Ain't no sunshine when they're gone...
It's not warm when they're away...
Ain't no sunshine when they're gone, and they're always gone to long anytime when they go away.
There's no laughter in the yard...
I can't hear them, and it's hard...
There's no laughter in the yard, and my heart is sad and scarred, every time when they go away.
Got no splashing in the pool...
I wander 'round like I'm a fool...
Got no splashing in the pool, 'cause it's time to go to school,
yellow bus takes them away.
And I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,I know, I know, I know, I know, I know...
Yeah, there's a lot that they must know, but I am prayin' for some snow...
Maybe then, they'll come to play.
Then the dark will go away...
Ain't no sunshine when they're gone, and they're always gone to long anytime when they go away...
anytime when they go away...
anytime when they go away...
anytime when they go away.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Random...
The kids have started saying a one word sentence that I think describes my life. Actually, when I think about it, it pretty much sums up all of our lives. Some of us are more structured than others but for the most part we are...random.
Random thinking is where you can sit and think for thirty minutes and a hundred things come to mind. Kind of like watching Sesame Street. Now I know that many of you haven't watched Sesame Street for quite some time, but you remember the fast paced, color filled, sound enhanced blur of lessons that were packed into one hour. Ernie was always outsmarting Burt (or is that Bert) and Big Bird's friend Mr. Snuffalupagus was a huge as an elephant but was never seen by anyone other than Big Bird. Kind of makes you wonder what kind of drugs ol' Bird was takin'. But life is kind of like that.
Summer especially.
Anyone have a truly quiet, peaceful time this summer? Any down time? I didn't think so. It seems like we rush here or rush there or have invitation to rush here and rush there. Even staying home with the kids is a frantic pace. You just get things cleaned up from lunch and they start yelling for a snack. "We're hungry!!" they say and you haven't even felt your butt on your chair before they are wanting something else. Then the flowers need watered and the dogs need fed and the next thing you know it's time for dinner and you start the whole process again. By the time you are ready to hit the sack...I wonder why they say "hit the sack"?...you are dead tired and hope to sleep soundly until the dogs wake you up in the middle of the night barking insanely at something...or someone...in the back yards.
Random...
We tease my dog, Precious, (who is blond by the way...and I'm not making fun of blonds so don't write me nasty notes about blond abuse because I'm very fond of blonds...we have several in our family...so this ain't about that) who will be playing with 'Skeeter or just running around the yard and will literally trip over her own feet when a butterfly flitters by. The old "Oh look! A butterfly!" trick. Talk about ADD!
Anyway...I wonder why people spit. Is it 'cause they have a horrible taste in their mouth and are afraid to swallow it? Is it 'cause they have just eaten and their stomachs are too full to handle one more swallow of anything? Is it 'cause they want to share their DNA with everyone in the world? Is it 'cause they think it looks cool? Yuck.
Do you wonder where people are going when an airplane flies over head? What does woof woof arf woof bark mean? Does a cat like licking itself? Does an amoeba ever want to stay within the lines?
I think I would like to have one of those miniature focusizers. A real one. I could keep him in my pocket and have him tell me all about appointments and stuff I needed to do and...do they really come in four different colors? Why are kids the only ones who get to have one...oh wait, I did see where there was a grown-up who had one in his office. I think I would like a pink one...
I need the Dog Whisperer to visit my house before I go stark raving mad. Or as Sharon Osborne would say...barking mad.
Speaking of busy summers...did anyone get to the exhibit at the Franklin Park Conservatory? I've always wanted to go. Never have been there. It's a pity too. I've always wanted to say...
Ever think about this? Devon says he loves the sound a pair of scissors...(I wonder why they call it a pair?) makes when it (they?) slice into a brand new sheet of construction paper. And did you know that Sasquatches (maybe that should be Sasquatchi for the plural) can run really fast, even when they carry their young on their backs?
Oh well...I guess I've used up my randomness for the moment. It's pretty bad when a person resorts to Sasquatches. They are one of my favorite myths though. I wonder who thought up the word Myth...probably the same guy that thought up mythology. Hmmm....Myths...Myth Busters...What if they took their name to a higher plain and called themselves the Mythology Terminators...they could shorten it again and call themselves the "Mythinators". They couldn't use the "Terminology's" 'cause they would have to be constantly using terminology to explain their name!
Meanwhile...
oh look, a butterfly!
Random thinking is where you can sit and think for thirty minutes and a hundred things come to mind. Kind of like watching Sesame Street. Now I know that many of you haven't watched Sesame Street for quite some time, but you remember the fast paced, color filled, sound enhanced blur of lessons that were packed into one hour. Ernie was always outsmarting Burt (or is that Bert) and Big Bird's friend Mr. Snuffalupagus was a huge as an elephant but was never seen by anyone other than Big Bird. Kind of makes you wonder what kind of drugs ol' Bird was takin'. But life is kind of like that.
Summer especially.
Anyone have a truly quiet, peaceful time this summer? Any down time? I didn't think so. It seems like we rush here or rush there or have invitation to rush here and rush there. Even staying home with the kids is a frantic pace. You just get things cleaned up from lunch and they start yelling for a snack. "We're hungry!!" they say and you haven't even felt your butt on your chair before they are wanting something else. Then the flowers need watered and the dogs need fed and the next thing you know it's time for dinner and you start the whole process again. By the time you are ready to hit the sack...I wonder why they say "hit the sack"?...you are dead tired and hope to sleep soundly until the dogs wake you up in the middle of the night barking insanely at something...or someone...in the back yards.
Random...
