The Fat Lady Sang.......and All is Said and Done

Goodnight Mrs. Calabash wherever you are...it was fun while it lasted...that's all she wrote...a closed chapter...over and done with...end of story...end of the road...a done deal...over and out.






























With a last day of sharing, a last time of reflection, a last dance of jubilant children, a last celebration of communion; and with the last chord slowing fading from the last acappella singing of the Doxology before gathering for our last lunch as a family, Via Christus has gone softly into the night.....

Amen

Deep thoughts......

OK - I really need to post, but I've been pretty brain dead. Seriously. I think of things to post about, but can't fully develop anything. Maybe I need to go weed my garden - that would force me to have some quality thinking time. But then my hands are dirty, and I can't write down the good thoughts I have before they escape me. And all you would get is a post that's quality is no better than this one.....

I guess when you are hole-ing up in your house you don't see the things, or talk to people who provide the things you blog about. The things that trigger the thoughts. Hmmm.

I think I'll go eat a bowl of Lucky Charms.

Still shaking my head......seriously

Still more amusements:



and then this - maybe the original - but funny......

Serving Back

and then - how 'bout this for keeping Christians "safe"?


and then a couple from Stuff Christians Like that are just what they say they are - "bored bulletin" entries.




and then - pretty typical of the conservative thought process:



and finally - a billboard posted by a church that was robbed.....

Things that amused me today......

I found this on facebook.....

I found this gem on Matthew Paul Turner's blog.....

And this on Virgil Vaduva's blog.

Crunk 4 Christ? Seriously???

Are you kidding me??

And, finally some really classy t-shirts, actually being sold at christianshirts.net ....

giving the turtles a run for their money.....

somehow, I really don't think God cares if he is POPULAR!!

There was a Hilary Clinton one like this also, along with assorted shirts proving Jesus is Republican....

ok.........

interesting......

LOL! please.......

Ok - I really need to get a life....

A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. ~Chinese Proverb

Well – summer is off to a kind of crazy start – between the doctors, the vet, the accident, and Kim, Chris and Kelsey traveling. Carissa is pretty busy working so I’ve been kinda lazy….
The hammock is a great place to read – when Cairo lets me.
So far this summer I have read:
Twenty Chickens for a Saddle: The Story of an African Childhood by Robyn Scott
Stuffed: Adventures of a Restaurant Family by Patricia Volk
Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch
Fleeing Fundamentalism: A Minister's Wife Examines Faith by Carlene Cross ( I really liked and related to about half this book – then it just became sad…and hopeless)
Turning Tables by Heather MacDowell and Rose MacDowell
The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux
Roasting in Hell's Kitchen: Temper Tantrums, F Words, and the Pursuit of Perfection by Gordon Ramsay

So, now I have to decide what to read next. More Theroux? Some classics, like Proust, Sinclair or Tolstoy ? Victoria Rowell’s memoir? A book by Lisa Samson or Jo Kadlecek? Or Matthew Paul Turner’s Beatitude: Relearning Jesus through Truth, Contradiction, and a Folded Dollar Bill (while I wait for his new book Churched to come out)? Or something by Wright, McLaren, Rollins, Foster or Willard?.
I’m also interested in Lynne Hybels thoughts in her short book Nice Girls Don’t Change the World. Too many choices. Too many books!
Deep books, fun books, books to learn from, memoirs…….
This is supposed to be fun – not stressful.

What have you been reading; what is on your list for the summer or vacation reading? I’d love to hear your suggestions and recommendations – cuz goodness knows I don’t have enough choices already! ;)

Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled "This could change your life." ~Helen Exley

It often requires more courage to read some books than it does to fight a battle. ~Sutton Elbert Griggs

A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man's mind can get both provocation and privacy. ~Edward P. Morgan

Consider the lilies of the field

Sometimes I wish I didn’t own stuff. Life would be so much simpler if we didn’t have to worry about houses or cars being damaged or destroyed by storms or crashes. It would be less stressful if we didn’t have to worry about “stuff” getting ruined or stolen; if we could just live simply.
*sigh*

The more stuff we have the more there is to protect and worry about. And clean. And move. And store……
No matter how beautiful the storm, how exciting the trip, how wonderful the music on the I-Pod sounds, or how great we feel in a new pair of shoes….there is always that nagging worry in the far recesses of our mind that it can all be gone, ruined, stolen - and how will we ever be able to afford to replace it??? Yet we still buy and possess and insure, and are still never satisfied.
Jen ~ there really is something to be said about living simply. :)

My new toy....

