"Mom, can I circle the 14th on my calendar?" Alisa asked.

"Sure, honey, it is your calendar!" I said.  "You know, Mom, I haven't been in the hospital since April!" she reminded me.  We always talk about how God has taken care of us.  I wonder if she knows we watch her as she walks away from us?  I wonder if she knows we listen for her every night?  I wonder if she knows how precious she is to her Good Shepherd?  We still claim Isaiah 40:11! 

She doesn't say a whole lot about March and April, but the memories are always with her.  She says there isn't any pain, but she has to feel a difference in her activities and movement.  Maybe her body has just learned to compensate.

We will go for her six month scan (a couple weeks early) tomorrow.  It is here...and so is some concern...what will we hear from a new doctor as he looks at the new scans.

Ok...deep breath...and I'm not looking forward to this...there I said it...out loud.  It is needed.  It is necessary.  We do what we need to do!

I have been all over the site of Comer's Children's Hospital.  I printed off maps and info to make tomorrow easier...and as I did...the waves of fear rolled in. I started looking and reading all the info and it brings back a lot of our first trip and stays in Madison.  Another deep breath...

My friend reminded me this morning that God loves Alisa.  He will be with us tomorrow...guiding each part of the day...and that includes rush hour traffic in Chicago!  She also reminded me that many people are praying about this appointment tomorrow.  God was good yesterday...He is good today...and I'll trust Him to be good tomorrow! 

This same friend is Alisa's Sunday School teacher...and...SHHHH!...she is coming with us.  Alisa doesn't know yet!  A special treat for our girl...and a special friend who likes to laugh.  We will need that tomorrow.  Pray for Alisa especially around 9:30am...as the first part of our day will also be the most unpleasant for her...the placement of the iv for the scan.  After that...there will be alot of waiting...so we are told, but that is ok...because that is the easy part...especially when you have someone to laugh with!

Second prayer request...a clear way to where we need to be when we need to be there!  God is the God of the impossible...even when it comes to Chicago morning rush hour!
Mapquest says an hour and 58 minutes...6:30am is going to put us there in the height of rush hour...if our appointment is at 9:30am...(and I am still waiting for confirmation today on an exact time as they don't want us sitting in the waiting room before the procedure for very long).  So...we have done our part and have our plans made to leave at 5:00am...and we will let God take care of the rest!
***UPDATE AT 11:00pm WED.***
The call came this afternoon with confirmation of our 9:30am appointment time and instructions.  We decided to live adventurously...but not too much...and leave at 5:30am.  Alisa is sound asleep, as is everybody else.  Not me...I'm awake.  I know I need to sleep.  All is laid out and ready.  And I am pretty sure...Alisa still doesn't know we have a special chauffeur for tomorrow's adventure!

Out of their mouths

While watching Wipe Out a couple weeks ago..."Oh dear, that person is a couch potato," stated Ashlynn.  "What do you mean by that?" I asked.   "Look at them Mom, they are chubby...that is what happens when you lay around on the couch all the time!" she explained.

While watching America's Funniest Videos..."Well, duh, you don't teach little kids to do stuff like that!" said Teddy as a man got hit with a hammer while trying to hold a nail for a child.  "What did he think was going to happen?"

Alisa to Ashlynn, "This will just blow your mind out!"

Teddy to his mother, who told him to hit his work hard and get it done, "Do you have a sledge hammer?  I will hit it and smash it to smithereens. I hate all this work."

Stamp, Snack, and Chat #5

This year we had a different venue due to some remodeling going on in our fellowship hall.  We set up for 30 ladies...wondering if we would have too many chairs or not enough.  We had 22 ladies come to stamp, snack, and chat!

We had to add some touches of fall!  Pumpkin spice filled the air.  A Place of Quiet Rest added ambiance.

And oh what sweets and treats there were to snack on!  We had several visitors spend the evening with us.  The last of the crafting ladies finished about 9:30pm.  What a privilege to share such a fun hobby with others!  Even though texting and emailing is faster...it is always nice to get a card in the mailbox!

Our door prize door found its way back this year!  Every lady present got to take something home.

This is for you, Dad!

I'm taking back control of the schoolroom tomorrow!  Too much to do!  I think it won't be as much fun to be squirrely...chores still had to be done, practice had to be done, and bedtime is still 8pm!

Will this school day never end?

We acknowledge those of you who took off for Columbus Day.  So happy for you.  Our children did not take the day off.  However, they have been off-kilter all day.  I was beginning to lose it...so I walked away for a few minutes.  Ted's words echoing in my head, "Don't yell."  It is 4:05pm.  We started at 8:15am.  They had a half hour break as usual.  They only got a half hour at lunch time which was also delayed due to their shenanigans. They have spent so much time playing around...
How many times can a piece of paper really "accidentally" float to the floor?  How often does a pencil need to be sharpened?  Is a trip to the bathroom really necessary every 15 minutes?  You cannot twirl in your chair and concentrate on reading!
I know I should stop and send them outside...but there are things that need to be done!  And if you are going to play when you should be working...well, I guess...you will work when you should be playing!  Today...I think the only one being affected by this concept...is Mom!

We have our own little sign makers!

It's not like we have a steady diet of The Three Stooges, so this was extremely funny to me!  Of course, we know the school day is going to be full of mischief when we see these words posted on the schoolroom door.  Sometimes...you just have to laugh...and fear for your safety!?!

***No one was poked in the eye or smashed in the head during the typing of this post.***

A few of my favorite things...for now!

                                                             Girls who wash dishes,

a boy who does his work,

snacks on the table,

and shoes to trip over,

crumbs on the table,

and sugar-coated tongues.  These are a few of my favorite things.

