Bargains, Bargains, Bargains!

Go to Dillard's!! If you have any money or if you can steal from your food envelope, go check out the bargains! All the clearance is another 30% off and there were lots of clothes on clearance.

Examples: unlined denim jacket for Kenny - $5.25, fleece pullover for Kenny - $2.63, reversible jacket for Abbie - $4.38

I couldn't have gotten it for less at Dittos for Kiddos! And this stuff was brand new! It has made me glad (clap, clap.)

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Also at Dillard's - the most beautiful pair of shoes I've ever laid eyes on! My heart is beating faster just thinking about them! Is this wrong? It feels wrong.... Imagine them in chocolate brown patent leather. Ohhhhh!


If these are wrong, I don't wanna be right.

Not a bargain. $175

Wesnesday Wanderings

I'm at my computer with a cup of coffee and all is right with the world. I usually like to be here earlier but I had to make the bed, eat breakfast, start the laundry, etc.

I finished reading The Thirteenth Tale and loved it! A work of fiction based on a writer of novels. It had me hooked early and I didn't guess the ending until I got there! That doesn't happen so often (I'm sure Jim would have figured it out. He always gets the ending of a show) so it was surprising. Oh, how I love a good story. On TV or in a book, I just want to come back for more.

Speaking of good stories: Lost is on tonight. I like that story - I know it's driving some people crazy but it has become a book that I can put down. I'm always happy when I pick it up again. Now, 24 is like a book that someone takes from me and keeps for 7 days then lets me read just a small part of until they take it back.

In the interest of full disclosure: I am reading A Walk in the Woods but I'm also reading the Texas Monthly that came in the mail yesterday. I am also going to be doing some sewing so I need a book that will be ready for me when I need to read but easy to put down when I need to sew (compare with the show Boston Legal.) So it will take me awhile to finish and I wanna spend the big bucks and get Traveling Mercies. That book seems to be calling me.

I really want to write about kooks in our churches but I haven't the time. Maybe next time.....

That's Why We Sing

I went back to St. Andrew about once a month. No one tried to con me into sitting down or staying. I always left before the sermon. I loved singing, even about Jesus, but I just didn’t want to be preached at about him. To me, Jesus made about as much sense as Scientology or dowsing. But the church smelled wonderful, like the air had nourishment in it, or like it was composed of these people’s exhalations of warmth and faith and peace.

There were always children running around or being embraced, and a gorgeous
stick-thin deaf black girl signing to her mother, hearing the songs and the
Scriptures through her mother’s flashing fingers. ….And every other week they
brought huge tubs of great food for the homeless families living at the shelter
near the canal to the north. I loved this. But it was the singing that pulled me
in a split me wide open.

I could sing better here than I ever had before. As part of these
people, even though I stayed in the doorway, I did not recognize my voice or
know where it was coming from, but sometimes I felt like I could sing forever.

Eventually, a few months after I started coming, I took a seat in one
of the folding chairs, off by myself. Then the singing enveloped me. It was
furry and resonant, coming from everyone’s very heart. There was no sense of
performance or judgment, only that the music was breath and food. Something
inside me that was stiff and rotting would feel soft and tender. Somehow the
singing wore down all the boundaries and distinctions that kept me so isolated.
Sitting there, standing with them to sing, sometimes so shaky and sick that I
felt like I might tip over, I felt bigger than myself, like I was being taken
care of, tricked into coming back to life. But I had to leave before the
sermon.

Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamont

This is why I sing on the Praise Team - for the person who hears it in their heart.

Free At Last, Free At Last

Funniest story to come out of the Ladies Retreat at church.

We were at one of the local hotels and the hotel had a Happy Hour. Most do, of course. We were also lucky enough that our retreat organizers had 4 students there from the local beauty college giving manicures.

Best buy in Abilene: A facial from the Beauty School (on Sayles and S. 1st.) Walk-ins are taken and it only costs $10! It's a wonderful pick-me-up!

Anyway.

The students were in a different room, set up at 4 different stations, working on ladies' nails. I saw one of the ladies when I got there getting her mani - I said hey and got my name on the list for my turn!! Later this same woman made a comment about getting her free glass of wine during Happy Hour - she was sad that several of us couldn't get our glass because we weren't staying there. Wasn't that thoughtful?

Yep. She'd had her free glass while getting her nails done.

So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
John 8:36 -

Punked!

