Do they even still make Chiffon?

My husband put fertilizer on the grass this weekend because the weather forecast showed that there was a 20% chance we may get some rain on Sunday night. The rest of the week it is supposed to be clear and in the upper 80s, lower 90s with ZERO % chance of rain.

So he put it down and hoped for rain.

Because everyone knows if your fertilizer is going to work, it needs to get wet after you put it down. Everyone knows that, right?

So in a desperate attempt to help my husband and to get my kids away from Sponge Bob, I decided we would wash the car.

Because everyone knows if you was your car, it will rain. Everyone knows that, right?

Peter declared that it was too hot to be outside so he stayed in the air conditioning. But Sarah thought helping me wash the car would be fun so outside we went with the bucket, sponge and scrubber in tow.

I am not a car person. I don't car a thing about them. I just like my car to be in good working order and not to smell like Frito's and feet on the inside. Normally we do a good job keeping the car operational but I have the worst time keeping it smelling fresh on the inside.

As for the outside, I normally run it through the car wash at the gas station every 2 months. But by my calculations, it hadn't been through the car wash since we got home from our Christmas trip to Massachusetts.

So the car was dirty. Really dirty.

I decided that I could do a much better job than the gas station car wash and save $5.00 in the process so we got to work.

Sarah rinsed and I scrubbed and then she rinsed and I scrubbed and then she got bored.

And then I got bored. And hot.

I surveyed the car. It looked all shiny and clean while it was sitting there soaking wet so I put everything away and left it in the sun to dry.

And when I went to admire my work later in the afternoon after it had dried, I swear it looked as if I had not even touched it. Other than a few bugs that I had scraped off the headlights, it looked even dirtier than when I started.

How is that even possible?

The forecast is still sunny and hot for the rest of the week with no chance of rain.

Apparently for it to rain after you wash you car, you actually have to get your car clean.

"Sorry honey. I tried," I yelled to my husband last night as he was setting up the sprinklers after work.

Well, you know what they say. It's not nice to fool Mother Nature.

Miracle Monday

<sup>Happy Miracle Monday!

Today I want to share with you a miracle that Jesus performed. This miracle is found in Mark 5:21-21,35-43(NIV).

21</sup>When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake.

²²Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet ²³and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." ²⁴So Jesus went with him.

³⁵While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?"

³⁶Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe."

³⁷He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. ³⁸When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. ³⁹He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep."

⁴⁰But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. ⁴¹He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!" ).

⁴²Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. ⁴³He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

This miracle was part of our Gospel reading during Mass yesterday. And what really stood out to me was when Jesus said, "Don't be afraid; just believe."

Leave it to Jesus to utter one simple sentence that packs such a powerful punch - not only in this miracle but for our lives today.

Don't be afraid of where life will take you or what may happen to you along the way. If you just believe in Him, everything will be OK.

If you want to share a miracle, an answered prayer or even a prayer request, it's easy. Write a post on your blog and leave the link to the post (not the link to your main page) here with Mr. Linky. And be sure to mention my blog and URL in your post.

I guess I need to polish my crown.

Yesterday I decided that I needed to scrub the toilets. There was one toilet in particular that looked like an award-winning science experiment and I couldn't avoid cleaning it any longer.

As I was scrubbing, Sarah came into the bathroom where she informed me that I must think I was a queen.

"Why do you think I think I'm a queen?" I asked curiously.

"Because you always tell me and Peter what to do..."

"and because you always tell Daddy what to do..."

"and you never do anything."

And then to add insult to injury, I had barely turned aside from my sparkling clean toilet when I heard a sweet voice calling, "Mooooommmmy! Can you help me wipe my bottom? It's a squishy one!"

That girl sure knows how to put a hurting on my ego and my toilet!

7 Quick Takes Friday

Today I'm participating in 7 Quick Takes Friday. It's hosted by Jennifer at Conversion Diary and you write about 7 things you want to post about but that aren't really posts on their own.

So here we go!

