In light of the previous post ("...Why Not be a Parakeet?") I'm enjoying this song:
"The Littlest Birds Sing the Prettiest Songs"

I've got no idea who the Be Good Tanya's are, so I just take this song on it's own merit. Hope you enjoy it.

Hmmm.....Why Not be a Parakeet?

We've been having fun as a family with our new birds. David has been pouring over his parakeet "owner's manual" and we've learned some interesting things about these very common, inexpensive birds.

Along with what we've read, I've had some interesting thoughts myself. Well, they were interesting enough to me.

Yeah, so there's some beautiful and exotic birds out there. The high-pricey kinds with high maintenance attached to them. I can appreciate their beauty, but I don't really want to get all wrapped up in that type of bird.

A little like people, isn't it?

Parakeets come in some beautiful colors, and they're friendly birds. They actually LIKE people and enjoy being hand tamed. They appreciate treats, enjoy their baths and sing along with music that we play. Basically, they are what they are and enjoy their life to its full capacity.

Hmmmm....a little bit like people, isn't it?

Puts a little bit of glamour back in my parakeet life.

I'll take that just fine.

Parakeet World

David saved up his birthday money and was anxious to buy himself a lizard. He's been wanting an iguana for about a year. I haven't been wanting an iguana for about a year.

After spending some time in the pet store (where Jenna was literally begging for a RAT-eww!), I commented to David, "Boy, those lizards don't really do a whole lot, do they?" Jeff just looked at me and smiled; he knew the point I was trying to make. Hahahaha

That comment made a lot of sense to David as he studied them for awhile trying to make up his mind.

I've been wanting a couple of finches for awhile, so I suggested David and Jonathan pool their money and each get a parakeet--you know, they hop around, fly around, chirp and sing. A whole lot more action than a lizard--and not so much smell. Ick.

So far, they've been fun to have. I've got 4 finches (2 society, 2 spice) that chirp and sing pretty little ditties. Jenna's parakeet (Koochie) is friendly, as well as David's bird (Blueberry). I have named Jonathan's bird "Devil Bird" because he's a little grumpy and bites hard! I wouldn't mind stuffing the little devil back into the Petsmart box and exchanging him for, I don't know, a less EVIL one?

When I decide to do something, I sure don't do it half-heartedly. We've gone from 0 to 7 birds in one Sunday afternoon.

In the Mind of a 10 year old.....

David asked how old our house was. I couldn't recall exactly without getting up and looking, so I just said, "Oh, about 30 years old or so."

"Wow! You're older than our house!"
"Like 6 YEARS older!"
incredulous stare
"So the people who built this house are probably DEAD!"

He may not live to see his 11th birthday.

And the Insane Mother-of-the-Year Award Goes To.....

.....Bonnie Forester

Jenna had her 3rd birthday on Dec. 22nd. Way too close to Christmas to invite friends for a party. Then there's New Year. Then there's everybody getting back to school. Then there's mom who just keeps putting it off because her little girl doesn't know she's getting scammed....

But David's birthday is Feb. 18. He's 10. He's too old to get scammed. He's old enough to keep counting down the days. Jenna's a pretty smart little cookie who keeps catching onto the words "birthday party" which David keeps throwing around the house a few times each day.

"Mommy, is it almost MY birthday?"

"Yep, pretty soon. It's coming pretty soon."

There was no getting out of a birthday party for David, and I was still feeling guilty about Jenna. So I had both parties ON THE SAME DAY. I figured we would just trash the house ONCE instead of twice.

It turned out pretty well, all being said. We just kept rotating party groups through some games. A few moms stayed, so the adult company was nice too!

One little girl won an AirHead candy for winning pin-the-tail on the donkey. She said, "Is this all I get?" HAHAHAHAHAHA I laughed so hard. Isn't it great when it's somebody else's kid that says that for once?? (Aren't you secretly happy when some OTHER toddler cries in the store?? See, I'M a GOOD parent! LOL)

Jenna had a princess theme for her party. The boys who came were the brave knights!

