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.....

Voted Out......

Teachers are supposed to protect the kids from bullying - but who protects the kids from the teacher???

~ teacher-lets-students-vote-out-classmate

~ fox news story

~ how it affected another student

~ students-vote-autistic-5-year-old-out-of-class

~ You can see a video here.

You've been left behind.....

So........ This morning as I was driving to work I heard about a new service/website. I did a double take. I'm not sure what to think. First I laughed, then I kinda shook my head. Check it out.
youvebeenleftbehind.com
Interesting.......
Thoughts?

Memorial Day Weekend - the long and short of it.....

Wow - it was a busy weekend. A crazy weekend. A good weekend. A sad weekend. All rolled into one. A weekend wished for - to relax and enjoy, and a weekend dreaded because it meant the beginning of the end, and the start of the goodbyes.

Still trying to recover from my illness - (whatever it may be....I'm going back to the doctor again today.) I was excited to be able to sleep in on Saturday. Well, that was the plan. But Carissa's alarm didn't go off, and it was her first day of work for her internship. (At Oak Park Festival Theater.)

The job is about 50 minutes away and it was now 40 minutes before she was supposed to be there. So, being the mom, I jumped up, threw on a pair of dirty jeans and a t-shirt, ran a comb through my horribly dirty hair, ran a washcloth over my face, grabbed my keys and headed for the car. That way I could drive and she could get ready in the car. Plus, she didn't know exactly where she was going.

Of course there was traffic. Of course we got stopped by trains. Of course the place was hard to find. But fortunately her boss was forgiving. Way to make a great first impression. ;)

I did have presence of mind to grab a book as I ran out the door, so I was able to sit in a beautiful wild flower garden in Oak Park and think and read while she was in her meeting. After about an hour I got cold and moved to a lovely bench in the sun. Mmmmmm. After awhile the meeting was over and they went right to work. Apparently she would be working all day. I was hungry, I had to use the bathroom.....and I was in Oak Park. I couldn't just walk into a restaurant looking as awful as I did......

SOS to Kim. Please bring the other car out here and rescue me. Please. By now I was out of quarters for the meter, and also getting a bit too much sun. After about an hour he arrived, we left a car for Carissa and headed on home. And lunch. And a bathroom. :)

Where I had to catch up on the stuff I planned to do that day.......

Sunday. Normal Sunday routine. Up and out the door by 9 to drive to Yorkville. No problem. I didn't even forget the food, or the gifts for the party. April's parents were in town visiting, and it was so nice to meet them! After church we had our routine lunch out as a group - which is always fun. Then we headed back to Mike and Julie's for the baby shower/going away party. I pretty much staked out a place on the couch - since this whole breathing thing still isn't going so well. But we had a great time. We had typical party games, food, gifts - for the baby shower; and we made a scrapbook for Steve, Wendy and Liam for their going away gift.







It's hard to say goodbye to people that have become your family. Especially when they are moving so far away. They are the first to go from our little flock. And we will really miss them. I am grateful for the time we had together and all the good times we shared.



Jen called around the time the party was winding down. She was home from Michigan and her marathon. And she was hungry! So the girls and I took off for home. Of course, then no one could decide where to eat. We are pathetic. I did decide I was really hungry for a burger - no clue why. Which is problematic cuz Jen is a vegetarian. LOL. Fortunately, we have a Red Robin close by and I could get my yummy hamburger and Jen could get a boca burger version. Problem solved.

We had a good meal, and headed home. How could the evening be passing so quickly? Jen was leaving in the morning for Kansas City by way of Minneapolis. Where has all the time gone? Two goodbyes in one weekend is just not fair! How did we celebrate our last evening? By piling in my bed (yes, with the dog) and watching Forrest Gump. :)


Morning came - it always does. And it was time for even harder good byes. But we managed - after a rather humorous episode of trying to cram even more stuff in the back of her jeep wrangler, and figure out how Jake (who she had just met the night before when he crashed on our floor, and would be traveling with her -) tried to fold his 6 foot something skinny frame into the front seat of her wrangler where some days I barely fit. I miss Jen.

Kim and Carissa headed out to do some shopping. That is an understatement. They went to Carmax to find another car. One that Carissa can take back to school in the fall. Apparently Carissa has daddy wrapped around her little finger. They came home with a loaded, six year old Mini Cooper. With GPS and a sunroof.



Me, I hacked away at the ground trying to get more of it ready for planting, and I hacked away half my lungs as I did it. But by the late afternoon I did have 8 tomato plants, 8 pepper plants, and all my herbs planted. (The melons, cucumbers, and squash went in on Saturday.) All I have left to go are the beans, and Kim will have to get the ground ready for them. And let me tell you, it was hot and really, really muggy yesterday. I felt like I was breathing soup. Well....when I could breathe. I finally gave up, took a shower, and went for a spin in the Mini Cooper. It's been 22 years since I drove a stick, but it was great fun.

Now we have 5 cars to juggle in our driveway every day. Let me tell you - that takes creativity and planning.

This morning I woke up to hear Kelsey talking to someone. Before 7. She's never up before 7 if she's not going to classes. Puzzled I asked her what was up - and apparently, maybe, possibly Julie is in labor and Kelsey was headed to Yorkville to watch Emma. Hopefully all is well there. The baby would be early, but he is good sized. And Julie has been so sick she needs to deliver this child. I hope it's not a false alarm for her sake, yet part of me wants it to be for the babies sake......

So, now I'm at work, still coughing, and tired as heck. But I only have to work another hour because I'm going to the doctor (yes - again) today to see if I am any better.......

So, that was my weekend. Not written in a very polished form, just bare bones. Cuz that is where I am right now. Just the facts. Minus wittiness or humor. Or depth.

Now you know.

UPDATE: Well, Julie is still pregnant.....good for the baby, hard on Julie. And frustrating.
C'est la vie......

My heart will choose to say.......

Blessed Be Your Name
by Matt Redman

 Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful 
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

 Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

 Every blessing You pour out 
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

 Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

 Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

 Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering 
Though there's pain in the offering 
Blessed be Your name

 Every blessing You pour out 
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

 Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

 You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name