Friday Feast (late again)

Feast One Hundred & Seventeen

Appetizer Create a new candle scent.
They probably have this somewhere, but a warm baked brownie smell would be great!

Soup Name one way you show affection to others.
Well, I didn't used to be a huggy person except to Tim and my kids, but I am getting more huggy these days. I do like to cook for people I care about. Nothing major, but I like to make brownies or a simple dinner. Maybe that is why I would like a brownie candle!

Salad What is your favorite writing instrument?
my computer - seriously, I have nearly forgotten how to write in cursive. My hand starts to hurt if I write too long. I prefer to type anything even a grocery list.

Main Course If you were given $25 to spend anywhere online, from which site would you buy?
I could probably find a scrapbooking store online, but most likely I would get something from Amazon. They have lots of stuff to choose from.

Dessert Are you dressing up for Halloween? If so, what are you going to be?
Yes, I am dressing up as the "Mom that takes her kids trick or treating"! How is that for a costume? My sister, Michelle, did buy me a cute halloween top that I will be wearing.

Our trip to Williamsburg...

So, my mom, my sister Michelle, Savannah and I flew to Williamsburg last week. We took two planes and then rented a car and drove 3 hours to see my nieces. They go to school at Liberty. We met them at Applebee's for dinner. My niece, Tabitha, brought her future inlaws to meet us. It was a nice dinner and fun to meet Tabi's "other" family. BTW, Tabi is the one with the wax lips. She loves to eat wax, so Michelle brought her those. We finished dinner and headed back to the hotel to catch Grey's Anatomy and McDreamy. After that we left my mom to sleep and we went back to see the girls' house. It was so cute that I told them we had to bring Grandma back in the morning. We headed back to the hotel and talked for awhile longer. The next morning we did take my mom back and I took a few pictures of her with Sarah and Tabi. Then we said our goodbyes and headed back to Williamsburg. I had printed directions, but somehow I don't think we followed them right or something. I don't know. We got lost, but it was an INCREDIBLE journey! We ended up on the road that the Civil War ended on. I saw a historic marker and pulled off to find that we were where General Lee surrendered to General Grant. The road is supposed to be the same as it was back then. They had 13 soldiers buried there and lots of information to read. It was so very interesting and the day was just beautiful. We left there and went winding up and down roads with the most wonderful fall color. I haven't see autumn like that is a very long time. It was just amazing. We did finally find our way back to Williamsburg. It took longer, but was extremely worth it. We headed over to the Trellis to have a dessert for dinner. Isn't that a good thing? Savannah and I shared Death By Chocolate. When we finished there, we had reservations for a Mysteries, Legends, and Ghost walk that Colonial Williamsburg does. It was very interesting. We got to go to three different spots and had a person dressed in that time tell us a story. After a long day, we headed back to the hotel. The next day we went to Colonial Williamsburg. We got there in time to hear Thomas Jefferson speak. I thought it was great, but Savannah was a little bored. We headed to the Cheese Stop and got sanwiches. They do have great sandwiches to whomever told me to go there. The rest of the day we wandered in and out of the different buildings and saw some of the Revolutionary Show they put on there. I liked what we saw, but I have to say it was different then I imagined. I think I have been to Disney World too may time and am used to things on a the GRAND Disney scale. Williamsburg is true to the time and a much smaller level of entertainment. That is not to say it is not good, just different. We made reservations to see another nighttime show called Mama Said, Papa Said. That had different slaves sharing the wise stories they had been told as children. We really enjoyed this. Afterward, the cast came out and talked with everyone and posed for pictures. The one woman in the picture with Savannah was named Venus in the show. She was so lively and fun to watch. This was a huge highlight of our trip. If you ever go, you have to do the night shows. They are just great. We headed to Cracker Barrel for a late dinner. They were having a sidewalk sale!!! I never knew they did that... what great deals they had! On Sunday, we were supposed to go to Yorktown, but it was rainy and cold. We decided to go to the outlet mall to find Savannah a belt. I had forgotten to pack it and she really needed one. We shopped a little there and found some great things for the kids. Next we went to the Yankee Candle store. This is not your typical Yankee Candle store like in the mall. It is HUGE! It had all sorts of things including a Christmas room that has "snow". We also found where you could dip a candle that you choose into candle colors. Savannah made one for herself and one for her brother. Best of all it was so reasonable in price at only $3 per candle. I think this was a big highlight for her. Next, we went to a small homemade craft store. I love these kinds of shops. So much to look at and all very different. After a long day shopping, we opted for pizza in the room. What is better than a day of shopping, pizza in bed with your warm jammies on? On Monday, we decided to head to the Old Chickahominy House for lunch. I had heard they were great and not to be missed. It is an old plantation style house with lots of antiques and odds and ends for sale. This part was really nice. I found a few things I "had" to have. BUT... the food was AWFUL!!! I mean really, really bad. I thought maybe it was me, but my mom hated hers too and there was another man that refused to eat what he had gotten too. I would still say to stop in and shop, but I would never eat there again. We left there and headed on to Jamestown Settlement. We all really loved Jamestown. It was very cool. Savannah and I had read so much about the Indians and Jamestown and it felt like it was all coming together for us. The people showed us how to shoot, blacksmith, make rope, carve arrowheads and more. We got to go on a replica ship. The people that worked there are so interesting to listen too. If you go to this area, I would say Jamestown is a must even over Colonial Williamsburg. They just opened a pretty extensive museum this month too. We left there and headed to dinner, then back to the hotel and jammies. It was getting COLD!!! On Tuesday morning, we packed up the car and went back to spend the day at Colonial Williamsburg. This time we saw more things than our first day. My mom treated us all to a carriage ride. I thought Savannah would turn inside out waiting for our time to go. She was so excited because she is in love with horses at the moment. Our horses were named Jack and Jill. We also went on a tour of several of the homes including the Governor's Palace. These buildings were really something to see. We made another stop for sandwiches and then we shopped a little in Merchant's Square. I wish we had more time to shop there, but it was all we had. We got in our rental and headed back to the airport. It really was the most amazing trip. I am so glad that we decided to just go ahead and do it. I think it will be one of those things we always remember and think back to how nice it was to take a trip with just the girls.

