Christmas Fun

Unknown Plans

The other day I commented to Melissa about how God brings people in and out of our lives. Everyone knows this. But isn't it neat to look back and see the reason for it? Sometimes we can actually see how God's plan unfolded. Sometimes we still have absolutely no idea what His plan was. But we know He brings people in and out of our lives for a reason.
Several weeks ago Josh and the kids and I were in Crackle Barrel. We ran into some of Josh's friends from about 20 years ago!! It is a couple that rented the upstairs apartment in the house Josh grew up in. (Josh lived with his dad and grandmother in a large house that had a separate living area upstairs.) This couple lived there for several years, and Josh became very close to them. He was only about 7 when they moved in, and they were very young newlyweds. They were there when Josh's grandmother passed away. He was only eight.
I'm not sure how old he was when they moved out, but they remained friends for years. Then they moved to Georgia. Josh talked about them a lot, but I had never met them. They tried to come to our wedding, but we got married on a Friday night..........I know, WHO gets married on Friday night??? Anyway, they came from Georgia to Birmingham on the SATURDAY night after our wedding. (They actually went to the Caraway-Davie House and walked in on another wedding!!) So, I had yet to met them. Everyone had gotten busy with their own lives and time flew by. Now nine years later, we run into them in Leeds. They were visiting someone and heading back to Georgia. Of course we only talked for a few minutes. Josh has been emailing them since, and they are coming to our house this Friday night! Josh is excited about seeing them, and I can't wait to get to know them. I have found out that Gina went to Jacksonville State, like me. I was in the same sorority that she was in. She majored in education. She taught school for several years. She homeschooled her two children (boy and girl, three years apart) for several years, and now they have started there own private school. We have a lot of similarities. I can't wait to see God's reason for bringing them back into our lives.

Bad Habits are Hard to Break

I had absolutely no intention of taking Carson's paci away any time soon. Yea, I'd talk about it some, knowing the time was drawing near. But I, selfishly, just didn't feel like dealing with that battle right now. So, I actually surprised myself last night. I couldn't find his paci, and I just told him his paci was for babies, and he couldn't have it anymore. I told him we could go do something really fun today if he'd try to sleep without it. So, as I put him to bed he asked for it and then said, "pweese don't say no". But I asked him to try to go to sleep with out it. AND HE DID! He woke up twice and whimpered a little. But I was very excited. So, today I took the kids on a "no paci party". We went to Recreation Station (which is kind of like Pump it Up). I let them gamble a little. Well, not real gambling, but the kid form of gambling. You know, the machines that take tokens and give you tickets if you hit the Jackpot! They acquired about 75 tickets. Which cost me about seven bucks and all they were able to get was a Blow pop. Anyway, all day I kept telling Carson what a big boy he is for not having a paci. He asked for it once on the way home, and then went to sleep. OK ........now the real problem. Reality has set it. He woke up ill when we got home. And he's been screaming for his paci. What do I do?? He's been almost 24 hours without it now. Is he just having normal withdrawals? I can't turn back now........can I??
Now I feel like I'm just giving him anything he wants to try to keep his mind off the paci. We are going to Zoo Light Safari tonight and I keep bribing him with that, but he just told me he didn't want to go. He just wants his paci. Oh well. I'm not turning back now, I'm tougher than this! I can handle a crying two year old. But I feel sorry fro him. AHHHHH!!!!!

See "Progressive Dinner" Post below

Progressive Dinner

I had to miss the cookie swap Saturday night. I was disappointed about it, but I was able to do something that turned out really fun. Have you ever heard of or been involved in a progressive dinner? Well, I would definitely recommend being part of one, but maybe not planning one! I was only remotely involved with the planning. One of my neighbors was the coordinator of it all, and I believe it was a lot of work. I really appreciate all she did! We began at my house at 4 pm for the meet and greet. I literally had about 50 people in my house and had never met over half of them. The ones I had met, I didn't know very well. From my house we went to 4 other "host" houses. The first was appetizers, then soup and salad, next was the main course, and finally, the dessert house! This was a great opportunity for me to meet my neighbors that I probably wouldn't meet otherwise. I met a couple of ladies that I would really like to get to know better. I ate entirely too much, but we all justified it because we were "walking" from house to house. Which means my feet were in agonizing pain by the end of the night.........the end of the long night............it was 4:00 when we started and 9:00 when we got back home. Santa came to the last house and didn't show up until almost 8:00!!! ( Ho Ho....humbug!) But it really was a lot of fun. For 5 years now, I have had conflicting plans on the night of the cookie swap. Next year I want to plan for it to be at my house........then I'll have to be there!!!!