1

I'm still Shredding. I've lost almost but not quite 3 pounds! About 3 more and I'll be where I want to be. And I'm contemplating moving up to 5 pound hand weights. We are going on vacation next weekend and I'm taking the Shred DVD. I'm just not sure how many opportunities I'm going to have to use it. There will be lots of opportunites to eat Dunkin Donuts and eat ice cream though. I love Massachusetts!

2

I'm still reading the Bible. I'm on Day 22 and I'm in Samuel right now. I feel like a little girl in Sunday school relearning all of the classic tales from the Old Testament. And as I'm reading I keep screaming out in my mind, "Stop disobeying! Why do you people insist on continuing to disobey God?" And then I look at my life and the world and I can see that we are all still disobeying. When will I learn? When will we learn?

3

The kids finally wore me down and their bedtime has morphed from 8:00pm to 9:00pm. "But Mooommmmm! It's summer!" was their argument. We've had swim lessons every eveningthis week and Dan has been traveling and somehow every night it's been 9:00pm until I could get them into bed. The nice thing about a 9:00pm bedtime is that they sleep in a little later in the mornings leaving me plenty of time to Shred and read the Bible in peace. The bad thing about a 9:00pm bedtime is that I usually go to bed around 10:00pm and that doesn't leave much time for watching Red Sox ballgames and Top Chef Masters in peace.

4

Peter decided that yes he did want to sign up for Fall Ball so we did that last night. The deposit has been paid so there's no turning back now. He was on the fence all day yesterday so I helped him make a pros and cons list. His main pro was that Grandma gives him a dollar for every hit he makes. His main con was that he hates going to practice. But in the end he decided that since he was moving up to machine pitch he wanted to do it.

5

We leave next weekend for our annual trip to Cape Cod. We are all getting excited. I just wish we were there already. Before any vacation there's a lot of listmaking and laundry and packing and cleaning. And then there's the actual getting there.

We always drive and it takes us 15 hours or more. And we end up eating a lot of fast food...usually McDonald's to placate the kids. And the thought of eating another burger (and not Shredding) leaves me begging to know why there isn't a Jersey Mike's on the New Jersey Turnpike? I love me some Jersey Mike's! I wish I had a Veggie Sub right now.

6

We've been spending a lot of time at the pool this summer. The kids love going but after 2 hours they start asking me if they can go home. I remember going to the pool as a kid and staying there for hours and hours. I'm not sure if I ever asked if we could leave.

7

After a couple of weeks of summer vacation I have realized that having a clean house is going to have to wait until the fall. And no, it's not because I'm so busy doing activities and bonding with my kids that I can't bear to break away to clean. It's because my kids are perpetual crumb makers and I just can't keep up. So, I've decided that I'm just going to have to learn to love the mess and be content until September.

If you guys want to play along or read other Quick Takes, head on over to Conversion Diary.

Look at my baby!

And no, I am not referring to Peter.

Look at the gorgeous house!  Peter and I built this beauty this morning.

I almost had Peter take a picture of ME with the house since I put so much work into it but I decided that would just be silly.

Look at the details…the little tree and the little mailbox and the little flowers.  The walkway and the porch and the windows…

But mostly, just look at that big smile! 

 

I guess I really didn’t have anything  I needed to do today that can’t wait until tomorrow.

Sigh…I would do anything for that smile.

I have a confession to make.

I am almost 40. (Nope. That's not the confession. I've mentioned it many times here. Plus, the wrinkles tend to give it away!)

My confession is that I am almost 40 and I have been a Christian my entire life and I have never read the Bible cover to cover.

It always seemed like such a daunting task. A daunting AND boring one. I mean who wants to willingly plod through Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy?

But lately, Sarah and Peter keep asking me what "my favorite book in the whole wide world" is. And I always answer "The Bible." Because it is, of course, the greatest book ever written. And it is The Word given to us from God. How could it not be "my favorite book in the whole wide world?"

And then I started feeling a little guilty. If I believe that it truly is the greatest book ever written then why haven't I read it all, cover to cover?

One day while looking up a Bible verse at BibleGateway.com, I saw something that caught my eye. It said Read The Bible In 90 Days!