One hundred and fifty things...

The object of this list is to highlight the things that you have done.

Feel free to borrow this and complete it on your blog.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain (does it count that it has steps and a path)
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree-------for photo purposes only :o)
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game (and survived the crush afterwards)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day (not really an accent, but my friend Angie and I pretended to be deaf at a auction place once when we were about 11. We were complete goofballs the entire afternoon.)
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero - Patty and I had a tree when we were kids. We would climp and sit in the branches. Then we would eat tiny tarts (do they still make those?) and pretend it gave us super powers.
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites - Not sure what Ancient equals in dates, but saw the ruins in St. John
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married-----June 9th, 1990
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage (Does the 3rd grade play count?)
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music (sure off the radio when I was a kid)
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents - My dad in 1998
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children - still raising!
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair (not really a street fair, but the flea market)
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

Friday Feast

Feast One Hundred & Sixteen
These are leftovers from the 10/15/2004 Feast. The Chef is busy and tired. Thanks for playing!

Appetizer
What is your favorite beverage?

Water

Soup
Name 3 things that are on your computer desk at home or work.

School books, printer paper, picture of me and Tim

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how honest do you think you are?

Hmmm... I would say a 9.

Main Course
If you could change the name of one city in the world, what would you rename it and why?

It has been a long travel day for me. I couldn't come up with anything. I asked my mom and sister (who are traveling with me) and they couldn't come up with anything either. Sorry!

Dessert
What stresses you out? What calms you down?

