I know lying again. Lesser sin remember.

2. You could ask them to bring the drinks. Something cold. Tell them you will have a cooler full of ice ready to put it in. Then wait to see if they have more guts than you do and if they will ask if you prefer Bud or Bud Light.

3. Go ahead and buy the beer. Once they get to your house direct them to fridge and offer them a drink then wait to see how they react when they see it.  If they act offended or shocked claim you have the beer to cook the brats in. If they are like "Got any limes for the Corona" you are golden.

If you are going out to a restaurant I really only see two possible solutions both are stall tactics.

1. Before the waitress takes the drink orders claim stomach issues and make run for the bathroom. Then stay until she has had time to bring their drinks. If they ordered alcohol then you are clear to order a Mucho Margarita.

2. Or if you are worried the hostess will take the drink orders you can just show up late. Just be sure and tell them they don't have to wait for you to be seated or it will all be for naught.

Or you could do like my friend did this weekend. You could call them up and say "Will you be offended if we serve beer at our cook out?" But come on who has the guts to just hang it all out there like that?

Shell

Life Lessons from a Cardinal.

I have written about Timothy's pigeons a couple of times. They are interesting birds. I am not really sure what we are going to do with them but yet there they are another addition to my little private petting zoo. Their cage is an a frame that we built out of an old swing set to use as a chicken tractor. We modified it a little bit to make it work for them but for the most part it is the same.  The only picture I have is from when it had chickens in it. As you can see in the picture, there is a metal gate one end that is how we get in and out to feed and water and play with the pigeons.

Last week something new happened though. See we feed the pigeons a mix of chicken food, wild bird seed, and scratch. Plus they have a bird bath in there to play in. Well somehow the cardinals who live in my yard realized they could fit through the gate and go inside the pen to eat and drink. Now for most of the cardinals this is fine. They squeeze through the rungs on the gate, eat, drink, torment the pigeons a bit then squeeze back out. But there is one cardinal. He is very pretty but obviously not so bright. He squeezes in and then once he gets in the pen he panics and can't figure out how to get back out. He flies and flies around in circles inside the pen. He lands and catches his breath. Then he flies and flies around in circles. He has no idea that the way out is simple. It is right there in front of him. Sometimes he even lands on the bar right above the gate his freedom just a couple of inches below him. He calls to his mate from inside the cage. Right now she is on the branch right above him watching him.  I feel so bad for him. When he lands you can see his little heart just pounding. But no matter how often I let him out he keeps going back in.

So I was thinking isn't that kind of the way we are. Getting ourselves into the same old mess over and over. Letting the lure of what looks good, fun, easy keep pulling us back in. Then we get in that situation and we can't figure out how we got there or how to get out. So we go round and round in circles frantic trying to figure out what to do now.

Here is the scary part to me though. He could live there. There is food and water. A place to perch and shelter from the weather. He could spend the rest of his life frantically flying in circles stopping to eat and drink and sleep and then flying in some more circles. Unless he takes the step to slow down and figure out how to get out he could be stuck there in that little cage instead of flying around free getting the most out of life.

I feel like life is like that a lot of times. I get stuck in the situation I am in and I am so busy trying to find a way out I never stop to notice that the answer is simple. I don't get the most out of my life because I am too busy going in circles. So I guess the key is not only to slow down and find a way out but once I get out I need to remember it probably isn't smart to crawl back in again.

Shell

Fireworks stands, Sugar biscuits, and Blackcats.

I have been reading on facebook how there are no fireworks stands open in West Texas this year because of all the fires and because of the draught. That is completely understandable but still it is a little bit sad. Going to the fireworks stand over by the football field is almost as memorable to me as the fireworks were. A wonderful part of my childhood that I always smile about when I remember it.

I don't know what kind of fireworks they have in Texas now since I have been gone for 18 years. Wow it has been 18 years since Texas was officially my home; notice I said officially cause I still say "back home" when I talk about Texas. Anyway I don't know what they have there now but here all the good fireworks are illegal. I don't really care for the most part. Bottle rockets were always fun and I kinda miss them. I remember shooting them off with my dad. But the only thing I hate that my kids won't get to experience are Black Cat firecrackers. I had fun with those. Man the places I used to stick those things. I think inside the clothes line pole was my favorite.  

So this morning I woke up and was trying to figure out what to eat. I was all ready feeling nostalgic since it is a holiday I am not with my family. I usually don't feel that way since we are usually camping with Jennifer and Bill on the 4th but since we aren't this year I am feeling like I want my family around. Anyway I was looking for breakfast thinking about the 4th back when I was a kid and I remembered I had some left over biscuits from breakfast yesterday. I cut them half, put tons of butter and sugar on them and broiled them till the sugar was melted and bubbly. It was almost like being a kid again. I used to love it when my mom would make those for me.

So now I am off to enjoy the holiday.  We went to a cookout yesterday at a friends house. The kids and I are headed to another friends house today for a cook out and for some swimming.  Dan is out fishing and when he gets back we are going to go watch a fireworks show. Hope you all have a great 4th.

