Living Proof Live at the Fed Ex Forum

I'm excited peeps. I'm excited because this time tomorrow night I'll be with 6 of my peeps at Living Proof Live at the Fed Ex Forum in Memphis!!! Yeah.....I can't wait to see Beth Moore and her big hair in person. She's such a gifted speaker and Bible teacher. I can't wait to get a fresh word!! Hope to see ya there!

My, how you've grown....

Today the pest control man came for our quarterly treatment. No, we don't live in the ghetto, I just don't like creatures of the six legged variety. Anyway, this is what was said.....

Mr. Bug Man: "My you girls sure are getting big!"
Sydney: "Yep, I almost come to my Mom's chin, see......" (marches over and measures herself against me....)

Elly: "And I come just under her boobies, wanta see?!!"

Thank you Mr. Bug Man for not looking me in the eye as you turned around and went out the door.....laughing audibly. When you tell this to the lady at the office, please don't use our real names.

Thank you!

Howdy interwebular peeps!! I'm excited 'cause I've been on my pretend BFF, Beth Moore's, website and I CAN.NOT.WAIT. until she is here in the greater Memphis area.I like to say it that way 'cause it sounds all "newsy" doesn't it? Anyway, she'll be here October 9-10 and it's gonna be great! I'm going with some of my Bible Study buddies and I can't wait....I think I said that already.

I really would like to buy a new outfit to wear so I can look all stylish since I'm usually the frumpiest mom on the block, but I also really wanted to lose about 5 or 37 pounds before I bought any new clothes. I'm starting to think that's nevuh gonna happen though. I think I'm like toilet paper, better in bulk. Just call me TP. It also stands for tight pants, which is oh so fitting as well, the title that is, not the pants.....

I really was gonna exercise today. I started looking through the C.D.s for some upbeat praise music to workout to, I just seem to do better if I have some tunes going and thought it would be good to have some praises going up too. Elly walked in and wanted to know if I was gonna play some "Jesus music" whilst I exercised. I said, "Yes, why?" and she said, "Good, Sydney needs to hear it". Yeah, I didn't ask................and I gave up looking. I didn't find anything that seemed fitting. I just can't beebop to Phillips, Craig, & Dean....what do you guys listen to when you exercise?

How was your weekend?

It's been a nice weekend. Our soccer games were rained out, which I was unhappy about at first, but we enjoyed a nice day at home yesterday. We ate popcorn and watched oldies like Little House on the Prairie and The Apple Dumplin' Gang, it was a hoot. Then last night we ran some errands and made a stop by Sam's, where my oldest saw a sign that read "no tobacco sold to minors" she looked at me and said, "those stupid people, there aren't any mines around here!" Bwahahahahaha! A little too many "gold rush era" television shows 'ey? Today we had a wonderful day at church and fun times with friends. So that concludes our wonderful weekend!


Now to start the new week.....

I should really be thumbing through school books and making out lesson plans, or doing the daily assignment for my Bible study, but lo, I sit here. It always seems to come together. Even last week when we had to study spores in science. I took the girls outside to look for some mushrooms or moss for examples. What with all the rain we've had lately that was sure to be an easy find. I found both, and even found a fern like plant growing from under a tree. Who knew we lived in a forest? I was just glad I didn't have to resort to the spore infested year old hot dog bun in the pantry that I'm apparently saving to pass on to the next generation. We like to grow our own penicillin, we're organic like that. If all that left you going, "what is she talkin' bout? Just hit delete and move on down to the cartoon below.....remember how I said I'd been on facebook with all the people I'd briefly met a time or two...




I thought this was cute, even though I must say, I've met and made some sweet friends from my blog that I now enjoy having on facebook too!

SHEEEEE'S BAAACK

Dear blog,

I'm sorry I have neglected you so. I know I left you for shallow facebook, but you stayed here waiting. You knew all along that I'd be back, it couldn't last between me and the facebook....it was only a fling, 'cause bless it, I just can't say what I need to in three lines or less. I tried.


My Word! It's been over a month. I started out so strong and then I faded. Like I do with most things. Mostly cause I spent so much TIME on the blasted fb stalking seeing what my everyone I've ever come in contact with that has a facebook account friends were doing. I finally decided this takes up less time. I'm not giving up fb, just gonna try to stay away a little.

The truth is, I should probably just do a little more real work and turn the whole thing off. That wouldn't be much fun though, now would it?

I'm gonna head off to bed now to get a little sleep since it's already after 1:00, but I'll be back. SOON!

Things Heard in my house today......

Elly: "Sydney, can I play with your Sea World Barbie?"

Sydney: "Have you lost your mind?" NO!

Elly: "Fine, you can't ride in my limo when we grow up!"


Later in the day...................


Elly: (after rooting around in my jewelry box and finding a heart pendant) "Momma, I like this, can I wear it?"

Me: "Yes, but please be careful and don't break it"

Elly: "Okay, can I have it when you're dead?"

Me: "That depends, can I ride in the limo?"