I say this in the nicest possible way - my kids stress me out - that doesn't mean I don't love them and adore them - but they do stress me out at times. Talking to Tim calms me down, chocolate calms me down and a quarter of a xanax is a great, great thing for being calmed down! LOL!

Savannah's Birthday Party

This past Saturday we had Savannah's birthday party with all her friends. She wanted a Horse themed party because she really likes the Saddle Club show on Discovery Kids. I was really surprised to find that they don't really sell all that much for horse themed parties. I sorta thought that was a traditional girl request at some time or another. Anyway, we did find some cute plates and napkins - they were out of the banner stuff, but we survived. I wasn't planning on doing a craft at her party this year, but she was really bummed when she heard that. After some quick thinking I came up with making necklaces. Savannah has tons of beads to make things with. I bought these large flat beads for them to put horse stickers on. That didn't work out because we couldn't get the string through the beads. Oh well, they made necklaces without horses and were happy anyway. Am I a bad mom if I say I wasn't planning to do a pinata this year either? Yep, I figured we had done at least 4 years of pinatas and they would be tired of it. NOPE! Off we went in search of a horse pinata. We didn't find an actual horse, but we found a kind of My Little Pony one and she was happy to get that. I have to say the girls always love the pinata and I don't know what I was thinking in not getting one. Remind me of that next year, okay? Our next game was with sugar cubes (you know how horses like sugar cubes?). I had them do a relay race stacking sugar cubes on a spoon. They seemed to think that was fun, but really they were all very excited to EAT a sugar cube! How funny! We had cake and ice cream and opened presents. The rest of the time they just played. It wasn't as busy as some of our parties have been with planned things, but they are all older now. They just assume go off and play and that works for me. The last think I did, I don't have a picture of... but I took a bandana and wrapped a toy horse and some other stuff in it sort of like a napsack. They all got a kick out of getting a new bandana - especially the brownies that are headed to camp this weekend. They need a bandana to tie their water cup to their belt loop. It was a fun party!

Sweetest Day - October 18th, 1986 - Twenty years ago...

Twenty years ago on this night, my wonderful husband, Tim, asked me to "go with him". I really had no idea where we would be going at that time. For the story of how we met the month before, click HERE. So, I was 14 years old and he was 15 years old at the time. We had just started our freshman year of highschool. My best friend, Patty, was having a Sweetest Day party. I can't for the life of me remember if there were any other guys there besides Tim. I know Patty and Jorgena were there, but I am not sure who else there was. I know at least a few other people. We were going to have pizza and watch a movie - Caddyshack. Patty had a tv room that was actually a bedroom down the hall. I remember coming down the hall to get some pizza and my friends LITERALLY pushing me back down the hall to where Tim was in the tv room. I was like - what the heck is up with you guys??? So, there we sat on the shaggy carpet leaning up against the couch. Caddyshack was on and we were both really quiet. He took my hand and asked me if I would go with him. OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! This was too good to be true... I was so happy and so excited and I wanted to jump up and down and I wanted to yell at the top of my lungs that I was Tim's Girlfriend! I had never had a real boyfriend before that. Sure a few tiny crush type things, but not a boyfriend. My life changed in that moment. God put the two of us together and in that small, quiet, awkward moment, sitting on the shaggy carpet, leaning up against a couch, watching Caddyshack... our lives were changed forever. I did eventually run down the hall to the kitchen to tell my friends. There were lots of squeals and giggles. Since then, 20 years have passed. We have 3 beautiful children here on Earth and 1 angel baby in Heaven. We have bought houses and gone to school and taken trips and fought like cats and dogs and made up. We have laughed and we have cried. We have been so excited and so scared. We have been a family. We have been blessed. I love you, sweetie, I am so thankful for the last twenty years that words cannot even begin to describe how I feel.

Free Hugs

Somebody posted this on the homeschool board I read. It has been a tough day here. Somehow this video helped! I am not sure I would actually hug a perfect stranger, but after seeing this... it sure made me think. Enjoy!

