School Supply Lists

I stopped by my daughter's school yesterday to pick up her school supply list.  What a suprise!  No front page/back page list!  I guess middle school teachers use less than elementary teachers.  I was always dismayed to look at my kids lists each year because I knew that many parents just couldn't afford to purchase everything on the list.  Some teachers even went so far as to write the brand name they wanted you to buy!  I've personally purchased enough pencils and paper to kill a small forest and I know that my child did not use one hundred number two pencils in a 180 day school year! 

It became very clear that I was purchasing not just for my child but for several others who did not bring things.  Now I don't have a problem with helping others, especially kids.  I taught for many years and saw first hand  that many kids just don't have parents that are willing or able to go out and buy them new things to start the school year.  I have given many, many things to kids over the years and spent much out of pocket money of my own to cover expenses for kids who couldn't do it themselves.  I do have a problem with teachers who list three times as much on the school supply list making me think my child will need all the materials listed.  One year after Christmas, my daughter came home saying she needed more pencils.  I asked what happened to the one hundred pencils that I had sent on the first day of school.  She said, 'well the teacher already gave them out to the other students!' I had a problem with that!

I also have a problem with teachers who do not want you to label the things you buy for your child.  This is because they are going to dump it all in a box and give to whoever needs it.  EXCUSE ME! We do not live in a socialistic society! If my daughter picks out a special folder for herself, then let her use it!  One of my favorite memories is getting to pick out my school supplies.  I also learned how to take care of my own things.  I was careful with my crayons and made them last all year so I could use them over the summer at home. This socialist thinking of 'don't worry about your personal things, when something gets broken or destroyed, we'll just replace it with someone else's stuff!' is raising up a generation of children who do not respect property.  Why should they take care of the crayons? They can get new ones by asking the teacher.  I am trying to raise my children with the notion that you must take care of your things.  That we need to reuse from year to year and it is becoming more and more difficult when they don't have anything of their own to take care of at school!

That's my rant for the day.  I do care for others, I just get tired of being forced to! 

Ready for Fall!

I was dragging the hose around last night watering my flowers and I realized that these poor flowers were probably as ready for fall as I was!  They have worked so hard all spring and summer producing beautiful foliage and flowers and now they were tired and worn out and ready to take a long nap. The flowers are beginning to look ragged, the leaves that were so bright and green this spring have taken on a dull green and sometimes yellow cast.  That's the way I feel when I've worked all day and simply need a rest.  Those poor plants need a good long winters rest!

I am beginning to look into my pantry for fall preparations.  My kids and I were discussing all the foods we would begin to eat when it began to get a bit cooler.  Soups, breads, apples, pancake nights were all on the list. I cook seasonally, as you remember from earlier blogging, so those things were kicked out about April as spring and summer fruits and veggies began to appear. Now, we've eaten those things we were so excited about in April enough that our palates are ready to move on into heartier fall fare.  Because of this, I'm peering into the pantry so I can restock with those staples of fall.  I'm beginning to buy up things to make soup and using the last of certain things that we usually only eat in the summer. 

Of course, here in Oklahoma, we still have at least a month of summer weather left but I can begin to see the end.  Just like the plants, I am growing weary of all the sun and fun.  Give me a cloudy, rainy September day so I can rake leaves or a crystal clear October day with the sky that certain October blue that you won't see in July so I can sit around the bonfire and roast a marshmellow.  I'm ready!  I love the different seasons and welcome each one with open arms!

Back to School

We haven't officially started school yet, that starts next week, but my son has started his exercise program (PE) for the fall.  He grumped quite a bit about starting a week early but that's the way the program runs and since I had to pay for a full month, he started!

He's mainly doing cycling at the rec center close to our house.  Once he begins to get in cardiovascular shape, he'll start more weight training.  He's now fourteen so using weights will begin to build muscle mass.  I've also committed to not having as much junk food around.  I and my daughter don't eat it but my husband and son do and they are the ones that are showing it!  My husband is going to be starting working out in the evenings with my son.  He's going to be doing two a days for a while to whip him back into shape!

Our mealtimes are usually healthy things but it seems that between meals and drink choices are what is killing both of them.  Those are going to change because they are both too lazy to go and get bad food choices so if I don't bring it into the house, it won't get eaten. 