Elly: "Okay, but make sure Sydney knows it's mine!!"

Me: "fine, but it's all you're getting..."

All this for a fourteen dollar necklace from Target.
If we were wealthy, I believe a reality show could be in the making!

More of Elly's two cents....

Tonight during our family prayer this was Elly's two cents worth...."Lord, help Sydney get.over.it"....... not sure what "it" was exactly. I've learned not to ask.

Peeps I have not posted in over a week because I have been trying to stay focused on God's Word and in some have duty prayer. We have a tough decision to make tomorrow, I have not shared what that decision is with many people because I don't want anyone biased to influence it. I want this all to be from the LORD alone and for us to be in His perfect will. Once it is over and done with, I will let you know all about it, but for now, I'm asking all my internet peeps to pray for God's leading in our lives, and for our obedience to His direction. Thank you so much!!

What did you say???

You may be watching too much Fox News when your 5 five year old calls her sister a DEMOCRAT!! in a fit of rage.......just sayin'

Game night=Quality Family Time!

You guys know what a sap I am about the girls growing up. I would keep them toddlers fo-evah! BUT, one thing I have been looking forward to was being able to play games. I love to play games. For those of you don't know me well, I can be a little competitive. Any way, we got a new game this week. Called Acting Out, it's so much fun to watch them play this game. It says from ages 7 and up, but I just read the card to Elly and she can play along with Sydney. You have to pull one card that has a sound named on it, and another that has an activity on it, and you have act/sound them out simultaneously. They have a blast, and quite frankly I've about spewed soda outta my nose watching them play. It's definitely a girlie game. It would be fun at a sleep over. There were a few cards that I had to take out because they would not understand them, but overall it's a really fun game!! It gets three snaps!! You can get it at HERE. And that, my friends is our review!!

Back to School........

Well, it's that time of year again. Time to start getting everything ready for school. I'm finally beginning to get excited. It took a while this year, but I'm finally getting the "eager for school bug," not to be confused with the, "I'm sick of school, when will this wretched school year ever end bug," that comes around mid September. J/K, I love it. God gives me grace and mercies new each day or I couldn't do the thing.

There really is such a list of things to do. Monday we went "back to school" shopping. I thought by going on a weekday we could avoid the crowds, which we did, but I had forgotten in my summer vacation fog, that you encounter a whole different animal in the forest of retail on Mondays.......the PROFESSIONAL SHOPPER......you've spotted her, the lady with the fanny pack carrying her calculator clipped on the side. Her sale fliers spread across the front of her cart with items needed circled in Sharpie red. She can tell you the price of a loaf of bread by the slice. If you are one of these creatures, God bless you. I wanta be just like ya when I grow up. But for now, I have a kid I'm trying to keep out of the ice machine and one I'm trying to keep from asking the guy with the nose ring what he was thinkin' when he made that decision. If we get out with the crayons, pencil sharpener, and milk we came for it'll be a blessed day.

We finished reading Treasure Island, and are currently winding up our unit study. Sydney has developed an attachment to the characters the same way I do when I read a book and hates to see it ending. It warms my heart to see her love literature....pirates not so much. A fellow blogger asked me in her comments if we were reading the unabridged version. Mwuahahahahaha...No. We are reading a children's version from Dalmatian Press. It still has some degree of pirate speak without my having to stop and decipher for them everything being said.

Well, I am off to fold laundry, do dishes, and organize a little more for school. I hope to find time to eat a little chocolate somewhere in there.

Ayee there Matey!

Wow! What a week. I've been helping a friend by watching her kids for her this week and let me just say....babies are soooo stinkin' sweet, especially this one, and it's amazing how fast you forget yours being that little. Let me also just say....I'm almost 40. And too stinkin' old to be doing everything with a baby on my hip. OH.MY.WORD. I forgot how much work they were. AmtrakCalgon, Take me Away........Okay so Molly Ringwald is older than me and just had twins, she also has nanny, a maid and a yard boy. Throw in a personal trainer and team of plastic surgeons and the staff's complete. Since, I'm not an 80's drama queen, well I am, but I didn't get paid for it...I'm thankful mine are out of diapers.


As a tribute to our summer spent on the gulf in the salty water and on the sandy beaches we've been reading "Treasure Island". In fact they have been enjoying all things pirate this summer for some reason. Yes, they are girls. Anyway, the other day we were at the doctor's office getting on the elevator when a man with a patch over his eye got on the elevator with us. Before I could get between Elly and the man she blurted out, "Wow, that's an awesome pirate patch!!" Good times.

It's just another Moron Monday.....ohhhh,ohhhh....

Hey peeps, haven't done Moron Monday in like, forever. Actually, I haven't blogged with any consistency in like, forever, but I read an article tonight that blew me away. Apparently swearing, cussing, cursing, whatever you call it at your house, is a "

universal human linguistic phenomenon

". Yes, and apparently needed people from large universities, being paid large large salaries to research this and they have determined that if we swear when we get hurt, it helps the pain. ???? You have got to be kidding me!! It goes on to say that contrary to their expectations, people who swore had a higher tolerance for pain...In my house if you swore you developed a high tolerance for Lemon Fresh Joy....But hey, I'll try to remember this the next time I'm at the dentist's office, or having a mammogram. If they ask me if I'd like anything for the pain, I'll just say, "no, I just thought I'd cuss you out first and see if that helps."
These people must be smokin' crack. I want a refund of my tax dollars.

