Anchor Academy

There is no rock like our God. 1 Samuel 2:2c

2011-10-09T20:56:00.000-04:00

God is compared to a rock – not a shell. They are both very hard. They both probably have a similar chemical make-up. But shells. They are hard. But how hard is it to find a perfect shell on the beach? So many are crushed or broken or have holes. It makes it that much sweeter when you do find one that is whole. But God is always whole. Always perfect.

And God is rock, not a stone. Like shells, stones can be tossed around. They are light. They are small. They can be polished. Yu can decorate with stones. Think landscaping. Think vases.

Rocks. Rocks are different. Think about other attributes of God. God is bigger than the boogieman. Well, so are rocks. God is immovable. There are rocks so big you nee a bulldozer to move them. There are rocks so big you need dynamite to move them. There are rocks so big we call them mountains – Stone Mountain and Mount Rushmore.

God is invisible. There are rocks that are hidden so we only find them when we dig and they surprise us when we find them. Doesn’t God surprise you sometimes? Sometimes you only find Him when you dig. But then there are times the rock is right there in front of you. You don’t even notice t until you trip on it. God’s been like that too. He’s right there and He’s been there the whole time but I didn’t see Him until I tripped.

But scripture says, “There is no rock like our God.” Rocks do have qualities in common with God. But God is unlike rocks. God is invisible. We can’t see Him but He’s always there. God is loving, caring and merciful. Rocks are none of these things. Rocks don’t have feelings.

God is everywhere. Some would say rocks are everywhere. And there are times it seems that way. J But it only seems that way. There are no rocks in my head but God is there. There are no rocks in my heart but God is there too.

God sees everything. Rocks don’t have eyes. God hears everything. Rocks don’t have ears. God loves us. Rocks don’t have hearts.

God loves on us. Rocks can’t. They don’t have arms. Where are God’s arms? We are God’s arms. We are God’s body. How does God love on us? Through our loving on each other. I wouldn’t want a hug from a rock or a rock person. But I would want a hug from God.

As I’m on the beach playing with my feet in the sand – sand is really rocks that have been crushed so much they are tiny. (Or maybe sand is crushed shells.) But God can’t be crushed. He can’t be pulverized. He can’t be blasted into smaller, easier to handle sizes.

Hannah said, “There is no rock like our God.” And I for one am very happy about that!

Book 40

2011-07-22T16:21:00.002-04:00

Gilgamesh the Hero by Geraldine McCaughrean

I'm starting to read books for the next school year. The literature for the girls so far is poetry and included an excerpt from Gilgamesh. I wanted to be sure I understood the story and so read Matthew's book. This story is very similar (as expected) to what I understood in the excerpt. But it starts much sooner in Gilgamesh's life and goes further. I do feel I understand the excerpt better.

Not just in this book, but also in the Ancient Egyptian poems I read, I'm finding stories very similar to what is in the Bible. I'm thinking there is truth to Romans where everyone has revelation of God and they will be judged according to their revelation. The Egyptians had a belief at one point of a single creator god. In Gilgamesh, they tell a rendition of the flood story complete with a boat they call an ark and animals on it. There are of course differences from the Biblical account.

Recommended: yes. It does give us insight to ancient peoples. But I would caution against young teens/tweens who are still easily swayed in their faith. If not fully convinced of faith in Christ, they could easily see the similarities as reasons to see the Bible as just another story ad not the truth.

Book 39

2011-07-22T16:16:00.003-04:00

Cotillion by ??

I read this book a few weeks ago while on the way to and from the family reunion. It takes place in England, probably before Jane Austin days. But around that time. There was a little girl who was orphaned and taken in by an old man. He had no wife, no children, but 4 nephews. As the girl aged, he decided to make her his heir, but with the stipulation that she marry one of his nephews. He thought she would marry a certain one, his favorite. She was angry with him and convinced a different nephew to pretend to be engaged to her so she could have a "season" in London. Then they would break off their engagement and go their own ways.

The story that ensues is slightly predictable but still enjoyable. This is not a Christian story as it seems no on much goes to church and there is premarital relations, but nothing spoken of directly. You need to read between the lines to find it.

Recommended: Not for youngsters. Maybe not for Hannah, probably for Katie. But only if you like Jane Austin type stories.

Book 38

2011-07-05T07:52:00.002-04:00

The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flangan

Again, a book I was pre-reading for Matthew. This one again, I either read to fast or there weren't any curse words. I did notice a character saying "Blast it!" once or twice but no cursing. :-)

The books starts with the main characters separate. Will and Halt are in Toscana (I still haven't figured out where it is) and Horace is in Nihon-Ja. Will, Halt and Alyss are working out a treaty while Horace is learning new sword techniques. Right as negotiations are wrapping up on the treaty, Evalyn arrives with news that Horace has disappeared in Nihon-Ja. Wiil, Halt, Alyss, and Evalyn take off on a Skandian ship to save Horace.

Just like the others in the series, I enjoyed this one and recommend it. I've also heard a rumor that they are making some of the series into a movie. We'll have to see how it plays out.

Book 37

2011-06-20T15:52:00.002-04:00

Case for Faith for Kids by Lee Strobel

I actually finished this book a couple weeks ago and I'm just getting back to blog it. Oops! Another pre-read for Matthew. I think he will get more out of this one than Case for Christ. This book answers the "hard" questions, at least some of them. "Why would a good God allow bad things?" and "Can other religions get us into Heaven?" are among them. It's a good book for the age group targeted.

Recommended: yes for either older children, youth or new adult believers.

Movie - Pirates 4

2011-06-11T19:42:00.003-04:00

We unexpectedly went to Pirates of the Caribbean, on Stranger Tides today. Let's just say if I had gone onto unplugged.com to check it out before we went, we would not have taken M. Bad language being the reason. It's a popcorn movie. There are places where it is completely unbelievable - Blackbeard is magic, or rather his sword is. There are some thinly veiled sexual references that I don't think M got. I'm not sure about the girls. And then the zombies and the mermaids. Not your typical mermaids either - they were evil. Or rather you learn later that they react to the evil around them. There was a missionary in the movie. They didn't make him out to be over the top, thankfully. Nor did he turn on his faith. He wasn't what I would have hoped for a missionary either.

Not the best Pirates movie. But not a wasted 2 hour.

Recommended? I'm not sure. If you really like Pirates, the go. If you aren't a Pirates fan, then save your money, this one won't help.

Movie -Walk the Line

2011-06-04T23:05:00.002-04:00

Oh no. More than one post in a single day! :-)

J and I sat down and watched the movie tonight. K didn't want to and H wasn't home - babysitting. And it's just not a movie for M. There was a little bad language, but not a lot. Enough to discount M but not enough to discount H. One after s*x scene, but nothing showed. So that will depend on your point of view.

In case this is new to you - it's a biopic of Johnny Cash. At least up to the late 60's. I didn't realize Johnny and June met so early and while he was still married to Vivian. Of course, all I ever knew was that June was a born again Christian, I didn't know when that happened. The movie did not paint Johnny's dad in a good light at all. But then it didn't really skim over Johnny's drug and alcohol addiction either. There was the allusion of affairs with fans, but you didn't see anything. Johnny was not made out to be a wonderful person, he had many flaws and they seemed to show them all.

I always wonder about movies based on real life - how true are they. I really don't know about this one. It's not something I looked up. I like Johnny Cash's music, some of it, but I'm not really a fan. I'll take the movie at face value and leave it at that.

Recommended - I don't know. Like I said I'm not a big fan of his music but I did enjoy the movie and seeing where he came from and how he came up through the ranks.

Book 36

2011-06-04T16:05:00.001-04:00

To Live is Christ Day by Day by Beth Moore

This is a 90 day devotional that I used during quiet time each day until I finished it. I loved this one! From past experience, I'm sure she has either a book or a Bible study that goes along with this, probably by the same name except no "day by day" part. I enjoyed this devoational so much that I want to do the whole study now. :-)

Book 35

2011-06-03T20:18:00.003-04:00

The Pastor's Wife by Jennifer Allee

This was another book I "bought" because it was free on the Kindle. It's a good beach read. That's actually where I read it. :-) Good beach read because if you get interrupted by others, it's fine. Good beach read because it's relatively brainless. If you need some sort of escapist reading, and who doesn't at some point, this is a great book for that.

The book starts with Maura coming back to Granger for the reading of a will only to find that she must move back in with her estranged husband for 6 months to inherit anything. Se quickly decides that what she will receive is worth it and moves back to Granger. What follows is the courtship of a couple that is already married. It's still a Christian romance and so they do nothing about being married for a long time!

Book 34

2011-06-01T07:22:00.002-04:00

Case for Christ for Kids by Lee Strobel

This is a kids book similar to The Case for Christ, by the same author. It's a good book and covers some basic questions - who was Jesus? Did he fit the Messiah picture? Did his friends tell the truth? Can a dead man really come back to life? Then the last few chapters are about young people sharing their faith through common encounters.

I think for where Matthew is in his faith, this book is a little young. Which is not to say that it's young for many 10 yos! Matthew is just very mature in his faith.

Recommended - yes.

Book 32 and 33

2011-05-31T21:26:00.003-04:00

Kings of Clonmel by John Flangan
Halt's Peril by John Flanagan

Books 8 and 9 in the Ranger's Apprentice series. This book starts with Will and Halt in separate places but brings them together soon in time but not in pages of the book. They are going to try and eradicate a cult trying to make inroads into Araluen. But right "now" the cult is in a neighboring kingdom of Clonmel. We learn many things about Halt in Clonmel and the cult is sort of taken care of. At least the leaders have left Clonmel.

Book 9 continues the journey to eradicate the cult as Will, Halt and Horace follow the leaders of the cult through Clonmel, into Picta and then into Araluen. Halt is shot with an arrow and the story tells what happens from there. We see old friends from Macindaw.