Her Sleeping Beauty costume is a little big, so the front really sags down. We thought it was funny she needed to wear her shirt underneath it due to the "plunging neckline" on a 3 year old.

David couldn't decide on a theme, so he just stuck with "birthday party". He got a new game for his DS, and basketball pants from mom and dad.

So.........it's the day after the parties. The house is still trashed.

Oh, well.

The kids are happy, and mommy wants a HOT bubble bath.

Be Sure Your Sin Will Find You Out

Every moment is a teaching moment when you're a parent, right??

Sunday was David's 10th birthday! He said he had the greatest party EVER! One friend brought him a spy set which included--among other CIA-type devices--was a marker with invisible ink. The only way a person can read what was "secretly" written is with a special light. Pretty cool.

He had some fun writing secret messages and then turning off all the lights and reading them in the dark with his special light.

Which brings me to.....

Our children's ministry's bowling party on Monday morning!

We never go bowling except for a special event, so we pretty much stink at bowling. We do have a lot of fun laughing, though!

Things were going along quite well for the first half of the bowling party.

Then, they turned out the lights and turned on the black lights for Cosmic Bowling! All the kids were laughing at each other's clothes glowing in the dark.

Then David turned around to talk to us.

Remember that "invisible" marker that only shows up under the special lighting? The bowling alley has this "special" lighting, too! Who knew??

After bed time, David wasn't done using his marker. Hey, if you're outta paper, you've always got your face! Shoot, who's gonna know you went crazy markering yourself? It's INVISIBLE!!

What in the World??

Okay, I don't know what has happened with this new blogger move. What I DO know is it is a little screwy.

Thanks for your patience!

Jesus and Jenna

Jenna has been on a big "Jesus" kick lately.
Not that I'm complaining...

She really wanted hot dogs for breakfast the other day. I told her no, I had already made scrambled eggs. She wasn't happy about that.

"Jesus said I get hot dogs!"

Try not laughing right out loud hearing that out of the blue.

It wasn't any better at Wal-Mart. She LOVES Baby Alive. But, for goodness sake, Baby Alive is $40.00. (How about Baby Get-a-Job??)

She pulled it down (thing weighs as much as she does!) and tried to get it in the cart.

"We can't get that today, baby. Let's just look at it. Did you press her bracelet?"

So she pressed the bracelet, and Baby Alive says, "I love you, mommy."

Jenna's little heart melts into an even bigger puddle.

"She LOVES me. I'm hers mom."

....brief pause....

"God said I need her and it's okay"

(No, I didn't buy Baby Alive!)

First Catch

Looks like we have a fisher in our family.
Jenna caught her 1st fish!


We were on a short camping trip, and Jenna must have asked fifty times to go fishing. We took some slices of bread to the pier with us, and I showed the boys how to make bread doughballs. Breadballs seem to be a sure thing for bluegill. Of course, bologna and hot dogs work great, too.

She enjoyed holding the pole in the water, and I noticed that the line started running. I yelled, "Crank it up, Jenna!" She was trying to turn that crank and I was jerking her pole, and before you know it, she was hauling her (pretty big) bluegill up on the pier.

She was laughing and so happy. I guess I didn't expect that she would be so excited about it. I took a couple of pictures, and then we tried to get the hook out of the poor thing.

The hook had gone through under the eyeball, and it was slimy and wiggly.....and those spines on the fin HURT!

All that to say, along with the panic that the fish would die before we could throw it back, I had to ask a bystander for a hand in getting the fish off the hook.
We put the fish back on the pier, and Jenna got to scoot it back into the water.

I am SO thankful someone else was there to do the fish "handling"!! Fishing is fun, but I hate live bait, touching the fish, and fileting and eating the fish.

Jenna must have re-told that fish story--in her own cute way--at LEAST 50 times!
After releasing her fish, she said, "Let's do that 'gain, 'kay?"

David ended up with a big cut from a bluegill fin. It didn't stop him from a good time and wanting to fish every chance he got!

When God Winks--reposted

Sometimes, when distance is too great for the spoken word, a look in the eye can say more than you would think.