Hey peeps! I am almost unpacked. Truth told I spent most of the day today finishing up a book I had started in the just before we left the gulf. So, I could have been done but instead I'm a day behind. Oh well, call it a relapse into vacation mode.

I am so glad the Michael Jackson--funeral/memorial/worship/tribute, is finally over. This has lasted since June TWENTY-FIFTH people. I mean absolutely no disrespect what.so.ever, but I hate to see a mere person literally worshipped. But I believe they finally laid him to rest today, somewhere unrevealed to the public at this time. Sounds like something I may have read before.....hummmmmmmm.

It has been a sad week for sure in the entire entertainment and sports industry. What last week with the latest episode of NFL:CSI. That was truly a sad case. I feel terrible sorry for Mr. McNair's wife and children who are left to deal with not only the loss of a father/husband but the cloud of mystery and confusion and frustration they are left to deal with and defend. Sad times, sad times.

The fact remains that God is on His throne and He is listening. These are people who need our prayers. Though we don't know them, and they are out of our physical reach, our prayers can touch their lives in ways we'll never know this side of Heaven. So join with me please.

Talk more soon!

I laid on the beach like a big fat pig, now I'm home again, home again, jiggity jig!!

We got home last night around 5:30. It's amazing how long it takes to unload 6 weeks worth of stuff. You might as well just say you moved. It will take all week to sort things out and put them back where they belong.

It was an absolute blast but now, back to life, back to reality.......


talk more later..

Happy Birthday Sydney

The girls and I are back in the gulf. We came down earlier this week. I'm gonna try to make short posts to keep in touch with everyone. I can't make long posts because the internet only stays up for a few seconds at a time, so I'll have to blog in bursts, which is better than my blogging of late, which is non-existent......so, anyway.
This morning we got up and went to the beach early before it got too hot. It has been really hot down here, 102 yesterday. The water was surprisingly cool, and still NO jellyfish. For those of you used to visiting the gulf this time of year, you know that's a blessing right there!
We spent the rest of the day milling around the outlet mall and playing at the pool. Tomorrow is Sydney's birthday! She'll be 8. I'm sad. Tonight we'll have our ritual of crying and lamenting over her last night as a 7 year old......I can't do a photo slide show because the connection is too slow, but I am gonna up load a photo or two of her younger years....Happy Birthday Sydney! I love you!

Please lift up my dear friend Stephanie who lost her sister Paula, also a friend of mine, today. Please pray for their entire family. She leaves behind three beautiful young children. Thank you to you all!!

Home Again, Home again, Jiggity Jig.....

We made it home this week for Vacation Bible School. Many of my peeps have emailed me to find out if I'm still breathing....I appreciate those emails. It's nice to be missed. The problem at the campground is that the internet connection is S.L.O.W...... Many times I have typed up a post only to be timed out when I tried to publish it so I just gave it up. We came back home this last Sunday to do VBS and for Tracy to return to work, but decided to leave our camper down on the coast and head back down that way in a week or so. It's just so hard to leave the beach! It's so much easier to relax there. It's no small wonder why. We got back here and I don't think I've sat down for more than 20 minutes since we got here. There is just so much work to do at home. In the camper I have what, 20 sq foot to vacuum, 15 to mop? One toilet to clean. Two beds to make. All done, that took 12 minutes let's go play. Here at home I have about 2200 sq foot of carpet to vacuum and another 1000 to mop. Forget that I haven't seen the carpet since 2004 'cause it's covered in toys. Let us not forget the entertainment factor.....my two children have been in entertainment withdwrawl since we got home. We get up and go to VBS every day so that means from about 2 p.m. every day when we get home until bed time they have no entertainment. (reference carpeting above) They got used to the large playground and endless entertainment of the gulf. As did their Mom. It's nice to be able to pull up a chair in the shade and peek at the kiddos over the top of a good book while they play. So....we are leaving next week to go back and this time I will try to make small posts each day or at least every other day.

On another exciting note I have an optimistic friend who thinks she is going to teach me to play tennis. She has been coaching another friend of ours who is doing quite well. Hubs played a good bit years ago before he met me, so he is eager to get back into it. I, think I'll limp along at best. Maybe I should take this next two weeks at the beach to do a boot camp of sorts to try to get myself into shape....or maybe not.

Well, I had better get some sleep tomorrow is the last day of Bible school. I am working on a slideshow of our Disney pics to put on here soon!

