The Man Should Kill The Bug

I went on a trip with my friends.  The place that we stayed at is a vacation home and isn't occupied everyday.  They were combating a "little" bug problem in the bathrooms.  At one point, I was summoned to kill a big coming up through the sink. 

As a teenager, I wasn't  enamoured with all things southern and I used to watch Designing Women faithfully.  I remember an episode where Suzanne Sugarbaker (Delta Burke) proclaimed that "The man should always kill the bug."  I firmly subscribe to that way of life.  However, we didn't have a man to kill the bug for us, so I beat it to death with my shoe. 

After we killed one large bug in one bathroom, we moved to the next bathroom and carefully checked that one for bugs.  Angela checked the shower and noticed a few small crawly bugs that she could handle.  She wasn't worried.  We calmly told her to look up over her head to where the biggest bug I have ever seen sat on the wall. 

We assessed the situation and decided that we had no man to take care of us, so we found a broom.  I knocked it off the wall and Angela beat it to death with a broom.  There was large amounts of squealing involved and Gracie recorded the entire fiasco.

Good news is that we survived the bug fest 2012 and I never want to kill or dispose of another bug!

Baby Shower for Heather

While on our Austin trip, we had a great time celebrating Heather with a baby shower.

We enjoyed party favors, delicious bundt cakes and "fun" games.  We had to place a balloon in our shirts and a quarter in between our knees.  We then had to walk over to a glass jar and drop the quarter in.  Not as easy as it sounds!  

 

The all time best game involved breaking up in pairs and then one person diapered the other with a roll of toilet paper.  Angela had to diaper me.  Let's just say that my diaper was very interesting.  Way to much material in he front and gaps in the back.  It would not be useful in a real life situation. 

We had so much fun showering Heather with our love (and silly antics)! 

I'm the...

I enjoy getting away and spending time with my friends.  We enjoyed a great trip back in October that I haven't documented.

One of the weird things about my friends is that sometimes they require that we wear matching shirts.  This year, Angela and Gracie teamed up and surprised us with the shirts.  We were really scared.  Honestly, we were told that the shirts were white and we might need to bring an undershirt in case they were see-through.  Well, that led us to believe that these shirts were handmade by them and they bought cheap shirts at Walmart.  I was a little afraid that puff paint was involved.  Turns out the shirts were really cute and they had professional help with the design and implementation (thank goodness). 

Each shirt was personalized for us.  Originally, we were led to believe that mine said "I'm the big busted one."  We thought Heather's said "I'm the bigger busted one" and Tanya's said "I'm the constipated one."  We kicked up a fuss, because ours were too embarassing to wear out in public and Angela and Gracie's were completely public worthy.  After letting us sweat for a few minutes, we realized that the shirts read as follows:

Donna

I'm the moral one

Heather

I'm the sarcastic one

Tanya

I'm the witty one

Gracie

I'm the clutzy one

Angela

I'm the loud one

 We were very relieved and had quite a few people look and smile at our shirts while we were out and about in Fredericksburg on Saturday.  We forgot to take pictures that morning, so we were exhausted when we finally took a group shot.  We also didn't have a tripod and we were fighting some really bad lighting in the house.  Plus, I didn't like one shot of me, because my belly looked huge and everyone else had issues with the other shots taken.  The one good shot was blurry. 

After a million and one tries, we finally got it though.

The Atonement

"If you ever wonder about the daily relevance of the Atonement, remember the account of Peter walking on the water. When he became fearful and began to sink, Peter cried out for the Lord to save him, 'and immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him.' The Lord will be there for us. God's gift of renewal and rebirth, of rescue and hope, of peace and joy can be with us in every step of the way -- not just on Judgement Day."

-Lloyd D. Newell

Quotes Of The Week

 

 

Jonathan:  "I was really hoping that we would have the entire week off for Martin Luther King, Jr.!"