We tease my dog, Precious, (who is blond by the way...and I'm not making fun of blonds so don't write me nasty notes about blond abuse because I'm very fond of blonds...we have several in our family...so this ain't about that) who will be playing with 'Skeeter or just running around the yard and will literally trip over her own feet when a butterfly flitters by. The old "Oh look! A butterfly!" trick. Talk about ADD!
Anyway...I wonder why people spit. Is it 'cause they have a horrible taste in their mouth and are afraid to swallow it? Is it 'cause they have just eaten and their stomachs are too full to handle one more swallow of anything? Is it 'cause they want to share their DNA with everyone in the world? Is it 'cause they think it looks cool? Yuck.
Do you wonder where people are going when an airplane flies over head? What does woof woof arf woof bark mean? Does a cat like licking itself? Does an amoeba ever want to stay within the lines?
I think I would like to have one of those miniature focusizers. A real one. I could keep him in my pocket and have him tell me all about appointments and stuff I needed to do and...do they really come in four different colors? Why are kids the only ones who get to have one...oh wait, I did see where there was a grown-up who had one in his office. I think I would like a pink one...
I need the Dog Whisperer to visit my house before I go stark raving mad. Or as Sharon Osborne would say...barking mad.
Speaking of busy summers...did anyone get to the exhibit at the Franklin Park Conservatory? I've always wanted to go. Never have been there. It's a pity too. I've always wanted to say...
Ever think about this? Devon says he loves the sound a pair of scissors...(I wonder why they call it a pair?) makes when it (they?) slice into a brand new sheet of construction paper. And did you know that Sasquatches (maybe that should be Sasquatchi for the plural) can run really fast, even when they carry their young on their backs?
Oh well...I guess I've used up my randomness for the moment. It's pretty bad when a person resorts to Sasquatches. They are one of my favorite myths though. I wonder who thought up the word Myth...probably the same guy that thought up mythology. Hmmm....Myths...Myth Busters...What if they took their name to a higher plain and called themselves the Mythology Terminators...they could shorten it again and call themselves the "Mythinators". They couldn't use the "Terminology's" 'cause they would have to be constantly using terminology to explain their name!
Meanwhile...
oh look, a butterfly!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Attached...
I'm in trouble.
Big trouble.
You see, I'm am a hopeless romantic. I want everything to be hearts and flowers and all lovey-dovey with life long commitments and a deep, undivided dedication between and boy and a girl. I have experienced the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, (I saw it when I was about thirteen and cried for days) and have felt the sting of lost boyfriends in my life. But I always mentally jump up and down when the boy gets the girl in the end. My favorite holiday is Valentine's day and I have gold hearts painted on the ceiling of my bedroom, and now that I think about it, there is some form of romance in every room of my house. I guess you might say I have dedicated my life to romance and love.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not thinking about the tacky purple and pink kind of love that you adults might imagine. I'm talking about the sweet, unconditional love that comes from two hearts that are forever bound together. I think the term of the day is "soul mates". The whole "You complete me" thing. I have that kind of love and I pray my children do too. When I watch them, it is evident that they are well on their way to that all encompassing, over-the-top heart-to-heart relationship that God has planned for us.
But here is my problem...
I have become extremely attached to a new boy. Now before you gasp and think I've finally lost that last shred of sanity, let me explain.
I saw him at a picnic about a year and a half ago. He was the cutest boy there and let me tell you, there were a lot of boys. He seemed a little shy but had a beautiful smile that just melted my heart and I thought...he would be perfect for her. There was just something about him that intrigued me. I snuck around trying to take his picture...feeling a little bit like a stalker...and did get a few candid shots. And after the picnic I showed her the pictures and she had the innocence to blush. After all, she was sweet on him. She had a crush that she hoped would evolve into something more.
I was sad when I found out later that he had a girlfriend. That he was taken. I wanted him for her. She did what every young girl did and listened to music and had chosen "their" song. And she pined for him...kind of. But at last he was free!!! And the world rejoiced...or was that just my heart leaping? He started to come around...supposedly to swim...he came with friends. And she started to ply the trades of young women every where with her cute little smile and her tendency to blush and batting her beautiful eyelashes...and in no time...they were together, a couple, she had a boyfriend! He comes to see her almost every day and they talk on the phone all the time. She is learning to speak his language...slowly because it's strange to her...and he is learning too. I have watched them grow a little bit this summer and I have become attached.
In my mind I am planning a gorgeous wedding and holding lots of little brown-eyed great-grand babies and speaking fluent Spanish to them and.....
They are only twelve.
Now you see my dilemma?
Puppy Love.
I just can't see them apart. Ever.
I wonder if my mom went through this with my sisters and me? Did she pick out boys for us? I didn't pick out my daughters husband...she did a perfect job for herself. My husband says I should stop being such a Yenta but I love to match-make. Even if it's only in my mind. I think all women do that. But if it's meant to be...God will make a way. Stranger things have happened. I just hope I don't get my heart broken in the process.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Whisssstle....BOOM!....Sizzzzzle.....
I embarrassed myself last night. A couple of times. I didn't mean to but...well let's back up a bit, shall we?
The Fourth of July is a special time for me. My husband asked me to "go steady" thirty-six years ago on the 4th. Isn't it interesting the things we remember?
But on this fourth, I kind of did my own thing. Dave was at a golf outing and all of the kids were doing who knows what and so, the dogs and I just sort of hung out and read and stuff (I read, the dogs looked at the pictures). I was determined I wouldn't clean or work or do any of the stuff I usually do when I am alone. I wanted to relax and do nothing.
I was bored out of my mind.
