Short Post

No news is not necessarily good news! We're a puny household. It's official. Everybody (minus Doodle, who was the first to come down with it and is therefore heading in the direction of feeling a little better instead of a little worse) has the cold in varying degrees. Even Dad stayed home today. We've been doing lots of coloring and playing and not much else, to be honest. We did go outside for a little while this afternoon, because it was just too nice not to take advantage of it. It sounds like it was our only nice day of the week. Oh well...such is life!

Please keep us in your prayers. I'm sure we'll get through this sickness as usual, but will we be able to put up with each other with all of us puny until we feel better? That's the real question. That's why I'm praying for patience...along with a big helping of good health and strong immune systems.

Fun Weekend

Despite all the stormy weather (of which I am NOT a fan), we had a nice weekend. I had the good fortune of going shopping Saturday, however I allowed myself to be talked into taking the twins. They're so adept at sweet-talking. Doodle started in with, "We like to go shopping, Mama." and then proceeded to "We like to look at your clothes, Mama. We like to be patient." Yeah...right! I was feeling especially patient Saturday morning, so I took them with me. I'm sure you're wondering about Hanny. She doesn't like to shop and makes no attempts to convince herself (or me) otherwise. She wanted to stay home with Dad. The shopping trip was a BLAST! We had so much fun! We began at the mall and spent over an hour shopping for me, spending a good bit of that time in the fitting room. They helped me find a dress, among other things, and never once complained. As a reward, we rode the escalator up and down a couple times. We also found them some new clothes (and Hanny). They were so thrilled to get to pick out things they liked. It was so sweet. From there we went to eat at Texas Roadhouse. They loved the rolls (so do I!) and were a delight to take. We also hit Sam's, Lowe's, Kohl's, and headed back to the mall one more time to look at shoes. They were totally content as long as we got to ride the escalator before we left. They sang all the way home...at the top of their lungs. It was a hoot! Most of the drive home they sang "On the Road Again" because we had heard it on a VeggieTales CD on the way to Topeka. They're also singing a new "song" with the words "I like 'em big. I like 'em junky..." from Madagascar 2. You'd have to hear them (and maybe see the movie) to truly appreciate it. Boo has really made it her own and has some soul in her version. I have to get it on tape soon as I'm sure it will pass before too long. We returned home around 3:00, and Hanny had already called us to see when we'd be home. She and Dad had a good time together, from what I hear.

We're home today because everybody is stuffed up. Doodle is definitely the furthest along with her cold, but the other two are coming down with it, I'm afraid. Oh, and this whole Swine Flu thing is a little scary to me too. Yes, I'm a worrier, but this is frightening. I just wish people would stay home (and keep their kids home) when they're sick. Anyway... Here's hoping for a good, healthy (or at least improving) week! :)

Ice for the Amish...

Yeah, I'll explain the title in a sec. Can I just share that we made it through a full week of school with all three girls there EVERY DAY? We're doing a happy dance! Because of this, they each earned a kangaroo for their class today. When the class earns enough kangaroos to fill up the cup they get to have/do something special. The girls were proud. We're even getting to the point that Boo doesn't tell me how much she does NOT like going to school before we leave the house. Even more than that, she hasn't given me one of her dirty looks as she's walking to her locker for the past two days. That in itself is reason for celebration. :)

We took a "Happy Friday" trip to Dollar Tree and Wal-Mart to get groceries this afternoon. The girls each had a dollar from their piggy bank, along with a dollar from Papa, to spend on whatever they wanted. On our way there, I had to chuckle at the conversation (as usual). I'm much more of a thinker than a talker. I think constantly, sometimes more than I should, but I have a very strong filter on what escapes my lips. I just don't share a whole lot or say much that I think is unnecessary fluff. Yeah, I'm not big on small talk. Why run my mouth if I don't really have something important to say? It's funny to me, because Hanny is my polar opposite. I know what she's thinking only seconds after she's thought it because everything comes out her mouth. As we're driving along, she gives me a non-stop (well, almost) commentary about everything she sees. We discuss every sign, every change in scenery, and we even discuss each poor unfortunate animal victim of traffic. I kid you not, I pay attention to every bit of roadkill, because I know she's going to ask me what it was. I'm getting pretty good at identifying it, I must say. It's always something... They had a great time at Dollar Tree picking out their purchases. Hanny ended up with a coloring book and her own stapler. Doodle got a coloring book and a calculator. Boo, my little business-minded kid, bought herself a calculator and a stapler.