 

Me:  "Really?  Did you even celebrate MLK day on Monday or did you just hang out all day watching TV and playing games?"

 

Jonathan:  "Well, I would have, but I really wasn't sure how to celebrate MLK day."

 

Me (completely amused by this thought and not paying attention to my words):  "I guess you could have recited his 'I had a Dream' speech."

 

Jonathan (rolling his eyes):  "Mom, it was 'I have a Dream.'  It couldn't be past tense, because when he was talking to the people it was the present.  Ghah!"

 

---

 

Me:  "Jess, we should really get Mrs. Jamie (one of the teachers at her school) a baby gift."

 

Jess: "I really don't know what size to get.  I just know that we shouldn't get something really small."

 

Me: "And, why is that?"

 

Jess: "Have you seen the size of her lately!?!"

 

(Turns out Jess was right.  Mrs. Jamie had a 10 1/2 pound baby boy!)

Flower Power

My sweet visiting teachers gave me an Amaryllis bulb.  Jonathan and I planted it and watched it grow.  We watched it outgrow its original pot, so we lovingly replanted it in the biggest pot that we could find in our shed. We watered it, watched and loved it.  When it finally started blooming, the entire family was excited.  It was probably the biggest thing to happen to us in January (OK, maybe that was an exaggeration).

Snow In The 'Hood

Last Tuesday, Gracie and I popped out in the backyard to do our business, and boy were we surprised to find snow!  Gracie was on a leash, so she did her business quick.  Mollie just looked at me like I was crazy!

I stuck my head out the front door long enough to snap some pictures of our neighborhood.  We are not a fan of cold weather at my house!  I am so afraid of what our electric bill is going to be this month.

Jonathan was left home alone with strep throat and was given strict instructions that he could only look at the snow through the window.  Luckily, he wasn't even tempted.  Strep throat can keep you from the things you love... even white fluffy snow!

Jessie's school started at 8:30 and we received an email at 8:07 that she had a delayed start.  That was the favorite part of my day.  I got to spend the morning snuggled up in a warm house.  Did I mention that I am not a fan of cold weather?

I say bring on Summer.  No more cold and no more snow!

Celebrating Jonathan

Jonathan turned 13 last Friday.  We haven't had his big birthday party yet, but we did celebrate him on his big day.

Jonathan woke up to find pigs-in-a-blanket for breakfast and one small present.

You can tell he was still sleepy (his hair is sticking up everywhere)!  He opened a small present Friday morning before school.  Fred and I got him the Pirates Band of Misfits movie and the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid book (it is so below his reading level, but those books are still fun to this teenager).

After work and school, Jonathan opened a present from Jess.  She was so sweet and got him some candy and the ParaNorman DVD.  After we opened presents, we met our friends Abie and Stacey at Fuddruckers for dinner.  Jonathan coughed non-stop through dinner (we had no idea that he was still fighting strep).  Other than his awful cough, we had a great dinner and great time celebrating our boy.

Jess and I picked out a cookie-cake for him, since is not a big fan of birthday cakes.

On Saturday, Jess and Fred took him to Game Stop to pick out his "big" present.  He ended up with a Cabela's hunting game for the X-box.  Wa-hoo!  We can hunt from the comfort of our own living room.  I wonder if I need to break out my pink Realtree camo sweatshirt when I play?

We are still working on a party at Main Event.  Jonathan wants to do the gravity ropes.  I tried to persuade him to choose an indoor wall climbing type place, but that was a big no!  He did the gravity ropes last year on his birthday, so now he will just do it every year until we finally talk him into a different activity.  He is not a man of change!

We were so glad that we could celebrate Jonathan's big day with him.

Hope

"Hope is so much more than positive thinking or an optimistic outlook.  True hope is found deep in the heart and is expressed through meaningful work and worthwhile activity.  It is manifested in service, sacrifice and selflessness."