So, last night I was sitting at home and my phone rings. I see on the caller ID that it's my friend - who hates to call folks - so I know she has something important to ask or tell me. Imagine my surprise to hear a voice tell me I have won "1 million Coke-a-colas." I talk to the jokester for a few minutes and figure out my buddy isn't coming to the phone and the kid doesn't want to talk to my kid. I've been crank-called.

Well, at least they didn't ask if my refrigerator was running. I guess they hadn't heard that one yet.

Anyhoo, Jim and I laughed for a minute and thought of all the crank calls that we thought were so funny. (Jim: in the middle of the night say, "I'm up for a sandwich. What are you up for?")

Then I called my friend, the Mom. She wasn't laughing. I think she wanted any anger taken out on her children, who had already confessed to her, rather than on her. She had informed her children that most people had Caller ID. Duh.

I'm thinking I may call them back and ask for my "1 million Coke-a-colas." In a disguised voice.

Salt and Light

You know, WATS Day is coming up at the end of April. I read this article and it made me think of WATS Day. How willing are we to get into someone else's life? Would we (I) want to be this ladies friend? Or even just someone who comes over and helps her clean? What about taking responsibility for her car? Just one of them?

I don't know what I would do. This story made me want to go over there with trash bags, rubber gloves, and a few other people to at least make the trash go away. She lives faraway from here but there have to be people like this in Abilene. I think of Jim's grandaddy that had newspapers stacked up at the door. How easy it would have been to haul them off. Then there was Tammy's grandmother, whose house I had the privilege of helping to clean.

This morning Phil talked again about us being salt and light (Matthew 5:13-14) Oh, don't we want to be salt! Don't we want to get out of our comfort zones and change our world! Don't we want to shed some light in the dark! Don't we want to be more than just church-goers!

Father, we pray that You make us salt in a tasteless, Godless world. We ask you to make our hearts see the lost as your children looking for Home. May we this week be a light in the darkness of sin. Lead us to teach our children to be light, too. Forgive our past of looking to just ourselves and our own little world. Let us see those around us as you see them.

Finished One and On To Another

I finished the book Born on a Blue Day. Not exactly finished but stopped. It was a 7 day book (at the library) and I didn't care enough about the ending to let it be overdue.

That sums it up, right?

Interesting autobiography written by a man with Asperger Syndrome (all I could think about was that guy from Boston Legal.) I did think of the autistic kids I've had in the past and, especially, the little guy I had in class last year. The writer did get bogged down telling us about his numbers. Three pages on his made-up solitaire game - I skipped part of it. Interesting enough - especially if you're curious about autism and how the brain works.

Just Checking In

It's been a week here. Nothing too exciting - just a week.

• Yeah, I'm still alive, Tammy. She just wanted to make sure.
• Valentine's Day came and went. We didn't make great pancakes, cards or anything else. The kids made valentines for their friends and I had a party at school. Does this make us bad people? Jim and I are going out tonight to celebrate. Or to have dinner without the children. Whichever works. (Having said that, I hope no one comes in and steals my computer. It has lots of important stuff on it.)
• Someone asked if I got any great stuff from my kids at school - well. It was sweet. And, no, I didn't send anything to school for their teachers. Abbie's teachers both got a piece of gum and a tattoo (that I'm sure is still on them!) Kenny's teacher got to live though the day without asking Kenny to "pull a card." That's enough - trust me.
• I was excited to get asked to sing on Praise Team on Wednesday night. I had finally been called up to the "Show!" I got there early, I had on appropriate clothing (you have to ask in person if you want more info) - I was ready! They didn't need me unless I was willing to sing soprano. Ewww. Now, when that one song went south, into the basement, I could have sung soprano but that was the only song. Back to the Minors.
• Interesting that I would call Sunday morning "the Minors" and Wednesday night "the Show," huh?
• Pajama Day at the preschool - I felt like a slacker wearing my pjs all day. I never had to change not even to go to bed. The kiddos were cute in their tight pajamas. These skinny legs and big ole shoes.
• Watched 24. That show is so great - how could they make it any better? And Jack's dad (the farmer from Babe, yall!) is so evil. He'll probably make it the entire season and then escape - Jack will have to hunt him down.
• Watched Lost. I love Desmond (played Jesus and ended up on our big screen at church) and his story is fabulous. Is Charlie really going to die? C'mon! Where's Sayid? I love to look at him.

That just about catches yall up. Just a week. Nothing too exciting - Oh, did I mention the police coming to my house? Maybe tomorrow.

