Waiting out Gustav

Tonight is the night...Gustav is on its way. We are waiting out the storm here at home. Our area is overrun with families trying to outrun the storm. There is not a hotel room available with 3 hours of here, which is CRAZY because we are 3 hours from the coast. But, ever since Katrina hit our area as a Cat 1 three years ago, no one takes any chances.

As of right now, we are under cloudy skies, keeping watch to the approaching storm. Just a few hours ago, we had a band of thunderstorms go through with strong gusty winds, so I am sure that sooner or later it will get pretty crazy.

Tomorrow, we are planning to play board games and watch movies. Nothing like a hurricane to bring out the family atmosphere.

Introducing...Sarah Palin

I am a political junkie. I have been glued to the TV and Internet the past week in great anticipation of the VP picks. I have to admit, I even signed up for the text message from Obama announcing his VP pick....little did I know my cell would go off at 2:45 am and inform me of the Biden pick. But, I wanted to be in the "know" so it wasn't too bad. I watched ever moment of the Democratic convention, to the chagrin of my husband, but with the race so close, I felt like I needed to hear from the Democratic side.

Anyway, Sarah Palin has just been confirmed as the McCain VP pick, and I am STOKED!!! A woman, a mother, a maverick, and a pro-lifer. I am so excited, and can not wait to find out more about her. This could really CHANGE things (a la Obama) and I think that the race is going to get even more interesting.

Pouring Down Rain

Last weekend we were at the Outlaws house and the sky was totally falling out. I needed to run into the grocery store to pick up a few things, while Jeff and the boys waited in the car. As I was quickly filling my mini cart and waiting for balloons to be blown up, the following conversation was happening in the car.

Jeff: This rain is unreal. I can not even see the road. This is just crazy bad rain, I don't think it could be any worse.

Jake from the cheap seats: It could be raining watermelons Dad!!!

Jeff: Okay, so it could be worse

Refinement???? I Can't Get Any Respect!!!

We have a long standing family joke about me desiring to have some "refinement" in our lives. I am often met with burps and farts right in the middle of getting ready for church, or talk of body parts during a family meal.

Last night, I made a pretty amazing meal. I made manicotti stuffed with ricotta and pesto, yummy garlic bread and even the AMAZING dessert pictured below.




So, in light of the hillbilly life I live, it is no surprise that last night I was witness to the following conversation.

Jared: This looks really yummy Mom

Me: Thanks Jared, I hope you like it

Jared: Am I suppose to eat it like a sandwich?

Me: no words, really none would do

a few minutes later from the other side of the peanut gallery

Jake: I like the fruit, but not the cheesy stuff

Husband: Well, umm, I really liked the fruit and the biscuit...

Me: Did you just call it a biscuit??? Really, are you kidding me???

I give up, I guess refinement will only come on the other side of eternity. Surely the Saints will know the difference between a biscuit and a puff pastry.

It's in the books!!!

Our first day of school is officially in the books. Although I was a TOTAL stress case last night and throughout the day, all the kids did great. Poor Micah was chasing after me all day to get started on her work. I was so unsure about the boys new curriculum, that I busied myself around them until I was sure that all would be well.

As it turned out, we worked through the kinks and survived.

As Principle, I think next year I will make the executive decision to not start school two days before my period. I think my edginess was catapulted to the next galaxy by unruly hormones.

Hormones and all, we made it. Same thing different day only 179 more times!!!!

Finally....

I have at least 5 posts in lingo right now...they have all been started, but I have not had the time or the mindset to be able to finish them and hit the publish button. They range from the sublime to the ridiculous and everywhere in between.

I will say that we started school today, and I am a little stressed right now. I make changes every year, but this year we REALLY switched things up. I feel a little out of sorts, going from such a hands on approach to more individual study with the boys, but I keep reminding myself that this year is Micah's BIG year, with her learning to read, so I need to just chill out some.

Aside from all the school stress, life is just hectic in so many ways. I feel strung out mentally, spiritually, physically and emotionally. I hope that getting back into the routine of school will bring some resemblance of normalcy to my life.

Anyway, just wanted to touch base...and actually post it. So, I better run before this one isn't finished either.

Larry King and Steven Curtis Chapman

Did you catch the interview with the Chapman Family last Thursday??? If you did, you might be interested in seeing this follow up by Larry King. In a segment called "About Last Night" Larry reflects on the previous nights interview. His thoughts on the Chapman family are truly a great insight into how non-believers can be impacted through gracious, quiet, and unwavering testimony.