I am a bit worried about this because I have never worried about my weight.  I pretty much eat what I want and stay around 115 pounds.  That's twenty pounds heavier than when I got married but I figure a pound a year isn't too bad.  Plus, when I drop under about 110 pounds, the doctor looks at me with a frown.  My downfall is salt and Braum's German chocolate ice cream.  My husband has promised me that he'll take me out for ice cream, my daughter calls it broccoli, at Braum's when I need it. 

I'll keep you posted on the two men in my life and their exercise program.  I can be pretty hardheaded about things sometimes and keeping them both healthy is one hill I'm willing to die on!

Confession Time

Ok, so I've not been real motivated the last week or so.  I've had a lot going on with Falls Creek and my dad being in the hospital.  I'm actually ready for school to start back up! I'm ready to get back into a routine. 

My husband and I decided that I wouldn't go back to work this fall.  He finally conceded that he really did like me being at home full-time.  It really relieved the stress from the family.  He's been traveling more with his new position and it makes it much easier when someone is home full-time to look after things.  I have to admit, it suprised me quite a bit how much I am enjoying being at home.  I really thought that I would get bored but so far that hasn't happened.  We've been incredibly blessed by God since we made the decision to make the change.  I haven't noticed a drop in our income, partly because I am a much better steward of the money and partly because my husband's income seemed to go up when I quit.  We do give glory to God for the blessings. 

We will be starting a building/remodeling project in a few weeks that will take a lot of my time to oversee.  We are basically building a new garage and turning the old one into a man/teen cave that will be able to have the kind of parties that we host in the summer.  We'll also be giving each child a larger closet and another bathroom that will be handicap accessible in case, in a few years, we have a parent living with us.  My husband and I figured me not working this year while we are building will go a long way to aleviate the stress!

I am ready for school to start next week.  My daughter is going to start a new school here closer to our home.  She has many friends so it won't be a real shock.  She's so excited to start!  My son is doing a virtual school this year.  Both he and I are excited to begin the program.  I will still be his day-to-day teacher but he will be turning in work online and will be doing state testing. 

I'm ready to know what I'm going to be doing on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  I get into a routine pretty quickly and this summer, its just been crazy.  Each week, is different, each day, in fact is different.  I'm ready to settle back down into a cozy routine.........

Getting Rid of Zucchini!

As I've said before, I have quite a bit of zuchinni this year.  I've made bread, cookies, grilled it, stir-fried it, battered and fried it, hid it in frittatas, lasagna and spaghetti, just to name a few of the creative ways.  Most of the time, my darling daughter will not let it pass her lips.  She had declared rather loudly that she does not care of zuchinni!  We do declare things rather loudly in our household.  One time the kids told me that dad yells the most.  I almost hit the floor laughing! If anyone in our house yells, it would be me!  But apparently, since I seem to do it almost constantly, the kids regard me as just talking loud all the time.  But when dad yells, well, that is something that doesn't happen often so it is remembered.  Anyway, my daughter will not eat much zuchinni.

I have tried to be really creative this summer with the bounty and I have finally struck upon a recipe that she loves!  Zuchinni fritters are now one of her new favorite foods! I got the recipe from here:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Zucchini-Patties/Detail.aspx
and as usual I have adapted it a bit to fit my tastes.

Zuchinni Fritters

2 cups grated zucchini, I do this in advance and squeeze out the water

1/2 cup kernal corn, I've been using fresh but frozen will work if thawed.


2 eggs, beaten, can be egg beaters

1/4 cup chopped onion, I pre-cook these in the microwave until they are translucent so my daughter can't tell they are in there, she also doesn't like onions!

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, I use the real stuff, not the can stuff

1/2 cup shredded any cheese, my favorite, sharp cheddar!

salt to taste

spray oil, like Pam
 
Mix all the ingredients together except the oil and fry by placing 1/2 cup or so into the skillet that you've sprayed with the oil.  Cook on each side until brown.  Serve hot.  Makes 8 fritters.
 
This takes the place of a potato or rice dish so I usually serve grilled chicken or polish sausage, zuchinni fritters and slice tomatoes.  Great summer meal!
 
