quotes of the day:
At Meet the Teacher tonight, Brandon discovered that practically ALL his buddies got put in his class at school this year AND he got the teacher he wanted. But we were reminded that another class will have to be added because there are 30 kids in each class. Brandon said, "Mom, are you going to be the new 5th grade teacher?"
Me - "No. "
Brandon - "Oh. Because if you were, I'd let them move me out of that class so I could be in yours."
I think I'm going to raise his allowance.
Abby at dinner: "Brandon, now when does the future start?"
Brandon: "2035."
So if you don't know it, we're moving this weekend. Drawers are already lined (thanks LDW) and a load has already been taken over. So this is my last blog for awhile, but I'll catch you on the flip side.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Monday, August 22, 2005
Random Thoughts
It seems there's a very good reason that bread is made with wheat.
Cowboy hats and flip flops are a strange combination.
It's almost as if I can actually feel myself getting skinnier.
August 29 is too late for school to start.
If you can't eat Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing or if you're having me over for dinner, Newman's Own is pretty good.
I never once thought I'd live in a neighborhood were a wild boar had been spotted nearby.
I think that even I could be a doctor if I just excused myself and went to my office to read my medical book each time a patient came to visit me.
I still love my wireless keyboard and mouse and chair massager (but the chair massager does have some pesky wires).
August 29 is too late for school to start.
I wonder where I packed their school supplies?
Sometimes there's a feeling of pressure to blog, even when one has very little to say.
Cowboy hats and flip flops are a strange combination.
It's almost as if I can actually feel myself getting skinnier.
August 29 is too late for school to start.
If you can't eat Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing or if you're having me over for dinner, Newman's Own is pretty good.
I never once thought I'd live in a neighborhood were a wild boar had been spotted nearby.
I think that even I could be a doctor if I just excused myself and went to my office to read my medical book each time a patient came to visit me.
I still love my wireless keyboard and mouse and chair massager (but the chair massager does have some pesky wires).
August 29 is too late for school to start.
I wonder where I packed their school supplies?
Sometimes there's a feeling of pressure to blog, even when one has very little to say.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
purposeful silence
oh I get it...no one is commenting because you're all pretending to be very, very busy until AFTER we move.
nice.
But don't worry~I wasn't REALLY expecting you to come help. :-)
nice.
But don't worry~I wasn't REALLY expecting you to come help. :-)
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Glass Half-Full
Well the party was a success. Fun was had by all, and the boys were even asleep by midnight! They were all so tired that they voluntarily turned off Star Wars Episode 1 that we put on after they got situated for the night around 11:30. That's my top secret plan for every sleepover..."everyone get your pjs on, brush teeth and get in 'bed' and you can watch a movie." They think I'm the greatest b/c they're thinking they get to stay up really, really late. But almost every single time, they fall asleep before the movie is over. It's a win-win proposition.
I think that the gluten free diet just might make me rich. You might not be aware, but in Midland I developed this habit of picking up lunch or breakfast quite regularly. Now, I've got my fun money that I'm allotted each pay period and there's nothing really to spend it on except the beloved fountain coke, which I can get for only 75 cents during Happy Hour at Chicken Express each day if I want to. As it stands now, I'm enjoying tasty Delimex Chicken Taquitos for lunch in my own kitchen most days, at a fraction of the cost of a trip to Chick-fil-A. So you see, my glass continues to be half-full.
T minus one week til closing. For anyone just looking for something to do, we'll be transporting all our worldly possessions to the new homestead at the end of next week. You're welcome to come join us! :-)
I think that the gluten free diet just might make me rich. You might not be aware, but in Midland I developed this habit of picking up lunch or breakfast quite regularly. Now, I've got my fun money that I'm allotted each pay period and there's nothing really to spend it on except the beloved fountain coke, which I can get for only 75 cents during Happy Hour at Chicken Express each day if I want to. As it stands now, I'm enjoying tasty Delimex Chicken Taquitos for lunch in my own kitchen most days, at a fraction of the cost of a trip to Chick-fil-A. So you see, my glass continues to be half-full.