Of course they have many adventures in all these various countries. There were curse words in Kings of Clonmel but surprisingly, none in Halt's Peril. (Unless I read too fast and for my pleasure instead of reading to edit for ds, which is entirely possible!) There was a scene in Halt's Peril that is questionable. It is how Horace and to a small part Will find out what poison is used on Halt. It gives me pause enough to wonder about letting ds read it. But I htink what I will do is write a note in the book saying "see me" or some such so it gets discussed right away.

Recommended - yes.

Book 31

2011-05-20T07:30:00.003-04:00

Hotness by Hayley DiMarco

This is the second book I went through for a summer teen girl Bible study. I don't know which one to focus on. They are both so good! The book - Sexy Girls (see book 29) - is more a practical application of the issue of modesty. This book is a why it's important to be modest. This book is a Bible study. This one goes directly to God's Word and says do it because God says. Sexy Girls has Bible verses in it and uses God's Word to support what she says but it feels like it says do it because you don't want men looking at you.

This is an oversimplification of both books. I need to incorporate them both. I love using God's Word to find out what you should do. But girls today really need to know what it is men see when they see skin. I can't do one alone. I need to do them both.

For you, yes this is a recommended book. What will your teens respond to better? Direct reading and study of God's Word? Or an application with scripture for support?

Book 30

2011-05-18T07:43:00.003-04:00

Teen People of the Bible by Daniel Darling

Another book I'm previewing before using it to lead teens. :-) This is actually a devotional for teens - 100 days worth. Each day has the same basic format a question that plagues teens, today's teen, today's action verse, storyline, today's teen speaks, digging deeper, just like you, did you know?, today's prayer, journal question.

Some of the Bible people chose surprised me, like Jeremiah. I didn't think they were teens during their ministry years. Others were more obvious like Josiah who became king when he was only 8. It's a good book. If I wasn't using it for a light summer Sunday school, I'd be passing it to my girls with the admonition not to write in it so they can both use it. For Sunday school, I'm either going to need to skip some days or I'm going to have to change the journal question. (I'm going to use the question as a discussion topic.) Some of the questions, I just don't think they'll be comfortable discussing in a group. I figure I'm going to need to do more than one "day" each Sunday depending on how chatty they are each week.

Recommended: yes!

Book 29

2011-05-13T15:35:00.002-04:00

Sexy Girls bu Hayley DiMarco

I read this book to prepare for a Bible study for teen girls this summer that I want to host. I wanted to make sure it said what I wanted it to say. :-) It does and it doesn't. It doesn't say your tops should be up to here and your bottoms should cover at least this much of you leg. The author lets you come to your own conclusion. BUT she does point out why you should cover up. She uses Bible verses to support her main points.

After reading this book, I feel every teenage girl should read. EVERY teenage girl. Even if she's not a Christian. If she thinks she's a "good girl" she should read this book. If she wonders why she gets the attention she gets from boys, she should read this book. DiMarco doesn't hide that she's a Christian and that's the why we should care, but I think girls should know what their clothes do to the boys around them.

Recommended: YES! There is language in the book that would cause me not to give it to a pre-teen, not to even go over the book with a pre-teen. But maybe I'm a little more sheltering of my girls and not talking about sex too early. I can't wait for the summer and the Bible study with this book. I hope there are a lot of girls who come! There are a few that I think need it.

Book 28

2011-05-13T15:28:00.002-04:00

Erak's Ransom by John Flanagan

I didn't realize that I hadn't posted on this book. It's book 7 in the Ranger's Apprentice series, but chronologically it should go between 4 and 5. The author wrote 5 and 6 and then realized there were issues he hadn't dealt with and so went back in time so to speak.

In book 7, Will is still an apprentice and follows Halt to yet another new land to ransom Erak, the oberjarl of the Skandians. The issues the author is trying to deal with are the feelings that Will has that he's not ready to become a full ranger, to be on his own without Halt there to help him.

The fighting in this book is more graphic than in previous books. I almost did not want to give it to my son. Then I thought, he's seen stuff like this in movies.

Recommended: yes. Matthew has read it and we've already passed it on to a friend to borrow or I could tell you more. It almost seems that since we've gone back in time, there were fewer words to white out in this book.

Book 27

2011-05-04T07:45:00.002-04:00

Adventuring through Paul's Epistles by Ray C Stedman

I got this book because I'm going to be teaching the youth Sunday school class in a few more weeks. I'm teaching on Paul and his letters. When I bought the book I was still trying to figure out which of Paul's letters to do. This book gives a brief (usually 10 pages) overview on the main points of each of Paul's letters. It was a good summary with some points covered very well. It was a good review but not anything near a study level. I did enjoy the book and I do recommend it. I hope to buy Stedman's other books - one on the gospels and another on Hebrews through Revelation.

And by the way, I'm teaching on Thessalonians.

Book 26

2011-04-28T16:21:00.002-04:00

The Siege at Macindaw by John Flanagan

This is book 6 in The Ranger's Apprentice series. This story continues where book 5 left off. Will is in Macindaw but has escaped into the forest with a very ill Orman. Horace arrives north in the first few chapters. And Will locates a ship-full of Skandians ready to help retake the castle. This story revolves around why Keren tried to kill Orman and his father and how Will and Horace and the Skandians retake the castle.

SPOILER warning: Again for those parents who need the warning, there is a battle scene and, unlike previous books, the injuries the combatants give each other are on the graphic side. "Trobar clutched at the sudden fierce pain, feeling his own hot blood course over his fingers. ... The point of the blade thrust into his massive forearm, sliding through muscle and flesh, jarring off the bone."

I do still recommend the books, with the warning above.

Book 25

2011-04-26T13:53:00.004-04:00

The Sorcerer of the North by John Flanagan

Book 5 in the Ranger's Apprentice series. This book deals with, can you guess, sorcery. Or at least what people think is sorcery. SPOILER alert: To give parents a true warning if needed, I'm going to have to let you know things that happen so you can make an accurate assessment for your child. Much of the sorcery is visual fakes - lights in the woods, a shadow projected on a mist. Some of it is herb based. The book also has characters who are deformed, handicapped. This book has a direct lead into the next one.Books 1 and 2 tell one story which leads to the story in Books 3 and 4. The story in this one is independent (except for character development) from the first 4. The story in this book finishes in book 6. So book 6 has the same deformed, handicapped characters. They are treated with the common fears people who aren't used to seeing them have but then they are seen as they truely are - real people.

Like the previous books, there are swear words - mostly starting with d and h. And now Will is also using them. He is by now in his early 20's.

The story basics - Will is now a full Ranger, no longer an apprentice. He goes to his fief and then is sent on a covert mission to Macindaw. We see Halt and Horace again. We are reacquainted with Will's childhood friend Alyss.

I enjoy these books. My girls enjoy these books. Soon and very soon, I hope to be able to say that my son enjoys these books!

Books 21-24

2011-04-23T19:12:00.003-04:00

The Ruins of Gorlan
The Burning Bridge
The Icebound Land
The Battle for Skandia
all by John Flanagan

I'm rereading these books because Matthew wants to read them. I'm making sure they are entirely appropriate. For the most part, they are. I'm using the white out on the curse words, mostly those that start with "h" and "d". These are all books in a series called The Ranger's Apprentice. I had told a friend a few days ago that" they aren't Christian, but they aren't anti-Christian either." You don't hear about the beliefs of the kingdom of Araluen. But everyone else seems to be polytheistic. Halt respects the beliefs of the other countries but we never hear about his own.

The Ruins of Gorlan introduces Will, Halt and Horace. The timing of the books is hard to figure exactly. There are knights and fiefdoms and a definite lack of cars. But they also measure using the metric system. (Of course, that could be becuase the author is Australian and he's writing for the youth there.) Will and Horace are 15 at the start of the book and are sort of enemies. They both apprentrice to different craftsman. Horace apprentices to the Battle school to become a knight and Will becomes a ranger apprentice under Halt. The boys become friends. This book outlines Will's adventures in tracking and fighting some pretty weird beings.

The Burning Bridge continues the story of Will and Horace. Halt is there too, but not as much. Will and Horace are sent on a diplomatic mission to Celtica. They find things not quite right as well as a girl named Evelyn and adventure ensues. The enemy from book one is still around and trying to get in through Celtica. Will burns down a bridge and gets captured with Evelyn in the process.

The Icebound Land follows Will and Evelyn into captivity in Skandia. Horace and Halt try to rescue them and have adventures in the process. The story goes back and forth between Will and Evelyn and Halt and Horace. The book has and interesting scene if you are having your young person read it. Horace and Halt see girls in very short skirts. Horace asks why and Halt insinuates it's so the girls can run easier than you could in long skirts. Halt is actually puling Horace's leg. Horace believes Halt and Halt lets it go as "Horace has plenty of time to learn about the seamier side of life.... He could retain his innocence for a little while longer." So is your young person going to question this sequence or let it go?

The Battle for Skandia finds our foursome in Skandia finally together but unable to leave. The Skandians are about to be attacked by another kingdom. They help the Skandians and have trials and tribulations along the way.

Book 20

2011-04-22T06:58:00.002-04:00

Better Together: What on Earth are we here for? by Rick Warren

We used this book in our church small groups. For the second year everyone was invited to do the same study and this was the study during Lent. It was a good book, definitely a group book, not something you'd want to do on your own. I liked the small group. I enjoyed most aspects of the book. I did disagree with one point the first week, but other than that I do recommend the book in a group setting.

Book 19

2011-04-16T14:46:00.002-04:00

The Gospel of Ruth by Carolyn Custis James

Excellent book! I got it as a free Kindle book. I read it because it sounded interesting. I love it! I may need to host a women's Bible/book study on this book. I learned so much about the time of the Judges. I learned so much about being a woman in that time.

I had read the book of Ruth earlier this year. Upon finishing it, I thought "someone needs to make a movie of this!" After reading this book about Ruth, I really think someone should read both and make a movie out of the book of Ruth. Someone did Esther, someone should do Ruth!

book 18

2011-04-11T17:54:00.003-04:00

Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs

Another free Kindle book. It was obvious from the description on Amazon that this was a romance. But what wasn't obvious was that it wasn't a Christian romance. The difference is large. Christian romances stop at kissing. Since I don't think we should "see" further than that, I'm happy with Christian romances. I should have stopped several times and just set it aside. Innuendo abounds. And then...