Finally, evening rolled around and it was time to leave for the fireworks display at St. Ann's hospital. Well, not really AT the hospital but near the hospital. We just use their parking lot to set up "camp". I was looking forward to seeing all of my kids and taking pictures and enjoying the rockets red glare as it were so I grabbed my trusty boom box...an appropriate name don't you think?...for some tunes and the sparklers and poppers and a little bag of no-carb treats for me and put on my sweater...(have you EVER heard of wearing a sweater on the fourth of July to watch fireworks?)...and headed out. I parked in our favorite spot and dared anyone to park in the spaces surrounding my car. After all, those spots were reserved for my kids. I took out the boom-box and got the tunes going and watched people while I waited.
The kids all got there and we had a great time popping poppers and telling jokes and lighting sparklers and looking for Mexican boys...well, two of my grand girls (who are sisters) are "dating" (new term for "going steady") Mexican brothers (and they were supposed to be there). Interesting, huh? I think it is so cool. Anyway, do you realize how many Mexican family's have a bunch of sons? We never did find them though. Too bad, I need a new phrase....they're teaching me to speak Spanish.
When the fireworks were over, I was pretty tired. Doing nothing and being bored out of your mind takes a lot out of you! I wanted to get home and in to my bed and dream great dreams.
It didn't quite work out that way.
We did the whole stop-N-go thing while getting out of the parking lot and I got angry at the traffic control guy because he wouldn't let me go the direction I wanted to go. I didn't say anything to him...my poor daughter got to hear me whine when I called her on her cell. But as we were making out slow way out of the lot, my brakes kept screeching. You see, when they get wet, they make a LOT of noise. My husband says this is normal. Embarrassment number one...some girl yells..."You better get those brakes looked at!" and then someone else yells..."yeah, stop slamming on your brakes like that!" I didn't say anything but put my window up and tried to coast to a stop only pushing a tiny bit on the brake peddle so I wouldn't hear any more wise cracks!
When I got home, I was mauled by my two dogs. They were barking and hopping up and down and I was in no mood for that so I gave them a treat and closed up the house. I was grouchy, tired and antsy all at the same time. I finally got settled at around 11:30. I turned on some soft music and had the fan going more for white noise than anything and was just dozing off when.....WHISTLE....POP...POP POP, BANG....I couldn't believe it. I grumbled, sighed and tried to concentrate on the white noise....let my mind go blank....r e l a x......
B O O M
I got up and looked outside and could see the glowing end of a match touch the end of yet another monster noise maker when FOOSH with a loud whistle it soared into the sky and exploded with a loud BOOM. That was it...I had had enough...embarrassment number two...I stuck my head out my back door and yelled..."COME ON..SERIOUSLY GUYS...IT'S TIME TO GO TO SLEEP."
The fireworks stopped.
It worked. But am I now the neighborhood curmudgeon? The old lady who won't let anyone have fun? I was secretly hoping that there were others in the neighborhood who were cheering me on but I didn't hear a single "yeah, what she said" come from any other house.
Now I wonder what to do. It's the next day and I am so embarrassed to have let my self control down and yell at someone who was just having fun...WITH LOUD EXPLOSIVES RIGHT OUTSIDE MY BEDROOM WINDOW AT MIDNIGHT....I mean kids will be kids right?
I think I'll go over there and apologize.
The Fourth of July is a special time for me. My husband asked me to "go steady" thirty-six years ago on the 4th. Isn't it interesting the things we remember?
But on this fourth, I kind of did my own thing. Dave was at a golf outing and all of the kids were doing who knows what and so, the dogs and I just sort of hung out and read and stuff (I read, the dogs looked at the pictures). I was determined I wouldn't clean or work or do any of the stuff I usually do when I am alone. I wanted to relax and do nothing.
I was bored out of my mind.
Finally, evening rolled around and it was time to leave for the fireworks display at St. Ann's hospital. Well, not really AT the hospital but near the hospital. We just use their parking lot to set up "camp". I was looking forward to seeing all of my kids and taking pictures and enjoying the rockets red glare as it were so I grabbed my trusty boom box...an appropriate name don't you think?...for some tunes and the sparklers and poppers and a little bag of no-carb treats for me and put on my sweater...(have you EVER heard of wearing a sweater on the fourth of July to watch fireworks?)...and headed out. I parked in our favorite spot and dared anyone to park in the spaces surrounding my car. After all, those spots were reserved for my kids. I took out the boom-box and got the tunes going and watched people while I waited.
The kids all got there and we had a great time popping poppers and telling jokes and lighting sparklers and looking for Mexican boys...well, two of my grand girls (who are sisters) are "dating" (new term for "going steady") Mexican brothers (and they were supposed to be there). Interesting, huh? I think it is so cool. Anyway, do you realize how many Mexican family's have a bunch of sons? We never did find them though. Too bad, I need a new phrase....they're teaching me to speak Spanish.
When the fireworks were over, I was pretty tired. Doing nothing and being bored out of your mind takes a lot out of you! I wanted to get home and in to my bed and dream great dreams.
It didn't quite work out that way.
We did the whole stop-N-go thing while getting out of the parking lot and I got angry at the traffic control guy because he wouldn't let me go the direction I wanted to go. I didn't say anything to him...my poor daughter got to hear me whine when I called her on her cell. But as we were making out slow way out of the lot, my brakes kept screeching. You see, when they get wet, they make a LOT of noise. My husband says this is normal. Embarrassment number one...some girl yells..."You better get those brakes looked at!" and then someone else yells..."yeah, stop slamming on your brakes like that!" I didn't say anything but put my window up and tried to coast to a stop only pushing a tiny bit on the brake peddle so I wouldn't hear any more wise cracks!