T minus one week til closing. For anyone just looking for something to do, we'll be transporting all our worldly possessions to the new homestead at the end of next week. You're welcome to come join us! :-)
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Ten
As of today, Brandon is an entire decade old. To celebrate, he's in the living room watching the Star Wars Trilogy, a much anticipated gift. Tonight we're taking him and some friends to Ennis to a new drive-in theater they have there to see Sky High and eat hot dogs, popcorn, and birthday cake (although I'll be having nachos, popcorn, and perhaps a Rice Krispie treat. See, it's really not that bad!) Then the boys are going to spend the night here, ending the festivities in the morning over donuts and milk (again, Rice Krispies or a yummy omelette for me). It's all a very exciting plan for a ten-year-old, and his 6 year old sister as well.
It seems a little strange that he's 10, even though his friends have all passed that marker already. I began to have some thoughts about the next decade of his life and had to just shake that out of my head because it's too boggling for sure. The next ten years is when the boy becomes a man....a thought that is frightening and joyful all at the same time for the one blessed to call him son.
But before we get too deep in thought, some relief:
* "Mom, I'm going to get to live in the future!" - Abby, with eyes gleaming after reading this month's Natl. Geographic for Kids with some ideas about what the future will be like with hover crafts and things like that
* "It's sparkling!" - Abby, yesterday in the car after noticing the drops of rain on the windshield
It seems a little strange that he's 10, even though his friends have all passed that marker already. I began to have some thoughts about the next decade of his life and had to just shake that out of my head because it's too boggling for sure. The next ten years is when the boy becomes a man....a thought that is frightening and joyful all at the same time for the one blessed to call him son.
But before we get too deep in thought, some relief:
* "Mom, I'm going to get to live in the future!" - Abby, with eyes gleaming after reading this month's Natl. Geographic for Kids with some ideas about what the future will be like with hover crafts and things like that
* "It's sparkling!" - Abby, yesterday in the car after noticing the drops of rain on the windshield
Monday, August 15, 2005
No Gluten, Please
After a horrible flare up last week of whatever it is that I have, I've decided to take matters into my own hands. With the knowledge of my own medical history and a day on the internet, I'm going on a self-imposed gluten free diet. Gluten, in case you're not aware, includes wheat, barley, rye, and oats. These 4 things are apparently found in most EVERYTHING we eat, so this diet is a challenge, to say the least. But I am encouraged, even positive, because if my problem is indeed gluten intolerance, then that explains pretty much all my weird medical oddities over the last several years. The condition is called Celiac and is cured by a gluten-free diet. So if I can stick with it, I should get all better.
Plus, I was on a gf diet during childhood, because I was diagnosed with Celiac at 2. We thought I had outgrown it, because I can eat all that stuff with little to no abdominal symptoms. But it seems that you can have it without those. So here we are, Rice Krispies are my friend and popcorn and white corn tostitos. I have found that I must focus on all the wonderful foods that I can eat, instead of the long list of things that I cannot. Otherwise, I might find myself in a world of discontent, like the Israelites who complained about their daily manna. But, I must admit, I am somewhat saddened over the loss of flour tortillas and the chicken biscuit from Chick-fil-A. Although, I did have a tasty grilled chicken salad there the other day with tortilla strips on top and it was quite delicious. And I shall make Outback Steakhouse my new favorite nice place to eat out, since they provide a lengthy menu with gf choices, even putting the "GF" on the menu beside those menu items.
This really summarizes my last week, which is why I had nothing else to blog except that it was very, very hot. Because I itched, I researched Celiac, and I made trips to the grocery store to buy gluten free items. In the evenings, we swam, played 2 on 2 basketball in the driveway, and drove out to the house...which is ALMOST finished. We're closing next week!
