Not Me Monday

Hello chickeepoos! I thought I would participate in a Not Me! Monday Blog Carnival.

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I can relate to so many of the Not Me! Monday posts, so I thought why not share with the rest of the world.

For instance, I did not take several quarters dollars in change out of dh’s mason jar to buy my 44 oz. Cherry Cokes for the week. He knows he would not miss any of it, because after all, the quarters are mostly on the bottom. What’s a few quarters dollars anyhow?

I did not use the last roll of toilet paper in the master bath leaving none on the roll for you know who. Not me, who would do such a thing?

It was not me who ;) at the hunkiest, sweetest, married orthodontist at her appointment on Friday. After all, we’re both married, happily with children. (But dang, that man is candy to the eyes. did i just really say that? Nope, not me.

Oh and I’m just sure it wasn’t me who read through all my child’s emails and found out some juicy gossip to bribe/bargain/blackmail him with later down the road when the timing’s right. Of course, I have parental controls on their email addy’s, but I usually don’t snoop just to be nosy. Nope nada here.

There, that was pretty painless, unless you count my red face from winking at my orthodontist this week. ;)

Did you change your clocks?

Apparently dh did change some of ours, but not all. I totally forgot. I woke up this mornin and found my family gone! And my clock said 6:49 am! I climbed my big you know what out of bed and was sad because I was thinking they went out to breakfast without me. The phone rings and I'm thinking who is calling so dang early on a Sunday morning????? Wrong #. Good thing I was out of bed or I would have been NASTY! Anyone who knows me at all, knows NOT to call before 9am to our house. ANYWAY....When the phone rang I noticed the clock on the lighted dial read 7:49 am. It dawned on me that my family got themselves up and went to Mass. Yes, we have our first Mass on Sunday morning at 7:30am. Our priest has to work 2 different parishes and by having it that early he can drive to the other one, come back to ours, and we have another at 11:00am. Today is dh and my day to count money(collection basket and envelopes) at church. We'll have to do that later and... I've got to go now, we're having a nice early spring thunderstorm, complete with lightening and blogger keeps popping up with a message it can't save this post. Goin for now.

All That I Need

Jesus said, "...If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:14-20)

Friends, today, I need a mountain to move. God knows my heart and what this mountain is. I've always been so very private when it comes to my spirituality and rarely share that openly with anyone. I won't go into details because I'm sure it would seem trivial to anyone not walking in my shoes.

The problem is....I don't know if my faith today is as big as a mustard seed. But humbly and openly I am asking for your prayer today for my mountain to move. I am hoping that maybe someone out there in cyberland has many mustard seeds of faith that they can spread over my mountain for me.

Without trying to sound trite because I know you can't hear my words, I would be eternally grateful. And at some point I can maybe share with you some of the things that has led me to this point in my life. Before rumors get started, it has nothing to do with the kids, they're fine! Greg is healthy and well too.

Psalm 131 (New International Version)

My heart is not proud, O LORD,

my eyes are not haughty;

I do not concern myself with great matters

or things too wonderful for me.
But I have stilled and quieted my soul;

like a weaned child with its mother,

like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, put your hope in the LORD

both now and forevermore.

Twitter Help Please!

I have the day off work, been trying to figure out how to Twitter. I set up an account a few weeks ago, I don't know if I am following people or they're following me. I tried to login today and it keeps telling me my password and user id don't match. They sent me an email to change the password, but it takes me to a broken link that won't work. Has anyone else had problems? Do you know how to help me? They are behind in their support issues and I still haven't heard back from them.

It's a gorgeous day here in Mid-Missouri. Absolutely beautiful for the 6th day of March. I STILL have the darn rash. It's slowly creeping around my neck. I think it's better though. And on a much more positive note....the orthodontist told me to make the appointment with the dentist to see where were at. That means that I am almost ready to get my braces off! OH MY golly! It was 2 years in January that I got them on. Of course I'll have retainers indefinitely, but at least I will be able to take them out and put them back in.