When I see my kids behaving exceptionally well or perhaps showing kindness to another child, if they happen to look my way our eyes will lock - even if it's momentarily - and I give them a wink, or a knowing look, or an approving smile. It's a parent's way of saying so much by saying so little.

Across a table or a crowded room, sometimes Jeff and I will catch each other's gaze. One look immediately tells the other what we're thinking:

"Did you just hear what I heard??"
"Remember when....."
"I love you"
"I still pick you"

We don't hear the audible voice of Jesus; but He is our ever-present Father.

Sometimes, don't you "see" the wink He sends your way throughout your days?

I was finishing up mowing the lawn today and I felt a couple of big raindrops. It was getting quite dark and windy.
"Jesus, could You just hold it off so I can finish this? I'm hurrying, and You know how I hate to leave a job undone."
I mowed a few more strips. A few more raindrops.
"Ooooh....Jesus, I'm almost done....just a few minutes more??"

I finished the yard, pulled the tractor into the garage, walked out, and as I fastened the door shut it ALL broke loose outside.

I didn't mind at all. In fact, I laughed right out loud. I looked up in the rain, "Thank You; I got it done!"

I feel the same way when I get a close parking space, or just something unexpectedly nice happens.

Silly?

Maybe you'd think so.
But I don't think that way at all.

I just saw God wink.
And I like it.

STUPID DOG!

We have a 30 pound, black, cocker/lab dog.

He's really cute and friendly (except to strange men!), but he has a need for speed.

He's a Houdini contortionist when he thinks it would be great to get out of the yard and mark the neighborhood bushes.

My latest mistake was putting a tag on him with his name and my phone number on it.

Seems he got out late last night and ran a couple of blocks away. A nice man caught him and kept him in the backyard.

Only I DIDN'T KNOW THIS!!

My stupid cell phone easily turns the ringer off, and when I looked at my phone this morning....I'd missed 9 calls and 4 voice mails.

Shadow got to barking at the other dogs around the man's house and keeping everyone awake. The guy took Shadow to the police dpt. I called the police department this morning and said I was on my way.

I was almost to the station, when they called and said Shadow was enroute to the Animal Shelter.

I made a couple of calls to find out where the shelter was, and the kids and I made a positive ID on the dog.

I didn't have a signed rabies paper or city license. GRRRR!!

side rant: why is there a stinking fee for EVERYTHING!

I asked the lady what his fees would be when I picked him up tomorrow (since there is an overnight wait period with the shots)

She informed that there was a $62 fee for his impoundment, rabies fee and license, and I would have to pay for it NOW.

I said, "Is that so you'll be sure I'll actually come back to get him?"

She didn't that was funny. I did.

I made my check out, and in the memo line I wrote "stupid dog".
So now I have to drive back there again tomorrow to pick him up.

SHEEEEESSSSHHH!

I Exercised Yesterday!!

Woohoohoo!

I must be getting more coordinated with age. I rode the stationary bike AND played Tetris (GameCube!) AT THE SAME TIME!

I know all my friends are impressed.

Time just flew by; it was great.

Well, as great as exercise gets.

So I celebrated with a (small) piece of caramel nut apple pie.

No word on whether I'll be biking/gaming tonight.

My Addiction

I've got to stop ordering the Grande size of Starbucks!
I can handle the Tall size PRETTY well, but a Grande-sized peppermint mocha nearly makes me crazy.
Well, actually, it makes the people around me crazy.

I get so fired up with energy that I can't sit still and my brain is going 100 miles an hour....and the later it is at night....the funnier everything seems!
It's my own personal, legal version of cocaine.

Proof of that is that I am posting this at 2:06 a.m. and I still have enough energy left in me to vacuum my gutters.

I can't quit typing, either.

HHHHHEEEEEELLLLLLPPPPPP!!!!

But it tastes so good. Extra whip-cream is nice.

Is there a 24 hour Starbucks around here?

Is there a drink limit?

Wonder what time they open.

Gotta get myself one of those fancy coffee machines for home!

Time for an intervention.

I'm Not Sure My Boys are Really Mine

The boys look like the kids in the family pictures; but as of July 5, 2006....they look more like a couple of stray Brazilians.