After what seemed like forever in Wal-Mart, we were finally headed out the door as Hanny was admiring and describing everything she saw on the way out. She saw some Jayhawk coolers, coloring books, etc. And then she saw the ice. Her comment? "Boy, there's sure a lot of ice for the Amish in there!" It took me a minute to make sense of it all, but eventually I caught up with her. There are several Amish families who have moved into my hometown area in the past couple years. Dad had visited with one family (they live just a couple miles from my parents & are on Dad's cow-checking route) several times and took them some ice a few times while they were busy building a barn. It was terribly hot at the time and they really enjoyed having cold water for a little while. This must've really stuck with Hanny, because she immediately associates ice with the Amish now. Strange how things work out.

We made it home, have the groceries put away, and now all three girls are using their new purchases. It's too windy to be able to enjoy being outside, so we're just taking it easy this afternoon. Maybe I can convince them to take a nap, but I doubt it. I can dream...

I Survived Leviticus!

I know...strange title. I bought a new Bible a couple months ago. It's the Max Lucado Devotional Bible, and I am reading through it from front to back along with his devotional schedule. It's great, and I am really enjoying his insights. I have been struggling with Leviticus, though. I just finished it (after forcing myself to read the last 5 chapters this morning) and am so glad to move on. It was interesting (for a little while, anyway) to read through just how many laws and restrictions and specific instructions God gave. I thought several times just how daunting all those laws must have been. I'm not sure I ever want to read about the specific instructions and steps that had to be taken for each offering again, but I guess it's good to have that knowledge in the back of my head as I continue reading. Long story short, I'm glad I read it, but I'm much more glad that I'm DONE reading it! :)

We spent yesterday afternoon at Melvern Lake playing at one of the playgrounds and walking around the outlet park. We got to see a pair of geese and their 6 goslings. The girls thought they were great. We didn't get home until around 5:00, so we quickly took baths, ate supper, read some books and went to bed. We were all ready.

We woke up to thunder and rain this morning, but it's sunny now and is bound to be steamy this afternoon. We have no plans this afternoon - a nice thing! I've asked everybody for suggestions for supper tonight but haven't gotten any cooperation. I guess they'll just have to like what I come up with! I fixed Chocolate What a few days ago. It was a big hit, to say the least. Every time Doodle takes her first taste she lets loose with a big "YUM!" That's always a nice thing to hear. They'll probably finish that up tonight and I'll have to fix something new tomorrow. As long as they're eating, I'll cook! :)

The Week's Half Over!

As much as I hate that time flies by so quickly, I have to say that I am not sad that the week is half over. I definitely enjoy having a couple hours to get things done in the mornings while the girls are at school, but I truly enjoy spending the afternoons with them. We usually have a little school work to do, but it's fun to be able to watch them learn. They made books yesterday (totally their own idea), and they wrote - hold on to your hats - "I like school." in them. I just about fell over. I think maybe we're making progress...maybe.

We spent yesterday afternoon outside again. We made more chalk and worked together to draw a map from here to Melvern Lake. Meme & Papa are camping there this week with some of Papa's family, so the girls are really looking forward to visiting them soon. They plan to go down Friday and spend the night, but we'll see. We have no plans for the weekend, but this is probably the last weekend in several that we aren't busy. I have to go dress shopping very soon, so maybe I can work that in this weekend. The time is slipping away and the calendar is filling up. It's nice to have things to do, but I'm such a home-body that I sort of enjoy having the weekend to spend with Gary & the girls. They're my favorite people in the world, after all! :)

Spring is Here...Finally!

I hesitate to say it out loud, but I think we are finally going to get a week of nice weather! Granted, our yard is about as pleasant to walk through as a swamp, but at least it's warm. This past weekend we decorated the front sidewalk with sidewalk chalk and decided we needed to make some more green chalk so we could do our grass, trees and flowers justice. The picture above is Doodle's animal family of a teddy bear, two dogs and a cat family. Needless to say, they all really enjoy writing and drawing on the sidewalk. It also makes it nice when it rains at night so we have a clean slate the following day. We started out today making some more sidewalk chalk, after which they moved on to drawing with the old chalk and riding bikes while I tried to tackle the weed/flower/grass ratio by the front door. I have some larkspurs coming up and taking over (not a bad thing, but hard to keep things trimmed around them). I dug out many dandelions, trimmed the grape hyacinths and cut off the old tulips.