WOW!! The last time I talked to you all we were on our way to Disney World and had just made it to Orlando. We arrived at the same time as the first tropical depression of the season and it started raining approximately 5 hours and 22 minutes after we entered the park and didn't stop until some time after we left town. Yes people, we experienced Disney in a monsoon. It can be done. All the locals there seemed to think it would console all of us who had spent our blood, sweat and tears to make a trip to the SUNSHINE STATE if they informed us all that leading up to this torrential down pour they had been in a 5 week drought. However by the end of the week even the locals were cursing the rain. One of my good friends told me that they had started the week tracking our weather as a means of keeping up with us, but by mid-week the national news was reporting on Orlando weather and she no longer had to track it......There is an upside...... God always orders things perfectly now doesn't he? We did not have to wait in line for much of anything. People kept trying to avoid the rain so we would brave it and yank on our Mickey ponchos and grab our Mickey umbrellas and head out. There were only two rides we missed out on, one was inoperable in the rain and even though we returned to Epcot on three different occasions it was always too wet to ride it and that was Test Track. The other was The Flight of Peter Pan. We missed this because.....I forgot about it.....we made a couple of trips to Magic Kingdom and we stumbled upon it the last time, but it did have a wait and we had reservations for dinner so we had to miss that one. Another positive about the rain is that it kept the temps down and the kiddos didn't get hot. It's so hard for them to be hot and walk all that way. At 5 and 7 our girls walked each park from 9:30 each morning until closing time each day WITHOUT the aid of a stroller. We brought one but they didn't use it the first couple of days and it was a pain in the rain so we quit bringing it. Had it been 85 and sunny I don't think they could've done that.

So, I have no complaints about the weather. I think that it was just the way it was supposed to be. I'll admit I was bummed about it until the last day for two reasons, one, we had spent additional money for water park tickets that we obviously had not been able to use, and two, we had not been able to take pictures the way I had hoped. The picture possibilities at Disney are limitless....did I mention I scrapbook??? So, of course, you know I wanted to have a ton of photos, but with the rain, getting the camera out was not a lot of fun, not to mention the kids were wearing the same outfit in every picture....a wet poncho and wet hair plastered to their little melons. After Tuesday Tracy said no more ponchos, so every time we saw a character or had a photo op with no BIG raindrops we took off the ponchos and tried to fluff the hair. That helped a little. Then on the last evening we heard from Angie, the lady who got our tickets for us, that Disney was going to give us a credit for our water park tickets since we had not used them and the weather had been so bad. That was an answer to prayer. Then the last morning we woke up and it was not raining we headed straight to Epcot to get some pics and maybe a chance at Test Track before it started to pour again but it was still down from the storm earlier in the morning. We did however get some wonderful pic's in the hour we were there before the bottom fell out and we decided to head for higher ground, literally. So we got in our car and headed north to Alabama. The Lord answered all of our prayers.

I'm gonna post a few pictures that we took on here. One of my faves was one of the whole family at Chef Mickey's but I don't have it. I was surprised it turned out to be worth anything. It was one of those days where we had been in the rain all day, our reservation was at 8:40 and we had come straight from the park. I hadn't seen a mirror since 8 a.m. so you can only imagine. When they told the whole family to gather for a photo I asked Tracy "how to I look?" he gave his usual pat reply, "fine"....why do I ask...I asked the girls, "maybe just the two of you should go, does Mommy look okay for a picture?"...Elly said I looked fine, but my hair looked tired, to which Sydney added that I smelled like wet trash. ????? The woman taking the photo found it all quite funny, but not as funny as I found it twenty minutes later when they brought the picture to my table and wanted $39 for it. Yeah, I don't think so!

I cried many happy tears when they saw their first parade there, when they saw their first princess there, when they cried because they had to leave and said that Disney World really is magical.......here are a few of our pics to share with you.....this is just a few, I'll do a slideshow later.....

Quick update

We have made it to Orlando. Thank you Jesus!! I thought I was gonna have to be dropped off on the FL Turnpike many times. When I finally got one child to sleep and the other one to quit asking how many more minutes away we were from Disney World I thought I was gonna get a break. Then it started to storm. Ya'll know I don't like to drive, and when it's stormin' I don't even like to RIDE. It terrifies me. I looked at Tracy and said, "I need a nerve pill," I didn't think I was gonna make it. He was laughing at me so hard that I don't know how he could see to drive and that made it even worse.

I know I asked you all to pray for my kidneys and knees. My knees have been tight the last couple of days partly due to the fact that I'be baked them, and partly due to the fact they've been stuck in a car seat for 8 hours...hmmmm. The kidney/bladder issue was a surprise to me this week. I went to the doctor for a headache and stomach problem last week and they did a urine test to check on an existing kidney stone....they just said things looked fine other than the fact that I had some blood in my urine.....not so fine to me, but okay, they gave me something for the headache and the stomach so two out of three.....until we had been here for about 23 and half hours and I started having bladder spasms....only me, I know. Anyway the doctor called in some meds yesterday and they have started to help a bit. One of the side effects of one is that is seems to make my joints a little more stiff, and a side effect of the other is that it makes my urine green. No really, it does, neon green. I thought after the car ride today my khaki Dockers were gonna have a neon green stain all the way down the leg.