How could they possibly be mine?!

I'm mostly German and I sport a celestial-type white glow about my body at all times of the year. I do get a nice farmer's tan on the lower part of my arms, and the top of my feet tan very quickly.
Other than that, I look like a direct descendent of Frosty the Snowman.

So who are these kids, and why are they calling me "Mom"?

Bouncing, Random, ADD Thoughts on My Mortality

My grandma died this past August, and it's still really difficult to think about it. But there are a few thoughts bouncing in my head that usually bounce the loudest when the day has finally quieted down. Do you have thoughts like that, too?
I was at grandma's side holding her hand for a couple of days in the nursing home before she died. She was in her right mind most of the time. She was too weak to really even move her head or speak above a whisper. She watched with loving eyes as her great-grandchildren spoke to her and sat on my lap. She said, "I hope you'll have more time with them than I got to have with you".
After she died, my dad and his wife and myself went through her things at her home. I saw pictures from her retirement party. She had worked there many, many years. There was a banner and a cake, and everyone was laughing and clearly enjoying themselves.
Her home was a museum of about any Watchtower periodical you could think of and all her Bible study notes.
But in the end.....
There were no friends at her side.
There were no former co-workers to help cheer her.
There were no members from her congregation to reflect on things they'd learned.
There was no one.
She had instructed cremation with no memorial services whatsoever, and my dad and I were to bury her urn atop her mother-in-law's casket.

Were you wondering when I was going to get to the bouncing thoughts part? Here goes:

Isn't it amazing how many sets of friends we have throughout our lives? We have our childhood friends, high-school friends, college friends, friends that move in and then out of our lives while we're in ministry......
If you died tomorrow, who would come to your funeral? Forget about who's coming because they're compelled to come because you might have some type of a position. That doesn't count; that's a cheap cheat.

Who's going to miss you?
Who's looking forward to seeing you again in heaven?
Who's there remembering how you somehow made a direct difference in their life?
Who's there who could share memories made with you?
In the end, do you think you're going to care that you walked away from friends - or even your family members - because they didn't "believe" exactly the way you do? Do you think you'll be giving a rip that you turned your back on friends and family because they weren't as "conservative" as you were?
You know........our friends and our family members are the only earthly treasures we'll get to take to heaven with us.
My one hope of seeing my grandma in heaven someday, is the fact that she was reared in the old conservative Lutheran Germany. Not that being Lutheran gets you to heaven any more than saying conservative Baptist gets you to heaven.My hope is based on the fact that she was taught and still believed that if there was eternal life in heaven, it was only attainable through Jesus Christ.

For eternity, what matters is that you have trusted Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior. It matters that you have confessed your sin and have repented - or made the decision to turn away from - the sin that has kept you from the forgiveness and relationship for which Jesus died on the cross and then rose again 3 days later.

I was kept away from family members because of the fear that they would influence me with their worldly ways. I understand this to a point. But now as I've gotten older, it's very burdensome to me that those would never leave me weren't permitted to be a part of my life.
Friends come and go all throughout our lives; family is always family.
You may not always LIKE everyone in your family, and we can certainly irritate each other. But there is no retracting family blood line. No matter how much you'd like to disown them or try to convince yourself that you're better than they are, you were given to your family as a gift from God. Who are you to pull yourself out of God's intention?

My grandpa died when I was 9 years old. I have a few fond memories of being with him as he smiled and introduced me to his friends as his "little WXYZ". I loved the smell of his Sir Walter Raleigh pipe tobacco, and looking at his pipe collection. And beyond that, there isn't much to remember of a relationship. This was largely due to that fact that he wasn't a conservative, independent fundamental Baptist and he had a television. Grandma smoked, too. My aunt listened to rock music. They lived 4 hours away from us. We had very, very little money to make a trip to see them. But if we did make the trip (maybe 1-2 times a year), we would arrive late at night and sometimes leave the next day. We always had to be sure to be back to work our bus route at church or attend a work party. We spent our Thanksgiving time at our church because they had a special service which went on for hours and hours.