But the story was a sweet story of falling in love as a teen, going separate ways and then finding each other again at a summer on Willow Lake.

Would I recommend it - well it doesn't stop where I think it should, so no, not really.

Book 17

2011-04-06T12:16:00.001-04:00

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A Milne

This book was on Matthew's literature list for the year. Of course I do recommend it. I started it months ago, probably in September. I didn't finish it before Matthew needed it, so I stuck a book mark in it and gave it to him. Then some time after that, Katie picked it up and read it. I just saw it again on the shelf this morning and decided to finish it. It's a wonderful story of course!

Book 16

2011-04-06T10:41:00.002-04:00

Birkenhead Drill by Douglas Phillips

Quick read. Yes, I recommend it. Some won't like that Doug Phillips of Vision Forum wrote it and that's ok. It's still a good book. If you ever wondered where the phrase "Women and children first", this is your answer. The Birkenhead was a ship that sank back in the 1800's off the coast of Africa. The story of how the men stayed on board to make sure the women and children survived is told by Phillips and then retold by survivor accounts. It's a quick read. It just came in the mail on Monday. I started it Tuesday and finished it Wednesday.

Book 15

2011-04-02T19:47:00.002-04:00

Hide in Plain Sight by Marta Perry

It's a Christian Romance. I needed light reading. I needed something quick. This fit the bill wonderfully. It's about an upwardly mobile woman who goes home to help her family when her sister gets hit by a car. Maybe by the "Plain Sight" in the title, you can tell it takes place in an Amish community. They are not Amish but live among them. It's all about the trials they go through trying to get a bed and breakfast open while her sister is in a wheelchair. Other things happen as well. :-)

Recommended - yes.

Tobacco Road Marathon

2011-03-30T19:20:00.002-04:00

I just realized that I never posted about the marathon. First let me say that I finished in my goal time (4.5 to 5 hours) and I didn't get hurt.

I was doing very well for the first several miles, ahead of goal time (10 minute miles). I finally decided I needed to slow down at mile 8, when I was 4 minutes ahead. By 13 miles, I was right at 10 minute miles overall. I walked through all the water stops. As the miles went on, it was getting harder to convince myself to start running again. I ran the first 21 miles, further than I've made it so far in the races. I walked early at Disney, 18 miles at Shamrock. Then after 21, I would walk and run part of each mile. At 20 miles, they started to have water every mile. I would then walk anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 mile and then run the rest. At 25 miles, when I started to run again I decided to run the rest of the way.

As I came around a curve at the end, I saw John and my folks waiting for me. They had an adventure! They parked at NetApp and road a bus over to the race site. This was provided by the race. But they ended up walking almost a mile to where the finish line was. Thankfully that morning I texted John where the van was parked. John found it and the chairs in the back end. He grabbed my camera and a chair for mom.

Total time 5:54

I cooled down a bit and we headed home.

Book 14

2011-03-30T19:13:00.002-04:00

What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Premenopause by John R Lee, MD, Jesse Hanley, MD and Virginia Hopkins

Great book. Very informative. I feel much better about what's going on and how to "fix" things. But I also notice a marked similarity to other books I've read - whole foods. Could be because my friend Kathy recommended this and other books. But it's a good thing. I think I eat ok, but there is always room for improvement.

But the book is not all about nutrition. It's about the changes your body goes through in your 30's and 40's. What happens, why it happens and how to help the fallout. They keep saying over and over again that if you make changes now during your premenopause years, menopause will be much easier. I'll have to get back to you on that one. But if I can make these years, better. I'm all for it.

Yes - recommended!

Book 13

2011-03-18T08:58:00.002-04:00

Falling Up by Shel Silverstein

This book was on Matthew's literature list this year. I read it because I don't think I'd ever read anything by Silverstein. I'd heard about The Giving Tree, but never actually read it. I'm also not a huge fan of poetry. But I did enjoy it. And Matthew will have to read it. There are a few poems I wonder if he will "get".

Recommended: yes.

Seven Pounds

2011-03-14T23:08:00.002-04:00

Starring Will Smith

What a depressing movie. Of course it was, it was a drama. No Hollywood ending here that's for sure. I kind of knew the story line going in. But it was confusing trying to figure it out. Then it wasn't really clear what was a flashback and what was now. It all finally made sense in the end. But depressing.

I can't recommend it. I like movies that you can sit and enjoy your popcorn. Or romantic movies or comedies. Dramas have never been a favorite of mine. I'm not really sure why we watched it. I watched it with Katie. One s*x scene - not too graphic though. I don't remember language but it was Katie and we're opening those gates.

One good thing - I guess John had said a while back that Will Smith is someone who can actually act. Katie had only seen him in movies like Men in Black. Now she agrees with her dad. He can act.

Book 12

2011-03-10T16:38:00.002-05:00

The Wonderful World of Boys by Dr. James Dobson

I bought this book years ago! I finally read it. It is good and before I go further, I do recommend it. It claims to be about boys, but remarkably much of the advice about how to raise them can go either for boys or girls. The photographs in the book are wonderful! It's almost a "coffee table" boo, if you know what I mean. But the photos are all of boys and others but mostly just boys. And mostly younger boys. There are pictures of teens, but not many. There are excerpts throughout the books from Dobson's other books - Dare to Discipline, Strong Willed Child and others. Good book. Easy read.

Book 11

2011-03-08T06:57:00.003-05:00

Next Door Savior by Max Lucado

Recommended - Yes! It's Max Lucado why wouldn't I recommend it? I can't say that anything in there was ground breaking but it did give me a new way of looking at things. Max took familiar stories about Jesus and either put them in a modern view or took a modern story and drew the parallels. Either way, it was good. I read it during my quiet time and I really should have known after the first day or two that I needed the box of tissues right next to me instead of in the other room.

Funny from this weekend

2011-03-07T12:47:00.001-05:00

I was at the Mom Heart conference this weekend so John took Hannah to her first soccer game of the season by himself. The coach came up to him with the snack schedule and asked if he was authorized to sign up. (I already had.)

God is good!

2011-03-07T12:42:00.002-05:00

We had a water leak in January/February. I thought I had posted about it but can't find it. Suffice it to say it was bad. one clue before we knew about the leak was the water bill was about 3 times higher than normal. The same weekend we got the bill, we found and fixed the leak. I thought that was the end of it.

This weekend we got the next water bill. Almost 10 times higher! Close to $600!!! John called the city to see if we could get it reduced, at least not pay some of the exorbitant overuse fees. And since that water was going into the ground, we shouldn't have to pay the sewer fees either. I took a picture of the plumber's bill and sent it to John who then sent it to the city.

We still have a high water bill but they reduced it to under $200.

God is good!

Mom Heart Conference

2011-03-05T22:48:00.001-05:00

It turns out that I knew quite a few women there, but I still went "alone". It was funny, before dinner on Friday night (on our own), Sally told everyone who was there alone to raise their hand and everyone else to make sure they had someone to go to dinner with. I had found one of the people I knew by that time and I just went with her and her friends. Funny thing - they decided to go to a certain mall for dinner and missed the turn, I'm the one that got them there.

Anyway... Conference itself. I spent way too much money on books. I'm a homeschooling mom, what can I say? The talks were good. I have things to apply to my life - making kids a priority over the computer, being gentle with them, maybe even leading a group of women through one of her books. She did mention babies a lot, but what she said applies to moms with all age kids. Just because my oldest is 16 doesn't mean I don't need to make her feel special and to be gentle with her. There was a lot of stuff speakers said that I already knew and so didn't write down.

I bought a book for one friend at church but I think I should have bought one for another lady at church. When Sally (or others) kept saying to simply pass along a book, who can you buy a book for? This lady at church kept coming to mind. But I don't think she'd accept it from me. So then there's the problem of how to get it to her. And then would she read it anyway.

All of my family asked if I'd go again. I said probably. It will depend on when and where.

Shrek Forever After

2011-03-05T19:36:00.002-05:00

Sweet movie. In all honesty, it's really "It's a Wonderful Life" rewritten with the Shrek characters. If you like the Shrek movies, you'll like this one. If you don't like Shrek movies, you probaby won't like this one. So recommended, conditionally.

The Last Song

2011-02-27T23:08:00.002-05:00

Two movies in one day! What's the world coming to?

This one was a movie that I thought I wanted to see, but the girls were so over Miley Cyrus there was no way they were going! :-) It was a cute movie, totally predictable. No too much Miley, my girls still wouldn't like it. A few bad words, but nothing major. Well maybe, the girls would be ok, she doesn't sing until the last song with the closing credits. Her clothes are skimpy in parts. Of course there are bikinis on the beach. And the fellas play beach volleyball, so no shirts there either. Greg Kineer did a great job as the dad. Sad movie though. A popcorn movie to be sure. Romantic drama I guess is how you'd classify it.

Recommended? I'm not sure. I'd hold off due to clothes in spots. And like I said it was predictable. Still. A sweet story.

The Last Starfighter

2011-02-27T13:58:00.003-05:00

I'm doing mini-reviews on books, I figure why not review movies we watch too. :-)

We just finished Last Starfighter. It's a PG movie from 1984. It's one that I remember from my youth as being good. I remembered the basic story line as being something M would enjoy. I think he did enjoy it. And other than bad effects - it's from 1984, what did we expect??? - it's still a good movie.

Basic story - kid growing up in a trailer park is obsessed with a video game. He breaks the all time record and is then taken into space as a starfighter. He tells them no, he doesn't want to be there and they bring him home. Then for what ensues, I'll leave for those who will watch the movie.

The one disappointment - There are a handful of bad words. Not that I didn't expect them. I figured it's made at a time when curse words were common in movies and I'd need to preview the movie. John said let's just watch it and if it gets bad, we'll turn it off. So we did that. The disappointment is that every curse word in the movie, and some of them weren't the mild variety, were said by the 10/11 yo little brother. Not any of the adults or newly minted high school grads, the 10/11 yo. Oh and they flashed some Playboy covers. Not enough to see anything you wouldn't see at the beach these days. But those also belonged to the little brother. Not cool.