-Lloyd D. Newell

New Adventures of Old Gracie

 

Our Gracie is 15 years old.  This is my first time to have a pet of such an advanced age.

 

She requires eye drops and arthritis meds daily.

 

She poops often and doesn't even know when she poops (or at least acts like it).

 

And, not to be forgotten, she now has to be taken out for "potty" time like a puppy.  I take her out on a leash and the entire neighborhood can hear me squealing in a sing-song voice, "C'mon Gracie, let's go tee-tee."  It is important to note that many years ago, I was potty training a toddler and a puppy at the same time.  I don't recommend "tee-tee" as your potty word for a dog.

 

We have a doggy door and have had one for the last 13 years.  During the cold snap, Gracie was having a lot of accidents, so I started taking her out in the backyard on a leash.  She has now come to expect it.  She won't even try to wiggle her old lady body through the doggy door.  Even Mollie knows that we will all go outside together every morning and every evening (and in between). 

 

This morning (Saturday), I was greeted at 6:30 am by both dogs.  Gracie was standing beside my bed staring daggers in me.  She never barks.  Just stares at me.  Finally, Mollie started whimpering.  I guess she thought she better help the old girl out.  Why do I have a doggy door, again?  I have now conditioned both my dogs to think that I will physically take them out in the backyard every morning - even on the weekends.  Gracie was hopping around, so I know she was feeling good and could very well have made it through her door. 

 

I just try to remember that this is only for a short time, and not-so-long from now I will miss my Gracie and these early mornings.

Mercy Me

 

Mercy me, I am behind on posting.

 

I think that I shall catch up tomorrow.

 

Right now I am enjoying movie night with Jess and Jonathan. 

 

I am getting caught up on projects for work.

 

There is a mountain of laundry and a sink full of dishes that are begging to be taken care of after our week of illness.

 

I have a Sunday School lesson that would like to be finished.

 

Yes, I think tomorrow is the day for posting an update.

 

Under The Weather

Say What??? You're shocked that you haven't heard from us in awhile?

 

We've been a little bit under the weather.  I was down with a migraine from Sunday through Tuesday.  It didn't keep me from church or work, but it kept me in the bed when I was at home.

 

Jonathan was sent home from school on Monday.  Fred took him to PrimaCare that night.  Turns out he never got over his strep throat from the holidays.

 

Jess went to school yesterday, but her heart wasn't in it.  I took her to PrimaCare last night.  They diagnosed her with a sinus infection.  Although, there was the comment that her throat was very red.  They didn't do the strep test on her, because they were going to give her an antibiotic for her sinusitis that would cover strep.  While I didn't really want to pay for a strep test, it sure would be nice to know how far we managed to spread the strep in our family.

 

I expect we will be back up and running tomorrow.  Everyone is expected to head back to school with their doctor's notes in hand.  Should be a fun morning.

Happy 13th Birthday, Jon Jon!

Today is Jonathan's birthday.  He is a teenager.  I can't believe it.  It just doesn't make sense that my baby boy is a teenager.  He is such a sweet and special boy.  We have enjoyed every moment with him.

13  fun facts about Jonathan: 

• He loves Math and Texas History.
• He enjoys playing the tuba.
• He loves playing video games more than any other activity.
• He is a Star in Boy Scouts.
• He likes to play board games.
• He loves his family and his pets.
• He can be very organized when he tries.
• He admires his dad more than anyone else.
• He is a mama's boy.
• He is stubborn.
• He is really good about apologizing when needed.
• He likes to call me into his room to watch his favorite portions of his shows (that aren't remotely funny)
• He has me help him with his evening prayers every night.

I am so blessed to have him call me Mom.  We love you so much, Jonathan!

Beautiful Heartbreak

My friend, Ruth, turned me on to the Hilary Weeks CD, Every Step.  All of the songs are absolutely beautiful, but there is one song that particularly speaks to what our family has been through over the last 2 1/2 years. A couple of days ago, I stumbled on the video which is absolutely phenomenal.  This song means so much to me and reminds me of how far we have come and how much we've grown over the last couple of years.