Goldilocks is going to a lock-in tonight at her friends church and won't be home until after 8am in the morning. Son #1 is going to a National Junior Honor Society Dance tonight that will last until 10 or so. I am going to try to get dh to watch a movie with me tonight, or at least take me out to dinner. I'm shooting for the latter.

I have heard so much about this book.....anyone read it yet? I picked it up at Tarjay today. Well I did pay for it after all. I do have the receipt. I'll let you know my thoughts after the weekend. I should get in some good reading time tomorrow. NO BASKETBALL GAMES AT ALL. ugh...just practice. but that don't count.

As a side and completely off topic...if you have clicked on any of the buttons on the sidebar and went to Bring the Rain, that is where I found the first two songs that play on my player. I heard them and they just simply move me. Angie Smith has some powerful testimoney if you have the time to jump over to her blog. She has a way of living real and living with God in her life. Take a moment, you'll be glad you did.

I am going to be doing some revamping of the blog soon, new colors, new layout etc. Black is getting depressing to me, but i have so loved the way most of the pics look against the black. Anyhoo, hollerback at me if ya can help me with the Twitter thingy.

Hot here....NOT!!

Today we were blessed with early spring rains and temps in the upper 60's. They're calling for the white stuff tomorrow night, about 1-2" worth. Only in Missouri, only in Missouri. She is such a teasing state to live in. She and mother nature work overtime to keep you guessing what it will be like each and every day. I am a Missourian through and through, born in this state, eons ago, but I've decided over the last two winters that as soon as the kids graduate from high school, we're loadin' up the truck and movin' to Beverly, Hills that is, Swimmin pools, movie stars.

Well, at least to a warmer winter location. Winter never used to bother me in the least, got my 4 wheel drive truck out and away we went, all over KC. But this stinkin less than 32 degrees day in day out gets on your last nerve. I loved the rain today. Smells fresh. Calms you, soothes you, until some idiot slams on his breaks right in front of you on oily pavement. Nice going jerk. How's the weather in Hilton Head about this time of year, Raleigh? Murfreesborough? Y'all have nice drivers there? Save me a spot and leave the light on. I'm on my way.

Yoo hoo? Anybody out there know what the best remedy is for hives? I think that's what's plaguing my neck and shoulder area. It's a rash that is welty all over and itches intensely. I take Benadryl at night, but it lays me out so I can't take it during the day and that's when the itching tunes up. I know they have to run their course, but ye gads, you can only scratch so much.

Goodnight Daddy

This is the Goodnight Daddy bear hugs at our house around 8:30-9:00. As you can see, Stephanie loves her Daddy most in all the world. Ethan, the jealous one decides on occasion he needs a Daddy hug too! Apparently he forgot he's taller than his Daddy!
And his dear father won't admit it either. It's becoming a nightly ritual at our house to measure them. Stephanie will stand on a chair to see who's the tallest. DH got a hair cut today and so we had to measure. Ethan would measure taller even if they had shaved heads. Ethan is a little over 6', otherwise dh is shrinking. Dear Mama stays up too late on the computer to get a goodnight hug, so no pics of her! ttfn, bbbf's and good night all.

The Picture Above

Just a quickie post this am. Ethan off to Jeff City for 2 games today and 2 tomorrow. I couldn't go this morning :( because I have to coach Stephanies game at 11am and Greg is forever working-when doesn't he?

The picture is circa 1968'ish. It is my Aunt who is 9 years older than me and my little sister who was about 5 at the time. It must have been during the school year since I was sporting fabulous attire for the picture. Yeah, right. Look at those knobby knees. Whoa girlfriend! They're so round now you wouldn't know what shape they were.

I loved kitties ever since I can remember. I always had cats around me. I had who knows how many cuz if something happened to one of them, I just got another. We lived in a small town and there were always cats readily available at a moments notice.

Little sister? Quite the brat and that's all I have to say about that, Forrest.

'nough for now, gotta run

Winners and Losers

Did you ever feel like a loser when you were younger, growing up? I did. I always had hand me down clothes, that's what they were called back then. I never got to wear the latest fashion or the cutest styles. Mainly worn out used and faded hand me downs. If I ever did get a new item, it was because it was in the bargain bin at the dime store(remember Ben Franklins and T, G & Y's-yeah I know that really dates me, I digress).