 

Anniversary

Today, my husband and I have been married twenty-two years.  It sure doesn't seem like that much time has passed until I look in the mirror! It has been a fun, fun ride with few bumps along the way.  I'd like to think that it is because I'm such a joy to live with but I know the real truth.  He puts up with a lot from me and I do the same from him.  We have always tempered our marriage with a lot of humor and a lot of prayer.  It seems to be working!

We've got both kids going places this weekend and we're going to spend some much needed time together alone.  I have to say, I'm looking forward to it a lot.  Some of our friends are beginning to bemoan the empty nest syndrome, I'm not.  It's not that I don't love my kids with all my heart.  I just know that in order for us to be successful parents, they must move on and be on their own someday.  I look forward to that day when my kids are successful adults and I can come and visit them and hopefully, my grandchildren!  I don't want to rush it though, they are only fourteen and twelve!  We have at least eight to twelve more years of actively being parents of kids who live mostly at home.  I'm just looking ahead and seeing a time when my husband and I can have more time for just the two of us.  We like to be together!

Happy anniversary boyfriend! My kids hate it when I call my husband my boyfriend.  He can't be my boyfriend since we're married apparently.  Well, I don't care, he will always be my BF!

Garden Update: TOMATOES!

I'll be canning tomatoes today.  Got lots and lots of them.  I planted several different varieties so I'd have a long season.  Last week, while I was gone to church camp, my wonderful husband and daughter took care of picking the garden for me.  They put the tomatoes in the fridge for me so I could can this week.  I don't normally keep my tomatoes in the fridge as it ruins the flavor but when you can them it doesn't seem to effect the flavor and I can store them longer.

I'll be running the tomatoes through my strainer/mixer.  It will take off the skin and seeds so I'll be left with pulp.  To the pulp, I'll add garlic and minced onion.  I'll cook this down a little and pressure can the jars for storage.  This winter, that basic sauce will be great over hamburger steak.  My husband loves this meal with rice.  His grandma and grandpa would make it when he went to visit.  I like it because it's quick, easy, frugal and healthy for my family! 

I'll also be drying my basil this week and making pesto.  I'll post the pesto recipe I use later in the week when I actually pull it out to use.  I will freeze the pesto into individual serving sizes to serve with cooked noodles.  My pantry and freezer are filling up quickly for winter!  I am ready! This heat is killing me!

Hot, hot, hot....

The weatherman showed the ten day forecast last night and it is supposed to be over 100 degrees for the next ten days.  I really don't like the weatherman during this part of the year!  Extreme heat is not my idea of a good time.  I don't like going outside, dragging the hose all over trying to keep my little plants alive during this heat!

I always look at August in Oklahoma like January in Indiana where we used to live.  In Indiana in January, it was so cold that you couldn't really do much of anything outside.  Even going to the grocery store was a major ordeal, especially with little kids!  That's kind of what it is like now in Oklahoma.  My daughter and I ran out to do a few errands yesterday and all I wanted to do was run from the parking lot to the cool store and back again. 

The major difference between Oklahoma in August and Indiana in January is that tonight, about seven o'clock, I'll be laying around in the pool cooling off from picking garden and watering.  I'll wear my swimming suit and cover-up to do my outside chores and then jump in and float around for awhile while the sunsets. We usually have a really pretty sunset. 

Can't do that in Indiana in January.......

Perspective

I got back from church camp only to travel across the state to check on my dad who was in the hospital.  Long story short, after twelve days in the hospital, he had a stent put into his heart today that we think will make him feel 100 percent better in the days ahead. 

It's amazing how a near death experience with someone you love suddenly puts life into perspective.  You suddenly don't care about how clean the house is or if the garden is picked or the flowers watered.  All you worry about is seeing that person at your nieces birthday party at the end of the month.  Kind of puts everything else on the back burner.

I know some day my dad will die and I know that when he does he knows where he will spend eternity.  I am glad that he has that assurance but I'm just not ready for my parents to leave me.  I still need to ask a lot of advice!

I thank God for the doctors and nurses who spend countless hours helping the helpless.  I was not called to do either of those jobs.  I'm too impatient and am not the most nurturing person, ask my children.  If you're not bleeding profusely or missing a limb, don't complain!  I'm just glad that there are people who are called into that profession.

The next few weeks, I'll be posting on and off because I have real life to contend with. I'll keep you posted!