Plus, I was on a gf diet during childhood, because I was diagnosed with Celiac at 2. We thought I had outgrown it, because I can eat all that stuff with little to no abdominal symptoms. But it seems that you can have it without those. So here we are, Rice Krispies are my friend and popcorn and white corn tostitos. I have found that I must focus on all the wonderful foods that I can eat, instead of the long list of things that I cannot. Otherwise, I might find myself in a world of discontent, like the Israelites who complained about their daily manna. But, I must admit, I am somewhat saddened over the loss of flour tortillas and the chicken biscuit from Chick-fil-A. Although, I did have a tasty grilled chicken salad there the other day with tortilla strips on top and it was quite delicious. And I shall make Outback Steakhouse my new favorite nice place to eat out, since they provide a lengthy menu with gf choices, even putting the "GF" on the menu beside those menu items.
This really summarizes my last week, which is why I had nothing else to blog except that it was very, very hot. Because I itched, I researched Celiac, and I made trips to the grocery store to buy gluten free items. In the evenings, we swam, played 2 on 2 basketball in the driveway, and drove out to the house...which is ALMOST finished. We're closing next week!
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Monday, August 08, 2005
Changes
Operation Bore-Them-to-Tears isn't really working out the way I had planned. B & A, it turns out, are best friends in disguise. They thoroughly enjoy their time together, laughing hysterically about things no one else finds funny (like me). When forced to be together for extended periods of time, they usually enter some imaginary world, becoming characters in places far, far away. When they remain themselves, they still manage to enter an imaginary world where bodily noises are completely acceptable and, apparently, the highest form of comedy known to man. somebody please help me.
Just kidding (about the needing help part). We've had a great summer together and I LOVE the way they enjoy one another. I will miss them when school starts!
We're beginning to box the things we unpacked back in December, looking forward to moving into the new house in a couple of weeks. Yea! And we don't even have to take Oscar with us--in case you didn't notice, he sold!
Bible study update: I'm not doing the patriarchs study, since I'm apparently not old enough. :-)That, and we've cut back our Wednesday night schedule in preparation for the big move to the new campus in January. The B. Moore videos are too long for the allotted time, so we've ordered Priscilla Shirer's "He Speaks to Me", with videos only 30 minutes long each! Just for a point of reference, she's Tony Evans' daughter. It looks really good; I'll let you know more if you're interested.
Gotta go pack...
Just kidding (about the needing help part). We've had a great summer together and I LOVE the way they enjoy one another. I will miss them when school starts!
We're beginning to box the things we unpacked back in December, looking forward to moving into the new house in a couple of weeks. Yea! And we don't even have to take Oscar with us--in case you didn't notice, he sold!
Bible study update: I'm not doing the patriarchs study, since I'm apparently not old enough. :-)That, and we've cut back our Wednesday night schedule in preparation for the big move to the new campus in January. The B. Moore videos are too long for the allotted time, so we've ordered Priscilla Shirer's "He Speaks to Me", with videos only 30 minutes long each! Just for a point of reference, she's Tony Evans' daughter. It looks really good; I'll let you know more if you're interested.
Gotta go pack...
Friday, August 05, 2005
What a Deal!
a little disappointed that that last post only elicited 2 comments, because that was stinking funny, if I do say so myself. but I'm working through it...
Despite my evil plan to bore the children to tears during the month of August in order that they might joyfully embrace the start of school at the end of the month, we took a trip to Six Flags yesterday. Those awful reading programs that encourage kids to write down their hours during the school year (a minimal standard, by the way, that any child who reads even a little bit can easily accomplish over the assigned lengthy course of time) left us with two free passes that were about to expire this Sunday. So, after Clay left work yesterday, off we went. My only solace was that he also had a free ticket, a gift for "group" leaders, such as ministers to youth. We only had to pay for one ticket (mine), and even that was at a well-discounted rate. Still, after $9 parking, and $36 for an exquisite dinner of chicken strips, fries, a chili cheese dog, a burger, and 4 drinks, the 6-hour adventure cost us ONLY $70! Wow--what a deal. (I know it's hard to detect sarcasm in the written word, so I'll just go ahead and let you know that last statement had lots of it.)