I distinctly remember to this day the desire that consumed me in 4th grade. NO it's not what you're thinking! shame, shame! I wanted a pair of Go-Go boots just like Mary Jo had. She got everything brand spankin new!! I was always jealous of what she wore, the friends she had, everything in her represented in me what I didn't have. As a 10 year old, you haven't discerned yet that God doesn't want you to be jealous of anything or anyone. So I dreamed of having a pair of Go-Go boots. I imagined what I would look like in them, what they would feel like, the sound they would make walking down the hall way at school, the smell of the leather when I opened the box for the first time. I thought about them day and night. Consumed and jealous. My parents in their poverty couldn't afford them and I didn't have a clue that I would not get them. I asked for them on my birthday and got clothes instead. I asked for them at Christmas, believing with all my heart they would be the only thing under the tree since that's all I asked for. Again clothes, no boots. My desire for them was fading as quickly as Mary Jo's boots were wearing out. Spring, then summer came. No boots.

Finally having give up all hope of ever possessing the most stylish white boots ever, I let myself think I was never to own them. Besides, all most none of the other girls my age were wearing their's anymore since the fad had passed and it was summer after all. School was about to start and if I was lucky I would get not one but TWO new outfits to wear and if I was on the top side of extreme luck, one of my new outfits would be sent all the way from the fashionable east coast via my Aunt. About a week before school started, my Mother(God rest her soul) brought to me in our living room a brown paper sack. As I anxiously opened it to see what was inside, I was so surprised to find......you're already ahead of the game here......Go-Go Boots! Yes! but then it hit me. They were not in a box. The did not have the new smell of leather. They were not shiny brand spankin new. The heels were scuffed. They had crinkled on the side. But.....I had a pair of boots!

Fast forward to the first day of school. I was all decked out in my new duds and my so very used Go-Go boots. I went off to school proudly wearing them on my feet(after they had a coat of shoe polish) and thinking I had now joined the "club". I would be one of them. I would be "in". It didn't happen. I was not "in". I was BIG TIME "OUT". I was laughed at all day long and made fun of until I thought I would die from embarrassment. I couldn't wait for the bell to ring and run home(we walked all the way to/from back then) and get them off my feet, tears stinging my eyes all the way home.

I never knew who's hand me down boots they were. But I had a pretty good guess. My parents were friends with Mary Jo's parents. Life's not fair when you're 10. Especially when all you wanted was just a pair of NEW Go-GO boots.

As a side...Stephanie's YMCA team, coached by a wonderful Mom with a penchant for white boots, WON her game this weekend 18-4! WOO HOO TEAM DYNAMITE!!! I have awesome girls that all play well together and want to learn. We've had so much fun this season. So much so, I am going to ask to Coach a team next year too.

Uh, Ethan's travelling team lost all 3 of his tournament games. They stunk! They are all 8th graders and they were tromped by a team of 7th graders! There is heavy duty talent on his team, but lack of desire to win and play intensely from start to finish has kept them in the losers division.

Tonight, I'll end my post by asking you, which would you rather be? A winner or a loser?

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaack!

Time for my hiatus to be over wouldn't ya think? Whew, I sure needed that!

There's no way I can catch you all up on what's been going on with us, so I'll just jump right in where we are.

Ethan is playing in a basketball tournament tomorrow about an hour away and Stephanie has a YMCA basketball game at 2pm here in town. I love basketball just as much as baseball. I ended up being the Coach for Stephanie's team. We're supposed to have some freezing drizzle tonight so we'll see how it all plays out tomorrow.

I think....tomorrow is also Valentines Day....right? Yes, I know it is. Just checking to see if you knew it or not. Got your honey anything? sweeeeeeeeeet!

I can't stop talking about the movie Fire Proof. If you've not had a chance to see it, you should. Rent it, buy it, borrow it, whatever, just watch it KO? Then buy the book if you're married. It's called the LOVE DARE.