Falls Creek Week

This week, I'll be gone to church camp all week as a sponsor.  Oklahoma Baptists have Falls Creek, the largest Christian youth camp in the world.  In the summer youth weeks, over 50,000 kids visit for six days at a time for an intense time of fellowship, worship and generally a good time in temperatures that usually hover around 100 degrees! 

Thirty years ago, this week, I traveled as a thirteen year old, future eighth grader to Falls Creek for the first time.  I was scared because I had never been away from home by myself for more than one night before.  I was scared because I was going with a church that I didn't know hardly anyone.  I was scared because I didn't know what to expect.  I left with a new found courage that I didn't know I had.  I could overcome homesickness, heat and lack of sleep and live! 

This year, my fourteen year old, almost eighth grade son will be traveling to Falls Creek for his first time.  I'll be there but I'm staying clear of him.  I want him to experience the power of Falls Creek for himself.  Part of growing up is making it for a week without mom standing over your shoulder.  Besides, I'm the junior high girls dorm nazi so I'll be pretty busy!  I've been laughing about that because I think our youth minister type-cast me!  The follower of the rules, that's me! 

Pray for me and the kids this week.  I need wisdom and stamina.  We all need to be still and listen to God speaking in their lives.  I am looking forward to getting away from the distractions (this computer included) and spend some time being still and learning. 

If you've never been able to experience a Falls Creek in your life, I'm sorry.  Falls Creek has left it's mark on so many youth in Oklahoma, when you say those two words, most people old and young have a story!  Most talk about listening to 5000 youth singing in the worship hall.  It's something to experience!

Personality

I read once that you're personality is pretty much set by the age of thirty.  So if you are a cynical, mean thirty year old that no one likes, you'll be a cynical, mean, old person that no one likes.  I read that in my twenties and decided that I wanted to be a happy, friendly, helpful thirty year old and a happy, friendly, old person.  I worked really hard to start seeing things a little softer.  Giving people the benefit of the doubt. Not always assuming that the person was out to get me!  It worked and now I feel like I see things in a mostly positive light! 

It does always amaze me when I am around someone who always sees the negative side of life.  I guess I'm just basically a positive person and I really do not think everyone on the face of the earth is out to get me.  I don't think that highly of myself to think that everyone else is always coming up with things to do to make me mad.  I think most of us go about our day to day lives thinking mostly of ourselves and those around us.  I would hope to think that most of us are pretty happy with our lives but as I've gotten older it saddens me to know people who can't be happy no matter what their circumstances.  I've met people who really do have legitimate reasons to be unhappy with their circumstances but they, for the most part, are happier than those who think themselves into being unhappy.  I had a dear older friend who used to say, "If you don't like your circumstances, change them!" She lived through the depression and didn't understand the general whining of people.  If you had a place to live, something to eat and loved ones around you, what  reason on earth did you have to complain about?

Being a forty-something person now, I think I can say that most days, I'm an optimist.  Some might even call me a PollyAnna who sees the good in most situations and people.  Maybe I'm a little too trusting that everything will work out all right.  Maybe I give away love a little too easy.  Maybe I forgive a little too quick.  If those are faults, I'm happy to have them!

Gourd Crazy!

Sometime in mid-May, I went gourd planting crazy!  Now, there is a jungle of vines down in the garden and enough gourds and squash growing that I should be able to decorate almost every front porch around this fall.  I can't wait! Because I love fall.  I love decorating for fall. 

I have swan-necked gourds, little tiny yellow and green gourds, big orange warty-looking gourds, striped white and green round gourds.  It seems each day I go down to the garden, there is a new type of gourd growing.  I hope they don't melt in this Oklahoma heat! 

Fall is going to be fun, fun, fun!

I'm not a nerd! I'm just unique!

My husband was reading the paper and said, 'it's too bad you're going to be gone next week'.  I, of course, had to ask 'why?' He said, 'because there is a butterfly count and you would probably enjoy that.' 'Yuck', I said, 'why would I want to hang out with a bunch of nerds?' 