In the end, attending every work party or never missing a Sunday on your bus route isn't going to amount to a hill of beans.

What are the two great commandments?
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind.
The second is like to it: Love your neighbor as yourself.

Accept Jesus as your Savior and pursue His will and ways. His ways aren't to alienate people. Jesus was all about people.
What will you do with Jesus?
What will you do with the people he's placed in your life?

I love the friends I grew up with; but where are they now? Many have forgotten me, or were quick to turn their backs on someone as myself who serves the Lord differently than they serve.
I love my family members; the very few I have left I hope I do not alienate but make a lasting impact and leave a Christian legacy.

I love this song, "Legacy", by Nicole Nordeman:

"I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me,
And I enjoy an accolade like the rest.
You can take my picture and hang it in a gallery
Of all the Who's Who's and So and So's
That used to be the best at Such and Such.
It wouldn't matter much.
I won't lie: it feels alright to see your name in lights.
We all need an atta-boy or atta-girl.
But in the end, I'd like to hang my hat on more besides
The temporary trappings of this world.
I want to leave a legacy.
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough to make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering;
A child of mercy and grace who blessed Your name unapologetically.
Leave that kind of legacy.

Not "well-traveled", not "well-read"
Not "well-to-do" or "well-bred"
I just want to hear instead:"Well done, good and faithful one!"

I want to leave a legacy.
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough to make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering.
A child of mercy and grace who blessed Your name unapologetically.
Leave that kind of legacy.

Church Signs Along the Way

I like to read church signs and names along the road. I've got to keep better track of them. Here's a few humorous ones I recall.

Slogan seen under the church name in Texas:
"Intimacy with God and others"

Real church name:
Cut 'N Shoot Baptist Church
in Cut 'N Shoot, TX

An oxymoron:
Friendship Baptist Church

Artistic Update

Just a couple of days ago, Jenna found got the squeeze bottle of strawberry jelly out of the refrigerator.

And painted the bathroom with jelly.

Two days later.....I caught her flushing whole frozen waffles down the toilet.

****SIGH****

Color Your World

How do such cute little girls get into the biggest messes??

We've gone through several artistic phases in our home lately.
The first medium to be used was crayons, followed closesly by Sharpie markers, salt and pepper shakers, and now lotion and shampoo.

Let me be the first to tell you that even the Mr. Clean erasers don't work on Sharpie markers.

I tell you, this little girl of mine is F A S T! She's like a Houdini in her productions of markers. Jeff and I will look at each other and say, incredulously, "HOW did she get that thing?!" About the time we realize she has a writing utensil.....it's too late.

The really bad side to these artistic tendencies is that she doesn't keep her art small or contained to one area. No, she prefers large circles to accentuate her large personality. (Where did she get THAT?) And if the large circles are in red Sharpie markers, well, that just makes it look even better.

She even smuggled a silver Sharpie marker into the truck and made a lovely squiggle line on the armrest and window.

The last two days, however, she has laid aside the weights which do so easily beset her and has taken up lotion and shampoo. It's a bad, bad thing.

I realized, as I was checking my email today, that she was being surprisingly quiet. Then I groaned as I saw that the door to the stairs was shut. I knew she was up to something.

I opened the door, and there she stood....in the middle of a puddle of lotion on the floor.

She knew she was in big trouble. She started sniffling, "ooooohhhh" and backing up.

"Jenna! Did you do this??"

She continued to sniffle and shake her head "No". Then I glanced up the stairs, and saw that almost every stair had lotion on it somewhere.
I climbed the stairs....following the trail of lotion into every room upstairs. There were even very large puddles marking places of interest such as the toilet, the weight scale, the toy box, etc.

I took her hand and we walked to EACH lotion deposit.
"Jenna, did you do this? No! No! No!"

At each stop, she replied (in between snuffling tears) with "No, mommy, no!"
I don't think she was denying that she had indeed done the dirty deed, she just desperately wanted the whole episode to stop.