When I got home, I was mauled by my two dogs. They were barking and hopping up and down and I was in no mood for that so I gave them a treat and closed up the house. I was grouchy, tired and antsy all at the same time. I finally got settled at around 11:30. I turned on some soft music and had the fan going more for white noise than anything and was just dozing off when.....WHISTLE....POP...POP POP, BANG....I couldn't believe it. I grumbled, sighed and tried to concentrate on the white noise....let my mind go blank....r e l a x......
B O O M
I got up and looked outside and could see the glowing end of a match touch the end of yet another monster noise maker when FOOSH with a loud whistle it soared into the sky and exploded with a loud BOOM. That was it...I had had enough...embarrassment number two...I stuck my head out my back door and yelled..."COME ON..SERIOUSLY GUYS...IT'S TIME TO GO TO SLEEP."
The fireworks stopped.
It worked. But am I now the neighborhood curmudgeon? The old lady who won't let anyone have fun? I was secretly hoping that there were others in the neighborhood who were cheering me on but I didn't hear a single "yeah, what she said" come from any other house.
Now I wonder what to do. It's the next day and I am so embarrassed to have let my self control down and yell at someone who was just having fun...WITH LOUD EXPLOSIVES RIGHT OUTSIDE MY BEDROOM WINDOW AT MIDNIGHT....I mean kids will be kids right?
I think I'll go over there and apologize.
Friday, June 27, 2008
When It Rains...
it drips on my bed! Okay, admittedly it has been a while since I have written but I've been up to here with...stuff. My brain is sometimes filled with the most intriguing material and the spaces in between with such horrific and mundane thoughts that I can't seem to sort my way out of it and onto the page. I wonder if Steven King started out this way.
At any rate, the recent storms have proven to chase my husband and I out of our bed again. Remember in one of my last posts I told you about the leak and the whole cleaning the cutters thing? Well the other night I was laying there listening to the thunder and the rain and feeling quite cozy. He was sleeping beside me and the dogs were also snoozing in their little beds. All was safe and comfortable and...DRIP...DRIP...DRIP DRIP DRIP.....What the heck???? Cold water was dripping on my face! I reached over and touched my husband and said..."Hun...we have a leak!" I jumped up and grabbed some towels out of the bathroom and he jumped up and headed out of the room to parts unknown. I stood on the bed and held the towel up against the leak (it was coming in through a screw that was holding up the canopy of our bed). Meanwhile, I saw my husband walking down the back deck with an umbrella and a ladder! In a lightening storm! In the pouring rain! At two o'clock in the morning! Crawling into the attic! He was going to find the leak and fix it. He found some flashing (some metal stuff to fix the leak, not the lightening) and headed up.
I really couldn't believe it. I stood there with the towel pressed against the ceiling waiting for him to come back and he did fairly quickly but then said..."the tree out back is on fire." Kind of matter of fact like that. "What?" I shouted? I jumped down off the bed and looked out the back door. Sure enough the high tension wire at the very top of the telephone pole was burning the branches of the tree behind us. I didn't know what to do...I mean here it is two-thirty in the morning, the bed is being dripped on, my husband is in the attic and the tree is on fire! I didn't want to call the fire department and have them come screaming through our neighborhood to wake the neighbors and I didn't want to sound silly that the tree was in fire in the middle of a torrential down pour but I was a little concerned that the tree would go FOOP! and burn to the ground and then were would all the birdies and squirrels and the hawk live? I continued to intermittently dry the drip and hop off the bed to look at the burning tree. It was only smoldering at this point and so I wasn't so worried about it anymore and Dave had come down out of the attic, and the dripping stopped (for the time being) and the dogs just looked at me like I was loony for being up so late. I went back to bed and prayed that the tree would stay out and the dripping wouldn't return.
I called AEP the next morning and they came out to see what the problem was. They told us it was "normal" for the tree to catch fire because of the eleven billion volts that went through that wire (comforting since I have a swimming pool in close proximity)and that it would singe the tree limbs to keep them off. GREAT! I thought. Now I have to think about that too.
We did go back to sleep and all was well...until the next time we had a storm......
We were sleeping as usual, when I heard the wind pick up and the rain start to fall. The lightening was flashing around causing the walls in my room to look like a psycho disco ball was going berserk and the thunder was clashing like plaid pants and a striped shirt. I got up and turned the window fans to "exhaust" to blow the rain out and close the sliding door. I didn't want any rain in. But just as I reached for the handle of the door I heard the sirens. Not firetruck sirens but tornado sirens! I wondered if I was supposed to call my kids and wake them up and send them to their respective basements or to just wait it out. I decided to turn on Jym Ganhal. He would clear this up for me. And he did. He said he didn't know why they were sounding the sirens for Columbus and that was good enough for me. I snuggled back down next to my sleeping husband and listened to the rain, praising God for the gifts He has given us and asking Him to protect us from any prospective danger when....drip...drip drip drip!!!.... CRAP!!!!! I nudge Dave and say..."it's raining on us again." I don't remember what he said this time. I'm sure he was grumbling tho'. I took my stance on the bed with the towel against the ceiling and hoped that the lightening couldn't get to me. Our dogs just looked up from their beds as if they were trying to understand our bizarre behavior when CRASH!!!! thunder cracked so loudly that it seemingly blew them out of their beds and on to their feet. They looked confused and I laughed pretty hard.
Dave went back outside to find the leak and when he came in said he would have to fix it in the morning. I asked him for a bucket and a long piece of string. I tied the string around the screw head in the ceiling where the water was coming in and dropped the other end in the bucket. The water then followed the string down and into the bucket with no splashing which would...hopefully...keep our bed dry. It worked! and Dave fixed the leak the next day. It has rained since and we have been able to stay in our bed without taking a shower too!