Greg and I are taking a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace Seminar at our church and it is very enlightening. Mostly common sense practices for your money, whether you have some or not. It's a 13 week course and the videos are very entertaining. He knows how to catch and keep your attention. If you get a chance to take this seminar/class, I'd highly recommend it as well.

I know I've got a gajillion things to talk about, but seein as how we need to leave at 7ish am, I need to hit the hay stacks for now.

Glad to be back, and I'll try to get some new pictures up soon too.

Lana

Tuesday Ramblings

Sorry guys for not posting the last couple of days. I don't know how these working moms get it all done. I leave the house at 7:30am to take the kids to school and by the time I pick Stephanie up at day care in the afternoon and get home it's close to 5:30-5:45. I usually try to get a load or two of laundry done, run the dishwasher and get supper cooked, served and cleaned up. By then it's almost 7:30 and our nighttime routine begins at 8 when Stephanie has to get in the shower followed by Ethan at 8:30. They're old enough to get their own selves ready to bed now, but the next thing I know it's bedtime for me. I fell asleep on the couch tonight 3 times. Now I'm wide awake. I'll crash in the morning at 5:30 when it's time to get up and start all over again. When do you have time to get anything done at your house (those with kiddo's anyway). My yard is neglected(pool is still up with water infested mosquito hatchery), my house is fairly clutter free, but needs a good cleaning and I just can't find the time. Help....calgon take me away!!!

I talked to my Dad and Grandma tonight. She is doing so much better, but has such a long ways to go. They have finally figured out what she has. It is called Blistering Disease. Don't look that up on Google, you'll be grossed out and it's not curable. They did a CT scan yesterday and took blood samples to see which type it is. Sometimes, this is caused by an internal tumor somewhere, so we're praying that's not the case. AT least her voice sounded good. I won't get to go up and see her for another few weeks or so. I'll keep you posted on what they find out.

Hopefully, I can get the photo's downloaded soon. I need to get caught back up again. I have parade pics and maybe a birthday pic or two. Eventually, I want to put my blogs into a blog book. If you have time, check out blurb.com I think it is to see how to turn your blog into a great book to have for a keepsake.

Okey dokey then. I need to hit the hay. 5:30 comes so early for this night owl.

CAN WE ALL SAY LOTTERY! LOTTERY! LOTTERY! LOTTERY! I need to win part of the powerball so I can work part time and get some sleep and work done around home! lol!!!

bye now, y'all come back now ya here!

Happy Birthday to Me!! Happy Birthday to Me!!!

Yep, today is the big 50! Who knew that 50years could fly by so fast. My mom and my Grandma always have told me to enjoy the time you have each day, because they all go so fast. And how true I'm realizing that is. I don't feel 50. And age is just a number right? Other than being overweight, I still feel like I did when I was in my early 30's. I have always thought that my parents were old, know what I mean? Well just wait until you get to be the age they were when you thought they were old. That's not very funny either. :(

I got to scrapbook yesterday with some gals and it was like heaven! I absolutely love doing that and for 4 1/2 hours we scrapped. Then we all went out with our families to La Hacienda. I had beef nacho's. Yummmmmm. I like other things on the menu too, but just wasn't sure about the carbs. With nacho's, it's cheese and beef, so I'm hoping it wasn't too bad for my diet. When we got done there, Greg, Ethan and I went down and walked across the river bridge. I think if you walk all the way over and back it's a mile. We got to watch a train stop, unload the crew, load up a fresh crew and take off. I had no idea that went on here at Boonville. There was a train coming behind it so as soon as it took off, the other finally started up and came on through. It took about 15-20 minutes for the first one to clear. There were only 3 engines but there were a boatload of coal cars on there. Anyway, it was dark and watching the trains with their lights on and the men with lights walking around was kind of neat.

We came home and Ethan wanted to play Risk. I had never played before and guess what, I WON! Beginner's luck I guess. Stephanie is spending the night with a friend who's also having a birthday. She'll be home sometime this afternoon as we have to count money at church this morning (11am) and won't be done till about 1:00pm. I hate to think about working on my birthday, but I've got a gajillion loads of laundry, dishes, cleaning, and taking down the pool to do. I/m not a procastinator but I have not been home all weekend so off I go to get that done.