We stopped at a Wal-Mart in a town called Defuniak Springs today. If you ever think you've lived in a red neck town, I encourage you to visit this place. I thought I had grown up in such an area until today, but this place made the Wal-Mart where I'm from look like a debutaunt ball. More on that later, but for now, I gotta get some sleep.....we're on Mickey's time zone now!!

Love ya!

Catchin' ya up! Thought I would take a minute to catch you up before we head tomorrow. We have had a WONDERFUL week. I am fried to a crispy shade of lobster red. As we speak I am basted in aloe vera gel and white vinegar. I'm not stinging too badly at the moment. Elly is already a nice shade of brown and no longer looks like one of us with her sun bleached hair and brown skin. She is a beach beauty for sure.

Last night we took the girls to hunt for sand crabs on the beach and they had a blast. Elly would spot light the crabs and scream "hewe, hewe" in her best southern drawl while Syd would come running with the net. They caught eight in all. They were sad when we had to release them but I would be sad when I smelled dead crabs in a couple days, so out they went.

I hate to make this short, but it's late, really late, and the light of the computer is keeping little eyes open....and we are leaving in the morning for.....DISNEY!!!!! Doubt I'll blog from there but I'll try to post pics and catch up when we get back.....edit button is not working so have patience with me....love all of ya...send up some prayers for my knees and kidneys.....thanks!!

Vacation Day 2

So I am just gonna completely bore you to tears with all of the little details of our vacation, but I don't care, if you don't want to hear it you can just say blah, blah, blah, and hit return, return, return, and read the last line. You may do that anyway for all I know.
Anyhow after I talked to you yesterday we spent an hour or three at the pool and then went to grab a bite to eat. We spent the remainder of the evening at a bridge known locally as "the pass" where hubs likes to fish. It is a neat place because you meet all manner of people there, and I could tell you stories that would make you laugh until you spit that Dr. Pepper/Diet Coke, yeah, you know who I'm talkin' to, all over your screen, but I'll save those for another post. Last night we met a young man from Russia. He has been here for 14 years. He caught an eel and showed it to my girls. They were so impressed with it that he then spent the rest of his time trying to find another creature to impress us with, so we got to see and pet a baby sting ray and a baby eel and a really weird fish that looked like it had butterfly wings. He caught all of this with a net. We were actually learning something much to the chagrin of all those people who keep asking us why we aren't in school!!

Today we spent some time at the outlet mall, and visiting with family. This evening we did our time at the pool for the girls and went to a local park, then made our way to one of our favorite places to eat, The Shrimp Basket, and had all you can eat fried fish.Is there any other way to eat it? Not sure what we are gonna do tomorrow, but I know we have to be back here in time for American Idol! See ya then!

We Are HERE!!

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back on the blog but you know had I had important thing to do....like you know, get ready for vacation!!!!

After the 5 hour drive that took 8 hours, we are finally here and set up. As I type this I am sitting at the dining table in the camper watching my two little girls play on the playground about 50 feet outside my window. We are on VACATION people!! We just finished getting everything set up for the most part. We are going to be here at this park for a week, then leave for Disney World for a week and then head back here for two weeks more. We spent a couple of hours at the pool this afternoon. It is about 80 degrees with beautiful, clear skies which is great after the two or three weeks of clouds and rain we came from at our house. There will be a full moon tonight so hubs is looking forward to some moonlight beach fishing, and the girls and I love to watch!!
I will be back on here as often as I can to update and tell stories. Hope I don't bore you to tears!!

American Idol.....

Sorry I have not spent any time with you this past week computer friends. Apparently homeschooling, housekeeping, church activities, and soccer don't leave much time for virtual friendships. Maybe I'll do better over the summer.

I did manage to catch AI last night. I have to tune in each week to watch Adam Lambert's tongue perform. Really American Idol, do you have to showcase his fat tongue every week. In what type of musical training are we taught to actually extend the tongue from the mouth? I guess you have to be part of his fan base to enjoy the view. Oh well.


Surprise, surprise my faves were Kris and Danny. I am afraid Allison may go home after tonight, but it may be Matt. Which, is funny considering the fact that he's been waiting all season for last night and things he is the cat's meow when it comes to Jazz/Blues.

LOVED Jamie Fox on the show. I thought he gave good advice and was very helpful to each contestant. It would have been so hard for me to take advice from him though. Every time I see him I want him to puff out his lips and say "heeeey" oh Wanda, I miss thee.....
We'll see what happens tonight!

Shaheen Jafargholi singing on Britain's Got Talent....

Britain's Got Talent Week 2: Shaheen Jafargholi - video powered by Metacafe

Susan Boyle hasn't won it yet...........

If Randy had been there, he'd have said, "He blew it out da box"!!!

The Pool of Abdul....

If you missed AI tonight then the title of this post is lost on you completely, and for those of you didn't miss it,,,what is up with Simon and Paula anyway?
Sorry I have not been on, but the blog, it was sick last week. I couldn't get it take any posts. I think someone knew I needed to get some work done instead of playing on here......hummmmmmm

Anyway, here's the run down...