Recommended - yes, with the cautions above.

Book 10

2011-02-16T12:01:00.002-05:00

Real Food by Nina Planck

This is a book I read once a year. It gets me on track with what I should be eating - food grown in dirt. Meat from animals that have eaten grass. I can't always afford it, but it's what I'd like to be able to do. Those of you who are young earth types will have to get over her "we've been eating this way for millions of years." I just ignore those statements, well I guess I change them to "We've been eating this way since the dawn of time." She does talk a lot about cholesterol - I happen to share her viewpoint. Recommended: YES.

Book 9

2011-02-13T16:01:00.002-05:00

365 Daily Devotions for a Godly Woman

Obviously I didn't start this book this year. Truthfully, I didn't start it last year either. I started it in 2009! But I kept at it and have finally finished it! Yes, I would recommend it. It's nothing ground breaking but it is a set of wonderful reminders. It gets you thinking first thing in the morning about Christ and who He is and who He is to you. Which is what a devotional should do, right?

Mom Heart Conference 2011

2011-02-11T16:28:00.002-05:00

Join me at Mom Heart in NC in less than a month. Sally Clarkson leads the retreat. She has such a heart for moms. This year her theme is "My Mom Heart Matters, Reclaiming Motherhood, Shaping the Future."

Book 8

2011-02-09T07:46:00.002-05:00

Breaking Free by Beth Moore

I had this book up on my bookshelf. I have no idea when or why I bought it. I picked it up because it is the book that goes along with the Bible study I am doing at SEEK. We split the study into 2 semesters so I needed a review before we started spring semester. I picked up this book. But I didn't read only the parts we studied last semester. I read the whole thing. :-) I figure the more the word washes over me the more I'll get what I need to get. Less forgetting and going my own way, you know. The subtitle is "Discover the Victory if Total Surrender". She lays out 5 benefits to submitting to God. There's part that describes the benefits, part that explains what keeps us from the benefits and part how to live out the benefits. If you are willing to do the work, it's a good study. Would I recommend the book? Yes, but I think the Bible study is better. You don't need one if you have the other.

Book 7

2011-02-08T22:14:00.002-05:00

The Centurion's Wife by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke

The only reason I have this book is it was free on the Kindle. But I was intrigued by the story. Then the more I read the less I wanted to put the book down! Would I recommend this book - YES! It is in the genre of Christian fiction.

It takes place in Jerusalem between Christ's crucifixion and Pentecost, or the week after Pentecost. It's the story of a centurion who is told to find out what the disciples did with Jesus's body and the story of a servant to Pilate's wife who is told to find out if the disciples plan a rebellion. Well sort of. And it's really so much more than that as well. :-)

Book 6

2011-01-28T10:47:00.002-05:00

Against All Odds by Irene Hannon

Good book. It is in the realm of Christian romance. It was suspenseful and intriguing. I didn't want to put it down last night to go to bed. It was a free kindle book, which is why I have it at all. If you like the genre, I think you'll like the book. Oh - more than just Christian romance, it's a mystery and suspense as well. Not over the top Christian. At several points early on, I was wondering if it was a Christian romance.

Book 5

2011-01-27T14:04:00.002-05:00

The Red Pony by John Steinbeck

"That was a weird book" is what I said to Hannah as I finished it. After 2 chapters, I thought it was depressing. Now I think it was just weird. Chapter 1 tells how the little boy got a horse. Chapter 2 tells how an old man came to the ranch and stole a horse (different horse). Chapter 3 tells how the boy took care of a mare until she "threw a colt". Then chapter 4 tells how grandfather came to visit. I left out a lot, so there's much you could glean. But overall I wouldn't recommend the book. It's odd, disjointed. It's 4 little stories rather than one big one. This book was on Hannah's literature list for the year.

Just talking to Katie - she had to read Old Man and the Sea which was also strange but better. But that was last year. :-)

Marathon course - spring 2011

2011-01-26T22:41:00.001-05:00

Tobacco Road Marathon

Find more Runs in Cary, NC

I'm tired

2011-01-25T13:43:00.001-05:00

I've been feeling like this running thing isn't fun anymore. I want running to be fun again. It's like this at this point of training for a marathon. Halfway through training. It's all work right now. Have to do the high miles to be able to run the marathon. I get that, but it's not fun.

So I decided I was just going to go run today. I plugged in my iPod, listened to tunes and just ran. (I haven't been listening to music while running. I've just been running.) I wasn't going to push it I was just going to take it easy and make it fun. Well, as fun as 5 miles could be.

I went out and felt really slow, but also still sore and working things out from Saturday's 17. The sore muscle that only bothered me twice on Saturday was almost yelling at me today. I could not run any faster if I had wanted too. First mile - 9:30. Second mile still choppy - 19:00. Third mile, I really felt the hill - 30:10. Fourth mile another big hill - 40:15. Fifth mile, finally feel like I can stretch out a little bit - 50:59.

I guess this means all this running is doing some good. A slow feeling run isn't really, not to my ordinary pace anyway. Ten minute miles is what I shoot for on a "pace" day.

It's a good feeling to look back on today's run and see those times. I just wish the legs felt that good. :-)

Friends or family

2011-01-24T12:08:00.002-05:00

Where does your loyalty lie - with your friends or with your family? This is a really, really frivolous thing in the grand scheme. Who shall I root for at the Superbowl this year?

Green Bay is playing Pittsburgh. I have several friends who would say root for the Steelers without fail. But then my IL would frown at me and say why would I even think to root for anyone but the Packers.

Then there is the issue of Hannah and Matthew and tennis. Last year, if you rooted for the Steelers, you didn't have to run any hills at the end of practice. But Matthew will be rooting for Green Bay - just because that's who grandpa roots for. No other reason. Matthew has no ties to Green Bay. Grandpa grew up in Wisconsin. It's the hometown team.

My folks for the same reason would root for the Lions. (Do they play football? Or is it the Tigers? No, I think the Tigers play baseball in Detroit. The Lions play football.) Anywa, it's a big cat!

You see in our family, we don't really watch sports. I know enough about sports to know a good game from a bad one. How to actually root for one team. What to tell them to do. That sort of stuff. But who wins the Superbowl doesn't actually matter to us. For that matter, the teams going to the Final Four don't really matter either. But for the record, I'll cheer on whichever NC team makes it that far. And I'll cheer all the NC teams to make it that far since neither my alma matter nor John's will even be in the tournament.

No, it doesn't really matter, but who should I cheer for now?

Book 4!

2011-01-11T19:42:00.003-05:00

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Another book on Katie's literature list. One that is an interesting read! I would recommend this one!!

It is well written. I can see how we are going down the same road now - no books. Burning books. Books are illegal.

Well written - it captured me and made me want to finish it. I read it while cooking. :-) The hard thing was it's only 3 chapters. Hard to find places to pause and actually do stuff.

Book 3

2011-01-10T13:10:00.003-05:00

I'm on a roll! Not even 2 weeks into the new year and already I've finished 3 books!

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
Interesting book. I thought I had remembered that I read it in high school and didn't like it but I have no memory of the book now that I have read it. It's kind of strange. It's about two men who are... wait for it... waiting for Godot. They have interesting problems and are interesting companions to each other. Another book on Katie's literature list for the year. I can't wait to read the teacher notes on this one! The back says it's an allegory, but I just don't see it. An allegory for what? Notes, must read the teacher notes.
Recommended? Maybe, once I read the teacher notes and truly understand it myself. :-)

Book 2

2011-01-10T07:06:00.002-05:00

Beyond Belief to Convictions by Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler

This book is about reaching our youth for Christ and confronting postmodern thinking. Wonderful book! Recommended for anyone who works with youth or parents youth.

Ok, this book is a cheater book. I actually started it last year. But from past experience I need all the help I can get. :-) I have finished this one so soon after the last one because I've been reading this one during quiet time.

52 books in 52 weeks Rules

2011-01-10T07:05:00.001-05:00

The rules:

The challenge will run from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.
Our book weeks will begin on Sunday.
Participants may join at any time.
All books are acceptable except children books.
All forms of books are acceptable including e-books, audio books, etc.
Re-reads are acceptable as long as they are read after January 1, 2011.
Books may overlap other challenges.

The goal is also to have fun, explore new books, rediscover old favorites and just plain old enjoy your reading time.

What are you reading this week?

2011 - 52 books in 52 weeks

2011-01-09T17:23:00.002-05:00

I'm trying this again. I didn't get much more than maybe 20 books last time. Maybe this year will work out better.

The thought is to read 52 books in 52 weeks. You can re-read an previously read book, but not one you've read this year. I'm already a little late with this book. I should have finished yesterday. :-) We'll see how this year goes.

Books 1 - The Crucible by Aurthur Miller.
This is on Katie's literature list for this year. It's actually a play. On the surface it's about the Salem witch trials but it was written in reaction to the McCarthy "Red Scare". I can see how it fits both. And it's scary how someone can take something so far! It was hard to read in places at the trust put in the wrong people and how judges wouldn't listen to reason.
Recommended - not really.

Triathlon weekend

2009-05-11T10:58:00.002-04:00

This is my year for PRs! (personal records) I took 30 minutes off my marathon time and now I've taken 20 minutes off my triathlon time!

DH did his first ever 1/2 ironman tri in under 8 hours which was his goal. He was tired and still gets stiff if he is still too long. His race was Saturday. The lake was cold enough to be wetsuit legal. Wetsuits are great (so I'm told) because they increase your buoyancy and so you swim faster. Swim was 1.2 miles. Then the bike was "brutal" cause of the head winds. Bike was 56 miles. Then the run was just plain long. I think he ran the first mile or 2 and then walked the rest. The run was 13.1 miles. But he finished!!! It was hard waiting on him at the end. I kept adding up the times he should be doing and coming up with "he should be here now!" and then it was at least an hour later that he showed up. Also it was HOT! It got up to 90 degrees Saturday! We talked to people who do 1/2 irons and they were saying they've never raced in over 75 degree weather.