Thanks for checking in on us guys.

Busier than...

Whew! We've had a busy week. Yesterday was Homecoming here and I'll have pictures to share soon. I've got them, just don't have time to load them right now. I took off work and went to the parade. Stephanie was dressed in 50's style clothing and walked with her school float. David Barton where she goes has been around 50 years this year, so they are celebrating in a big way. They had a balloon launch on Thursday to kick off and EVERY student in school got a balloon to release. I wish I could have seen that. I made a quick trip to Columbia last night to Hobby Lobby and Michael's for a scrapbook haul. I get to scrapbook today with Stephanie's daycare provider and her Pastor's wife. I haven't got to do that in sooooooooo long. So today I'm working from 8ish to 11ish, scrapbooking from 1-4 and then laundry, dishes cleaning, supper after that.

I FORGOT to let you know how my Grandma was doing. I talked to her Thursday evening and she is so much better. Her skin still hasn't healed but dr's think it's improving. She won't have the biopsy results until this week sometime. Her hip repair is going so great that she can put 50% weight on and it's not hurt in several days now. She finally got to sleep in her bed the other day and she sounded so much better on the phone. Maybe she's on the road to a full recovery after all. Thank you VERY much for all the prayers on her behalf.

Gotta run!

Yo Mon, Jamaican ME CRAZY!!!

BURSTING WITH EXCITEMENT TODAY!!!! Our local radio station KWRT, plays a syndicated national show from about 11am on. Currently, they are qualifying listeners to go on a CRUISE called Classic Country Cruise!
Visit http://www.opry.com/OpryCruise/PortsOfCall.aspx

I am excited for several reasons. I was able to get through the phone lines and get qualified! I had the right answer to the dj's question. The cruise includes airfare as well as one whole week cruising. One of the Ports of Call is where Greg and I went on our honeymoon, Ocho Rios Jamaica. OH MY GOSH would I be so excited if I won. We will be married 15 years this year and what an awesome thing that would be. The trip is in February 8-14 so perfect for Valentines too,(he could cover two romantic dates in one) and we've never been on a cruise before. Don't have a clue what we'd do with the kiddo's, but believe me you, if we win this thing, we're goin! They are going to take more names for another week or so and then they'll have a drawing. Please oh please, if you're the praying person out there reading this, please pray that I win. If you don't pray, could ya just send good vibes my way?

Ok, now that I got that out of the way...Here's Ethan's excitement for the week hopefully. He has been attending and YMCA Youth Fitness class and it isn't too structured or organized, go figure. Anyhoo, Monday afternoon, the instructor took the 4 kids to the creek on the grounds of the Y and let them play around it. Notice I said around. Well, at one point, Ethan jumped across to the other side and got his shoes muddy. He said he knew I'd be mad, so he went to wash them off in the creek water. In the meantime, one of the 5th grade boys, jumped in the sandy/muddy area and sunk up close to his waist. (He got stuck) The instructor thought it was hillarious as did a couple other kids. Ethan went over to this kid and started digging him out of the mud. He had on fairly new clothes and he was trying hard not to get them covered in mud. Apparently, the stuck 5th grader thought it would be oh so funny to get Ethan with mud. He picked up two big handfuls and slopped Ethan with it, all the while Ethan's trying to get him out. (We've had boat loads of rain with Gustav and Ike) He road his bike on home and took off his clothes so he could soak them. I immediately threw the shorts in the washer and soaked his WHITE t-shirt overnight in Oxy Clean. I had to scrub some places pretty hard, but after washing it's wearable. Needless to say, he is not going back to the class. But we were proud of him for stepping in to get the 5th grader out when it should have been on the shoulders of the instructor. Makes you feel good when your teenager does something responsible like that and especially when the adult present didn't know what to do.

Gotta run, it's really late and dieting doesn't work so well if you don't get enough sleep. And I don't want to get run down, you never want to stay on your diet when that happens.