Another Friday Feast a Week Late

Somehow I forgot to do last week's Friday Feast. I was just over reading my sister-in-law's blog and remembered. It is a week late, but I am sure you all are dying to know the answer to these questions.

Feast One Hundred & Fourteen
Appetizer Name a song you know by heart.

Lots of songs. Most I need the music to go with to help me remember. These are not popular songs, but lately I have been rocking Sebastian before he takes a nap or goes to bed at night. He loves when I sing Teddy Bears Picnic. I also sing You Are My Sunshine, Hush Little Baby, 12345, Sara Sponda, Rock A Bye Baby... well you get the idea. I can't even begin to think of other more radio music I know.

Soup What will you absolutely not do in front of another person?

There are many things I couldn't do in front of just ANY person. I can't actually think of too many that I wouldn't do in front of Tim and/or Sebastian who happens to be glued to me most of the time. My only one I wouldn't do in front Tim is poop... sorry you asked! Sebastian even accompanies me to the potty! Someday soon I will get to go potty alone again.

Salad How often do you use mouthwash and what kind do you like?

Not very often, but when I do, I use the Walmart Brand of Scope that Tim uses.

Main Course Finish this sentence: I am embarrassed when...

I used to get embarrassed all the time. You could always tell because my face turned red. Somewhere around the time I turned 30, I got better at not letting that happen. I can't think of a specific thing that would embarass me at the moment. I will have to ponder that one.

Dessert What was the last food you craved?

Right this very minute I am craving what I am going to make for dinner. I tried a Rachel Ray recipe a few weeks ago for a French Dip Sandwich. It was so GOOD! I am making it again tonight and I have been thinking about it all day.

Wow! That didn't take long at all...

I did it! I did it! I did it! Yes, I want to run around and tell everyone! I figured out how to add my own images... Okay, just enjoy my excitment even if you don't get it! It was super, super easy... maybe I should go into web design - just kidding! Enjoy my fall colors and maybe I will find some really pretty Christmas design for my upcoming changes.

I changed my format again...

Do NOT ask me why I was googling for free blog formats after midnight last night Hadn't I been up since very, very early and hadn't put on a birthday party, only to leave for another birthday party that evening? I was TIRED! No, make that EXTREMELY TIRED! This is what happened... for some really unknown reason the graphics on my blog were not showing on my laptop. None of my sidebar was there. I looked on our desk computer and they were there. Being the obsessive person that I am, this was making me nuts. I hate it when I can't figure these computer things out. Then I get to thinking that, you - my fellow readers - may be missing my sidebar too. Then you may be wondering where the heck it went and that my lead you to wonder if I ever plan to fix it or possibly you could just be like me and it could bug the heck out of you all DAY long! Or maybe you will stop reading my blog and then I would be sad... I love to see how many people came to read my blog each day. I am wondering if this is a new addiction people have - checking their blog counter for that little piece of satisfaction. Then I worry that those who read my blog, who may stop reading it, may miss some really important thing I might type like Sebastian ate the mail today or Savannah made every Winter Promise paper project this week. What would I do if you missed that? I am not certain you could continue a full and good life without my stories. THEN... I would feel guilty that I did that to you and my life would take a turn for the worse and it would be so sad. I may end up on the street with no hope - okay, probably not because I really like my home and I would probably just be sad and leave it at that. You get the idea... Oh, this could go on and on...Gee, this is starting to sound like that book If You Give A Mouse a Cookie! All of this led to me deciding to find a Autumn looking blog template. I did find one. Here is the problem though. It gives you the basic look I have now, but the pretty pictures I have to put on a web hosting site like flickr.com or something like that. I did this once before when I posted trip pictures on a forum last year. I need to retrace my steps, figure out how to upload the graphics, then fix the html code on my template and THEN my autumn blog may have pictures. Sounds really simple, right? Oh where are those teenage boys when I need them? I am fairly certain they could figure this out much quicker than I could. I am on a mission for fall leaves... stay tuned!