Then my race was yesterday. The 90 degree heat Saturday made it not wetsuit legal on Sunday. Under 78 degree, it's wetsuit legal. Then 78-83, it's this weird region where you can where one but you essentially you will be disqualified with a time. Then above 83, no wetsuits. It was in that middle temp. The water was cold waiting to start (in water start) and I was rethinking my choice of not wearing a wetsuit. But once I got swimming, I didn't need the wetsuit for the warmth, but if would have been nice to have the buoyancy! The water was sooo choppy! I swallowed more water swimming that I drank on both the bike and the run together! I also decided that as long as the kids are young enough to need me to sign a permission form, they will not be doing an open water swim! You would take 3 strokes and not move at all and then you'd move a minuscule amount. Swim was 1/2 mile. It felt like forever! But I passed 4 people from the wave in front of me! (So you don't have 750 people swimming at once, they have waves of maybe 50-75 people starting a few minutes apart. My wave was 8 minutes behind the wave ahead of me.)

Then the bike - 2 loops around the lake. I was in the last wave to start the swim so it was hard to tell who was who. Many people passed me on the bike, but was it was hard to tell if they were on their first loop or their second loop. On the second loop I passed about 6 people, 4 in the last mile. Bike was 14 miles.

Then the run. I didn't have that feeling in my legs of "NO! We are not doing any more today!" that I've had in the past. I just kept running. I didn't run fast. It may be my slowest 5 K ever, other than other tris. But I kept thinking, "you don't have to go hard, you just have to go." I past 2 people near the beginning of the run and then 4 towards the end. One towards the end liked my outfit (this one in bubbly blue with matching top), mentioned it and asked if it was from Skirt Sports. I gave her a big thumbs up. Then a few hundred more yards, someone who was finished told me "Get your skirt on!" which is a Skirt Sports thing. It was cool! Down to the finish line where I actually had a kick amazingly enough! Under 2 hours total time! oh, and the high for the day was 75! Much better day to race.

Then since I had raced masters novice (over 40, beginner) and 1/2 the people in my wave had wetsuits on, I made dh stay for the awards. (Everyone in your category is in your wave. There are other categories in your wave as well. Mine was novice women, masters novice women and women under 15.) I figured there was a chance I could place! I was 6 minutes over the third place time. Oh well.

If I read the results page correctly, I was the third person out of the water in my division, 11th off the bike and 9th finishing the run. Those are just the parts of the race. I was 10th overall but 3 of those wore wetsuits so don't count. I finished 7th out of 16!

I got back in the lake since the showers were all marked "men". I wanted the sweat off me as much as I could for the drive home! Dh and I covered all the windows in the truck, opened 2 doors and he held a towel over the gap while I changed. Then drove home.

All in all a good day! Oh and then we went out for dinner for mother's day.

I think I caught up

2009-05-01T11:29:00.003-04:00

In and amongst doing everything else, I think I have finally caught up on my reading! The 52 books in 52 weeks reading that is. I've been reading a lot of fluff but it has been engaging and enjoyable. The kind where you want the tv off so you can lose yourself in a book kind of engaging.

On that note, sort of, I want to recommend the series Ranger's Apprentice. They are "young adult" books. To old for my boy, age 8 But my girls are reading them and I think enjoying them. They aren't historical fiction but they are loosely based in England. Nothing has the right name but when one of the other countries is Skandia and a possible invading country's people are called the Scotti and the main physical setting is on an island... Well what else can you say. It's not a Christian book either. The other peoples definitely have many gods. The main group... well it's just not talked about too much. Time wise the setting is back in the age of knights and chivalry. Horses are the main form of transportation. There are 2 curse words in book 6 that will bother the very conservative. They do bother me and before my kids get this far, I'll have to buy the book so I can white it out.

Family Funny

2009-03-04T19:24:00.003-05:00

I was trying to explain to the kids what a placenta abruption is today. (When the placenta pulls away from the uterine wall before the baby is born.) So after I explain what it is and why it is bad - baby gets no air, no food, no water and so could die and mom could just bleed and bleed and bleed and so could die - Hannah says it's like a wall socket. "You pull the plug and the lights go out." Think about it. She's got a good grasp on what it means. It's just a weird way of putting it.

2 books down!

2009-01-08T22:00:00.002-05:00

I'm finished with 2 books already! I needed to finish books I'd gotten from the library first. Now I can get a book that maybe isn't quite fluff.

52 Books in 52 Weeks

2009-01-04T20:31:00.003-05:00

Someone on the Welltrained Mind Forums posted an idea to read 52 books in 52 weeks. Average of a book a week. I thought I'd try. Below are the rules if you are interested in the challenge as well.

Read an average of a book a week - 52 books in 52 weeks
Re-reading a book counts--as long as you first read it before 2009
School related books don't count (unless you want them to)
You can start reading on 1-1-09 at 00:00:01AM

I have a list on the side of my blog to keep track of the books I've read. I'll list title and author. But I won't try to link the book to Amazon or anything. Sorry.

Someone came up with an idea last year that was 8-8-8 or 8 books in 8 different genres in 2008. But that didn't work for me. So I'm hoping this goes much better!

Kids big present this year

2008-12-25T11:47:00.002-05:00

I gave the kids 14 clues to try and put it together. The clues were all over the house. I did make some rather obscure and tried to throw them off the "scent". It worked - they had no idea until clue #14. Can you guess what their gift is?

1. On the Wii - It's something we all have to share.

2. On the dryer - We have to get a dog sitter.

3. On the piano - We will be flying.

4. On the fireplace - It will last 8 days.

5. In the linen closet - Pack your swimsuit, our hotel is in the tropics.

6. In the office - It's gonna be tight - all in one room.

7. In the pantry - But don't worry. There's lots of space all day long.

8. Near the DVDs - We will leave in 26 days!

9. In the coat closet - Our days will start early and end late.

10. On the china cabinet - We can watch the fireworks on the beach.

11. On my stereo - We will visit old friends and make new ones.

12. By the front door - We can visit Tom and Becky.

13. In the garage - We can visit Alice and Mary.

14. In Dad's pocket - for us this is the gimme clue if they didn't know it by now - We don't go to have fun. We go to spend lots and lots of money.

Did you guess? K had an idea and then got thrown off by a few clues. She knew we were going somewhere and she didn't care where! At one point dh said that he thought he knew where we were going but now he wasn't so sure.

Let me explain a few clues in case you are lost.
5. Hotel in the tropics - not really but the setting is tropical. We are staying at the Polynesian.
9. Start early, end late - the kids don't really have bedtimes there.
10. You cans ee the fireworks on the beach at the hotel. They pipe in the music. This is important as K is sensitive to noise.
11. Old friends and new - when you know where we are going it makes sense.
12. Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher
13. Alice in Wonderland and Mary Poppins.
14. This is what dh says all the time we are there.

Give up? Or do you know? We are taking the kids to Disney World!

Merry Christmas 2008!

2008-12-24T08:28:00.003-05:00

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
– Luke 2:11 (KJV)

This year feels like it has flown by! And with the economy in the state that it’s in, it almost can’t end soon enough… Yet, there’s still much to be thankful for!

Here at Casa K, the kids are growing like weeds. K is now taller than C, and H’s not far behind. M is a fairly distant third, but then, he’s only eight. I’m still the tallest, but I don’t imagine that’ll last long.

K’s just turned 14, and is in 8th grade this year. H’s 11, and in 5th grade. M is 8, and in 3rd. C is homeschooling all three, and all still seem to be enjoying the process. C and the kids participate in the SEEK homeschool co‐op at Colonial once a week, to break things up a bit. The kids are all in music lessons, as well (K on guitar; H and M on piano), and are sounding pretty good, if you ask me. Of course, I’m biased. And if that weren’t enough, all three are taking tennis lessons now, too. Oh, and playing soccer. And football. And basketball. Some of them. Whew.

In our copious spare time, we do quite a bit of volunteer work. C is still active in the children’s ministry at church, and also in the sports ministry at Colonial Baptist. She’s been a soccer coach there for a number of years, and plans to continue in that capacity. I still run sound and play the trumpet at church. In addition, I play guitar for the kids in the Cubbies program at Colonial’s Awana program. K and H volunteer there as well, as regular leaders. Volunteering at Colonial is becoming a family affair!

On a professional level, I’m still at Cisco. In August, I crossed the nine year mark.

On the fun side, we took two big family vacations this year. We spent a week in Williamsburg, mostly at Busch Gardens. It was cold (really cold), but it made for short lines… In the summer, we took a week‐long trip to Hatteras with our friends the Rs. We shared a rental home, and generally had a blast. C and the kids then spent another week with C’s folks, without me, right as fall was kicking in, for the annual Camp NaPa (Nana/Papa).

Well, those are the highlights… We hope you and yours have had a great year! Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

With love,
The K Clan

(Written by dh, simply copied here)

(I think that's the right picture way up there!)

Another injury

2008-11-20T13:23:00.002-05:00

I go through 37 years without stitches and now in 13 months, I get 6! Last year it was the dogs fault. This year it's mine.

I was cutting bread. I thought I could get one more slice. I did, but I also just about sliced off some pinkie finger as well. There is a nice 1/2 moon shape on my finger pad. DH came home and took me took my doctor, no ER this year. She cleaned it and then decided it needed stitches - 3 to be exact. When I go in to have the stitches removed, she will see if all the skin is ok. At this point she thinks I'll lose about 25% of what I cut. She'll remove that next week when she removes th stitches. Joy.

So right now, my pinkie finger is about 3 times it's normal size due to the bandage she put on it. I'm supposed to leave the bandage on for 3 days and then put a different bandage on it - really just a new one, but it doesn't need to be so big.

Calendar troubles

2008-11-12T09:55:00.001-05:00

DD2 just asked me, "Are you going to put (ds)'s birthday party on the calendar?"