At this point, my husband stopped reading, laid down the paper, looked at me like he does when I say something totally weird and said, 'excuse me?' By now, most of you that read this know that I like butterflies.  I enjoy watching them, collecting them and watching them hatch.  Last saturday, I was running around the back yard trying to identify a new butterfly.  I also have a huge gian black swallowtail that I'm so proud of I show everyone who comes over.  So why don't I want to hang out with a bunch of other butterfly lovers?

Well, when I am alone as a butterfly watcher, I am unique.  When I am surrounded by others like me then I just become a nerdy butterfly watcher!  I like being a little unique, a little different maybe even a little nerdy.  But I don't want to hang with a bunch of people just like me! 

I know, I know, most humans seek out people just like them because it makes them feel secure having friends with the same likes and dislikes as them.  I've just never been one of those people.  I enjoy having friends with all sorts of likes and dislikes, not necessarily just like me.  I enjoy meeting people with different talents and hobbies. 

So I won't be going to do the butterfly count.  I'll stay here and be unique on my own little corner of the world! I like being me!

Summer Sounds

We had a dinner party a few weeks ago with several people from out of state and out of the country.  After dinner, we took a walk around the yard to look at the flower beds and introduce our guests to Kate, the big, black german shephard.  We were wondering around in the yard and gardens when one of the guests asked if it was always so loud at night. 

My husband and I looked at each other, we lived about a fourth of a mile off a highway and there isn't a lot of noise coming from the cars traveling.  There was also no trains coming through at that time blowing their whistles.  We didn't understand what they were talking about.  Finally, it dawned on us what they were talking about.  Frogs, crickets, cicadas! 

Remember when I told you that living in Oklahoma is almost like living in a jungle? Well, in the middle of deep summer, it sounds like a jungle in the dark.  During the day, the sound is quiet, I think everything has gone to a deep, dark, cool hole so not to burn up.  But as soon as the sun begins to go down, everything wakes up and sings their little heart out!

Oh, and lightning bugs freaked some of them out also.  Imagine several grown men jumping and chasing lightning bugs with pink and green butterfly nets!  They wanted to see one close up.  I told them about being a kid and making lightning bug jewelry.  Yeah, we would actually squish their little butts on our bodies so the luminescence would stick on our arms, legs and fingers.  I know it's gross to an adult but to an eight year old, it was really cool! 

When they finally caught the little lightning bug I think they were disappointed to see how plain the little bug actually was.  Just a plain old black bug with a red head.  Sometimes the coolest suprises are in the plainest packages!

Monday Mornings

Ah, monday mornings.  Sometimes, I just love monday mornings. I used to dread them when I was working because I never had gotten all the things that needed to be done over the weekends.    The weekends were when I got caught up on all the things that didn't get done over the past week.  My husband was home so he could help with the kids and they would go to bed at a decent hour.  Oh, and since hubby is an early riser, he would get the kids breakfast on saturday mornings while I slept in to at least 7:30 or 8:00! 

Now all that has changed.  I have a teenager and one so close to being there that she behaves like one.  They have very active social lives so if one of us is not dropping off or waiting to pick up then then they are at home with two or twelve of their close personal friends.  Watching tv, swimming, playing lazer tag outside preferably, or video games inside, pretty much hogging all the space in the house!  And have I mentioned eating?  Especially the boys.  They'll eat pretty much anything but I am known for my food preparations.  They all want to eat!  This happens almost every weekend.  By Sunday night, I'm just pooped!

This is not to say I don't enjoy this time.  I love having all the kids over and hanging out.  I try to keep a super teenager stocked pantry so they want to come over.  My thought is if they are here, I know where they are and what they are doing.  It's not that my kids have friends from bad families.  All my kids friends have very nice families and I know and trust the parents.  I just enjoy having them at my house!  But this makes the weekends so very exhausting!  

You see, they do not have a sense of time anymore.  Their bodies do not tell them it is night and time for bed.  When my daughter was born, she had her days and nights mixed up.  She would sleep all day and then want to stay up all night.  It really wore me out the first few days.  There was nothing I could do to make her stay awake during the day!  Finally, a dear neighbor took my son to her house one day and I carried her around keeping her up and giving her about 5 baths (she hated baths!) and she finally slept a few hours straight that night!  I think these teenagers have their days and nights mixed up. 