Till next time,
Lana

New Blog and stuff

Hey all, good morning!

I have a new blog. It is going to be devoted entirely to my weight loss journey. They always say to keep a journal, and I know that means what you eat, but I am keeping a log of my gains/losses and all things diet related. I am going to give South Beach a whirl. I know people who've done really well with it. I don't want to pay for Weight Watchers this time.

Ethan has received two more special school awards this week and after last evening, I think he's more than just the average kid. More on that later.

Stephanie and I are going to go shopping for jeans and long pants today. She is excited to be shopping and fall has hit here with cool temps in the morning, enough for a jacket.

With all the negative news in the economy, Greg is busier than ever and people just keep calling for work to be done. Doesn't appear that Boonville is in a downturn just yet. Hope this trend keeps up.

As for me, check out my new blog at
For the Last Time
http://4thelasttimelana.blogspot.com/
Work is great as usual and I mean that. I love my job.

Have a good day, all for now, more on Ethan tonight.

Lana

Fun in the Sun, tee hee tee hee

CHECK THIS OUT!

Yesterday's weather was mild, and for Missouri in September, let's just say it was almost jacket weather. We did not get the pool down before now. Donning swim suits the 2 yayhoos decided to help the water get to somewhere other than our back yard. Our yard does not drain well and it always makes a huge water puddle till it finally starts draining. One would think that one would put the drain hole on the side that flows down and out, not on the uphill side. Go figure. Went in the house for a few minutes to start a load of laundry and I came back out to this....

Good thing our yard backs up to woods. Uh, the trench, hand dug by Ethan was a masterpiece! Not sure how many of the thousands of gallons of chlorinated water ran that way, but I think he was proud of his accomplishment. Before you green savers go harping about the chemicals released into the ground, the only thing I ever put in our pool is the chlorine tabs. The water here is treated with so much stuff, I never have to treat our pool. I do cover it when it rains, but otherwise change a filter 1-2 times a season and we're good to go.

I didn't have the heart to tell her her bucket wasn't big enough :(

Surprisingly, it only took a couple of hours to drain, maybe not quite that long even. And each year I'm getting faster and faster about getting it up. Don't think I'll put it up next year though. With both kids in baseball/softball we just didn't have much free time and when we did it was either raining or too cold. With all the woods near us, we get a whole bazooka load of horse flies and what bigger mosquito trap can you ask for? ahhh, but the kids love it and by the time next year rolls around, I'll have changed my mind and forgot about the woes of this year.

On a final note, PLEASE, PLEASE keep my Grandma Gen in your prayers. She went to the infection disease specialist today and it was not very good news. They now say what she has is NOT shingles but something else. They biopsied her skin in several places and we should know something in 3-4 days. Pray for healing from whatever it is, that it is curable, and her pain to lessen. She is still in a great deal of pain. The hip surgery went fine and she got a glowing report from that doctor. Thank you, and I'll keep you posted.

Good Saturday Morn'in to ya!

I've got a few more pictures to share but more on that later. I FINALLY GOT TO SLEEP IN TODAY! Anyone who really knows me, knows that I am NOT a morning person. Greg didn't even wake me up when he got up before dawn to go to work. There is nothing better in my world than sleeping in. I love being up late at night when it's quiet. I know, I know, ya all say it's just as quiet before sunrise. But when you have kiddo's, you know they'll stay in bed at 9pm, but in the morning, they could wake up and ruin that quiet time. Don't get me wrong I love my kids, but there's a reason for the quiet time too. Besides, I had to reserve my energy ;) we are going to work 8 hours at the Steam Engine Show with the Knights of Columbus. We are by far the youngest couple to help out, uhmmmm, ok, Greg is the youngest. We serve fried chicken, pork steak, catfish, and all the fixin's. So if you're in the area of I-70 and Brady Showgrounds by Columbia, stop by. It's a whole lot of fun for the family. Many things for the younger crowd to do.