"Yeah, I guess I need to do that."

"It would be pretty bad for (ds) to miss his own birthday party."

Much laughter. "Can you imagine? All these boys show up and (ds) isn't there!"

More laughter ensues...

BTW, his party is on the calendar now.

Family Funny

2008-11-02T13:00:00.002-05:00

While traveling from church to lunch today, I was relating a stoy to dh about a friend:

"So they got in a police car from A to B, new police car B to C, and so on until they got home."

Silence.

DS age 8: "How many letters did they get to?"

Rolling laughter from the rest of us, a little bit of laughter from ds.

DD age 14: "I don't think he gets it, but he's still laughing."

More laughter from all. Silence.

DS, 8: "I don't get it."

Rolling laughter again. DH starts to explain that A and B are not specific places.

DS, 8: "Ok, but what letter did they get to?"

We explained again, in more length this time. Dh: "Do you understand?"

DS: "Yes"

Me: "Are you sure? Do you really understand?"

DS: "How could I not understand with all that explanation?"

Family Funny

2008-10-29T18:27:00.002-04:00

We stopped at the grocery store on the way home from music and bought 2 rotisserie chickens. I was talking about how we would have 4 legs, wings, thighs.

From the back seat I hear "How can there be 4 when we only bought 2 chickens?"

"Well, each chicken has 2 of each..."

If this was from a young child, I could understand it. But this was from my 11 yo. We love her. We also love to pick on her.

She says the sweetest things!

2008-10-27T18:13:00.003-04:00

As I sit here on the computer looking at running shirts, I see one that I like here. It says "The older I get, the faster I was". My oldest, now 14, says "Mom, you're not that old!" As I'm basking in not being that old, she modifies it "You're not that old for someone who has a 14 yo. Look at (friend's) mom, she's turning 50 this year! Look at (other friend's) mom she's turning 45 and (other friend) is only 13!" Well, it was nice while it lasted. For the record, I'm only 38.

8 yeras ago today I became the mother of a boy!

2008-10-21T10:35:00.003-04:00

Life with a boy has never been the same. It is sweet and wonderful and crazy and dirty and everything life should be with a boy in the house.

Almost wordless Wednesday

2008-10-15T07:39:00.002-04:00

This is my boy with the football, running for a touchdown!

14 years ago today

2008-10-15T07:31:00.004-04:00

God put my first child in my arms. We didn't have a digital camera back then so I can't post birth pictures, but I can show you what she looks like now. :-)

She doesn't like this picture, btw. But it shows who I see, not who she shows to the world.

Disney Characters

2008-10-12T22:38:00.002-04:00

So we've been discussing favorite Disney characters lately. Before I forget, I need to write them down.

dh - Grumpy (but I think he's just saying that!)

Oldest dd - Tinkerbell

Middle dd - Cinderella, Snow White, Minnie Mouse and Tigger

ds - Lightning McQueen, Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Pluto (he just kept adding and adding....)

Me - Pooh

I tried getting the conversation to favorite villans, but oldest dd was fixated on Ian from National Treasure. I just don't think of that as a Disney movie even though it was made by Disney so we skipped it.

Things that make you go hmmmm

2008-10-10T09:09:00.004-04:00

Our old dog, Tawny, peed in the house last night while she was sleeping. Then this morning she pooped in the house. We have a prescription from the vet from a while ago that should help with the pee problem. It's called Propalin. It's actually phenylpropanolamine. That sounded familiar so I looked it up. According to Wikipedia, it's a decongestant and an appetite supressant and "it is used to control urinary incontinence in dogs." Hmmmm

I certainly hope it does not suppress her appetite. She can't afford to lose more weight. She's been around 50 lbs her entire adult life. I'm sure she's down closer to 40 or 45 now.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-08T08:53:00.003-04:00

I went on a retreat with the women from my church this past weekend to Emerald Isle, NC. This is the sunrise Sunday morning.

Family Funny

2008-10-06T19:12:00.001-04:00

This morning ds was complaining that he couldn't start school: "I don't have my check-off sheet."

So dh asked "Do you have you Sulu sheet?"

DS just didn't get it.

Funny from a book

2008-09-24T10:43:00.002-04:00

I was sitting reading science to my 2 youngers. They need to classify leaves. So the book is telling them all about collecting leaves and it's ok and all that and then we come to this sentence:

If you cannot find many leaves outside, go to the grocery store and buy a mixed salad package.

We all had to laugh. Now before anyone gets upset, I know that for some this would be a necessary thing. I can completely understand the need in the inner city for example. But here in the 'burbs where we do still have a decent number of trees, it hit all of us as funny!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-24T09:17:00.003-04:00

Age doesn't matter when sand is involved. :-) (Do you see the kite string?)

I had a scare on my bike this morning

2008-09-19T14:54:00.000-04:00

I was riding instead of running to do something different. I was almost finished with my ride and was going as fast as I could and I was going down hill. It was really cool. The speed limit right there is 35 and the cars passing me weren't "out of here" like normal. It was actually taking them some time to get past. Like I said really cool. It's a residential area btw.

Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw something grey dart out of the woods. (Think someone's wooded back yard.) It hit my front wheel and then my foot on the down stroke. I was waiting to fall over and flip head over heals on the road. AND for the car behind me (you know the one you can't hear but just has to be back there) to hit me. I stopped all pedaling and just held on for dear life. Thankfully, the squirrel (I think it was a squirrel) didn't have enough force behind him to knock me over. I just rode on as if nothing had happened. Not even a bobble. Just terrified.

I get the feeling that my wheel was going so fast, he didn't see the spokes and thought he could go straight through. If that's the case, he has a great sense of timing.

Family funny

2008-09-17T11:57:00.002-04:00

Last night oldest dd and I were sitting watching TV. My feet got cold so I put on my black slippers. DD must not have noticed because a few minutes later she looked down and thought that Koty's ears had grown a lot suddenly. (Koty is the black dog in some of my pictures.) Then she noticed that there was some pink on the "ears" and then that they weren't ears at all, just mom's slippers.

My van was almost towed last week!

2008-09-12T22:24:00.001-04:00

I was visiting my folks and parked in the driveway, but left my keys downstairs in case they needed to move my van. One morning mom did. She parked it down the street, right where a curve starts but clearly visible from both sides.

There is a street that runs actually on their property that they have tried to close, but it's the whole "they've used it for so long that they are the ones that have to close it" thing. Well, for once, the people who use the road actually had to stop at the main road to be able to see down the road, they couldn't just pull out (because of my van). So they called the police and complained! Now the good thing about it being a small town is that the police actually came out to investigate the complaint. The bad thing is what they tried to do.

Mom parked the mini-van with two tires up on the sidewalk, so illegally. Since there was a complaint and the car was park illegally, they were thiscloseto towing my car! Their next door neighbor came home from work in the middle of the whole thing and went and begged the police not to tow the car. "I'm sure they are out with their grandkids. Please please don't tow the car. I will try to get in touch with them as soon as possible." So the police left me a parking ticket and put cones behind my car (because of the curve I am sure).

Dad and I went down to city hall to pay the ticket - $5. The rest of the week Dad parked his truck right there - sort of. The property line is really odd over there. They actually own a very small piece of grass on the other side of this road. The piece is big enough for dad's truck. So now they can't complain and they still have to stop. I guess they can complain but since it's parked on their property and not on the sidewalk at all, nothing can be done.

My children are strange

2008-08-29T09:35:00.002-04:00

This is what they do while they are supposed to be doing school. I could save it for Wordless Wednesday, but I don't want to wait...

Wordles Wednesday

2008-08-27T09:52:00.005-04:00

How Jockey's Ridge got it's name: The horses got here from shipwrecks off shore. Jockey's Ridge is where people wold sit to watch the horse races go by.

Nag's Head is a tad more eery: Pirates would tie lamps to the horse's heads - nags - and then walk them around. The ships out at sea would see the lights and think it was a harbor. They'd turn in, run aground and then be robbed by the pirates with the lights.

(As seen on plaques at Jockey's Ridge in Nag's Head, NC.)

Back from the beach!

2008-08-25T13:42:00.010-04:00

We spent a week at the beach, Hatteras Island in NC, last week with friends. We all had a great time. We drove out last Saturday and spent the afternoon at the Wright Brother's Memorial.

Then we drove down to Waves and checked in to our house. It was great for our needs. Enough bedrooms for everyone and only 5 minute walk to the beach itself. We walked down the first night and the kids tried to only get their feet wet. But the boys were wet up to their necks and the girls were wet to their waists.

Sunday was the only morning I actually made it up before the sun. I didn't make it to the beach to see the sun over the horizon, but I did get a decent picture of it low in the sky. The rest of the day was spent hanging out at the beach and in the house. I think I may have driven down to Avon and found the Food Lion. Note to all, Sunday Morning everyone in the area is at Food Lion. The lines are long!

Monday the morning was at the beach and then we went to Manteo and found the Festival Park with a recreation of the Elizabeth II and a small settlement. Then we saw the Lost Colony play that evening. Tuesday was again spent at the beach and house.

Wednesday we drove down to Buxton to see the Hatteras Lighthouse. This picture of the Hatteras Light is from the old location and shows the path used to move it to where it is now. Then we drove into Hatteras Village and saw our pastor's daughter who lives there. We took her recommendation on where to have lunch then hopped the ferry to Ocracoke to see the light house there. Thursday was spent at the beach and in the house. The adults had an evening out while the kids stayed in and at pizza.

Friday we drove up to Jockey's Ridge. I made the kids all climb a tree, trying to recreate a picture my mom has of me, my brother and 2 friends on a vacation where we saw all these same lighthouses and the kids climbed a tree.

Saturday we packed up to leave. My klan drove to Bodie Island lighthouse and then to a store where we bought souvenirs for all. We were using time to go have lunch at the Weeping Radish for lunch. But once we got there, we found it closed. Not for lunch but complete with a for sale or lease sign out front. We ended up eating at Big Al's, good food, but not he German fare we were expecting to have. Then the 4 hour drive home began.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-07-30T11:07:00.003-04:00

I have to give the website for this place!