Friday Feast

One Hundred & Fifteen
Appetizer Approximately how many hours per week do you spend reading other blogs?

Hmmm... probably an hour a week on blogs - don't ask me about the homeschooling message board I read... I am not naming an amount of time.

SoupYour community wants everyone to give one thing to put into a time capsule. What item would you choose to include?

We just got the kids yearbook from this year. All of my kids were in it, even Sebastian. It is a great story of all the things that filled their year.

Salad What is the most interesting tourist attraction you've ever visited?

As much as I loved visiting St. John - I would still have to say Disney World is more interesting. Simply because there are way more things to do there. Although all the snorkeling is really interesting in St. John.

Main Course If you could give an award to anyone for anything, who would it be and what would the award be titled?

This is easy... BEST HUSBAND AWARD - it has been a rough week and he has held me close and let me know it would all be okay.

Dessert What do you think your favorite color reveals about your personality?

I used to love blue more than anything. I still do love blue, but Savannah loves red and the more time she has been in my life - I notice I tend to love red more because it reminds me of her spirit. I guess the color says I am in love with my amazing daughter.

Hey... Tusie Leann... I ate it all up... all gone!!!

My sister, Leann, sent Sebastian some organic baby food when she mailed his birthday present. She knew he was an extremely picky eater and thought maybe this would be something to try. I casually opened the container and sat it next to him at dinner time. I knew if I made a fuss and told him how GOOD it was, he would never eat it. I knew if I put it ON his plate, he would never eat it. I knew it had to be a subtle thing sitting on the table that would grab his attention and he would think he had found something all on his own? Are there any other parents out there that have strange kids like this one? He is very peculiar about the whole eating thing. He only likes a handful of things and I know people always tell me... he will eat if he is hungry enough. Yeah, right. I have tried not giving him the 5 things he likes thinking he will eventually get hungry enough to try something new. HA! HA! He would go days and not eat. I am not kidding you. I haven't taken his milk away only because I know what a fuss that would cause. He only drinks skim milk. Last February, I was dying from a cold. I ran out of whole milk and gave him the skim milk that everyone else drinks. I know this may not be nice to say about my baby, but he was crabby his whole first year of life. He whined every evening for what seemed like forever. Then I gave him only skim milk for a few days. Not because I was trying to figure his whining out, but because I was too sick to get to the store for whole milk. This child changed overnight. Suddenly, he would play with a toy occasionally and he was not whining. I finally did make it to the store and I gave him one bottle of whole milk - by that afternoon he was whining again. That was it - no more whole milk for this child. His doctors all say he needs it because he is quite skinny, but I don't care what they say. I would rather have a happy and skinny child than a normal weight and crabby child. Anyway, thanks for sending the organic baby food Leann. He loved it and I am so relieved to have one more food to add to his list.

Boy, it sure is nice to have family and friends that love you...