Lil' sang "I'm Every Woman" and did a decent job of it, but at this point the judges have decided they hate her. If it hadn't been disco night one of the guys could have easily come on after her and sang "Baby's Got Back" and won the vote for the night, 'cause I'm just sayin' that wagon she's draggin,' it's full gurrl.

Next was Kris, He sang "She Works Hard for the Money" Santana style. I had just said to my hubs that sounded like Santana music...and they Paula stole my line. Gee, I hope that doesn't mean we think alike....ugh. He was as boring as usual with he intelligent answer about the song having something real to say,,,,"about a woman who works hard"......ummm, really? Boring personality or not, he pulled it off, and I really liked it.

Danny was number three and I loved his version of "September" and a little bit of "I Can See Clearly Now" tagged in there. It was a good mix. I hope he wins. Of course, you already knew that.

Allison sang "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer, HATE.ED.IT! I usually like her, not tonight though. And I am afraid she may go home tomorrow, but let's hope not.

Adam Lambert sang "If I Can't Have You" in the most whiny style possible. I am just so over his screeching head voice that I can't take it anymore. I am sorry, but I don't see why they are so impressed with him. He's undoubtedly gonna win, and I hope it pleases the judges when he does and can't sell many records. What's he gonna record? He has a great future on Broadway though with all his drama. Paula was holding back tears, genuinely, the woman was about to have an ugly cry over it. I think her doctor needs to up her meds.

Matt sang "Stayin' Alive" and I felt sorry for the remaining Bee Gees who may have been listening. It was bad. If they had not just saved his tail last week and not wanted to look like morons for doing so, I think the judges would have torn him up tonight. I think he's in trouble. I was glad to see him in that hat again this week. It hides that wart on his forehead, I know if it were me, I'd wear it every week. Every time I see it I think of John Candy in "Uncle Buck" when he tosses that lady a quarter and tells her to "hire a rat to chew that thing off her face"......sounds mean I know, and I know that I'm no beauty queen, but I'm not on national television with a wart the size of Milwakee on my forehead either.

Anoop sang "Dim The Lights". I had never heard the song, but he did a good job. I think Anoop's problem is that he doesn't have any stage presence....I sound so professional don't I? Like I know what stage presence is.... I'm just saying he doesn't command the audience.

All in all it was a pretty good night. Two go home tomorrow night. I think it will be Matt, and either Anoop or Lil, but it wouldn't surprise me if Allison slipped through the cracks tonight and got voted off. The people over at votefortheworst.com are asking everyone to vote for Lil so it could happen that she would have just enough to stay on the show....we shall see. I personally did not vote tonight, too busy working on...........wait for it......OUR DISNEY TRIP!!!

Yes, the Lord blessed us with this and we are sooooo thankful. We got it all booked, now we're just waiting on confirmation for some of the restaurants we are wanting to take the girls to for dinner. I am so excited!!

You have to be careful what you tell your kids....

Hubs and I have been contemplating a trip to Disney World for about a year. No one has offered us free tickets, nor have we won the lottery so we haven't committed to going. Therefore we have not shared a lot about this with the kids. I'd hate to get their hopes up only to have them dashed. Anyhoo, we have been doing research on the internet for cheap Disney vacations(I know, I am dreaming), and what the best deals are, etc.,,,if you've ever planned a trip to Disney then you know a lot of thought goes into it. So we have been sneaking around looking up hotels and tickets and so forth on the internet all the while trying to keep the kids away so they won't see what we are looking at. They are not used to us being secretive, they tend to be right in the thick of things at all times. And need I say it people, they are NOSEY!!

On an unrelated issue, we have also been considering refinancing our home at a lower interest rate, and for a shorter amount of time. We have several friends who have recently done the same thing because the rates have been so low, and seem like the may go lower. So, we decided to have the house appraised and have that under our belts so we could move quickly when the time comes. So last week I spent all day one day cleaning and getting ready for the appraiser. In my mad rush to get things done Elly(5), asked who was coming over, 'cause apparently she's not used to the house being cleaned unless company is coming over. Hmmmmm. I told her that a special man was coming to look through our house. This was enough to satisfy her for a few hours. When I finished cleaning up I had a few minutes to put on some make up and clean myself up. Elly came into the room where I was getting ready and said, "where are we going?" 'cause apparently she's also used to me looking like a slob unless I am actually leaving my home to go somewhere,,,,are we starting to see a pattern here? She ended up answering her own question by saying, "oh, you're putting on make-up because the special man is coming over"......ummm no, er yes, but not like that,,,,any way I didn't have time to answer her because just then the door bell rang......but it wasn't the appraiser, it was a kind person inviting us to attend their church.......Elly let her know that she came at just the right time because "now mommy had on all her make-up for the special man to come over".....uggggh, "I briefly explain that we're having our home appraised". She smirks. She talks about her church some more, I tell her I am familiar with it and follow some of their happenings on their website and was just looking something up their recently....at which point my little one says "is that what you were looking at that I can't see, huh, is that what you were watching and I had to go in the other room?" Ummm, I'm just given' up here folks, 'cause I got nuthin'. This was worse than when the union rep came to the door. I'm sure in some small group there's a huddle of blue haired ladies praying for the people at (insert address here) 'cause WE ARE HEATHENS. We'll take that prayer....and this folks, THIS is why you have to be careful what you tell your kids!

