Child Labor . . .

Something really exciting happened this weekend. And it involved 'child labor.'


Here we see my best friend and cousin's daughter sweeping.


And here is my oldest daughter . . . sweeping (very quickly, as you can see by the blur!)


And my son - mopping up a storm . . .

What is going on, you might ask?

See if you can tell from these pictures . . .




Did ya figure it out? Well, if not, I'm going to tell you anyway . . .

My bestest buddy in the whole world (almost literally since were born) who also happens to be my cousin - MOVED IN DOWN THE STREET FROM ME! I AM SO EXCITED!!!


That's us in the front (and her older sister). I was almost in tears over the fact that my lifetime best friend would be nearby to laugh with, cry with, scream with, and all manner of other things with . . . I don't know if she has any idea how much I've missed having her close by. (not that we didn't talk on the phone and e-mail ALL THE TIME since I moved away from her.)

Anyway - It is a good week and I'm so thankful that things worked out the way they did. The only downside --- muscles I didn't know I had are still hurting from all the cleaning and moving this weekend . . . but it was worth it.

I can't wait for all of my new friends to meet my oldest friend - because I know everyone is going to love her as much as I always have!!

Welcome to the neighborhood, my dearest friend! :-)

Cutting Edge Vs. Old School Volume 4

I just wanted to share the newest episode in our sermon series. :-)

Check out my other blog for today's happy news!

Stealing from Church

I had to share this article from Church Marketing Sucks about how a church responded to things (a portable trailer filled with 75% of the church's equipment) being stolen from them.

A Rite of Passage for a Boy

We promised our son that if he learned to ride his small bike without his training wheels, that we would buy him a cool new bike.

Here he is on his first ride on his NEW BIKE without training wheels!!



Forgive the really bad recording - I was using my digital camera . . .

SPRING IS HERE!!!

Finally . . .

Mommy, there are chirpy, feathery things outside - can I PLEASE go outside?

PLEASE?? LET ME GO OUTSIDE!!! (sorry kitty, you'd never come back!)

And with Spring, comes outdoor activities and new exciting beginnings . . .

Can you guess what this picture means??? (Video to come soon!)

Happy Birthday Grandma

Today would have been my Grandma's 82nd birthday. I have been thinking of her a lot this week and missing her as always. Around 8 years ago, I heard a song by Susie Luchsinger (Reba McEntire's sister) called "I saw Him in your eyes." This is another one of those songs that I feel like I could've written about my Grandma . . .


That rusty yellow school bus came to pick us up each day
Took my sister off to school and dropped me at your house to play
I'd see you wavin' from the porch down that ol' dusty drive
And I'd run as fast as I could to your side

You taught me how to garden and you let me help you cook
That gentle smile was always there and on your face that special look
And you told me about Jesus how he lived inside of you
You know I never doubted what you said was true

Cause I saw Him in your eyes
In your love and in your laughter it was Him I recognized
I didn't know it then but now I realize
That I saw Him in your eyes

While we cleaned up in the kitchen you'd be hummin' some old hymn
And then you'd open up your Bible and read to me about your Friend
But more than songs and stories it was what I saw in you
I watched the love of God as it came shining through

Yes I saw Him in your eyes...

Oh my prayer is that some day when my grandchildren look at me
They'll see that same reflection of Him and his perfection
The miracle in you that I could see

When I saw Him in your eyes...

Yes I saw Him in your eyes

That really is one of my greatest goals - to one day have my children and grandchildren say this very thing about me.

I love and miss you Grandma. Thank you for teaching me everything you did.

I have a question though . . . Do the angels make you birthday cakes up there? And are they completely calorie and fat free?? ;-)

The Holy Poops!

Did that title get your attention??

I have been promising for a while now to tell you a funny kid story, and I finally have a few minutes to sit down and tell you about it.

A couple of weeks ago, the kids had their spring break. We don't usually plan a big trip over spring break - but we did promise them we would do at least one FUN thing. We decided to take them to the Children's Museum. My husband and I love that place. In fact, we love it so much - we even went there on our honeymoon! Yes. We ARE a couple of big kids.

Here is a picture of us at the Children's Museum almost 7 years ago!

We love this picture, because we met during a local theatre production - we thought this picture was quite fitting.

Anyway . . . back to the funny kid story . . .

The children were VERY excited about going to the museum.

The museum is really cool because it is created FOR children, so they are ALLOWED to touch and interact with almost everything in the museum.

My favorite section when I was in school was the science & discovery section because there were a whole bunch of different cool activities to try. It has changed a lot since I was younger, but it is still pretty neat.

There was a "Health House" where kids could learn about ways to eat healthy and get exercise. There were several activities including jump ropes and the like. When we got to this section, my youngest daughter said, "Mommy! Can I try the holy poops?"

"What?!"

"I want to try the holy poops! See?!"

"OHHHHH! The HULA HOOPS!"

I thought I was going to hurt myself from laughing.

And just for more smiles on this BEAUTIFUL Spring Friday - a few more pictures of my monkeys.

Have a GREAT weekend!

More videos to share

A few months ago, I shared some videos I found online that a church was using - a spin-off of Mac vs. PC commercials. Well my church has started doing the same sort of thing, but a little bit different. Our sermon series is entitled "Life: HD" and these videos are entitled Cutting Edge vs. Old School.

I wanted to share these videos as they come out - because I believe some of you will appreciate them. :-)

The Lord's Prayer - from a 2 year old . . .

This girl was only 2 years old when she recorded this. This will definitely make you smile. Have a great Monday!

Does your cat keep you awake?

Franny Syufy from About Cats has some tips on how to save yourself from sleep deprivation caused by your cat.

Check out the article here.

I use several of her tips - but I also know some of them do NOT work with our cats. I tried shutting the door on them, they will scratch at the door for HOURS. They are nothing if not persistent. I do have a 'sound machine' and I've gotten pretty good at putting a pillow over my head at 5:00 in the morning.

However, I have had to utilize 2 things not mentioned . . . a spray water bottle kept by the bed . . . and a cat crate in the walk-in closet for the kitty that refuses to go to bed when everyone else does. :-)

What do you do to keep yourself from pet-causing sleep deprivation?

(Funny kid story IS coming soon . . . I promise . . .)

New Blog

I know I have been periodically sharing my "getting healthier" journey on this blog, but I've decided to create a separate blog that is just geared toward that.

I will keep this blog for my personal stories, thoughts, etc.

So if you like - check out my NEW ME, NEW BLOG.

And stay tuned for a funny kid story, coming to a blog near you, as soon as I upload the picture.

Happy Thursday!

Wow . . . I am really behind . . .

I need to update my blog! But unfortunately, like most days lately - I don't have time to do it right now. I just wanted to post a quick update to let everyone know I'm still alive. I have a really funny kid story to tell as soon as I get the chance to download pictures and type it out.

Have a great Tuesday!