Check it out HERE, it is only 90 second long.

She's a Girly Girl

****UPDATED****






I am not a girly girl, but somehow she is. If she can paint it, brush it, curl it, spray it, you name it, and she will. Maybe one day, by osmosis, I too will be a girly girl.

Update: I just read this entry to Micah, and this was the conversation that followed.

Micah: "Momma, you can not be a girly girl. "

Me: "Why not?"

Micah: "Because you can not be a 'Hot Momma' AND a "Girly Girl."

Gotta love the reasoning of a near five year old.

Men's 4 X 100 Beijing Olympics

DID YOU SEE THE MOST AMAZING RACE EVER IN THE HISTORY OF RACES??? THE US MEN JUST OBLITERATED THE WORLD RECORD AND WON GOLD.....YES I AM SCREAMING!!! I WAS SCREAMING SO LOUD THAT JAKE CAME RUNNING DOWN THE HALL TO CHECK ON ME....AMAZING...YOU HAVE TO WATCH IT..

The Men's 4x100 Freestyle at the Beijing Olympics

HERE IS THE LIVE CALL CLICK TO SEE THE MOST AMAZING RACE EVER

GO USA

Beijing 2008

I LOVE THE OLYMPICS!!!!

Really, I do. I love the sport of it. Swimming, diving, gymnastics, track and field, gosh I could go on and on. I love the story pieces that the networks show about the athletes. I love a good story, you gotta know them to love them.

Our church is doing a Olympic theme for the sermons, and each SS class is praying for individual athletes. A funny side note on that...I was not in SS when they came around and explained what they wanted each class to do, because I was filling in for the teacher who was making the announcement. So that meant that I had to get the low down from my boys. So this was the conversation on the way home from church on Sunday.

Me: How was class today guys?

Boys: Fine

Jake: Ms Linda came around and wants our class to sponsor a christian athlete during the Olympics.

Me: really Jake, that is so cool

Jake: Yeah, I picked....(at this point he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a tiny slip of paper)...I picked Bryan Clay

Jared: Hey, I didn't get to pick someone. How come I didn't get to have one?

Me: I have no idea Jared?

Jake: I was the one sitting at the end of the table so I pulled the name out of the basket. But he is mine, cause I picked him.

Me: What does he compete in?

Jake: track and Field

Me: What do they want you to do while he is competing?

Jake: I don't know, they just want us to SPONSOR him Mom, we don't have to do anything.

Me: Well, maybe you could pray for him, and follow him online?

Jake: Whatever, I am just going to sponsor him. This is my guy.

Then later that day, he was cleaning his room and he came and asked for some tape. I questioned him because we had just painted his room I REALLY did not want tape on the walls. He assured me he wouldn't put it on the walls and away he went.

That night, he came to me and showed me his chap stick(he is an addict, really he is, he has it with him AT ALL TIMES, he even sleeps with it in his waistband of his pj bottoms)
He held it up proudly to show me. It was now covered with not only an obscene amount of DUCK TAPE but also the little slip of paper that had Bryan Clays name on it. You can read about him here. (He is in the Got Milk ad on the right with the track shoes around his neck.)

That was so Jake, not even really sure what "sponsor" means but knowing it meant something important. Important enough for the beloved chap stick, it might as well have been duck taped to his heart.

Touched by Grace, and Ashley

Sometimes, I take grace for granted. I take a lot for granted, actually. Today I followed a link from another blog to hear the story of Ashley. You need to find a quiet corner, and listen. It is about 45 minutes long, and is told by Pastor Louie Giglio, who has seemed to sneak into my life over the past few months through various avenues.

Really, if you have been captured by grace, or if you need to be, this is for you.

The message is under the Home Free/Even Me series and it is titled Fruitcake and Ice Cream. You can find it here.

Be Blessed.

Snip Snip!!!

I have always said that hair is just hair. You can color it, curl it or cut it, and it is still just hair. That is one reason why my DH and I have really never cared how our kids wore their hair. We have done the long thing and the short thing, the mohawk, the pink thing and the blonde thing. As long as it can be cleaned up for church or a night out, I am game.





That being said, Jared's hair has gotten REALLY long. With football coming up, he thought it was time for a trim. He is thinking about doing the mohawk look again, so this is the inbetween cut. I only wish I would have taken a pic of the hair that was on the bathroom floor.





Just for the record, he does not wear his hair in a pony tail, I was just showing him how long it had gotten.