Well, I posted my post on Monday and by evening time my friend, Jorgena, had called me. She had read my blog that morning and then checked it once again before she left for work. She called to see if I was okay. I poured out my thoughts and concerns to her and she listened just like she has since we were 12 years old. She didn't take offense that I said I wanted to stay home when she is a working mom. She didn't tell me I should take the other job. She just listened to me. When I was done babbling about my issues, she told me that her little boy, T.J. is having a kidney biopsy on Friday. I sat there stunned. I knew that T.J. had this illness that effects his kidneys. I knew a biopsy was possible. All of a sudden, my work problem seems so very small. I can't imagine how scared she is about her little 4 year old boy being sick. I have great faith he will be okay and if you are inclined to pray for him, please, please do so. I have a very good friend that I met in the lunchroom back in Junior High so many years ago. Please, God, heal her little boy and give Jorgena and Tim the strength to get through. Later that night, my other sister, Leann, called me. We have a good relationship, but we don't really talk all that much. Not because there is anything wrong, we just don't seem to call one another to chat. She reads my blog daily. She saw my post and then she called. I talked her ear off. Leann may be losing her job too, but she still listened to me. I have a good, good sister that is praying for me everyday. Later that night, I saw an email from my sister-in-law, Karen. She had read my blog and sent me a letter to tell me that she, my other sister-in-laws Jennifer and Crystal were praying for me. The next day my ex-boss and friend, Linda, called just to check on me. We talked for quite awhile and we told each other we were still friends. What a nice thing for her to do. Monday evening, my friend Susie had called. We talked for awhile and I told her what had happened. She was very nice and tried to offer me some ideas of what we could do. She saw some of our mutual mom friends and filled them in. I found a realtor price comparison in my email box from one of those friends. She knew I would probably be wanting that and she took the time to get it right to me and send me some really nice words. I also received an email from Cheri - the nice lady that made Savannah's dress. She emailed to tell me she would pray for me. How sweet was that? I have never even met her, but she took the time to send me a nice note and pray for me. Today, my friend, Vickie, came to pick Savannah up for her science class. She told me how sorry she was about my job and she really meant it. It was nice to see her and hear that somebody else was thinking about me. Then, today, I went to my mailbox and found a card. My sister, Michelle, that lives literally less than a mile from me had mailed me a beautiful card. Wow! How great of a sister is that? Of course, my mom has listened to me call her about every hour these last 3 days to just keep talking through all the thoughts going through my head. I gotta love my mom. Then there is my husband. He has been so wonderful. I point blank asked him if he was sure that he was okay we me staying home without a job, even if that meant moving. I asked him again and again and again. Yes, I really am obsessive at most things. He told me he was sure that was where he wanted me to be and we would do whatever that would take. How can you not feel loved by that? So, today, this week, I have seen and felt how many people love me and care about me and pray for me... what an awesome feeling that is!

Change is in the air...