Can't get a picture of an almost 14 year old, otherwise I'd show you why I'm proud of Ethan this week. I have to brag just a wee bit. All in one week, he received the highest honor at school for respectful, responsible and honorable in his actions. For that it was High Flyin' Hawk award. He received a nomination for the Y-Pals program in which a teacher nominated him for this program. In that, he will mentor to a younger child through the YMCA. He also achieved all A's on his homework this week, managed to get all his chores done, and attended 3 nights of class for youth fitness. Yep, I guess we're doing the right thing with him. And you will never hear him toot his horn, so I guess it's ok that Mom does once in a while.



Now for the pictures.....

Let me explain. I know you know that it's a penguin who's arms wilted and a dragon made from balloons. The story behind them is: Last Saturday night, Greg drove all the way to St. Joseph with the kids to meet me at the hospital where I was seeing my Grandma. They had stopped in Kansas City to eat supper, that I knew. He had called me and I met him out in front of the hospital, (they didn't get there until 11:30pm). The kids were waving these things out the window. I said, "Where did you get those?" Ethan said, "WALLY'S BALLOON WORLD". huh? I never heard of the place, so I said where did you eat then? He replied again, "Wally's Balloon World." I asked what kind of food a balloon place served. It was then Stephanie burst out laughing and said, "We ate at Joe's Crab Shack, Mom." Just so happened they had a balloonist(I don't know what they're called)making anything a kid wanted. They had more fun watching him create them than the experience of eating at Joe's.

Here's a quick video of Ethan and Stephanie at the hotel pool in St. Joe this past weekend. He was trying to splash big and she was trying to float upside down. Mission accomplished I think.

It's off to do the Saturday morning chores which I hate with a passion, but thankful I am healthy and able to do them and that I have a home and the mess to clean. Some people are not so lucky, and I am truly blessed with what I have. Till next time, Lana.

Finally getting back

Been gone a while again. Lots always happen'in. This past weekend my Grandma fell, broke her hip and ended up in the hospital having surgery last Saturday morning. That went exceedingly well and she was released on Tuesday of this week. But.....she has a horrendous case of shingles that has just about put her down and out. She could still use all the prayers she can get not only for her hip healing but the end of the shingles. She's had to live with them since late spring. She will 84 in November. She has ALWAYS been like a Mother to me. I am so close to her and it was all too familiar having to go to the hospital to see her in that condition. My mom died November 10, 1992(T-cell Lymphoma). I really love my Grandma, please pray for her.

Now for the picture deluge.
Know what these are? Umm hmm. That's right, THE SPINNERS! Ok, Santa Claus, this year when Stephanie asks for "Wheelies" can you make sure the elves package up exactly what she asks for. Let's just say Spinners were not only what she didn't ask for, but they ended up costing mom and dad a small boat load of cash at the ER office!







Moving on...I always make the kids pose for the first day of school pics. As each year passes, it's getting harder and harder for them to be excited however. This year was no exception. Here's a few of the better ones.





We caught this thing and kept it in a bug catcher for 2 or 3 days! Well, I admit I didn't catch it. Ethan and Stephanie did. They nabbed a grand daddy long leg, a cricket and a roly poly bug and tossed them in with it. We wanted a show. Bets were on as to whose demise would come first. At first both spiders checked each other out, but immediately the "garden spider" started webbing. I use the term garden spider loosely because that's what Greg said it was. He tells me stuff like that even if it's not the truth;) On about the third day he appeared to be dying, so we made the kids turn all the critters loose. I put him/her back by the window where we'd found it and within 24 hours it was webbing all over the window again. I suppose he lived. Haven't seen him since.(thank goodness)
Check out the zig zag cotton it was weaving! cool huh?
















Greg and Ethan were having a discussion at supper the other night and I just happened to have the camera nearby. Stephanie soaks up daddy's love any chance she gets, and after supper is as good as time as any. Gotta catch him before desk work. She was having so much fun while they were deep in politics, or maybe it was girls outnumber boys in his pre-algebra class.







I found this really neat counter on the net the other day and it tells you how many hits you have on your blog and whether they are unique hits or return visitors. I am amazed at the number! Kind of neat for the geek in me! Anyhoo, gotta toodle.