I was intrigued so I clicked on the link. Zondervan has published the NIV Bible so that if you read 12 pages a day, you can read it in just 90 days. If you don't want to purchase a new Bible, BibleGateway.com has bookmarked the 12 pages you are to read or you can receive them via RSS feed.

How could I not do this? 12 pages a day? I decided to go for it!

And I'm so glad I did. I'm currently on Day 17.

The Israelites have made it out of the wilderness and I feel as if I have too. Reading Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy weren't as hard as I thought they would be but I'm glad to say that I'm on to a little more exciting reading now.

And I am enjoying this way more than I thought I would. And I am wishing that I hadn't waited until the ripe old age of 39 to start this.

I read my 12 pages early in the morning before the rest of the house is up and what a wonderful way to start my day.

And I will admit, I have fallen a few days behind. I decided that I will not read my 12 pages on the weekends. I try to sleep in until the kids get up on Saturdays and Sundays and once they are up, I can't focus my full attention on my reading.

So if I stick with my it Monday through Friday, I will be able to read the Bible in 112 days. That's not too shabby!

If you are interested, check it out at BibleGateway.com.

How I know my six-year-old is regular without coming right out and asking him.

If this is the scene in the bathroom...
...I know he's...ahem...been.

It’s over.

Baseball season is finally over.

After this first wonderful game, it went downhill.  And fast.

The team was called the Braves and my husband and I affectionately referred to them as the Bad News Braves.  Because after their first game, they never won another one. 

There are lots of reasons why the Braves weren’t as good as the other teams in the league: no one on the Braves had ever played modified tee-ball before, the kids were younger and smaller than most of the kids on the other teams, a lot of our practices got rained out, and we had several kids that would not listen to the coach.

For the first half of the season, after every loss, Peter would look up at me with his big brown eyes and ask me if I was mad at him for losing.

I was finally able to convince him that I wasn’t mad. 

Before every game, I told him I just wanted him to do his best.  To keep his eye on the ball at all times.  And to have fun.  And I kept stressing the fun part. 

Because after all, it’s really just a game.  And if he isn’t having fun then he shouldn’t be doing it.

But Peter is a pleaser and I think he felt that Dan and I wanted him to play ball.  (Which we did and do.) And I think he felt he would be letting us down if he didn’t.

There were many afternoons when I had to practically drag Peter to practice and the whole time he was complaining, “I’m not playing again next year!”

But as soon as he saw his trophy at the end of the year party, he declared, “I want to play Fall Ball AND Spring Ball!”

He has two weeks to decide about Fall Ball before we have to sign up.  And as much as I hope he decides to play, I’ve got a feeling he’ll change his mind by then.

The excitement of receiving the tall trophy, the thrill of making some great plays at third base in the last few games, and the charge that comes from running across home plate will be distant memories in two weeks when I remind him of sign-ups.

I’m sure he’ll shrug and say “I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to play.”  

And I’ll be ok with that.

   

Miracle Monday - Keep Believing and Keep Praying

My husband travels frequently for business. When he is away on a trip he is usually gone for about 4 nights at a time.

In May, he had a trip that kept him away for 2 weeks.

It was a long, long two weeks for me. But I got through it with the knowledge that he would be coming home soon.

Today I am asking you guys to join me in praying for Angie. Her husband won't be coming home.

Brian is in heaven resting with the Lord after a 12 year battle with cancer.

And now Angie is struggling with all of the activities of day-to-day living that come as she adjusts to life without Brian.

As you are cooking dinner, while you are cleaning, when you are paying bills, as you are driving your kids from activity to activity and thinking to yourself, "I can't wait until my husband gets home", please pray for Angie.

She needs the strength, peace, rest and comfort that only come through the Lord.

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. - Psalm 55:22

Please take a minute and head over to her blog to let her know that you are praying for her.


If you want to share a miracle, an answered prayer or even a prayer request, it's easy. Write a post on your blog and leave the link to the post (not the link to your main page) here with Mr. Linky. And be sure to mention my blog and URL in your post.