Sunday Stuff

One of the bonuses of singing on the Praise Team is standing on the stage. I get to see sooooo much. Sometimes it's funny and sometimes it's just sweet. Yesterday wasn't any different.

I saw a couple sitting in the back of the building next to each other. Not too strange, right? He has recently stopped their divorce proceedings and she has prayed though this difficult time. It was so wonderful to me to see them sitting next to each other with their kids there, too. I don't know what's going to happen with this family but I saw God working in their marriage yesterday.

I saw a 78-year-old whose wife lives in a nursing home with his head bowed and hands raised. We were singing "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross." I thought of his life that has been devoted to God. Of his move here away from all his old friends. I thought of his wife and how much he wanted her there with him.

I saw one grandpa holding his grandson. Then I saw that Grandma had gotten the baby. She was snuggling him like he was the best thing ever. It was so sweet. I saw that their daughter is getting a little tummy - she's having another.

These are the stories I know. Imagine how many more there were in that audience. Stories of faith and love. Stories of forgiveness and hope. It's makes the rehearsals and the early mornings worthwhile.

Oh yeah, I saw yall grinning at me, too. It's always so fun to see the smiles on yall's faces.

Water, Water, Everywhere

I know I'm not the first person to think of this

but

wouldn't it be cool if we could just put all this in Lake Fort Phantom? Or even just a small portion?

That's Why We Have Rules, People!

I work in a Mother's Day Out. It has it's own challenges - one of which is Sick Day. Our program has a guideline that children must be fever-free for 24 hours before coming to school. If the child has thrown-up, the child must go 24 hours before returning to school.

These guidelines are for the well-being of the other children and I try to follow them. These are the guidelines I use when sending my child to elementary school, too. It's also so the teachers won't become infected and take it home to their own children.

Why do so many parents ignore these guidelines? Why do so many parents think their child doesn't have to follow these rules? Why do so many kids cough their lungs out all over me?

I've been blessed to not work or work part-time ever since my kids were born. So, I don't know the struggle of the working mom (or dad) that has to leave work to take care of their sick child. It's difficult I'm sure but no teacher wants to be sick, infect their own child (because of yours,) or see every other child in their room be infected. When a child is coughing like crazy in a small, enclosed space, all that teacher (or maybe just me) can see is the germs flying out into the air.

I don't want to condemn working parents - just parents who drop their children off at school (or day care or the babysitter) sick. Don't make us the bad guy who has to diagnose your child.

Whew! That's a load off my chest - at least I wasn't coughing.

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I finished The Historian. I really liked the book and vampire books usually are too scary for me. My mom asked me if that was the book I couldn't read at night because it was too scary - yes, it was. The story reached a point that I didn't feel that Dracula would pop out at any time and I was able to read it at night. Very engrossing. Very hard to put down.

Read it if you dare.....

Where's Lost?

I'm ready to watch Lost again tonight. These long haituses between the fall and the spring are annoying. They take some of the excitment out of the story line. Instead of creating momentum, it slows it down. I'm sure that after watching tonight, I'll be ready for the rest of the story! But, please, can we have story and not the sex?

Tonight at 9:00 Set your Tivo, DVR, or VCR!

One More

Maybe you don't need one more blog in your life - but, yall, it's Beth Moore! Not everyone likes her - I get that - but it's Beth Moore! On her blog! Writing with her daughter!

Cursing the Darkness

6:30 - Feed both kids grilled cheese sandwichs. They both eat pretty well. Jim and I eat a big salad and some chicken.

9:00 - Both kids go to bed and fall fast asleep quickly. That's just the way we like it....

10:15 - Jim and I watch 24 on tape. Jack Bauer was killing me - struggling with his emotions while torturing his brother. Yikes!

11:30 - I fall asleep on my nice, clean sheets. Just the right temperature - wonderful.

12:20 - Kenny comes out to Jim (watching the History Channel) and says he feels queasy. Kenny throws up all the way to the bathroom.

12:22 - Jim wakes me up to help with Kenny. Kenny changes clothes, I clean the bathroom, and Kenny goes back to bed.

12:30 and following - Jim and I use the Spot Shot on the worst spots. The Jim gets out the carpet cleaning attachments and begins to clean the carpet on the way to the bathroom. Let me just say here that Spot Shot is a great carpet cleaner! That stuff has cleaned some of the worst carpet stains ever and I always have it on hand. I put all the yucky clothes in the washer.