Are you chasing shadows......

I have been studying the feasts of the Lord, and reading a good bit about Passover. Today I was reading and came across a verse or two that absolutely smacked me slap upside of my head. It may not assault you in the same fashion, but I'm gonna share it anyway cause I'm preachy like that. Here it is:
Isaiah 1:13-14
13.Bring no more vain offerings;
incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—
I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
14.Your new moons and your appointed feasts
my soul hates; they have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.

Wow!! Why would God be weary of, and hate the feasts that he himself set up? Have you ever gone to church and left feeling like you did your duty? Let's be honest here, 'cause I have. Thank goodness I don't anymore. You see, I don't think he hated the feasts or convocations themselves. I think he hated the show that they had become. The people misunderstood and distorted God's law. They abandoned a personal relationship with God and instead they sought self-righteousness through keeping requirements of the Law.Can you see where Easter might be a time of just filling a duty? It's a festival of sorts for the Christian. We have a big celebration, gather together with friends and family and have a feast and practice many traditions. It may be dying eggs, or hiding them, making baskets, finding the perfect dress, or glazing the honey ham, and of course attending church service. All of these things are wonderful things to do, as long as we keep our focus on the main thing, and that's Jesus. Otherwise we miss the real thing 'cause we're too busy chasing a shadow. You see the festivals were set up to point to the Messiah, but if we get too busy being caught up in all that goes on around the day itself we will miss Him and only catch a glimpse of that shadow.
My husband used to work in the evening and get home late in the night. Many nights I would lay in bed still awake when he would quietly enter the house. My heart would beat faster in anticipation as I would see the outline of his Shadow coming down the hall, but when he finally made his way into the room, I didn't hug his shadow, I hugged him. Let's make sure that we are not so busy this week that we are so focused on the shadow, or superficial traditions of the day, that we don't embrace Jesus the real person.

The Health Care system is a vampire!

Let's have a review. I have recently undergone knee surgery that turned out to be a little more than expected. Weeks of physical therapy. A colonoscopy and CT scan for scar tissue in my abdomen from, now remember this next phrase, "MY COMPLETE HYSTERECTOMY." And last but not least a consult with a surgeon concerning the same issue. As you might would guess, what with this tick list of minor health concerns I have received a pile of medical bills thick enough to insulate a small dwelling. I am so thankful for health insurance! I go over each bill with a fine toothed comb to make sure that my insurance company agrees with the doctor's office on what my portion should be before I send out a check. I got the bill the other day from the doctor that I went to for the consult concerning (this is from the chart now), "adhesions due to hysterectomy".....on the itemized statement was a charge for $18.00 for a PREGNANCY TEST!! What? Are you kidding me? Surely this is a mistake, I thought. So, of course, I called the less than stellar employee at the doctor's office. I explained to the girl that my insurance company was being charged for a pregnancy test on a woman with NO uterus! She laughed, and said, "yeah, isn't that crazy, we do one on every one that comes in." Well, heck yeah ya do. It cost's sixty-seven cents to do one and then you get $18 dollars for it, that's good business anywhere you check. I said, "so I see how it works, you know you have an agreed upon amount that the insurance company is willing to pay, so you drum up every charge you can possibly come up with and hope in the end you'll get $185.00 of the $2000.00 you charged them. 'I see here where your chart says you've had a tonsillectomy Mrs. Patterson, open up and let's see if they're still gone, yep they're gone alright, that'll be $22.50, add that to the bill Nurse'.......her reply,,,"um, actually, yeah."
I give up!!

The headline said...........

"Rocket Fuel Found In Baby Formula"

...

And all this time I thought it was the sugar and red Kool-Aid!!

American Idol Top 9, otherwise titled, GO HOME MEGAN!

Okay, I have NO idea what the idea was behind tonight's "theme" or lack there of. It was crazy, they may as well have called it "pick a tune you may have heard on the radio before night," cause that's how diverse it was.
Short and sweet, here is what they sang and what yours truly thought about it:


Megan sang a Lauryn Hill/Bob Marley song. This song had absolutely no melody. The vocals were reminiscent of a goat with it's head stuck in barbed wire fence. Hated her outfit and once again she went sleeveless, surprise, surprise.

Allison Ican'tspellherlastname, sang "Don't Speak" by No Doubt. It sounded like all of her other songs. She has a good rocker voice. Knows who she is and what she does well. Needs a stylist IN.THE.WORST.WAY! The end

Danny Gokey sang "What Hurts the Most" by Rascal Flatts, only it didn't sound so much like the Rascal Flatts version, in fact, I like it better. Danny is my fave.He lost his gramps this week, as he said he "went home to be with the Lord." Props my brotha! He did not allow them to mention it on the show because he felt they had already mentioned his personal losses enough.