Hello, Cupcake!

Last weekend, Aunt Cathy came to town to celebrate Sarah’s birthday. And she brought with her 3 dozen plain cupcakes, 2 grocery bags full of goodies to use for decorating and 1 copy of Hello,Cupcake!

And then she, Sarah, and Peter went to town with the frosting, the gumdrops, the Fruit Rollups, the wafer cookies, the Oreos, the Fruit Loops, the marshmallows, the jelly beans and the Twizzlers.

Peter and Sarah are ready to get started!

Sarah and Aunt Cathy hard at work.

Panda Bears

A Penguin

A Clown

A Chef

A Puppy

A Princess

The cupcakes turned out great and the kids had a wonderful time making memories with Aunt Cathy

And I would highly recommend Hello, Cupcake. It’s loaded with lots or really cool decorating ideas.

Is it Labor Day yet?

Summer vacation officially started for us yesterday when Peter's school let out at 12:00.

We were at the swimming pool by 1:00.

We were home by 4:30.

And by 5:30 both kids let me know that they were bored.

I think it's going to be a looooooooong summer.

Preschool Graduation

Sarah’s preschool class had a little graduation ceremony before school ended a week and a half ago.  They wore shirts that had all of the students handprints on them and mortar boards that the teachers had made.

It was very cute and very economical.  Both good things in my book!

 

Here is Sarah receiving her “diploma”.

 

When the teacher asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up she replied, “A nurse.”

Hmmm…that’s the first I’ve heard of that.  But it sounds good to me.  If  she is a nurse she will be better equipped to take care of me and my husband when we are old and feeble!

Is there going to be cake?  I was thinking that and it looks like Sarah was too in this picture.  That’s my girl!

And here is the best I could do for a group shot.  A couple of the boys are missing and I chopped the teacher’s heads off. 

 

Doesn’t this picture just scream “Kindergarten Here We Come?” or maybe it’s screaming “Summer Vacation Here We Come!” 

Miracle Monday

It's Miracle Monday!

Today I want to talk about the Miracle of Life. The miracle of Denise's life in particular.

If you've been a Miracle Monday reader for a while then I'm sure you know Denise. She's been a regular contributor and commenter here for a long time.

The fact that Denise is with us today is a true miracle.

When Denise's mom told her dad that she pregnant he told her to get rid of the baby. They already had three other kids and he didn't want another one.

Denise's mom was heartbroken but she went to her doctor and asked what she could do. The doctor gave her some pills.

Her mom took half of the pills and began to spot but nothing more. She took the rest of the pills and began to cramp and bleed very heavily and thought she had miscarried the baby...

...until one night three months later when she felt the baby kick!


Denise was born with a birth defect because of the pills her mother took but through prayer she forgave her mother who passed away in 2006.

And after much more prayer, the Lord also has finally healed Denise's relationship with her father. They are now going to church together!

From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you. - Psalm 71:6

If you want to share a miracle or an answered prayer it's easy. Write a post on your blog and leave the link to the post (not the link to your main page) here with Mr. Linky. And be sure to mention my blog and URL in your post.

Field Day – Kindergarten Style

Peter had Field Day on Monday.

All of the Kindergarten classes rotated through 8 different “events”.

On the morning of field day Peter asked if I was going to be mad if he didn’t win.  I gave him a big hug and the I-don’t-care-if-you-win-I-just-want-you-to-do-your-best-and-have-fun speech.

And by the looks of things, I think he did.

 

And the cool part about Kindergarten Field Day – everyone gets a Participation Ribbon so all the kids feel like winners!

And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Today I completed Day 33 of the 30 Day Shred. I was enjoying myself so much that I didn't even realize I had surpassed my goal of Shredding for 30 days.

So my final analysis of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred -

I'm. Hooked.

I love Shredding. I love it. In just 20 minutes a day I can really see my body transforming.

I actually have arm muscles now.

My rear end is tightening up.

My saddle bags are shrinking.

The flabby flesh on my thighs is disappearing.