No move necessary

2008-07-25T17:56:00.002-04:00

DH did not get an offer from the Seattle people. DH was bummed and relieved. Bummed that they didn't think him good enough. Relieved that we don't need to move. In the last few days dh has realized that oldest dd will only be home for 5 more years. He doesn't want to lose her out west.

John's birthday

2008-07-21T10:29:00.002-04:00

Ok, really the whole week.

Last Saturday, July 12, we went to Hillary Bang and Abbott Tunstall's wedding. We all had fun and enjoyed ourselves. Sunday, John ran the Triangle Triathlon. He enjoyed i, but showed up at church sans glasses - he couldn't find them. It turns out he took them off in the closet when he took off his suit the night before. Men are so silly. :-)

Monday and Wednesday he met with someone at the local company he's interviewing with. Thursday he flew out to Seattle, WA, interviewed on Friday and took the red eye home arriving about 9 am Saturday morning. He said the people in Seattle were scary smart and he doesn't expect an offer. We'll find out by Tuesday. I was talking to someone. This Seattle deal has gone fast! He sent in his resume on July 1. Here he is home from the interview and waiting to hear about an offer on July 21. That's 20 days!

His party went great! Two people called first thinking that since it was raining, we would cancel. They must not know John very well. A party outside in July? I don't think so! We have everything left over from food to drinks to dessert.

A few people brought gifts. I had sent a note saying that gifts were not necessary, but if they wanted to bring something, this party was brought to you by the letter J and the number 40. So please bring something starting with J or 40 in number. John got 40 lollypops, 40 jellybeans. But the best one was 40 jewels or wisdom - bits of wisdom typed out and placed one each into 40 jewel cd cases.

Yesterday we went to target to look at TVs and came home instead with a Wii.

It was a good week!

VBS and musings

2008-07-03T12:22:00.003-04:00

Everyone had a good time at VBS. There was one father who didn't understand the concept of time and was late the middle 3 days to pick up his son. The mom doesn't drive yet so it had to be the dad. I can understand Tuesday when he was 20 minutes. Maybe even Wednesday when he was 45 minutes late. But Thursday when he was 2 hours late and I had a doctors appointment that I barely made it to, that was the last straw! If he had called to let us know that would be one thing. But no calls, any of the days. I called him Wednesday and Thursday when he was late. I was always told that someone was on the way.

But other than this one dad, VBS was fun like always. I love the kids and interacting with them. I direct and had good teachers. I actually had to do the teacher devotions this year. (In the past we had a very gifted mom do them for us.) While they weren't as good as hers, I do think they were more than adequate. (If I do say so myself!)

This week we have been bored. Maybe I should have gone with a thought to go ahead and start school this week. But too late now. We will start next week. I have workbooks for the kids made up. We'll see how they go first quarter before I make ones for the rest of the year. I m looking forward to having some sort of routine to our days again.

I'm running again. It's hard with some reconstruction going on with the path I run. I can only go 1/2 way around the lake and then I have to turn around and come back. Going out, I can just run. But on the way back in, I really have to pay attention to the roots. I know this, but they are soo different coming at them from a different angle.

We're having a party for John's birthday this year. So far we have 27 people coming! Thankfully I'm not cooking! Speaking f John, he is interviewing again. Two different companies. One would allow us to stay here. The other would probably move us to the West Coast. It makes for an interesting July.

The Konings come home this month. I think they land on July 25. Surprisingly, it's not on my calendar. I'm hoping I can get a few people from church to met them at the airport like we did when they left.

General Update

2008-06-19T10:22:00.003-04:00

I haven't updated in a while. The water found in April was the last of the water. there were more days of drying and then installing floor. They ran out of floor and had to order more. Then we re-papered the bathroom before we had the toilet installed. Dh had bought a $300 toilet at Lowes. They installed it on a Monday. By Tuesday night it was leaking. They came to fix it Wednesday morning. As they were tightening something, the whole thing broke. DH was home and asked them what they recommend. Now we have 3 brand new toilets in the house. :-) We also re-papered the kitchen. It looks so much better!

We finished school in May and have been on break ever since. I've enjoyed the time off school even though I feel like I've been planning for next year ever since. I think I'm all ready to start the week after July 4.

Everyone went to the homeschool conference in NC this year. We all very much enjoyed listening to Jeff Meyers. We bought a lot, learned a lot and even saw Prince Caspian while we were there. We found a new restaurant that has a local counterpart as well.

We went to Carrabba's for our anniversary. DH was down on restaurants in W-S because of the poor service we had received but our waiter here was excellent. The biggest thing was he remembered something from the beginning of the meal without is ever saying anything about it again. I cannot have fish and dairy at the same meal. They had a fish dish that looked good but before I ordered it, I asked if they had cheesecake for dessert, knowing I would order it. So I decided to get chicken instead. DH explained in few words why Iasked the question. At some point, we mentioned the poor service we had received and how this fellow was soo much better and that it was our anniversary so it was even better to have great service. At the end of the meal, he brought out not one but 2 desserts, free for our anniversary. One of them was dairy free! I didn't have the fish so I didn't need dairy free, but he remembered. The manager also came out and spoke to us for a while. He shared that they were out of cheesecake that night anyway and told us who had the best cheesecake in town!

VBS is next week. I look forward to being tired at the end of the week and sleeping very well!

The "more water"

2008-04-27T13:37:00.004-04:00

Is next to the dryer. The thing is that when we found the water in the bathroom initially, they checked the floor next to the dryer. Then when we found the water in the storage area, I had them specifically check the floor next to the dryer. Now the floor is wet. (Things that make you go hmmm....) I haven't talked to the water guy, I'm letting J take care of it. So I'm wondering if I will lose my washer and dryer for a week while it dries.

Just talked to J - sounds like I will not lose the washer and dryer. I guess they will move them outside, rip up the floor, put them back in.

I just want this over!

As I expected

2008-04-26T15:05:00.003-04:00

The floor guy is still here. I'm sure it's harder to try and match up with the floor that is already here and has stayed here the whole time. Well, not the whole time but the part that is still here from the first time.

I came home to interesting news - more water! It's in the laundry room. J already called the water guys . As I've said and will say again : I just want this over!

On a better note, the girls played a great game today. It's hot - 83 outside and they did play like it was hot. I tried to rotate them well on and off the field. I heard today that one of my girls is on medication that can make her heart race. She is one that didn't deal with the heat well last fall. I did email this mom this week and asked if I needed to be on the lookout and mom said that she noticed the same thing. Mom was sitting right near the girl today and saw what I saw. I think that made a difference.

I've got great bunch of girls. I definitely have stars. I definitely have girls with no clue but overall its a good bunch. I try to balance the better girls with the ones who are not as good. Then I had one of my power players ask to play goal! And she's good at goal as well.

The floor is getting put in as I type :-)

2008-04-26T10:49:00.002-04:00

They came this moring to finish the floor. (LOOK at the day of the week!) I expected the grinding to be loud, long and very dusty. Nope. It's not bad at all. Well, it was loud. But I was downstairs for all of it and it wasn't headache producing.

Now the fellow is actually putting in the floor. OH! The bouncy spot in the kitchen was subfloor that needed another nail so that is fixed. Hopefully this will be the end of it.

Funny thing (not really) - they said they would start about 7:30 and be finished by 11. Well, it's 11:05 and he hasn't really made to much progress on the floor. I'll have to take the girls to their game about noon. I bet he's still here when we leave. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he's still here when we return. But if it is finished today I will be sooo happy!

Now they have to grind the floor

2008-04-23T11:03:00.003-04:00

So the floor guy came out today. There were 2 places where J is unhappy with the floor because it bounces. The one place he said was because of what was underneath the floor.

When we moved into the house, there was hardwood in the front hall, which the dog promptly scratched beyond acceptable. There was vinyl in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry room; carpet in the back hall. About 6 years ago, we replaced all these spaces with laminate. They put the laminate over what was already there. No problems with a bouncy floor.

So the floor guy was telling me and the project manager that the floor is uneven so of course it will bounce. We need to grind down the hardwood so it is at a slight incline. The grinding blade is a special order. It may be in tomorrow, it may not. But either way, the floor guy doesn't think there is enough laminate in the garage to put back on the floor. He also says that we will need to remove the washer and dryer, again. The grinding will be loud and dusty. He will hang plastic and use vacuums to contain the dust though.

If you come to my house, bring chocolate. In fact since I'm asking, make it Dove dark Chocolate. And do I really have to share? Or pie - a chocolate pie would be nice too. I'll just get out forks. We don't need plates do we?

I noticed the other day that I'm marking these as kitchen. It's not a kitchen issue anymore. But I'll leave them marked as kitchen so they all come up together.

Another Dry Floor

2008-04-22T10:43:00.002-04:00

Yeah everything is dry again! The floor in the storage under the stairs is dry, now I can start putting stuff back in there and get the living room picked up. It amazes me to see how much stuff we have when none of it is put away.

Funny - when the guys went under the house to get the last remaining d-hu, the kids started making lots of noise. I told them that the fellas under the house could hear us. K became obsessive about not making any noise while M tried making a lot. Then they all wanted me to take them "down" and tickle them. I wouldn't do that but I did run around in the house.

Quiet reins in the house once a again.

The floor is dry but wait... there's more!

2008-04-18T14:44:00.003-04:00

So the floor is dry. They removed the fans yesterday. Yeah! Quiet in the house again. Someone came out today to put the subfloor back in. In the process of cutting the wood, termites came out of nowhere! Yuck. DH called a termite place. The termite guy is checking the house right now. Then dh needed a sleeping bag. It's in the storage space under the stairs with all the other camping equipment. It was wet, well damp. I climbed under there (had sent a girlie to fetch the sleeping bag). I found the carpet pieces we threw down in there wet to the touch and the subfloor wet to look at. DH called the water guys. He actually talked to someone so I assume that someone will be out today. Joy, more fans! So still no toilet downstairs, we have termites and more water on the floor.