Anoop sang, "Caught Up" by Usher, I feel really old, because I don't know this song AT.ALL, and after hearing it tonight, I didn't miss a thing. Anoop is confused.

Scott sang, "Just the Way You Are" by Billy Joel. Did a great job in my opinion. I actually like his voice better than Billy's. I like Scott, but I don't think he can sell records. He may prove to be a good songwriter/arranger though.

Lil Rounds sang, "Surrender" by Celine. Didn't like it. She needs to go back to the Aretha, Mary J stuff she was good at. This was pitchy, and boring. You know a little excitement covers a multitude of pitch issues. Hey what do Memphis and Lil have in common? They both need a coach...,....


Adam Lambert sang, "Play that Funky Music" by Wild Cherry. For the life of me I can't figure out the judges infatuation with this, um, er, individual. He could come in and sing the Bulgarian national anthem and as long as he hit at least two notes only a dog can hear they would lick his boots. The only place I can imagine him being a hit in real life and not on planet AI is Vegas.


Kris Allen sang, "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers, AWESOME job. I love this guy. Boring as watching Jell-O mold, but a talented singer. Tonight he did show more emotion. I think he's just humble and scared. I hope he goes far. The nerves will work out in time. I think he would likely record a Christian CD. He is a praise team leader at a church in Conway AR. My physical therapy chicks sister knows him....oh my gosh, I sound like Truvvy.

Did ya'll see Mandisa behind Randy??

Matt Giraud sang "You Found Me" by The Fray, I wish they hadn't found him.

I'm done now! What did you think?

Public restroom reviews post two....

Surprise, surprise two days in a row....we may be on a roll folks. I hope I didn't sound at all put out by my fun day with Elly. I would rather have a pedicure from my little punkin than any where else I can imagine. They are only little for a while and I enjoy every minute with them, except maybe for the minutes we spend in public bathrooms. Those, not so much. Elly generally has the urgent need to pee every time we are in Wal-Mart which is usually every other day. Until recently that is, when I started having to go to physical therapy twice a week, so I've been going to Aldi's which is much cheaper and right by the hospital. Last week when I was there I must have channeled Elly because nature called and I answered. It was a nice enough public restroom, but would it kill 'em to put a coat rack on the door? I WILL NOT put my purse on a nasty bathroom floor. So, I'm in the Aldi's, taking care of business when the cleaning lady comes in and says "is anyone in here?"....seriously, can't she just bend over and look for feet like every body else? It's not bad enough that I have to hoover between the heavens and earth in order to avoid Lord knows what kind of germs, but I'm clenching a twenty nine pound purse between my teeth too. How am I supposed to answer? I know how, you can acknowledge her by tapping the stall door with your foot, but not so hard the door COMES.OPEN. like I did!!! Why don't those things latch better???

Hey Internet people!

It's been so long since I made a post I had a hard time remembering how to do it. It's been a wild couple of weeks around here, and I had to put the blog on the back burner. You may not have even noticed I was gone..sob, sob.(needy moment)
We had a Global Impact Conference at our church this past week featuring missionaries from all over the world. It was a really great experience. I learned so much I did not know, or had ever really thought about. My heart was stirred so deeply for people all around the world. It was really a blessing.

We are trying to get all of our lessons done by the first week in May. We are planning our trip to head to the gulf for a month and I would like to have a few days after we get finished with school before we have to leave. So there you have it,,,full schedule, but I've missed you, even though I talk to both of you who read this almost every day. So I guess what I'm saying is, my computer missed your computer.

Yesterday Sydney had a birthday party to go to and Elly was really wanting some Mommy time. So Tracy, my sweet sweet husband(if my sister is reading this she is laughing so hard her side hurts right now) took Sydney to yet another birthday party for me. Elly had a list longer than my leg of things she wanted for us to do "togeva" in the three hours they were gonna be gone. "I wanta paint our toes, make cookies, do cwafts, play dolls, and dressup, and cutter,(color)."....When we were through I needed a nap.
Of course I had to take some pictures of our day....



She is so hard at work here, concentrating on each brush stroke. Notice her fancy United Way pin on her "dress". I tell you, only the finest jewelry for the Patterson fam!



When she said, "paint your toes" folks she obviously meant it literally. It looks like I've played a barefoot extra on the set of Carrie.

We made some really good pink princess fairy cookies. (Thanks Eden!)

And lastly, she wanted to play dwess up wiff mommy's make up. She opted for the dramatic evening look. Obviously I helped her with her eyes, because I didn't want to make any trips to the ER. Of course as soon as I finished her new look, I remembered we had church in two hours and I had to scrub it all off. But not before we had "cookies and tea". I love being a girl momma.

Well, I am off to bed. I plan on trying to get back to talking to you daily.
See ya!!