Actually, we did have a good time. It was overcast so we weren't dying of heat and not many of the lines were that long...except, strangely, for the Antique Cars which gave Abby and me a 30 minute wait while Clay and Brandon rode the Texas Giant next door. But all was not lost; I wore my Super Summer t-shirt that says, "Don't Waste Your Life", so those people who cut in front of us at the beginning had something deep and meaningful to consider all 8 times they passed beside us in the snake-like line. Because what else do you do in those lines besides tell your kids to get down off the rails to move ahead every 2 feet and contemplate the t-shirt profundities of every passerby? Unless you are a teenager, of course, in which case you would be looking for your soulmate, I suppose.
Now you know why we chose October for our Disney World vacation. Of the Big 3 Reasons Not to Go (long lines, heat, and overpriced food), we'll only have to work around one....and thanks to mom and dad, we'll have a nice big house with a nice big kitchen in which to eat as many nice big meals as we so choose.
Despite my evil plan to bore the children to tears during the month of August in order that they might joyfully embrace the start of school at the end of the month, we took a trip to Six Flags yesterday. Those awful reading programs that encourage kids to write down their hours during the school year (a minimal standard, by the way, that any child who reads even a little bit can easily accomplish over the assigned lengthy course of time) left us with two free passes that were about to expire this Sunday. So, after Clay left work yesterday, off we went. My only solace was that he also had a free ticket, a gift for "group" leaders, such as ministers to youth. We only had to pay for one ticket (mine), and even that was at a well-discounted rate. Still, after $9 parking, and $36 for an exquisite dinner of chicken strips, fries, a chili cheese dog, a burger, and 4 drinks, the 6-hour adventure cost us ONLY $70! Wow--what a deal. (I know it's hard to detect sarcasm in the written word, so I'll just go ahead and let you know that last statement had lots of it.)
Actually, we did have a good time. It was overcast so we weren't dying of heat and not many of the lines were that long...except, strangely, for the Antique Cars which gave Abby and me a 30 minute wait while Clay and Brandon rode the Texas Giant next door. But all was not lost; I wore my Super Summer t-shirt that says, "Don't Waste Your Life", so those people who cut in front of us at the beginning had something deep and meaningful to consider all 8 times they passed beside us in the snake-like line. Because what else do you do in those lines besides tell your kids to get down off the rails to move ahead every 2 feet and contemplate the t-shirt profundities of every passerby? Unless you are a teenager, of course, in which case you would be looking for your soulmate, I suppose.
Now you know why we chose October for our Disney World vacation. Of the Big 3 Reasons Not to Go (long lines, heat, and overpriced food), we'll only have to work around one....and thanks to mom and dad, we'll have a nice big house with a nice big kitchen in which to eat as many nice big meals as we so choose.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
I Love Trash (Apparently)
With Super Summer each year comes attention to a theme. As Dean of Khaki School this year, Clay's focus was on trash. And, once decorated, their room looked incredible, I must admit. His team of leaders put together a room that looked like the inside of a garbage can. No inch of the walls or even ceiling, it seemed, was left uncovered by wadded up newspapers, fast food wrappers, soda cans, and other common forms of refuse. Clay's part, in addition to saving newspapers for months in the garage, was to track down a stuffed Oscar the Grouch, which was placed in a silver metal trashcan as the centerpiece for Khaki's meeting room.
Why am I telling you this now? Because once again, after Super Summer ends it becomes MY job to resell Clay's nifty purchase on eBay. With no hope of reclaiming the $25 he spent on the 19" adorable Oscar the Grouch, I am currently watching a 2nd listing (he got zero bids the first go-round) and wishing only that some Oscar freak will decide to search him out and at least offer my starting price of $6.99.