Isn't it funny how we get creative in times of adversity? That's God working for us. Who'dve thunk about a string and a bucket? Anyway...'til next time! (and I pray that will be sooner than later) Happy Summer!
At any rate, the recent storms have proven to chase my husband and I out of our bed again. Remember in one of my last posts I told you about the leak and the whole cleaning the cutters thing? Well the other night I was laying there listening to the thunder and the rain and feeling quite cozy. He was sleeping beside me and the dogs were also snoozing in their little beds. All was safe and comfortable and...DRIP...DRIP...DRIP DRIP DRIP.....What the heck???? Cold water was dripping on my face! I reached over and touched my husband and said..."Hun...we have a leak!" I jumped up and grabbed some towels out of the bathroom and he jumped up and headed out of the room to parts unknown. I stood on the bed and held the towel up against the leak (it was coming in through a screw that was holding up the canopy of our bed). Meanwhile, I saw my husband walking down the back deck with an umbrella and a ladder! In a lightening storm! In the pouring rain! At two o'clock in the morning! Crawling into the attic! He was going to find the leak and fix it. He found some flashing (some metal stuff to fix the leak, not the lightening) and headed up.
I really couldn't believe it. I stood there with the towel pressed against the ceiling waiting for him to come back and he did fairly quickly but then said..."the tree out back is on fire." Kind of matter of fact like that. "What?" I shouted? I jumped down off the bed and looked out the back door. Sure enough the high tension wire at the very top of the telephone pole was burning the branches of the tree behind us. I didn't know what to do...I mean here it is two-thirty in the morning, the bed is being dripped on, my husband is in the attic and the tree is on fire! I didn't want to call the fire department and have them come screaming through our neighborhood to wake the neighbors and I didn't want to sound silly that the tree was in fire in the middle of a torrential down pour but I was a little concerned that the tree would go FOOP! and burn to the ground and then were would all the birdies and squirrels and the hawk live? I continued to intermittently dry the drip and hop off the bed to look at the burning tree. It was only smoldering at this point and so I wasn't so worried about it anymore and Dave had come down out of the attic, and the dripping stopped (for the time being) and the dogs just looked at me like I was loony for being up so late. I went back to bed and prayed that the tree would stay out and the dripping wouldn't return.
I called AEP the next morning and they came out to see what the problem was. They told us it was "normal" for the tree to catch fire because of the eleven billion volts that went through that wire (comforting since I have a swimming pool in close proximity)and that it would singe the tree limbs to keep them off. GREAT! I thought. Now I have to think about that too.
We did go back to sleep and all was well...until the next time we had a storm......
We were sleeping as usual, when I heard the wind pick up and the rain start to fall. The lightening was flashing around causing the walls in my room to look like a psycho disco ball was going berserk and the thunder was clashing like plaid pants and a striped shirt. I got up and turned the window fans to "exhaust" to blow the rain out and close the sliding door. I didn't want any rain in. But just as I reached for the handle of the door I heard the sirens. Not firetruck sirens but tornado sirens! I wondered if I was supposed to call my kids and wake them up and send them to their respective basements or to just wait it out. I decided to turn on Jym Ganhal. He would clear this up for me. And he did. He said he didn't know why they were sounding the sirens for Columbus and that was good enough for me. I snuggled back down next to my sleeping husband and listened to the rain, praising God for the gifts He has given us and asking Him to protect us from any prospective danger when....drip...drip drip drip!!!.... CRAP!!!!! I nudge Dave and say..."it's raining on us again." I don't remember what he said this time. I'm sure he was grumbling tho'. I took my stance on the bed with the towel against the ceiling and hoped that the lightening couldn't get to me. Our dogs just looked up from their beds as if they were trying to understand our bizarre behavior when CRASH!!!! thunder cracked so loudly that it seemingly blew them out of their beds and on to their feet. They looked confused and I laughed pretty hard.
Dave went back outside to find the leak and when he came in said he would have to fix it in the morning. I asked him for a bucket and a long piece of string. I tied the string around the screw head in the ceiling where the water was coming in and dropped the other end in the bucket. The water then followed the string down and into the bucket with no splashing which would...hopefully...keep our bed dry. It worked! and Dave fixed the leak the next day. It has rained since and we have been able to stay in our bed without taking a shower too!
Isn't it funny how we get creative in times of adversity? That's God working for us. Who'dve thunk about a string and a bucket? Anyway...'til next time! (and I pray that will be sooner than later) Happy Summer!
Friday, June 6, 2008
Okay...enough about me...
1) The phone rings what do you say? Before or after I pick it up? Um...Hello?
2) Who was your first text from today? Hmmmm....text. I read the text of a book, a newspaper, some blogs...but sadly...I'm textaphobic.
3) Who was the ugliest person you saw today? Now that IS a rude question but I'll answer it. Obama. Not because of his looks but because of his heart.
4) Whats your favorite soda? If I could have any it would be Creme Soda or FRESH A&W root beer in a frosty mug.
5) Does the person you like know that you like them? He sure does!!
6) Whens the last time you talked to your mom? Sunday Morning.
7) Where are you right now? In my office.
8) Favorite song? I have many...probably a hundred. The the one that makes me smile is "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" by Rod Stewart.
9) Favorite gadget in the kitchen? My juicer
10) Favorite pie? Warm Granny Smith Apple Pie with a nice slice of melted cheddar cheese on top.
11) How many friends you got? It's not quantity it's quality...and I have quality friends!
12) Any complaints? Nah...why complain?
13) Last time you had a sleepover? Hmmmm.....I think it was New Year's Eve....my grandbabies.
14) Latest you stayed up in the past week? Was that counting the water dripping on our bed or the fire? Probably eleven.
