Sunday, September 25, 2005

Back again...maybe...

Well, lest I get any more comments from people that I haven't posted, I'm posting. We are back home in body and unpacked, mostly, therefore- life is just as crazy as it always is! The convention began last evening here so this week will be kind of hectic. Don't expect too much from this site until it's over. THat goes for you too, Diane! :-)

Ok, that's all for now...perhaps life will be back to normal and I can write soon.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Home Sweet Home..sort of

I pride myself on having a place for everything. I don’t generally get everything IN its place these days, but at least it does have a home. However, lately, the children have been relocating things and I’m not sure if they think that their “new” locations are a better place or what, but I thought people might find their spots interesting. Here are a few examples:

Coathanger: Belongs in the closet…no the toilet bowl.
Mama’s Purse: Stays on the counter…or in Jonathon’s closet.
Buzz Lightyear: Lives in the toy box…and sometimes the garbage can.
Three blocks, a puzzle piece, and a K’Nex piece (along with a host of misc. Adams’ boys toys live in the air conditioning vent.
Pinestraw has moved from the flower beds to the trunks of their toy cars.
The cookie belongs on the windowsill now instead of the ktichen.
The play money now is housed in the refrigerator.
The bath toys go in the dishwasher.


So there you have it…based on these ideas, don’t you think they would make great professional organizers!!? No? Well…maybe in a couple of years!

Monday, September 12, 2005

Insanity Rules!

Well, the ambitious bug has bit again! In all fairness, I will say at the beginning that really things haven't gone too bad considering...

But I've decided that 6 children under the age of four is a bit much for long term. I invited my two nephews to stay with us for two nights so their mother could get some rest...she's a week away from her due date of #3. We've had a jolly time of playing outside, going to the park, eatting cookies, having a pizza picnic, showers with "Uncle Brandon", movies, laundry, and plenty of late night ups and downs. They really are good kids, and quite happy most of the time as well. Both are pretty obedient and a couple of times have been good examples to my children as to what a good attitude should look like. They are 3 and 1 1/2- both boys, and so my boys think it's one big party.

Night time seems to be the only negative time...I got up 7 times last night. Twice with Rachel, Once with Jonathon, Once with James, three times with Malachi. Considering ages, it's not really unexpected for any of them...but put it all together and yikes! Fortunately, four were all between 1:30 and 2:30, and the rest were after 5am, so I did get some sleep in there...but I'm praying for a good night tonight...we'll see.

I think what makes it doable is just throwing almost everything else to the wind and saying, "How can I make sure they have a good time?" Once I have the attitude of focusing on them almost totally, then the job is ok...it's when I'm trying to get all sorts of housework and stuff done that it becomes stressful...so praise the Lord for Mama's who teach their children to obey- it's a blessing to the rest of us who have to be around them!
Now I'm off to bed...cause who knows how long it will last!?!

Friday, September 09, 2005

You Can't Win Them All

At least, I haven't this week. Wednesday, I came home with the children from going to church with my mom and James immediately went to scrub out the toilet...with my hairbrush! Arg! Children: 1, Mom: 0. Then Thursday since we had been doing a lot of things during the week I needed to do some housework...so I told the kids I wanted them to help and made a little list of things to do- with pictures and we tackled the stuff. Jonathon vacuumed the living room, sort of, James got to scrub his toilets- with a toilet brush, they took the sheets off the beds, threw the launry down the stairs (great fun and actually helpful), wiped off the table, loaded the dishwasher, and picked up the toys. This evened the score to: Children:1, Mom:1...almost. I actually bribed them to do it with a movie as pay at the end...so Children:2, Mom:1.

Today, I decided to take a nap when they did and I fell asleep only to wake up 5 min. later to James coming out of his room. I went and "took care" of the problem, then went back to lay down...4 times. In James defense, he only got up three times, Jonathon got up once. After #4, I decided that they probably were just going to do this for the rest of nap time, so I resigned myself to being awake, drank an ice coffee, and then went to tell them they could go play outside. Jonathon was quiet and on his bed and was happy to get up and go outside, but James...was asleep! Children:3 Mom:1

Now I'm looking forward to an afternoon of cooking SOMETHING for dinner and then on to whatever kind of Sabbath I can get...relaxing or not..it does come every week and I'll take it!