I made her clean up a lot of her own mess (she did pretty well for a 2 year old).
"I keen it, mommy, I keen it"

GRRRRRRRRRRRR

So far, we have had no more pouring events tonight.
I'm being entertained by a little sweetie-pie with a spaghetti sauce smile, messy curls, a twirly-type dance and an unrecognizable song.

Lotion?? What lotion??

Changing dreams

Our dreams change over the years, of course. Most little boys want to be a fireman, or a policeman.....or in the case of Jonathan's pre-school graduation there was one boy who wanted to be Obe Wan Kanobi.
Most little girls would like to be a teacher or a nurse.

I've always been a little off-beat, myself. I've never been a conformer at heart although I went through the nurse phase for awhile. Yes, the drummer in my mind sometimes loses rhythm. Or maybe he's just improvising?

I've been a "fixer" forever. Always cheer for the underdog. Always looking for solutions. Always looking for those far-fetched possibilities. And for a long time of growing up, I was wishing it could be true that I could someday be ................. a fairie.

You weren't expecting that, were you?

I longed to be the small, flitting thing that could fit into a doll house, have lots of friends just like myself, live out in the fairywoods and have a magical wand.
As we'd drive through town, I'd look at all the ugly parts of things and wish I had that wand. I'd fix it all. New paint here, tear down a dump there, new clothes for that person, turn empty tables into steaming buffets, turn that car into good-as-new, find good owners for the pets in the pound. It was limitless.

And then I grew up a little bit, and the fairie got replaced with reality.

There was the grind of school, the expectations of performance, making other people happy, keeping other people happy. Definitely fairy-squisher types of things. One thing I wanted to do was join the Peace Corp. I didn't do that either. Now I'm in a place in my life with children and I employ peace-making attempts every day.
Funny thing, though, how God takes your individual dreams and ideals and turns them into opportunities.
God took those little-girl fairie dreams and Peace Corp ideals and turned them into possibilities. He turned the possibilities into opportunities when He saw fit to use me in full-time Christian service. Wow....it's even better when you're serving the Lord. All those dreams of changing things and changing people are more than dreams now. They're all reality and everyday challenges.
It's all just another way God shows us how He loves us as individuals. He takes the desires of our heart--no matter what form--and uses us to bring glory to Him.
And I still have dreams along those lines....someday, I would like to take a trip with Mercy Ships. We'll see.
Always dream. And better yet, always do.

David Vs. the Scarlet Ibis

We took many day trips to Moody Gardens there in Galveston, Texas.

Moody Gardens is an indoor habitat learning center in the shape of a pyramid, along with a 2nd pyramid in which we rode a "Swimming with Dophins" simulator ride---uggghhh, I feel seasick remembering it---

Walking through the rain forest was a favorite. You could look down and see fish swimming all around, birds just out and about in the open, GIGANTIC fish that looked like they could/would eat you if given the right opportunity, butterflies all around. It was just so relaxing and warm.....aaaahhhhh. I'd love to go back again !

Whenever we had company or family visit, Galveston Island was where we wanted to spend time with them and share one of our favorite places.

In fact, here's Jeff's little brothers: Josh (in the cowboy hat) and Stephen (in the bright blue shirt).

I still can't believe how little and precious all of them look!

This picture is from a night out ALONE for mommy and daddy. We ate at FishTales restaurant and enjoyed strolling down the Strand shopping district holding hands.....

We especially thought the scarlet ibis was a beautiful bird, but after this trip, David wasn't so sure he wanted to see one ever again.

David was about 2 years old on this particular trip and enjoyed his stroller ride through the rain forest. We paused under the branch of a large tree and looked down at the fish. Only we didn't pay attention to what was perched on the branch of the tree and the proximity it was to David.

The infamous ibis

All of a sudden, we heard David say in a horribly offended tone:"Ewwwwwww.......uckkkkkkkk" over and over again and running his hands through his thick blond hair.

Well, it was mostly blond.

Poor David! This was a splattery mess a bird could write home about. I had to take him into the restroom for a complete hairwash with hand soap. It really shocked David, because he remembers it to this day. When we talk about Moody Gardens, he'll say, "Yeah, where that bird pooped all over my head!"