But best of all - I feel great about myself and my body. It's been a long time since I could say that!

I wake up in the morning, check my schedule for the day and figure out the best time to Shred. And then here's the kicker - I actually do it.

If you want a quick workout that will give you results, get this DVD. You won't be sorry you did.

And that's all I'm going to say about Shredding.

For now anyway.

It may be 88 degrees but she wanted a snowman.

Sarah decided she wanted to paint a picture earlier this week.

So I got out all the paint and all the brushes and we started painting.

I painted a field of flowers It was very springy and bright.

Sarah painted a snowman. It was very wintery and white.

And she was very proud of it. And she demanded that I put it on my blog.

So here it is. I’m just trying to keep the girl happy.

Five is...

Independent
Confidant
Intelligent
Stylish
Shy
Outgoing
Bossy
Considerate
Helpful
Friendly
Delicate
Tough

Five is beautiful.

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

Love,
Mommy

It's BAAAAAAAAAACK!

I love Dairy Queen. I'm sure I've mentioned it before. But if not, let me restate it for you.

I. Love. Dairy Queen.

Specifically, I love DQ Blizzards.

And even more specifically, I love The Brownie Batter Blizzard.

I just got my DQ monthly email (yes, I am a member of the Blizzard Fan club and I get an email from them every month letting me know what the Blizzard of the Month is) and The Brownie Batter Blizzard is the Blizzard of the Month.

I emailed my husband as soon as I got the email and I told him that I had tears in my eyes.

The Brownie Batter Blizzard hasn't been the Blizzard of the Month for probably two years (give or take a few months.) And because it's a specialty Blizzard you can only get it when it's a Blizzard of the Month.

I think DQ is going to be seeing a lot of me this month.


And yes, I have noted the irony that my previous post that was published a mere two hours ago was about Shredding, and pointing and laughing, and squishy bellies, and six-packs. But, ya'll, it's The Brownie Batter Blizzard.

I'll just have to Shred a little harder this month.

Guess I'll need to head to the grocery store if I want to see a six-pack.

I was about to hop into the shower this weekend right after Shredding and Sarah barged into the bathroom.

My kids have a radar that goes off at the precise moment I am about to get into the shower or sit down on the toilet.

She pointed at me and started laughing. (Nothing will make you stop admiring yourself in the mirror faster than your daughter pointing and laughing.)

She then ran up to me, grabbed a handful of my pasty stomach fat and said, "Mommy your tummy is still all squishy. You need to take some more exercise!"

Sigh....

But at least my husband is more supportive than my daughter. Every evening when he gets home from work he will ask me if I did my Shred and which level I completed.

Last night as I was putting my pj's on, I looked at my stomach and pointed at the very bottom of my rib cage and said, "Does this look like the beginning of a six pack to you?"

He chuckled and said, "We have too much fat over our stomach muscles to see a six pack."

Notice how he said "we" and "our?"

No wonder I love that man so much!

Miracle Monday

It's Miracle Monday!

I would like to tell you about a miracle that happened in Mari's life.

About 6 weeks ago, Mari began having trouble with her voice. It would crack as she was singing and gradually began to crack all the time. People were asking her what was wrong with her voice.

She went to an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor who determined that she had a large growth on her vocal cords and a smaller one on the back of her throat. She was going to need surgery which was scheduled for May 26th.

She immediately asked her friends, family, coworkers and a small group of people from church to begin praying for her. Her voice began to improve. She called the specialist who had her come back into the office for another larygoscope.

He was surprised to report that the large growth was 1/10th of the size that it had been two weeks earlier just prior to everyone praying for her.

Her surgery was cancelled! And yet another doctor was amazed at the power of prayer!

If you want to share a miracle or an answered prayer it's easy. Write a post on your blog and leave the link to the post (not the link to your main page) here with Mr. Linky. And be sure to mention my blog and URL in your post.

And don't forget, Victoria is starting a new meme at her blog, Let The Son Shine In. Her meme is called Miracles in the Mundane. Head over there to see what she's doing!