During their inside time the past few days, we have really gotten to hear/see some funny things while they're playing. Hanny has been spending a lot of time playing with the box of little animals on her new dresser. She's very verbal (or the animals are) while playing with them, to put it mildly. She talks a full volume and uses an extreme amount of drama in her conversations. It was to the point yesterday I thought she was giving one or both of her sisters what-for, but it turned out the animals were arguing. You just never know... At one point today I heard her use the words "shall" and "shall not" in her monologue...correctly. Where exactly did she pick up those particular words?! They're not exactly words we use in daily conversation. I don't even use a King James Version Bible. Who knows?! Her dear, sweet, too quiet sisters were equally funny. Gary and I had noticed that they were quiet, maybe too much so. We didn't interrupt them because, well, the quiet was kind of nice. I peeked in the bathroom door and got to see one of their baby dolls taking a bath in the sink. She was clean. They had used the toilet brush to get her clean. Oh, not the real one! I thought that too when they told me, but as it turns out, they had used the one that had come in a cleaning set. I breathed a large sigh of relief. They've really taken up with the dolls in the past week or so. They've been doing lots of combing hair, basic care, etc. Maybe there is hope for their motherly, compassionate side! :) There's always something to smile about, sometimes I just have to look a little deeper!

A Snoodle's Tale

We watch VeggieTales at our house relatively often. If you haven’t been fortunate enough to see any of these videos, you really are missing out on a great thing. They are cartoons, most of which are based on a Bible story, that all have a life lesson (forgiveness, sharing, courage, etc.) reinforced throughout the video. Add to it that they have some humor that even an adult can get a chuckle out of, and it’s definitely a good time. My favorite VeggieTales story, and one that I sometimes request to watch for my own well-being, is “A Snoodle’s Tale.”

This particular video is a Dr. Seuss-like rhyming story that is very engaging. The story begins by describing a town with a large clock tower with a slide attached on which at a certain day and time a Snoodle slides down after being created. The little Snoodle that we see slide down the slide soon notices the pack on his back that has paints and a Snoodle kazoo inside. He also notices his small wings and is excited to try everything. He immediately begins painting the things he sees. He also immediately encounters other Snoodles who tell him that his paintings are terrible. They insult him and then paint a picture of the way he looks to them (obviously not a nice picture) and make sure he tucks it in his pack so he carries it with him everywhere. This goes on with more people reminding him of his faults until he finally feels terrible about himself and decides to run away to the top of the local mountain to get away from all of his critics. At the top of the mountain he is shocked to find the “Creator” who invites him into his home, comforts him and asks to see his artwork. The Creator tells him how beautiful his pictures are and puts them on his fridge. The Creator also removes and burns all the unflattering pictures the others have placed in the little Snoodle’s pack and replaces them with one he paints himself, one that depicts the little Snoodle as strong and flying. The little Snoodle questions that it’s a picture of him, to which the Creator replies with a very poignant statement. He says, “But I know who you are, for I made you.” The little Snoodle ends up flying high because he now has the Creator’s picture of him in his pack. It makes me cry most times. I know. I’m a softy.

This speaks to me. Why is it so much easier, although more painful, to carry around the bad pictures someone paints of me? Why do I even try? Why do I worry what others think of me? I shouldn’t. I should do my best to live as God would have me live. I can’t control what anyone else thinks or says about me, I can only control how I respond to the situations I encounter. There will always be those who would rather focus on my faults and try to fill my pack with unflattering pictures. My Creator knows me inside and out and loves me anyway. God gave me my own backpack of talents that He wants me to use to create pictures for his fridge, so to speak. It’s my job to do that, no matter who tries to remind me of my faults. It all ties in with one of my favorite songs, “How You Live” by Point of Grace. It says to “Wear your red dress, use your good dishes…It’s not who you knew. It’s not what you did. It’s how you live” among other things. My favorite part, however, is at the very end, prior to the final chorus. The lyrics are, “Make peace with God and make peace with yourself, ‘cause in the end, there’s nobody else.” It’s good advice, and something I am going to remind myself of daily.