15) What are you doing? Listening to my dogs barking their fool heads off at the people attending the garage sales on the street. Poor neighbors.
16) Have you been in a car accident? Yes!
17) What was the last thing you said aloud? 'SKEETER! (shouting at one of my dogs.
18) Who's the 1st person on your missed calls list? Doobs Mueller
19) What did the last text message you received say? Textaphobic remember?
20) Last time you went to church? I prefer to think that I am having church every day.
21) Story behind your MySpace song? I don't have a MySpace song. I am annoyed by MySpace and everything it has going on. It's no place for children either...but that is just my opinion...
22) Do you care if people hate you for no reason? Nope. I'd just rather not know about it.
23) Wallet? Stuffed with plastic.
24) Eyes? Green
25) Life? Amazing!
26) What are you doing this weekend? You don't have enough space for me to type that....
27) What are you wearing? Black shorts and a pink tank top.
28) What are you wanting? Right now...I want to rip up the almost all of the carpet in my home and replace it with nice wood floors. Easier to clean...nicer look and much more sanitary!!!
29) What do you smell? Rain and Tabu
30) What do you taste? Coffee
31) Do you sleep naked? Because I know who MIGHT be reading this I plead the fifth.
32) Do you like seafood? Sometimes
33) Do you remember your dreams? Sometimes
34) Do you consider yourself a study freak? Maybe not a freak but I love to learn.
35) Do you speak another language other than English? Bits and pieces of French, German, Spanish, Dopple, Piglatin, Japanese, and a Turkish word. I want to become fluent in Spanish. Hey JERRY!
36) What did you do last night? Made dinner, watched a little bit of TV (nothing on now), folded beach towels, watered my flowers, made Daves lunch, put chemicals in my....pool, yeah, that's it...swept up a million mulberries and watched the dogs play...among other stuff.
37) Who do you hate? I don't hate anyone. But I do like the bumper sticker that says "I hate mean people".
38) Orange or apple juice? Orange
39) Who were the last people you went out to eat with? My friend Susan.
40) What was the last thing you ate ? Pina Colada Cheesecake with whipped cream and a cup of coffee.
Ok, so now I have to tag someone else.......Lori!
2) Who was your first text from today? Hmmmm....text. I read the text of a book, a newspaper, some blogs...but sadly...I'm textaphobic.
3) Who was the ugliest person you saw today? Now that IS a rude question but I'll answer it. Obama. Not because of his looks but because of his heart.
4) Whats your favorite soda? If I could have any it would be Creme Soda or FRESH A&W root beer in a frosty mug.
5) Does the person you like know that you like them? He sure does!!
6) Whens the last time you talked to your mom? Sunday Morning.
7) Where are you right now? In my office.
8) Favorite song? I have many...probably a hundred. The the one that makes me smile is "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" by Rod Stewart.
9) Favorite gadget in the kitchen? My juicer
10) Favorite pie? Warm Granny Smith Apple Pie with a nice slice of melted cheddar cheese on top.
11) How many friends you got? It's not quantity it's quality...and I have quality friends!
12) Any complaints? Nah...why complain?
13) Last time you had a sleepover? Hmmmm.....I think it was New Year's Eve....my grandbabies.
14) Latest you stayed up in the past week? Was that counting the water dripping on our bed or the fire? Probably eleven.
15) What are you doing? Listening to my dogs barking their fool heads off at the people attending the garage sales on the street. Poor neighbors.
16) Have you been in a car accident? Yes!
17) What was the last thing you said aloud? 'SKEETER! (shouting at one of my dogs.
18) Who's the 1st person on your missed calls list? Doobs Mueller
19) What did the last text message you received say? Textaphobic remember?
20) Last time you went to church? I prefer to think that I am having church every day.
21) Story behind your MySpace song? I don't have a MySpace song. I am annoyed by MySpace and everything it has going on. It's no place for children either...but that is just my opinion...
22) Do you care if people hate you for no reason? Nope. I'd just rather not know about it.
23) Wallet? Stuffed with plastic.
24) Eyes? Green
25) Life? Amazing!
26) What are you doing this weekend? You don't have enough space for me to type that....
27) What are you wearing? Black shorts and a pink tank top.
28) What are you wanting? Right now...I want to rip up the almost all of the carpet in my home and replace it with nice wood floors. Easier to clean...nicer look and much more sanitary!!!
29) What do you smell? Rain and Tabu
30) What do you taste? Coffee
31) Do you sleep naked? Because I know who MIGHT be reading this I plead the fifth.
32) Do you like seafood? Sometimes
33) Do you remember your dreams? Sometimes
34) Do you consider yourself a study freak? Maybe not a freak but I love to learn.
35) Do you speak another language other than English? Bits and pieces of French, German, Spanish, Dopple, Piglatin, Japanese, and a Turkish word. I want to become fluent in Spanish. Hey JERRY!
36) What did you do last night? Made dinner, watched a little bit of TV (nothing on now), folded beach towels, watered my flowers, made Daves lunch, put chemicals in my....pool, yeah, that's it...swept up a million mulberries and watched the dogs play...among other stuff.
37) Who do you hate? I don't hate anyone. But I do like the bumper sticker that says "I hate mean people".
38) Orange or apple juice? Orange
39) Who were the last people you went out to eat with? My friend Susan.
40) What was the last thing you ate ? Pina Colada Cheesecake with whipped cream and a cup of coffee.
Ok, so now I have to tag someone else.......Lori!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
You've got to laugh...
Puking is NO laughing matter. In fact, it has to be the single most disgusting body function this side of...well...use your imagination. I hate doing it myself...sometimes I think I would rather die...and feel sorry for someone else should they have to do it.