I'm beginning to hate this! I just want it over!!!

Vacation - Busch Gardens

2008-04-14T13:50:00.003-04:00

DH told me a few weeks ago that he needed a vacation. I asked if he could wait until we finished school - no. So I was off and planning. He really wanted to go to Disney but the money just isn't there. We went to Busch instead. We left on Monday morning. It was raining in Williamsburg when we got there - misting really. We went to Yankee Candle factory, did a couple things there that they had going for spring break. Checked into the hotel and then off the Busch in the cold.

We did have fun. I bought a pair of knit gloves - for only $5! We left before dinner. We found New Town and ate there at the Mexican place. I can't remember the name of it now.

Then on Tuesday, I mentioned to dh maybe we could stop at the Kmart and find a scarf for me. We did and the girls both got a tshirt out of the deal. (shaking head) Off to Busch. Lots of rides. There were no lines. We got there as it opened and parked right up front. It was still cold. I was very glad I had gloves and a scarf. I think the gloves came off in the afternoon. DH, middle dd and I all rode Apollo's Chariot. We went to a beer tasting. The poor guy working with us tried so hard to find a beer I liked. No luck. I just don't like beer.

Wednesday off to the park again at opening. We seemed to ride Loch Ness right away every day. Wednesday we got my scaredy cat dd on Big Bad Wolf. Then ds followed. Lies were longer but still amazingly short. Middle dd and I rode Alpengiest. And talked dh into it as well. It was middle dd's birthday and she chose to eat dinner at the Smokehouse. Wonderful food! I was tired of the park. I did not want to come back the next day.

Thursday we got up and middle dd announced she wanted to ride Griffon. So back we went. DH and middle dd rode it and then made me. We rode twice in a row. I do not open my eyes at the top! Once you get over that first bit, it's a fine roller coaster. No problems at all. We got oldest dd on Alpengiest. She enjoyed it. Then we got ds on Apollo's Chariot. They all wanted to ride Roman Rapids (the big raft get really wet ride). I did not want to get that wet. DS came off looking like a drowned cat - including the look on his face. I told dh to take him on Apollo to dry off. It did help. We ended up staying most of the day and left about 4.

Friday we met IL for lunch, did some shopping and then to my folks house for the weekend. DS had a play to go to with my folks. We came home Sunday night t0 find the leaky toilet. (See below.)

More flooring update

2008-04-14T13:41:00.002-04:00

I had realized how long it had been since I posted! It took until April 3 (!) to get the new floor in and until that Friday to get everything hooked up again. It looked wonderful! They had to come back an fix something in the bathroom and put the door to the laundry room back on, but it was done except for those 2 little things.

We went on vacation to Busch Gardens. (Will post about that separately.) We came home last night. As we pulled into the garage, I noticed the door into the house was open. Strange! I walk in and notice nothing. My mind was on "where is the cat?" DH walks in and notices the floor is starting to warp, already! Then we notice that the floor is wet. DH opens the door into the bathroom right there at the door to the garage and there s water on the floor!

DH called the same guys who did the whole floor and within 2 hours they were at the house pulling up my pretty floor! I had 2 dehu-s and 2 fans in the hallway/bathroom/laundry room area. The leaky toilet was outside.

So far today I have had the plumber back out - the seals in the tank were bad, that's where it leaked. The main water guy so I could sign forms. And now the water crew pulling up the "underlayment" to get the rest of the floor dry. They put plastic over the doorway to where I am so the dust doesn't carry into the whole house. The smoke alarm has gone off 3 times. They are vacuuming now so either it's to get up the dust or there is standing water. There was standing water last night. There are 4 guys working in a space where 4 guys barely have room to stand.

It's never ending.

A smaller tent!

2008-02-25T15:38:00.003-05:00

The floor guys were just here. The floor for the most part is dry! They even pulled out the dishwasher (for the first time!) and the floor under there is dry as well. There is one spot on the opposite side of the stove as the dishwasher. Weird. So now the tent is only about 4 square feet. We are also a go for the new dishwasher to come tomorrow. Yeah!

Update on the floors

2008-02-22T15:47:00.003-05:00

They came out today to check the floors. They are dry! But for some reason in this one spot when they push the meter into the floor, it comes up wet. But nothing wet on the surface. They go under the house to see what it's like down there. DRY! So they cut out a square where the meter shows wet. The very bottom layer of plywood is wet - visibly wet. No need to sick the meter in to see. There was a sheet of something that they cut out. The second layer of plywood is wet to the touch as well. :-(

So now I have a "tent" in my kitchen "hooked" up to a dehu. They are in the process of building a tent in the crawlspace with another dehu down there. I think they said something about forcing hot air in the space as well. Another 5 days of this. At least this is much quieter! The dehu makes about as much noise as a dishwasher (not one of the really quiet ones!).

I should have taken pictures of all the fans and dehus before they took them out.

Update on my knee/running

2008-02-22T10:00:00.002-05:00

I haven't run this week do to lack of time and it's cold. I have found that once I shower, I do not go back out and run (or exercise really). The time issue is meetings - Children's Ministry meeting one day and co-op the next. When you have to be out of the house by 8:30 in the morning and the sun isn't really up until 7, well time to run is almost non-existent.

That aside, there are still issues. I have shin splints for one thing. If I run more than 2 days in a row, they hurt while I run. Then last night, in bed, having not run for 2 or is it 3 days, my knee hurt. The way it hurt in bed is the way it hurts when I've bent it too long. I still notice the extra bump sometimes too. There are times it feels just, well, numb for no apparent reason as well.

I'll try running next week. I need to do something about the shins. This is getting old!

2008-02-22T06:55:00.002-05:00

On Friday(2/15), dh noticed the wood laminate in the kitchen was swelling at the joints. Saturday we found out why. A hose from the dishwasher wasn't connected/broke something. There was water standing under the dishwasher. Then as dh watched, water started pouring out under there somewhere.

He called several friends who are DIY-ers or work in the biz. Get a new dishwasher and call the insurance company. Yep, the floor is covered.

So on Tuesday (2/19)they tore out the wood laminate, the pad under the laminate, the old nasty linoleum. We're down to sub floor in the kitchen. And the subfloor was actually wet in one place. I have 4 (count them! 4!) heavy duty fans and 2 heavy duty dehumidifiers. It is loud. I had to go upstairs to make a phone call. And the joy! I get to have these things until Friday!

We bought a new dishwasher on Sunday. It was supposed to be delivered Friday. But since they will be back to get the equipment on Friday, dh said let's move the install. So now the dishwasher will come on Tuesday. But hey, look at the bright side - my dishes should dry on the counter in record time, right?

Day two of air movers in the house

The fans have been here overnight and well into the next day. UGH! They are loud. But at least I had a meeting this morning that I could take the kids to and Thursday is co-op. They did come this afternoon to check the floor. It's drier. Parts are still quite wet, not visibly so. They have a meter. Parts are still in the red. Most of it is in the green.

On a side note, dh called someone to look at the dishwasher since insurance wanted us to. The guy was a piece of work as dh says. He turned on the dishwasher, making the floor more wet! He did fix it but he also said "I wouldn't use it." I guess a hose actually fell off. Even though he re-attached it, it could easily fall off again.

__________________

Thursday: I took the kids to co-op. Someone came to fix the sink in the afternoon. It looks much better now. All the gaps are closed. They reinforced under the sink as well to actually hold the sink up in place. I thought it couldn't get any louder in the hose. Then the sink guys turned on an air compressor! OY! We can't use the sink for 24 hours! The pain!
__________________

Friday: The floor guys are supposed to come today to remove the fans and "dehu-s". I am so looking forward to things being quieter around here!

The Perils of Home Ownership

2008-02-18T12:59:00.003-05:00

In a nut shell you are responsible for everything!

The outside needed to be painted again - the last time I was pregnant with M. So we hired someone to do it. He did a good job and just finished a week ago. While trying to change out light fixtures for us, he ran into a wiring problem. J called an electrician who came out last Monday morning, first thing and fix everything on the deck. Then the painter came back to pick up his ladders and touch up a few places. While he was here, we got an estimate for painting the foyer and re-papering the kitchen. Yeah! I get to choose new paper. Oh My! What am I thinking - I only have a month to decide, and buy, new wallpaper!

Then this weekend, J really started to look at the floor in the kitchen. Every seam on the laminate is swollen. He thought it was the sink as there is a seam on the sink that is not closed any longer. He took pictures of the floor and the sink and into Home Depot we went. (We got new counter tops and an under-mount sink from them almost a year ago.) But the person we needed to talk to wasn't there. That night, for reasons unknown to me, J pulls the kick-plate off the dishwasher. (I don't know if that is what it is actually called, but that's what I'm calling it!) First he sees water standing on the floor under there! Then as he continues to look, water starts pouring out of a hose onto the floor. This must be why the floor is swelling.

So J calls several friends who know this kind of stuff. They recommend getting a new dishwasher and calling the insurance company - it should be covered just like a leaky pipe. After church we went to Sears and bought a new dishwasher, this time they are installing it. (I'm still waiting for the call.)

Then this morning J called the insurance company - they will be sending an adjuster out. Our deductible is $500 and then they should pay the rest to replace the floor. Then he called Home Depot - yep, the seam should be closed and the work is guaranteed for a year so again, it's covered.

On a lighter note, we discovered a new way to cut the dog's nails. Make him stand up on his hind feet! K held him up while I clipped nails. It worked wonderfully for the front paws! His back paws, K held him, I put my back to him and clipped his back paws. One dog down, one to go!

Kid pictures Feb 2008

2008-02-15T09:08:00.005-05:00

K does not like this picture of her. I think it is beautiful!

I think this captures who H is.

M laughs a lot. They got him to laugh!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-02-13T13:58:00.004-05:00

No, it's not this warm here. But this is what the kids and I did this morning. Portrait Innovations is great!

Cute Shirt Koty!

2008-01-23T10:46:00.001-05:00