                                                             A boy on the counter,

                                                                   torn apart bedrooms,

blue goo in bathrooms,

            a girl flipping pancakes, piles all around, and tasks yet to do. 

These are a few of my favorite things.  When the dog strikes, when the phone rings, when I'm overwhelmed...I simply remember that Ted's coming home...and soon they'll be allllll grown up!

Yesterday, I walked through the house and caught glimpses of rooms and activities that make up our every day life.  I found myself laughing when the song from Sound of Music started rolling through my head...and I've been humming it ever since!  It had to be recorded on our blog.  I want our children to know that even though we had to constantly be correcting and training them, we love and appreciate them and all the silly things they do to make life interesting!



                                                           

"Mom, I know I shouldn't think this or say this, but..."

"...it just makes me want to go up to her and pull her hair or hit her!" admitted Ashlynn.
She put into words what I had been thinking.  I had to hide a smile at her honesty.  I admitted I felt the same exact way...and it was wrong.  It is hard to respond the right way to offenses that come in our life!  I had been fussing at God about the very same thing all day long.  As we talked, I realized once again how important it is to practice myself what I preach to our children.  I had to say out loud for my children's benefit...but mostly for my benefit..."God isn't pleased when we respond in that way, is He?  He has told us that we need to pray for those who despitefully use us...or our loved ones.  We must pray for our enemies...for their salvation or needs.  Adults and children must do that.  And that can be really hard to do sometimes..." and then I had to stop talking because I started to cry.  We often know we shouldn't respond a certain way...but sometimes...it is really hard!  The only One who can help us...is the Lord!  My daughter's honesty was her Mom's conviction.
James 4:17  "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."
Our children are watching us and listening to us!  They need to know we struggle with the same thoughts even as adults...and they need to see us do right...and hear us do right!   Sometimes...I think that God uses our children to rebuke us...because it is very sobering.

"I do not have stupid written across my forehead."

Yep, I said it.  Out loud.  To our children.  And then I went into the bathroom to double check!  It was a weak moment for me yesterday, but I wonder what other mothers would have said in the same situation.  See the orange bowl on the left?  There are chocolates in it.  Upon coming up for lunch, the girls found a wrapper on the floor.  "Chevy must have got one and ate it!" said the little brown haired girls with the big, brown eyes.  "Yea, right. I do not have stupid written across my forehead!  Chevy would have had to pull a chair over, get the candy, eat the candy, and put the chair back.  Somebody helped themself during one of the many trips to the bathroom and tried to hide the wrapper...Chevy got that." I countered sternly.  They looked at me...trying to see if there was something written on my forehead or maybe trying to figure out how I knew.  I don't know...what would you say?!
They slinked back to their play arguing and accusing each other.  If I had thought to keep record of how many chocolates were in the bowl to begin with...I would know that each one of them may have hidden a wrapper somewhere!  In our house, Chevy is most easily blamed.  We all know he is naughty and loves sweets...but blaming him for getting his own treats...is just stupid...or foolish, if the s-t-u-p-i-d word is too harsh!

How do you know it dipped to the freezing point?

Question by a sleepy girl, "What is that smell?  It smells like a hot curling iron."  It was the first use of the furnace for the season...Daddy thought 63 degrees would be too rough on the sleepyheads!  "It's ok...go back to bed!" he reassured her.

The smell of coffee wafts through the house like the scent of sweet perfume...coaxing us out of the warmth of our bed.  It's Monday again!

You burrow just a little deeper under the covers with a little white dog curled up against your legs.  We are moving a little slow this morning...delayed start by a half hour...or so!

You wear your flannel pajamas which your husband refers to as your snowmobile suit.

Breakfast is delayed while you figure out what to make...in the oven.

Happy Frosty Monday!  And a happy slow start after a late night of waiting for Daddy to get home! 

Ashlynn stated, "Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest...Daddy can't rest if he has to go to work!"  I agree!  We miss him terribly on Sunday afternoons and evenings when he has to work.  It just feels off! We are thankful for Ted's committment to providing for the needs of his family and working.  God provided this job, and we are going to be thankful...even though we don't understand all the whys and whats of it!  Pray for him...and for protection from the wiles of the devil.  If your husband or dad works in a place with unsaved coworkers...you need to be vigilantly praying for him.  The things they are bombarded with minute by minute and hour by hour are unimaginable.  I am very sheltered in this aspect and I am thankful.  We forget that satan is a roaring lion who seeks to devour...and he uses whatever and whoever to lash out and maim God's people...and he doesn't play fair!  Have you prayed for your family today?  It is Monday...a new week for satan to attack the refreshed hearts from Sunday's services!
We are praying for Daddy to have a good...fast...day at work...so he can rest tonight!

"Mom, she spoiled us!" said Teddy.

Once a month, the company that our Daddy works for has a Friends and Family Sale.  Ted has to work during this special event...always on a Sunday evening.  We made a visit to one of the stores tonight.  We walked in the door and were greeted with all sorts of treats.  Activity tomorrow...using the new cookie cutters to make fall sugar cookies...after school, of course!

Saturday Blessings

A drive through the countryside...brought beautiful sights of changing leaves and passing clouds...

and brought us to our stamping friend's house!  The kids made some new friends and the grown-ups got to have fun creating for National Card-Making Day.

After a morning with friends and fall weather...we finally put out all the fall decorations.  The house is cozy and smells divine...homemade applesauce and chili.  The kids enjoyed a spontaneous fun time with Aunt Sara at a new park and just came home with hot chocolates.

Have a happy, cozy Saturday evening!