1:08 - The Sopranos have gone off of A&E and I'm finally ready to go back to bed. Jim and I get into those wonderful crisp sheets again.

1:58 - Abbie wakes me up standing right next to my bed. "Are you sick, sweetie?" Shakes head, no. "Do you need to throw up?" Shakes head no. "Did you have a bad dream?" Nods yes. (Bare in mind that the vacuum has run and she slept through it.) I fix Abbie her pallet on our floor (4 extra pillows and a blanket) and we all go to sleep again.

3:02 - Abbie rolls over into a bag on the floor and wakes me up. These things happen. Then she sits up and..... Well, you guessed it. She is much more considerate and uses mostly the blanket - not as much on the carpet. Jim uses the Spot Shot again and I start another load in the washer. Abbie chooses to go get in her own bed. I think to myself that at least now I'm for sure staying home. I'm not leaving 2 sick kids at Mimi's.

So the kids and I are at home today. The sunshine is wonderful and I love having a washer and dryer. And Spot Shot.

Super Bowl, Part 3

I was always taught that if you had a 1 and a 2, you must have a 3. The same rule applies for an A and a B, you must have a C. So......

Check out this link! It has all the Super Bowl commercials on it - or at least the funny ones. I've been laughing my head off. Yeah, it doesn't take much.

"You can't judge things by their names. Right, Harry? Ilean? Joy?"

"Try dragging it. Faster"

"Spicy. Cheesy. Crunchy."

"Last one standing gets a promotion."

"No speak English"

Super Bowl, Part 2

I gotta tell yall that I'm a college football girl. That's how football is played in Alabama. We have no pro team in the state and, generally, we hate Atlanta (the city, the Falcons, the traffic, etc.) So when I married my Cowboys-lovin' hubby, I was forced to watch Pro Football. He doesn't make me sit though as many games anymore but I'm still not generally a fan.

Except the Super Bowl.

I usually only watch for the commercials. The games are often boring. It always seems to be about the "stars" sitting in the stands (who cares?) The teams make little plays (I'm all about the big plays.)

Last night was the exception! Wasn't that a great game?! I thought pro-players didn't make that many turnovers! And they had to play in the rain! These guys make the big bucks - it was nice to see them earn it. I really enjoyed the game and, of course, my nice Southern boy, Peyton was fantastic! Who knew Pro Football could be so fun?

By the way, Stephanie's hubby is a fireman so I guess he knows about rain and electrocution. Although I have to agree that Prince looks as good as 1980 - that's impressive. Maybe it was the Little Richard head wrap?

Super Bowl, Part 1

Prince has still got it! He had me up and dancing! He can flat play that guitar and ooooo, Purple Rain.....

Did any one's husband comment on the potential electrocution with all that standing water on stage? And all those wires and electric guitars?

His mind works in a mysterious way.

What Cha Readin?

Amy asked me what books I have my list for this year. I can't make a list - something will come up I'm sure. Like another title. I saw a great suggestion on Boomama's blog to make a wishlist on Amazon and use it whenever you go to the library! Some folks are just smart! I've done that. I'll continue to add to the list whenever I hear of another interesting title.

Are you interested in the list?

Lifeguarding: A Memoir of Secrets, Swimming, and the South - Catherine McCall I actually got this off of Amy's list

The World Is Flat [Updated and Expanded]: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century -Thomas L. Friedman

Bee Season: A Novel - Myla Goldberg

All the Fishes Come Home to Roost: An American Misfit in India - Rachel Manija Brown

For Women Only: What You Need to Know about the Inner Lives of Men - Shaunti Feldhahn

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail) - Bill Bryson

Take Flight! (Sisterchicks in the Word) - Robin Jones Gunn, Cindy Hannan There are several books in this series - I wanna check 'em out.

Worms in My Tea: And Other Mixed Blessings - Becky Freeman, Ruthie Arnold

The End of the Affair - Graham Greene

Prep: A Novel - Curtis Sittenfeld

Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality - Donald Miller

Water for Elephants: A Novel - Sara Gruen

Rift in Time (Rift in Time #1) - Michael R. Phillips You mean there's a time travel book that I haven't read?

The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary Into Extraordinary - Joseph Michelli

The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel -Diane Setterfield

Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith - Anne Lamott

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J. K. Rowling I'll be reading this one on Jim's birthday since that's the day it comes out!

Now I'm reading The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova and I can barely put it down! It's about Vlad Drakula so I'm having a hard time at night.....