Beautiful Heartbreak

by

Hilary Weeks

I had it all mapped out in front of me,
Knew just where I wanted to go;
But life decided to change my plans,
And I found a mountain in the middle of my road.

I knew there was no way over it,
So I searched for a way around;
Brokenhearted I started climbin',
And at the top I found...

Every fear, every doubt,
All the pain I went through;
Was the price that I paid to see this view;
And now that I'm here I would never trade...

The grace that I feel,
And the faith that I find;
Through the bitter-sweet tears,
And the sleepless nights;

I used to pray he'd take it all away,
But instead it became a beautiful heartbreak.

I never dreamed my heart would make it,
I thought about turning around;
But heaven has shown me miracles,
I never would have seen from the ground.

Now I take the rain with the sunshine,
Cause there's one thing that I know;
He picks up the pieces,
Along each broken road.

Every fear, every doubt,
All the pain I went through;
Was the price that I paid to see this view;
And now that I'm here I would never trade...

The grace that I feel,
And the faith that I find;
Through the bitter-sweet tears,
And the sleepless nights.

I used to pray he'd take it all away,
But instead it became a beautiful heartbreak.

I would never trade...

The grace that I feel,
And the faith that I find;
Through the bitter-sweet tears,
And the sleepless nights.

I used to pray he'd take it all away,
But instead it became a beautiful heartbreak.

Celebrating Christmas on New Years Day

We celebrated Christmas with the Simmons family on New Years Day.

We had them over to our small and humble abode.  It was quite the full house.  We offered up Fred's award winning chili along with a new favorite, cucumber sandwiches.  The Simmons family brought queso, guacamole and bean dip to add to our non-traditional New Years Day feast.  It was ever-so yummy.

We opened presents, visited, played Kylie's new game and watched Jon and Kylie play Kinnect.  The big kids (Jess, Chris and Kaitlin) watched Pitch Perfect and Lauren read her latest find on her Nook.  I think she is racing to finish before school starts. 

And, I managed to take only one picture!  I guess my trigger finger was worn out as the holidays were coming to an end!

NYE = Game Night

We spent New Year's Eve playing games at the Garstka's!

We learned that Dave is really good at Headbandz and that he is really bad at Catchphrase!

The team of Angela/Donna/Fred was the big winner in Catchphrase.

And, of course, Abie was awesome at The Simpson's Scene It.

Great night.  Great friends. Great games. 

Resolutions

The new year is upon us and it is time time for resolutions.  Sure, I have resolutions both spiritually and temporally.  I am not sure if I will post them here, though.  However, over the past few days, I have thought much about Dieter F. Uchtdorf's October 2012 General Conference talk, Of Regrets and Resolutions.  I will tell you that I hope that I really take to heart his counsel:

Of Resolution

One day we will take that unavoidable step and cross from this mortal sphere into the next estate. One day we will look back at our lives and wonder if we could have been better, made better decisions, or used our time more wisely.

To avoid some of the deepest regrets of life, it would be wise to make some resolutions today. Therefore, let us:

• Resolve to spend more time with those we love.
• Resolve to strive more earnestly to become the person God wants us to be.
• Resolve to find happiness, regardless of our circumstances.

It is my testimony that many of the deepest regrets of tomorrow can be prevented by following the Savior today. If we have sinned or made mistakes—if we have made choices that we now regret—there is the precious gift of Christ’s Atonement, through which we can be forgiven. We cannot go back in time and change the past, but we can repent. The Savior can wipe away our tears of regret and remove the burden of our sins.  His Atonement allows us to leave the past behind and move forward with clean hands, a pure heart,  and a determination to do better and especially to become better.