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Splitting Hairs

I have been the recipient of plenty of splinters in my life, but lately, I seem to be attracting a different “thorn in the flesh”. How it happens, why it happens to me, and why no one else seems to have this problem is beyond me, but nevertheless, it is quite agrivating. This particular thing happened several months ago when I was home and I thought it was merely an off the wall, accident. Now, I’m beginning to think that maybe I just have some personal problem.

I get HAIR stuck in my feet! This is not a joke. Has anyone else had this problem, because Brandon thinks it’s worthy of a good laugh and snicker at the ridiculous. Actually, I think he has decided that it’s just my way of getting attention and creating something to do instead of housework, but HE’S WRONG!!!! Hahahaha!

Anyway, the point is, that twice today I have gotten a hair splinter. I cut the boys’ hair yesterday evening and swept up, but as anyone might know who sweeps up hair, you can NEVER get all of it. So, this morning I found a tiny little speck of it in my foot. I didn’t find it because of my over zealous desire to caress my foot mind you, I found it because I took a step and it felt like there was a needle poking into the bottom of my foot. Then, this evening, I had yet another one. ARG! HARRUMPH!

So, since I am a victim in this situation, in order to avoid any more hair balls and to escape being accused of hair brained ideas, I will go on a hair cutting strike…for at least 5 weeks…except for maybe W. C.- if he’s desprate. J

Hence, my tale ends.

Saturday, September 03, 2005

And Ye Shall Know Them...

...by the quality of their communion bread.

Did you ever have communion and have the most delicious stuff ever. You know the kind that you secretly hope that they pass the plate down your row a second time, but at the same time, you wonder if there is something sinful about wanting more communion bread? Ok, maybe that's just me. Anyway, I've had some good stuff before and now I've been deligated the task of making it for church.

I made it last month, but I got into trouble because I used "Southern" flour. Now, before all you northerners start cackling away, there is a such thing as Southern flour, it has more starch and less proteins and thus, dilutes with less water. Last time I made communion soup and had to add quite a bit of flour to make up for it! This time, I had regular flour and it seems to be ok so far. Right now I am waiting for it to come out of the oven.

Anyway, the point of this blog is that I am ready to acknowledge that I am not cut out to be a "pastor's wife". Or at least, my impression of that role. I yell at may kids- even when I am living in a "parsonage". (Isn't there something sacred about that??) I also had major problems today- the Sabbath- the day of rest- no buying or selling. Ok, so we went to the grocery store THREE times today! Arg! Partly because I didn't plan ahead, partly because I ran out of a couple of key ingredients and partly because when at the store we forgot said key ingredient and had to go back!

I also didn't rest very much. I let my ambitious monster that lurks in the back corners of my brain get out and run wild. I have been gearing up for a baby shower for my SIL tomorrow and I needed cake, decor, and my contribution to pot luck dinner. I decided that I should to a cake, but also make little petit fours (minature cakes for each individual), and get flowers, and decorations, and fix it all up, and then there is the communion bread on top of all that. So, most of my Sabbath has been rather busy. I enjoyed much of it, but busy...

The cake turned out alright. After the grocery store trips, the fruit tray for pot luck was ok. I got the flowers and the balloons and set up decorations, but after quite a few hours of effort throughout the day, the stupid little cakes met the garbage can with a huge sigh of relief and no guilt! It was silly really- an untried recipe that didn't work as it should have. Alas, people really should TRY what they write down to make sure it works! I should give the writer the benefit of the doubt and mention that I could have misread the directions all seven times I read them, but I'm not in the mood to do so. So it's all done now, though I will happliy put the overly ambitious monster back to rest as soon as I get out of this kitchen!

And I'll leave the gourmet communion bread to more qualified pastor's wives who are "Practically Perfect In Every Way" (Ahem, dust off your halos now you wonderful saints!)