...only Cairo is still trying to figure out just how one would play with this new "rope toy"......
I love my new Pawley's Island Hammock!
Now it's officially summer! :)

Out of Focus......

So - this is what I spent last night and today taking care of. And, no, this time it was not Kelsey.....
Questions??

Thanks A..... like I had nothing else to do. :)

Tag, I'm It

The Rules:
1. Post the rules of the game at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 3 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

QUESTIONS:

What were you doing five years ago?
Hmmmm - pretty much what I'm doing now - working at an elementary school in the computer lab. Raising three kids. Keeping busy with all their activities. Still at Faith Baptist with no idea what was coming my way.......

What are five things on your to-do list for today?
1. Call the Insurance company.
2. Go to Addison to the towing company and clean out the car.
3. Go with Carissa to the doctor to make sure she's ok. (carissa, not the doc ;) )
4. Look for the title to the car.
5. Put the hammock together ~ hey I deserve it!

What are five snacks you enjoy?
1. Sunflower seeds - I'm addicted.....
2. Terra Vegi Chips
3. Sour Cherry or Red Apple Jelly Bellies
4. Culver's Cheese Curds
5. Pork Rinds - cuz they're SO good for you!

What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?
1. Put all of my kids through college.
2. Travel - Greece, Australia, Africa, Mediterranean cruise.
3. Pay Mike and Julie's salary and insurance forever so they didn't have to leave.
4. Buy a house in the Caribbean - where all of our friends and family could vacation for free.
5. Partner with New Life for Haiti, helping another town become self sustaining.

What are five of your bad habits?
1. I yell at stupid drivers.
2. I procrastinate - big time.
3. Trying too hard to please people all the time - at the expense of my health and family.
4. Manipulation - but I've really worked hard on breaking this one!
5. Impatience - especially with people that don't think like me.

What are five places where you have lived?
1. Lawrence Ave. in West Chicago
2. Blakeley St. in West Chicago
3. Manchester Court in Geneva
4. Lorraine Rd. in Wheaton
5. East St. in Winfield

What are five jobs you’ve had?
1. Level 1 computer tech at a local elementary school (computers, the job I said I'd NEVER do!)
2. Accounting - Accounts Payable for a mortgage broker (I was a business major.....)
3. working in computer scheduling and keypunching - back in the day!
4. working at Evangelical Teacher Training Association in Wheaton
5. working in my dad's office


I'd tag Julie, but she just had a baby. I'd tag Mike, but he hates to be tagged. I'd tag Jen, but she is out of internet range. I'd tag Wendy, but she just moved. I'd tag A, but he tagged me. I'd tag Vanessa, but she's already been tagged. This is really sad.

OK - I'll tag Kevin, and Christi and April.

Finally!

So today I went to the doctor. For yet another recheck. You know, I don't have a lot of recollection of April and May - I was sick for all of those two months. But today, finally, I am well! That was excellent news. The cough is gone, the wheezing is gone - and I feel well again. Except for the fact that I still tire easily - to be expected after two months of doing nothing. I have been taken off all meds except the Singulair. That made my day.
How did I celebrate???
I mowed the lawn........

FREEDOM !!

....now maybe (hopefully) I'll have time to blog again. :)

how does your garden grow?

Well, we spent this weekend - well, most of Saturday anyway - working in the yard. We spent a lot of time trying to get the vegi garden ready to plant. I now have 8 tomatoes, 8 peppers, and two rows of beans successfully planted. In addition to the cucumbers, melon and squash of last weekend.
While Kim was pulling up sod I started noticing the beautiful colors around the yard - in flowers, ground cover and hanging baskets. I couldn't resist trying to capture them on film. Here are the results - tho the pictures in no way do justice to the plants. (Um, I just realized how much purple I have in my yard....)












And as you can see, Cairo was bored with it all, and found a cool pile of dirt to lay in. Dumb dog.....