Yes, this life is passing swiftly; our days seem to fade quickly; and death appears frightening at times. Nevertheless, our spirit will continue to live and will one day be united with our resurrected body to receive immortal glory. I bear solemn witness that because of the merciful Christ, we will all live again and forever. Because of our Savior and Redeemer, one day we will truly understand and rejoice in the meaning of the words “the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.” 
 

The path toward fulfilling our divine destiny as sons and daughters of God is an eternal one. My dear brothers and sisters, dear friends, we must begin to walk that eternal path today; we cannot take for granted one single day. I pray that we will not wait until we are ready to die before we truly learn to live. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

 

To read the entire article, you can go here.

I wish you all a happy new year and that you will resolve to spend more time with the ones you love, strive more earnestly to become the person God wants you to be, and find happiness, regardless of your circumstances.

Flashback Friday: Bowling Buddies

2008

Madison, Ally, Jonathan, Laura, Katy and Jessica

bowling together back in 2008!

It is so fun to look back and see how much they have all grown. 

No one would have ever guessed that little tiny Katy would surpass everyone to be the tallest. Jonathan is hot on her trail at 5'2" tall.  Although, I am sure Madison will end up the tallest girl in the end.  She looks like she will have her Mom's height.

We are so happy to have these sweet friends.  However, I am sure Jonathan wishes there were some boys thrown in the mix!

Once In A Lifetime

Jonathan and Mrs. Jeanne

(along with Mrs. Jeanne's granddaughter, Kelly)

As a working parent, it only happens once in a lifetime that you find someone that gives your child the same love and care that you would.

When I was pregnant with Jessica, I researched and found a small, family owned and run daycare in Carrollton that was close to my office.  Oh, how we loved Sunset Oaks Academy and all of the sweet teachers that our kids had.  Jessica was loved and cared for from infancy until it was time to spread her wings and fly to Kindergarten.  Poor Jonathan was the youngest, and being the youngest, you have to follow the big sister.  He only managed 18 months under their loving care.  After Pre-K graduation, we said goodbye to our Sunset Oaks Academy and to all the wonderful teachers and headed to find an equally as wonderful daycare close to Jessica's school. 

We didn't fall in love with our first daycare in Frisco, but we did fall in love with Mrs. Jeanne.  She worked at the front desk.  Every afternoon I would come in to pick up Jonathan and he would be happily sitting in Mrs. Jeanne's lap.  They had a love affair like no other.  Mrs. Jeanne left our daycare, but she kept in touch.  She would come by and take Jonathan for an afternoon of fun.  Then, Fred was laid off, so we pulled Jonathan out of daycare.  Mrs. Jeanne's daughter, Angie, started watching Jonathan a couple of days a week so that Fred could hunt for a job.  Thankfully, Fred wasn't out of work for very long and Angie started keeping Jonathan full time.  Mrs. Jeanne and Jonathan were able to spend lots of time together.  Jonathan loved her so much.  She was so sweet and good to him and such a special person.  We were so lucky to find such a loving friend.

Angie moved to Princeton and we eventually lost touch with both Angie and Mrs. Jeanne.  Several years ago, we reconnected with Angie and her daughter, Kelly (who is Jessica's age) through the miracles of Facebook.

I was so sad to learn that our beloved Mrs. Jeanne passed away on New Years day.  I am thankful for the impact she had on my life.  She taught me so much about love.  She loved her children, grandchildren and even little squirts like Jonathan with everything that she had.  I will always be thankful for her example. 

Thank you Mrs. Jeanne for adopting our family when we needed a little extra love. 

Hello 2013

 

We wish everyone a happy, healthy and a blessed 2013!  Hope you spent last night with family and friends and made beautiful memories.

 

(If you need a translator for the sweet picture above... Jess and Rylee are just looking cute - nothing to translate.  Jonathan is holding up his fingers to signify January 1st.  Put Madison and Ally's fingers together and you have 2013.  Pretty ingenious for a couple of kids that are up way past their bedtime!)