Yesterday, I posted about my company picnic. I said I worked there for 12 years. Today, I was laid off or whatever you want to call it. Where do I start? 12 years ago, I guess. Back then, I had been working full time for a non-profit place. Timmy was 5 and started Kindergarten. I had arranged it to where I could leave early twice a week to pick him up. Then one October day, my new supervisor said I COULD NOT leave. Ummm... what was my 5 year old supposed to do? Walk home alone. After a quick phone call to Tim and a quick response from him that I should quit. I did quit. I applied for a lot of office type jobs over the next couple weeks. I was 22 and didn't have too much experience in anything. Finally, I found this part-time job ad and I went apply. The day of my interview, I sat in the parking garage and prayed. I asked God to please give me a decent job that allowed me to only work while Timmy was in school. I had no idea when I walked in that I would find this guy, Adam. He was my age, finishing up his accounting degree and a newlywed. He was a wonderful Christian and he believed (still does) in family. Before I knew it I was telling him how I really wanted to be more available to my son and that was why I only wanted to work part-time. He never told me this, but I suspect Adam liked me more because of all the babbling I did about taking care of my son. Adam was my boss for the next 3.5 years. He became a very good friend and taught me many things - one of which was to stay out of credit card debt. He showed me through an accountants eyes how evil interest is. When he quit, I thought my perfect job would fall away. I worked 9-3, while Timmy was in school and sometimes I wrote up journal entries at home. My new boss, Bill stepped in. While we were never best of friends, he was a decent guy to work for. He didn't have kids, but he was generally easy to get along with. Things went well for a number of years. About the time he came to work there, I told our big boss that I wanted to get in on the telecommuting program. I was expecting Savannah and we knew we wanted to homeschool. He listened to me and by April of 2000 I was working from home most of the time. We were happily homeschool and working from home when along came 9/11. My company is a financial company. It took a downturn like so many did. My nice little accounts payable job was to be merged with the bigger accounting dept. I thought it was over then, but the two bosses figured it out. They moved me to another area and took an in office job and converted it to telecommuting. That was in May of 2002. Since then, I have been working for Linda who just happens to be one of my best friends. We had been sitting by each other way back 11 years ago. We would chat on and off all day and just grew to have a great friendship. I was estatic to work for her. Over the last 4 years, my job has changed and I have changed. I had another baby and Savannah is doing more school than before. I am older and more tired too. We had talked about moving away, but we always said I had a dream job. Who would leave a dream job where you can work from home and be with your kids? Today, the big people at the top decided it was time to make some more cuts. People like me that have cushy, easy jobs seem like the people to cut. I really can understand that. My good friend and boss, Linda, had tears in her eyes when she told me and I felt bad for her. Afterall, she is my friend. It was hard on her. I didn't react the way I thought I would. Sure I cried a little especially when I would look Linda in the eye. Then I felt so sad. At the same time, I felt relief. I felt like we could make new plans and didn't always have to say, "we can't because Kari has a dream job". They did offer me another position in the same department, but I would have to work full time in the office. I know a lot of you do that and raise kids. I can't. I guess I could, but I don't want to. I have one son almost grown. I see how very fast they grow up. I have one son that is just 2. I do not want to and I will not miss these years. I guess if we are starving, we will have to do something, but not today. I think of Debi and how she only had so little time on this Earth. I won't spend it away from my kids. I told Linda that I was lucky for all the years I had such a great job and for that I am thankful. I don't hold bad feelings for the company or my bosses. They were all very good to me. I left there and headed to Tim's work to meet him for lunch. When I told him, I cried. He hugged me and told me we would be just fine. I told him about the other job offer and he said that really wasn't an option. I married a good guy. Some guys would say well, duh, take the job. He said that he would rather move away than put our kids in public school and daycare. He is a good, good dad and husband. I told my mom and she said she would watch the kids and homeschool Savannah for me if she had to. She also said she would move wherever we need to go. Then my sister, Michelle, called and told me she was sorry and not to let it get me down. God always has a plan. I am blessed with such a family. So, today change is in the air. I can feel it on the wind and I know that God has a plan just like He did that day I sat in the parking garage and prayed.

My company family picnic...

I work for a fairly large company - something like 1500 people. In the past, every other year, they had a family picnic. For some reason they skipped an extra year, but finally they brought it back this year. I really look forward to the family picnic. On the off years they do the fancy, smancy Christmas Party. I have worked there for 12 years and never attended the Christmas Party. It is just not really mine and Tim's thing. We have gone to every family picnic though. It is lots of food, games, rides, and prizes. We used to take Timmy when he was younger, then we added Savannah in. This year was the first time Sebastian got to go. I wasn't sure how he do, but he was great! He walked the huge park area like a trooper. He played games, ate his first snowcone, a cookie, a hot dog, a bag of chips and a cup of Sierra Mist. That is A LOT for a kid that never eats! Savannah had a friend spend the night on Friday, so we brought her with. I think that made it even better for Savannah. She had a buddy to pal around with and ride the rides, etc. Now, my husband is also a sucker for carnival games. Never mind they are simple ones because my company expects you to win prizes. They pay for them and they had every one out by the end of the picnic. He doesn't care. We got there and he wanted to get right over to the games to be sure "our kids" got the nice stuff before they were gone. I know that makes him sound greedy. He really isn't. You have to look at it the other way that he wanted the kids to get some fun prizes and make them happy. They managed to win smaller monkeys and pretty large gorillas. Along with a lot of other little odds and ends. They rode ponies, spinning stawberries and climbed all sorts of those blow up air things. In between, they feasted on snow cones, cotton candy, cookies, hot dogs, chips, and soda. I know... if you are a health food nut... please disregard that. When we left they got to take a mini pumpkin home. They could have painted it there, but it was just so darn hot. We just decided to decorate them at home. It was a nice day, except a little hot. I am thinking November would be better in Florida. Oh well, nice anyway. You know why I think I look forward to family picnics like this so much??? When I was a kid, my mom and dad belonged to the 3rd Ward Club. It was a social club and in the summer they had family picnic. I remember my dad giving us tickets and we could get so much ice cream and ride the spinning rides. I remember looking for change in a hay stack and playing bingo with my mom. Those picnics were some of the absolute best days of my life. There is just nothing like those memories. I was a super lucky kid to get to do those things. I hope my kids remember these company picnics where their dad was determined to golf the hole in one game until he one them the prize and how many times they road the ponies and well you get the idea.