It reminds me of the year of Green School. His theme was "Field of Greens" and he built an entire putting green. To dress in character, he bought green golf pants, a plaid hat, and a green golf vest with the Master's logo on the chest. I can't remember how much that one cost, but it is still in his closet, unsold afterward on eBay because apparently everyone who would wear one of those vests already has it. Or has burned it in the trash....hey...maybe he could have used that vest THIS year....
Oh, don't worry. I asked for his permission to spin this tale.
SJ called a couple of nights ago from Safeco field in Seattle. She wanted to ask Clay if he'd like her to buy him some Ichiro bobblehead dolls. He replied, "Two more ought to take care of college for Abby." And that was a very funny joke, too, because we (and when I say we, I really mean he) bought not one, but TWO when we were there at Safeco during Ichiro's rookie-of-the-year season in 2001, I think it was. It seemed perfectly natural that an Ichiro bobblehead was going to demand 4x the amount paid once listed on eBay...we were smack dab in the middle of bobblehead mania and Ichiro was becoming a star. But, alas, the bobblehead purchase never worked out in our favor. Last time I checked, the same bobblehead couldn't even get a $1 bid. It seems there was an Ichiro bobblehead glut or something.
But I believe that those are our four worst purchases ever, except for some clothes that Clay claims are in my closet and haven't been worn more than once. So I guess I'll just watch for Oscar movement this week, and if someone decides to buy him, maybe I'll just throw in an Ichiro bobblehead doll.
p.s. If you're wondering, I changed my template for a simple reason....because I can. but I don't know why it deleted that last post, "Be thankful in everything, and all that stuff". If you missed it, sorry. but no big, because it wasn't even all that good. Check out my new links (top right)...eventually, if I can really get it together, maybe I can send you to a picture or two.
Why am I telling you this now? Because once again, after Super Summer ends it becomes MY job to resell Clay's nifty purchase on eBay. With no hope of reclaiming the $25 he spent on the 19" adorable Oscar the Grouch, I am currently watching a 2nd listing (he got zero bids the first go-round) and wishing only that some Oscar freak will decide to search him out and at least offer my starting price of $6.99.
It reminds me of the year of Green School. His theme was "Field of Greens" and he built an entire putting green. To dress in character, he bought green golf pants, a plaid hat, and a green golf vest with the Master's logo on the chest. I can't remember how much that one cost, but it is still in his closet, unsold afterward on eBay because apparently everyone who would wear one of those vests already has it. Or has burned it in the trash....hey...maybe he could have used that vest THIS year....
Oh, don't worry. I asked for his permission to spin this tale.
SJ called a couple of nights ago from Safeco field in Seattle. She wanted to ask Clay if he'd like her to buy him some Ichiro bobblehead dolls. He replied, "Two more ought to take care of college for Abby." And that was a very funny joke, too, because we (and when I say we, I really mean he) bought not one, but TWO when we were there at Safeco during Ichiro's rookie-of-the-year season in 2001, I think it was. It seemed perfectly natural that an Ichiro bobblehead was going to demand 4x the amount paid once listed on eBay...we were smack dab in the middle of bobblehead mania and Ichiro was becoming a star. But, alas, the bobblehead purchase never worked out in our favor. Last time I checked, the same bobblehead couldn't even get a $1 bid. It seems there was an Ichiro bobblehead glut or something.
But I believe that those are our four worst purchases ever, except for some clothes that Clay claims are in my closet and haven't been worn more than once. So I guess I'll just watch for Oscar movement this week, and if someone decides to buy him, maybe I'll just throw in an Ichiro bobblehead doll.
p.s. If you're wondering, I changed my template for a simple reason....because I can. but I don't know why it deleted that last post, "Be thankful in everything, and all that stuff". If you missed it, sorry. but no big, because it wasn't even all that good. Check out my new links (top right)...eventually, if I can really get it together, maybe I can send you to a picture or two.
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