Now, I hope you don't have a really weak stomach because the previous paragraph would turn you off from reading the completion of my story...and if you do and you are puking I'm so sorry. It all started Memorial Day weekend. We were supposed to be having a great time with the onset of "Summer"...it is supposed to be hot now right?...but it wasn't working out quite that way. Two of our girls got sick. I didn't know one of them was and the other had called me to ask me if I could help her if she needed me. I really didn't have time to answer her because she said..."Gotta Go!" and hung up. Well to make a long story even longer, by Sunday those two were fine but the younger ones were in the bull pen heating up. You see, every Sunday we gather...my clan and I...to have church and eat dinner and have a great day of relaxing and playing and socializing. I look forward to it every Sunday. That Sunday though we were...(weak stomach alert)...busy cleaning up puke. We were also checking blood sugars quite frequently and between the two weren't having as much fun. We all took it in stride though...after all we are a fun loving clan and we hang together no matter what. Right?
By Monday morning one was in the emergency room getting re-hydrated because of her diabetes and I was...little did I know...warming up in the bull pen for MY bout with the ferocious stomach virus that was claiming the family.
Oh..my..God! And I am using that term as a prayer. I couldn't believe that my babies had gone through the pain, the nausea, the diarrhea the...well for the sake of you weak stomachers out there I'll stop the description...hell that we were subjected to. It took four days for me to feel like I was alive, much less human. To top it of...my husband got it too. He was home from work for two days. Ladies?? You understand don't you? (No honey, I'm not complaining...we just don't know how to make you more comfortable:) ) I think it's great though that he was able to get out to the Memorial Tournament today though!
So...we were all healing and going through our normal hectic schedules...trying to keep all the ducks in a row and sanitized. It seemed like everything was getting back to normal...what ever that is...when I needed to take the littlest clans member (he's five) with me to pick up his sister at the bus stop. I asked my older granddaughter if she wanted to go too and she did so we piled into my PT Cruiser and headed out. The little one was in the back seat and the 'Tweenie was in the front.
Well...you moms will appreciate this...you know when you hear a tea kettle just begin to whistle and you know it's about to boil? Or you hear that crack of thunder just seconds before you are in the middle of a deluge of rain? Have any of you ever heard this?..."Oh!...My tummy is starting to hurt!!!...along with whimpering and then crying and you are hopeless because you are in rush hour traffic trying to catch a school bus so that your child isn't standing there alone and all of a sudden...My 'Tweenie looked back at the little guy at just the right time and immediately turned back around stating in her Valley Girl talk..."Ugh...that is SO GROSS!"
I didn't have any paper towels, napkins, clothing, rags....NOTHING IN MY CAR TO STAUNCH THE FLOW...and, did I tell you I was in rush hour traffic trying to catch a freakin' bus?
I heard the "my tummy still hurts" about three MORE times all accompanied by "That is TOTALLY GROSS!!!" until I actually had to speed (that's enough from the peanut gallery) to get to my destination. At that point a little, very disgusted and woeful voice in the back seat said..."I KNEW I should have had peanut butter and jelly for lunch."
So..what do you do with a back seat full of...well...you know... and a kid covered in the same and NO way to clean it up with a grossed out 'Tweenie and a woeful child? You call in the Calvary! Has anyone thanked God for cell phones yet? Boy, I sure do! I got on the phone to my daughter and she grabbed her paper towels and her Fabreeze...(it would take a case of paper towels and a gallon of Fabreeze but I'm glad she was thinking!)...and came to save the day. We did the best we could to clean it up and, although it may sound strange...everyone except the little guy and I, opted to ride home with my daughter. I can't say as I blamed them. I was fearful that I would hear that "Oh! My tummy hurts again!" but I didn't. My honey helped me clean out my car and I gave the little guy a bath and he was right as rain...
Speaking of which...we had one heck of a thunderstorm this morning. I was laying there listening to it and thinking about how romantic it was when the dogs decided they had to go out. So, I took them to the front porch where there is some shelter so they could potty. I was standing there in the dark...it was five o'clock in the morning...in a thunderstorm...in my nightie...waiting for the dogs to go....when I see my husband dart through the living room in his shorts and put on his jacket. I didn't think much of it because I thought he MIGHT be coming to help me with the dogs when he stuck his head out the door and said..."There is water dripping on our bed!" "GET OUT!!!" I shouted...(or something trendy like that) and headed back into the house to help. Thank goodness the dogs had peed and as my husband headed out side to clean the gutters...did I tell you it was five in the morning?...I grabbed several beach towels out of the closet and proceeded to dry up our bed with my feet while holding a towel to the dripping ceiling. The thunder was clapping, lightening flashing...I was standing on our bed with beach towels while my honey was out in the torrent cleaning the gutters. In the mean time, our dogs went back to bed. As soon as the gutters emptied the drips stopped and the bed was dry so we went back to bed too. We lay there for a little while listening to the rain and chuckling over the humor of the situation. We seem to get into all kinds of interesting dilemma's concerning water. Like the time he was recovering from the flu and our water bed sprung a leak and we had to physically wrestle it into the bath tub. But that's another story...
Let me tell ya...I would much rather hear my husband say..."Water is dripping on our bed!" than "Oh! My tummy hurts again!" because after the week we just had I am exhausted.
Life can be so difficult. When we are in the middle of the trials we think we can't take another moment of it. We pray and say "Oh my God!" and we hope for immediate answers the way WE want them. We want it all to be simple and calm but where's the fun in that? Where's the learning? (I will forever carry paper towels in my car) He teaches us with trials if we will just listen and He ads a little humor too. After all with all that life throws at us...sometimes we've just got to laugh.