Proud Birthday Plate Makers

I came across this picture I forgot I had taken. My mom and Savannah put together our homemade Jack's Big Music Show party plates. I had them pose for a picture to show off their wonderful handy work!

In My Daughter's Eyes

Music Video

Savannah is 8 years old today...

Savannah is 8 years old today. I don't know how it happened, but somehow she keeps growing up. Each of my children's births were wonderful days for me, but Savannah's was different than the boys. Grant me a trip back to before she was born... In 1995 I had a miscarriage. I was sad and angry and afraid of the unknown. I desperately wanted a baby, but the smart thing to do was wait a little longer to buy our house, etc. So, we waited and waited and waited for what seemed like forever to me. On Christmas of 1997, Tim put a baby pacifier in my stocking. It was his gift to me to tell me it was time to try for that baby. I cried so hard when I saw this little pacifier. It only took a week to conceive our Savannah and by the end of January, we knew we were expecting. After what seemed like the longest pregnancy ever with some sad news along the way (my dad passed away) we welcomed our little girl into this world. When I had her I can't explain my emotions. It was like the end of my sadness had come. I was finally holding my baby girl in my arms. I could not stop crying no matter how hard I tried. She was my angel. I felt like my whole world had come together the moment she entered our lives. I guess the word is that she healed my soul. That was 8 years ago. I know there are moms of all boys out there that are happy and know that is what God had planned for them, but for me... I needed a little girl. I love having a girl to share all the girly things with. She is my best friend. I am so grateful I get to spend my days with her learning all these new things. The video is called In My Daughter's Eyes. We bought the cd a couple years ago. When Savannah hears it she says she is going to dance with her daddy to this song at her wedding. I love this song because it sums up all my feelings of my love for my daughter. Happy Birthday Savannah! I love you very much!

Sebastian is 2 years old!!!

Sebastian turned 2 on Saturday. I wanted to post that day, but I was running around looking for outdoor playsets for him. At the last minute, my mom and I decided to try to get him something for the backyard. I didn't have much luck finding anything I wanted, but I did find a really cool gift for him from my mom. She got him one of those big, bouncing, rocking horses! He loves it. I spent way too much time running around, then I had to make his cake, wrap his present, order pizza, have a party, etc! It was busy, busy, busy. For those of you who are wondering how we came up with a Jack's Big Music show party after I said there were no birthday supplies available... Tim came up with a brilliant idea! My sister, Michelle, had bought these plates at Christmas time. They are the plastic plates where you can color a picture and insert it underneath the plate. She got them for us to all color our own Christmas plates. Anyway, Tim remembered we had them and said why don't we print out Jack pictures and make our own plates! Then I printed a picture of Jack and his friends, laminated it, put 3 sticks on the back and decorated his cake with it. Finally, we added a few printed pictures on our decorations. Poof! We had a Jack's Big Music Show party! Sebastian was so happy! He got up from his nap and came out and saw what he had done. He started saying, "Jack, Jack, Jack"! That made it all worth it! So, this momma just had her LAST baby turn 2 years old. I thought it would be harder on me. It was with my other two kids. It is like turning the corner from babyhood. In some ways, I am sad to see my last baby leave that stage, but in others... I am excited to know that my family is growing up. I know that God has blessed me abundantly. I looked at my family celebrating his birthday and saw how lucky I am.