Belly Laugh!

I haven't had such a hard belly laugh in a long time! You've got to check out Ginger's blog. TOO FUNNY! And, of course, I had to do this my elfin' self! Check it out. It only takes a few minutes. I must see everyone as an elf!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9565442762

Ghost Busters

Last week I was in Chick-Fil-A eating dinner with Carson. I noticed, actually Carson noticed, a man that had a t-shirt with a big ghost on the back. He so innocently says, "Look dat gos, Mama!" Hummm, the ghost got me a little curious, so I'm trying to read the back of the guy's shirt. He's sitting to the side of me, so it's a little hard to read. I finally see the top of the shirt that says, "We Confront Your Fears". Hummm, a little more curious now. What kind of fears are they going to confront? I'm thinking, maybe it's a job placement agency, maybe a dating service, or if it's my darkest fear, a personal cleaning and organizing team to come tackle my closet. I finally read the whole T-shirt when three more people with the same shirts came to sit with him. CENTRAL ALABAMA'S PARANORMAL INVESTIGATORS. Wow. These are real life ghost busters. Right here in Moody. Weird. Do people really think they have ghosts in their houses? I'm sure we could hear some freaky stories from these people. Weird, weird, weird.
Burt, you can bring anything back to the gospel. How about this one? Jesus, the real ghost buster!

Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels

Today I received my first email scam letter. Have y'all had any of these! The nerve of people! I could honestly see how some people that are obviously not as intelligent as I , could fall prey to this. I was dumb enough to open the email, which I never should have done. It seems that I am the "next of kin" of someone worth about 18 million dollars that was killed in a plane crash, and they want to transfer the money to my account. Of course they did add that they would be donating 10% to the tsunami victims (where did that come from?????? That was a few years ago wasn't it!) Such big hearted scam artists they are!
Anyway, guess I'm not gonna be a millionaire after all....................rats.

God's Floorboard

Last night I getting out of my car and glanced up into the beautiful night sky. The sky was perfectly clear and the stars were incredible. I guess it is kind of like looking at my children, I always notice the beautiful stars and look up every time I'm outside and think "wow". But there are times I sit and stare in adoration, in amazement, in worship to the creator. "Wow" doesn't seem appropriate, not adequate for such beauty.

I once heard the story of a young boy who adored his grandmother. He described the feeling of visiting her house. The warmth, the wonderful smells, the incredible feeling of home, the peace of being held by someone you know loves you so deeply.............all of this awaiting him every time he visited his grandmother.

Like most houses build without a basement, there was a crawl space under his grandmother' s house. She stored a lot of things there, and once asked her grandson to get something from under the house for her. He crawled under. It was a dark, cold, damp place. Bugs, rats,and spiders were many. As he was there he could hear his grandmother's footsteps above. He took a minute to lie down and look up at the floorboard of her house. "How could it be so miserable down here, and yet so perfect on the other side of this floorboard?", he thought.

Take a minute to look up and gaze at the incredible beauty of the stars tonight............If that is God's floorboard, imagine what awaits us on the other side.

I don't have much to write about today. Just another "Day of our Uninteresting Lives". But I feel the pressure to blog. I'm just trying to get rid of the "Monday Morning Blues". Coming down off of my weekend high. We had a great weekend. Not too much to do. We stayed around the house Saturday morning, and then headed to the Octoberfest Sat. afternoon. Saw friends from church, but came away with a looming guilt for not helping at the church's booth. No one intentionally made me feel guilty. This is just the way I am. I hate it when I feel like I'm not doing something I should do. I'm sure no one else thought much about it, but I go away thinking I'm a horrible friend for not helping! Then I have to defend myself...........oh, it's a cycle I need to break......I know!!

Anyway, we did have fun at the Octoberfest and the carnival. It's one of the neat things about living in a small town.

Sunday was near perfect. We all slept until 7:30. And we were able to leave for church on time, with no screaming, yelling, crying, etc.......

Perfect weather, so we took the kids to the new park at the Leeds walking track. (#1 by the way) Huge play set, 6 big slides, rock wall, swings....the kids had a blast. Then off to Mickey D's for an ice cream and by the movie store to rent a movie for the kids. Which means, after we ate yummy hamburgers, Josh and the kids watch a movie and I take a long, hot bath and retire a little early! Now you see why I'm having the Monday morning blues!!