We are putting the finishing touches on plans to build a new garage and turn our old one into  a teen cave/family room.  A place they can go and hang out and yell and scream and not disturb me.  I can't wait!  I know it will be a hassle while it is being built but in the end, it will be worth the wait.  Maybe when we get it built, on Mondays, I'll take my coffee and have my quiet time down in the teen cave.  It will be early in the morning so all the teens will still be asleep and all will be well in the world.

Friday Rant....

It's friday, I feel like I need to rant a little and I get tired of ranting to my husband! I feel sorry for him because he always gets to hear all the little things that get on my nerves about everything and everybody.  He used to try to discuss the problem and help me see the other side.  This was not what I wanted! I finally explained that I just needed a human body to sit and listen and agree with everything I said.  I needed a sounding board, not someone who tried to get me to see the other side!  Not extremely sane, I know.  But as I've talked to other women, I realize just how common this is! 

I had a older woman tell me long ago, that women needed other women friends besides their husbands just for that reason! As I've gotten older, I completely understand. 

Here's my friday rant:  I wish I was less responsible.  I wish I wasn't always the one that everybody knew would follow through and get it done.  I wish I could just not follow through with something and not feel bad.  But alas, that is not my nature.  It is my nature to get things done, correctly and in a timely manner.  Almost perfectly.  I'm a perfectionist.  I'm not ashamed but sometimes it does get to be a bother.  I drive myself crazy sometimes trying to get it just right.  I have gotten better since the kids have been around.  I had a friend give me a plaque that says 'Cleaning and Dusting can wait till tomorrow, for babies grow up we've learned to our sorrow. So quiet down  laundry and dust go to sleep, I'm rocking my babies and babies don't keep.' I have learned that cleaning will wait until tomorrow and to seize the experience.  I just wish sometimes, I had a little more Peter Pan and a little less Little Red Hen living inside me!

Peaches!

It's peach season and I'm one lucky girl! My husband drives by Porter, Oklahoma almost everyday for work and about once every two weeks or so, he stops in and picks up a big bunch of juicy, ripe peaches.  Nothing in this world is as good as a really ripe fresh from the grower peach.  At least that's what my daughter says.  It's so funny, because every fruit season she declares that this particular fruit is her favorite.  A few weeks ago, it was the blueberry; before that, it was the strawberry and just the other day, she declared she missed apples!  But now, now it's peaches.

She'll eat three or four a day and that doesn't include any that I serve after dinner as a dessert.  At my house, usually we have some sort of dessert with dinner.  In the winter,  it's a pudding, a cookie and applesauce, or a fruit bread but all summer long it's fresh fruit.  It may be a cream pie but usually, it's just fruit, sometimes with yogurt sometimes not.

I had a friend years ago who brought this dessert as a salad to a cookout I hosted.  It was so good and so decadent but I really didn't feel right eating it as a salad so I got the recipe and relabeled it at my house as a dessert.  It's one of my kids favorites, in fact, my son requested it with his birthday dinner instead of a cake.  Don't worrry, he also had a cookie ice cream cake too! He's just not a big cake eater so his birthday party is lazer tag, swimming and banana splits and pizza.  Not necessarily in that order.

Here's my recipe for our favorite peach salad/dessert! I serve it especially when I make dinner for someone who is trying to lose weight.  They can't believe that it can be so good and so little calories.

Peach Berry Salad Dessert

a peach a person, coat the cut peach with lemon juice or fruit fresh
1/2 cup berries per person: blackberries, blueberries, cherries, etc.  Right now, I'm picking blackberries so that's what I'm using.
1 Tablespoon flake coconut per person
1 teaspoon chopped chocolate per person; this can be chocolate chips, a chocolate bar, chocolate kisses, the chocolate you keep above the fridge out of reach from the kids; dark, white or regular chocolate.

Mix all together and chill until serving.  To make this special for company, I chop a little fresh mint over the top when I serve it.  You could serve it with whipped cream but that just adds calories. 

I do not measure when I make this recipe.  I just dump it all in, sometimes, I add more chocolate, sometimes less, sometimes none at all but this does not make the rest of the family happy!

If you are lucky enough to score some really good peaches, try this recipe!

Picking, picking, picking!

Tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, squash, basil, corn, blackberries.......tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, squash, basil, corn, blackberries.......tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, squash, basil, corn, blackberries.......I seem to be in a bit of a rut!  At least every other day, that's my routine.  I have to do it early in the morning because it's been so humid here with rain almost every afternoon that even at eight o'clock in the morning, I am wet with sweat by the time I finish.

I am not like a lot of southern women who do not seem to sweat but glow or perspire.  I sweat, I sweat alot.  Gallons it seems.  There seems to be a spigot on the top of my head that runs down past my brow and into my eyes and then on down until it collects in my muck boots.  My grandma would sweat alot.  When she worked outside, and she did alot because she had an extensive flower garden, she would wear a rag on her head and carry a rag in her bra.  As a kid, I found this incredibly embarrassing and gross.  As an adult, I can understand the wisdom in her ways.  I usually wear a wound up bandana around my head and have been know to carry a rag in my pocket.  I'm not as endowed as my grandma was so if I tried to stuff one in my bra it would look very lopsided. 

When I'm out there sweating out the impurities from my system, I try to imagine what it would have been like a hundred years ago when a person couldn't get into the air conditioning as soon as they were finished.  I understand why that old creek looked so good.  My own swimming pool gets jumped into a lot in the summer after I've been working.  Sometimes with all my clothes on, they were all wet anyway! 

During this time of year, I always try to thank God each and everyday for air conditioning and the ability to pay for it!

Birthday Boy!

My baby boy is fourteen today.  I can't believe that so many years have gone by since I first met him.  It was love at first sight.  He was honestly the most beautiful boy I'd ever laid eyes on.  I wouldn't hardly lay him down.  When I finally would lay him down, my husband would pick him up. 

Why is it that the first baby had just so many pics and videos and each child after that gets fewer and fewer.  When my daughter was born, I made a vow that I would let her get her own pictures.  I am proud to say that she does have many, many photos. 

Getting back to birthdays.  Lazer tag, that's what my son wants to do again for his birthday.  Again.  This is three times that he's done lazer tag.  I really wanted to take a float trip and take some of his friends.  He vetoed that and chose lazer tag.  Oh well, I guess I'll schedule a float trip in August sometime. 

Now, I'll just enjoy every birthday.  In two years, there will be real stress.  Car and driver license stress.  In four years, he'll be legal and also a senior in high school.  I think I'll just enjoy today, thinking back to the tiny baby he was fourteen years ago and how I slept with my hand over in the cradle so he wouldn't disappear while I grabbed that big two hours of sleep a night.  I'll probably have to wake him up this morning, I love teenagers!

Bible School

Today is the first day of bible school and of course, I'm working.  Remember, I volunteered for everything that was available during the summer.  I think I lost my mind sometime in April.

 I like bible school.  I liked it when I was a kid and I like it as an adult.  I didn't like it so much when my kids were little bitty and it was such a chore to just get to church on time!  Now, it's fun to be with the kids and my job is really easy.  My job is to be fun.  Get to know the kids and do a twenty minute fun activity everyday.  Oh, and eat snacks.  That's part of my job.  If they ever stop serving that dip they make at the church only for bible school, I might just stop coming.  Every year I say that and every year they tell me, 'you know, it's just picante sauce and sour cream'.  Yeah, I know.  But they also serve Ruffles potato chips and I never buy those at home so they are really a special treat.

This is the first year that I have a child actually helping me instead of attending a class.  Since my son, is in the youth group, he has aged out of bible school so he's being a youth helper.  He's going to be my runner, running for snacks, running people to the bathroom and back, etc.

I also look forward to working with people that I either don't really know or never get to see.  I have met retired men and women that I would never normally get to know well until we worked together during bible school.  I get a few minutes while the kids are in craft time to visit and socialize with old friends that I never get to see. 

I'll be very tired each day by noon.  More tired that a normal day of teaching.  But it's worth it.  I just got a letter a few weeks ago from a woman in Indiana that I met at bible school night many, many years ago.  I had her daughter in bible school when she was in the third grade.  She felt like she couldn't come to church because she didn't own any church clothes so she sent her kids to bible school.  I promised her she wouldn't feel uncomfortable if she'd just come.  I called all my friends and asked them if they would wear jeans that sunday.  They came and stayed.  The daughter is now in college studying nursing and her brother just graduated high school.  They are still members of the church. 

It's definately worth it.....