Now, I hope you don't have a really weak stomach because the previous paragraph would turn you off from reading the completion of my story...and if you do and you are puking I'm so sorry. It all started Memorial Day weekend. We were supposed to be having a great time with the onset of "Summer"...it is supposed to be hot now right?...but it wasn't working out quite that way. Two of our girls got sick. I didn't know one of them was and the other had called me to ask me if I could help her if she needed me. I really didn't have time to answer her because she said..."Gotta Go!" and hung up. Well to make a long story even longer, by Sunday those two were fine but the younger ones were in the bull pen heating up. You see, every Sunday we gather...my clan and I...to have church and eat dinner and have a great day of relaxing and playing and socializing. I look forward to it every Sunday. That Sunday though we were...(weak stomach alert)...busy cleaning up puke. We were also checking blood sugars quite frequently and between the two weren't having as much fun. We all took it in stride though...after all we are a fun loving clan and we hang together no matter what. Right?
By Monday morning one was in the emergency room getting re-hydrated because of her diabetes and I was...little did I know...warming up in the bull pen for MY bout with the ferocious stomach virus that was claiming the family.
Oh..my..God! And I am using that term as a prayer. I couldn't believe that my babies had gone through the pain, the nausea, the diarrhea the...well for the sake of you weak stomachers out there I'll stop the description...hell that we were subjected to. It took four days for me to feel like I was alive, much less human. To top it of...my husband got it too. He was home from work for two days. Ladies?? You understand don't you? (No honey, I'm not complaining...we just don't know how to make you more comfortable:) ) I think it's great though that he was able to get out to the Memorial Tournament today though!
So...we were all healing and going through our normal hectic schedules...trying to keep all the ducks in a row and sanitized. It seemed like everything was getting back to normal...what ever that is...when I needed to take the littlest clans member (he's five) with me to pick up his sister at the bus stop. I asked my older granddaughter if she wanted to go too and she did so we piled into my PT Cruiser and headed out. The little one was in the back seat and the 'Tweenie was in the front.
Well...you moms will appreciate this...you know when you hear a tea kettle just begin to whistle and you know it's about to boil? Or you hear that crack of thunder just seconds before you are in the middle of a deluge of rain? Have any of you ever heard this?..."Oh!...My tummy is starting to hurt!!!...along with whimpering and then crying and you are hopeless because you are in rush hour traffic trying to catch a school bus so that your child isn't standing there alone and all of a sudden...My 'Tweenie looked back at the little guy at just the right time and immediately turned back around stating in her Valley Girl talk..."Ugh...that is SO GROSS!"
I didn't have any paper towels, napkins, clothing, rags....NOTHING IN MY CAR TO STAUNCH THE FLOW...and, did I tell you I was in rush hour traffic trying to catch a freakin' bus?
I heard the "my tummy still hurts" about three MORE times all accompanied by "That is TOTALLY GROSS!!!" until I actually had to speed (that's enough from the peanut gallery) to get to my destination. At that point a little, very disgusted and woeful voice in the back seat said..."I KNEW I should have had peanut butter and jelly for lunch."
So..what do you do with a back seat full of...well...you know... and a kid covered in the same and NO way to clean it up with a grossed out 'Tweenie and a woeful child? You call in the Calvary! Has anyone thanked God for cell phones yet? Boy, I sure do! I got on the phone to my daughter and she grabbed her paper towels and her Fabreeze...(it would take a case of paper towels and a gallon of Fabreeze but I'm glad she was thinking!)...and came to save the day. We did the best we could to clean it up and, although it may sound strange...everyone except the little guy and I, opted to ride home with my daughter. I can't say as I blamed them. I was fearful that I would hear that "Oh! My tummy hurts again!" but I didn't. My honey helped me clean out my car and I gave the little guy a bath and he was right as rain...
Speaking of which...we had one heck of a thunderstorm this morning. I was laying there listening to it and thinking about how romantic it was when the dogs decided they had to go out. So, I took them to the front porch where there is some shelter so they could potty. I was standing there in the dark...it was five o'clock in the morning...in a thunderstorm...in my nightie...waiting for the dogs to go....when I see my husband dart through the living room in his shorts and put on his jacket. I didn't think much of it because I thought he MIGHT be coming to help me with the dogs when he stuck his head out the door and said..."There is water dripping on our bed!" "GET OUT!!!" I shouted...(or something trendy like that) and headed back into the house to help. Thank goodness the dogs had peed and as my husband headed out side to clean the gutters...did I tell you it was five in the morning?...I grabbed several beach towels out of the closet and proceeded to dry up our bed with my feet while holding a towel to the dripping ceiling. The thunder was clapping, lightening flashing...I was standing on our bed with beach towels while my honey was out in the torrent cleaning the gutters. In the mean time, our dogs went back to bed. As soon as the gutters emptied the drips stopped and the bed was dry so we went back to bed too. We lay there for a little while listening to the rain and chuckling over the humor of the situation. We seem to get into all kinds of interesting dilemma's concerning water. Like the time he was recovering from the flu and our water bed sprung a leak and we had to physically wrestle it into the bath tub. But that's another story...
Let me tell ya...I would much rather hear my husband say..."Water is dripping on our bed!" than "Oh! My tummy hurts again!" because after the week we just had I am exhausted.
Life can be so difficult. When we are in the middle of the trials we think we can't take another moment of it. We pray and say "Oh my God!" and we hope for immediate answers the way WE want them. We want it all to be simple and calm but where's the fun in that? Where's the learning? (I will forever carry paper towels in my car) He teaches us with trials if we will just listen and He ads a little humor too. After all with all that life throws at us...sometimes we've just got to laugh.
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