Shell

The OR principle aka Soapbox Saturday.

Wow it is Saturday morning. This week just seriously flew by.

Wow it is the July 4th holiday weekend. This year has just flown by.

I think there is some kind of strange connection with getting older and how fast time seems to move.

Or maybe it isn't age at all maybe it is the busyness that we fill our lives with now. With the computers, cell phones, ipods, ipads, and televisions. With the hobbies and activities that we have to constantly be participating in. We barely have time to breath so is it any wonder at the end of each day we wonder where the day went?  (Can you tell that I just climbed up on my soapbox)

We run all week just waiting for the weekend. Then we rush all weekend trying to fit in all the stuff we missed all week that the weekend is gone before we know it. So what do we do?

We can keep running and rushing and letting time fly by pretending that we aren't really missing anything. Mom at one soccer game, Dad at another soccer game, while Grandma makes the piano recital counts as family time doesn't it?  Running through the drive through to grab a bite cause they were all sold out of hot dogs at the concession stand counts as family dinner doesn't it? We all ate in the car at the same time.  Working insane hours each week to pay for things we "need" is the way to show our families that we love them and the world that we are are successful isn't it. 

Or we can choose to simplify things. We can choose to slow down. We can choose to have family dinners at least a few times a week. We can spend time with those who matter most because some day they will be gone. We can live in a smaller house, drive an older car, buy less junk and work less hours. We could decide cleaning the house doesn't matter as much as having fun (okay you know I threw that one in there just for me because I REALLY had rather have fun and hate to clean LOL).

I have been reading WEIRD: Because Normal Isn't Working by Craig Groeschel and he says we all need to institute the "or principle".  You can play soccer OR take piano lessons. We can work over time to pay for a new car OR have more time with our family. I can be on that committee at church OR I can help in the nursery. I can take that job that pays more money OR I can be home in time for the kids to get off the bus.  I can go to book club OR I can go to the ladies bible study. It is all about choices whether we see it that way or not. For everything we choose to do we don't have time for something else.

I am not saying I think everyone needs to pull their kids out of all their activities, stop doing all the things you love, and start staying home ALL the time.What I am saying is that in this constant busy run here run there way we are living we are losing something.  We are losing time with our spouses, time with our children, time with our parents, time with our brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles. We are losing time with our friends, time with ourselves, and most importantly time with our God.  It isn't that any of these things we are doing are bad (at least not the things I am talking about) but too much of a good thing is still too much.

I know it is what everyone is doing. I know it feels like our kids would be missing out. I know it means we might have to give up our multitasking, soccer mom, ballet mom. coaching mom, room mom, team mom, car pool mom, supermom title. But it might be better to be the plain old has time to talk, play games, one on one time with the kids, bake cookies kinda mom.  It would probably mean you would never keep up with the Jones'. Funny how no matter how much we deny it our identity is pretty tied up with the Jones' and whether or not we are "keeping up".

I know it would be weird but as Craig Groeschel says in his book... go ahead and be weird cause normal isn't working.

Shell

My First Fave Fives

Hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story

Fave Fives is a blog hop where you post five things from the last week that caught your fancy. This will be a bit of a challenge for me since I already do Thankful Thursdays but I am going to give it a shot.

  

1. My son has a pair of pigeons that he got for his birthday in May. I LOVE walking by their cage and listening to them talk to each other. I especially love to hear the male. If you have never heard a pigeon coo it is exactly like I thought it would sound and nothing like I thought it would sound LOL. He says "wooo wooo waa waa" It is the waa waa at the end that makes me smile every time I hear it :)

2. Just having my kids home! This is the first week of summer vacation that they have been home. We haven't done anything special but I have loved just having them here.

3. I just love it when I find a new book that really really really speaks to me. This week I found two.

 

 

 Weird: Because Normal Isn't Working is all about living our lives the way God wants us to not the way everyone else does. It might make us weird but as he says normal isn't working!

 Discerning the Voice of God is our women's summer bible study book and it looks like it is going to be a good one!

4.  Two words... Ice Cream. Now you might think enough said but what you have to know is that I am not really a fan of ice cream. I could go forever and not eat it and I wouldn't miss it. But we have kinda been on an ice cream kick around here lately. From trips to Shortlane (our local ice cream shop) to milk shakes and root beer floats made at home we have been enjoying some serious ice cream round here.

5. We went to a concert this weekend to see Sanctus Real and Toby Mac. It was a lot of fun. We got to hang out with some friends and listen to some GREAT music. I didn't think I was all that crazy about Toby Mac but I enjoyed his music and man he puts on a concert! We paid extra and got third row seats. I am telling you that was the way to go. It was slam packed but we couldn't even tell it.  The people behind us had a giant Toby Mac head on a stick. It was kinda creepy. Then towards the middle of his show Toby Mac stopped and said "My head on a stick is kinda creeping me out". The whole thing was a great time.

 

Everyone have a safe and fun 4th of July weekend. It is a 3 day weekend for us so we plan to enjoy it!

Shell