By the way, out of the blue here, how old were you, or your kids when Santa Claus really came out of the closet ;) ;)

Worlds of Fun On a Blistering Hot Day!!!

Ok, go back a day or two. Remember the Barbie stewardess in Toy Story who was riding in the car and was waving and saying bye now, buh bye, byyyye byyyye, that's all, bye bye and holding her hand just so the entire time. (Think Barbie voice) Well, that's the wave the boys were giving me going around in circles on their trustworthy steeds!
A little Barbie wave from Stephanie with the good arm.
Us'uns girls tried to catch them boys in their toy, but dawg gone it, ours just didn't have the stuff. We managed to get the nerds taking pictures of us though!
I sure hope if you click on the above picture it will reopen in the larger size because in the very front seat was Stephanie and Greg. They rode ALL the roller coasters! She enjoyed them all and her fav was the Patriot.
This was the old Finnish Fling that's been there since day one I think. Even Ethan finally got in the action on this one. By then I was down at the picnic tables holding multiple stuffed animals, drink bottles, camera, purse, and other stuff, so I didn't get him in this thing. Greg said it's a good ride to pull the hair off your legs. humph!

That Sunday we were there was the hottest day of the year and I swore I won't ever do that again. Might as well go out and lay in the street naked on pavement on a hot day, at least it's right out your front door and doesn't cost an arm and a leg to park your vehicle.

As you can see by the dates in the pictures, I'm slowly catching up. Not there yet.

I've got a new book to start, well actually two. Randy Pausch's, The Last Lecture and The Ends of the Earth by Ken Follet. One easy reader, one not. Judging by the time I can't start them tonight either. Ahhhh, such is life.

The rest of the sites

Pictures of Cape to share. The top 2 are of the murals painted on the flood walls of the riverfront. The wall is over 7000 feet long I think and the murals depict Cape's history and famous Missourians on the Wall of Fame. It's really interesting if it's not one of the hottest days of the year to visit. You can see how high the floods were during different years. Of course '93 topped them all. The bottom two were on the back side of the levee wall.

On from there we traveled to Burfordville, where only 1 of a few covered bridges are still standing in Missouri. Very nice off the beaten path kind of place. Only take the tour if you're really interested in history of the mill, it lasts almost an hour!

Another hot spot was Elephant Rocks State Park. If you're in to hiking and climbing and big honkin' rocks....GO, you'll have a great time. I didn't get into the whole elephant thing so I didn't get the best picture of the "elephant". If you study the picture below, you can make out the elephant and his ears/trunk in the red rock to the left.

We've had quite the busy schedule and finally I think we're settling in to our school routine. Ethan is not going out for football, so fall should be a little more relaxed for us. Maybe I can catch some craft shows, Hatton anyone?

Hopefully, I'll get the rest of the pictures posted this weekend and get up to the first day of school this past week. Stephanie really likes her teacher and Ethan uh, well not so fun when you're an 8th grader and all the fun stuff has been taken out by a drill seargent of a principal. 'nough said.

Till next time, Lana

Continuing on....

A little chubby baby anyone? Maybe it's a Kempf thing? Or is this just a good pic to hold over them someday! lol! The girls and Elaine had to head back home after a awesomely fun week! Even though we hate to see them leave, it was time to prepare for the weekend as we headed to Chaffee Missouri to play in the Junior Babe Ruth 13 year old State Tournament. This was Ethan's first year to be housed. When players at this age go to State, Regionals or Nationals, they have host families who volunteer to house the boys. The tournament saw a lot of rain off and on and one afternoon lightening struck the ground behind 2nd base. It burnt the grass and made a hole in the ground. The hole was very hot for quite a while afterward.

If you ever go to Cape Girardeau down in the bootheel, you have to go see some of the sites. They have a beautiful bridge spanning the Mississippi, especially the night pictures.
St. Vincents is on the trail as you walk towards the bridge. You have to fight the "skeeters" and take this walk. It is lighted and so close to the river and with everything lit up....it's just the coolest. More site pictures next time.