All about MEME!

Ok - I'm trying the MEME thing...I was tagged by Inquiries so, here goes!!!

#1. What is your current relationship status?

#2. What is your current mood?

#3. Who is your favorite band/singer?

#4. What is your favortie movie?

#5. What pets do you have?

#6. Where do you live?

#7. Where do you work?

#8. Who do you look like?

#9. What do you drive?

#10. What did you do last Saturday?

#11. What did you do last Sunday?

#12. What is your favorite network TV show?

#13. Describe yourself

#14. What is your favorite candy?

There you have it! Downright humdrum and I like it that way!!

After the Rain

Wow, did it rain night before last! Or, I guess I should say in the morning. We got a LOT of rain but, since the rain gauge was not set up, I don't know exactly how much. I just know the yard and pastures were flooded and the road turned into a river!

When Tony got home from work that evening he wanted to go check the pond and take me through the trails he'd made with the tractor and mower through the woody patches on our property. He's made the neatest trails all through the brush and the trees all over the place. It's like a whole different world in the "forest"! The trails are just big enough for a four-wheeler or mule (the motorized kind) and probably some really short horses! They just kind of wind around here and there and come out in different open pastures. The trails are cool and shady and you never know what you might see on the way. We have deer, wild pigs, armadillos, possums, racoons, and the usual cattle running around everywhere. We discovered a new calf and its mom deep in the forest where she had stashed him out of harm's way.

Anyway, Josh found us checking cattle in the pasture and decided to play in the muddy water of a creek on our property. Then he went and got Hannah to "play"! Tony and I tried to keep up in the Mule, but we got stuck trying to go up a small pond dam. It was Josh to the rescue! He pulled Tony and the Mule up and over the dam with his 4-wheeler. Tony will never live it down! I've posted some pictures of our evening trek I thought you might enjoy!

Today, Becca and I will go to Dawn's for a stamping workshop. We're looking forward to going somewhere! We took our golden retriever to the vet yesterday to get the staples out of his leg and were so happy to be "going" it was pitiful! The vet is only about 4 miles from our house and the whole trip took about 30 minutes!

Picture Catch-up!

This is picture catch up! Just a few to share with you guys.

The first one is just a picture of our house from the pasture across the road. I love this time of year when there are so many shades of green.

The second one is of some of our horses. They are in the "big" pasture with our donkey. The solid looking black mare is actually a registered black and white paint and is the mother of the other three. The bay, white and black paint is her first baby-he's two; the black and white paint is her last year's baby, and the little one beside her is, of course, this year's baby. They looked so pretty out grazing the other morning and I could actually get all of them in a line!

Pictures, Maybe?!

I think my pictures work! Yea! At least my fingers are crossed! These are a couple of pictures I wanted to share with you guys a couple of weeks ago. They're "old news" but I thought I'd post them anyway! This is a picture of Hannah and Josh before his bull ride.

Dylan and Josh: again, BEFORE their rides! Dylan rode a bronc and Josh rode a bull. I think Josh rode for about 2 seconds and Dylan rode his horse for about 5 0r 6. I don't have any pictures of Josh's ride because Hannah was filming it with their video camera. Thank the Lord, neither one got hurt.

I'll stop with these two for now - I have a few other pictures I want to post but, I'll try those later. I finally figured out I have to turn off my firewall for some reason to add the pictures - at least I think that's what it is. They started working after I turned it off. Oh well!

Memorial Day Observed

Hope you all had a great weekend! Becca and I worked at Ooh La La on Saturday. I really like to work there when I get the opportunity. I love to see all the different people that come in and shop - and I like to see the groups of things they buy! It's all so interesting - I'm with Diva in the fact that I love to people watch. There was a couple of people who were on a road trip and had stopped in LAST YEAR and remembered the shop and wanted to stop again; there were people from Dallas, and Edmond, and Norman, and Lawton and some from south of Dallas. It's just great! There was a biker-dude (older guy with a silver pony-tail down his back) dressed in leathers and boots and a white t-shirt who happily carried his wife's purse for her while she shopped; another older man who found a comfy chair and sat quietly and contentedly while his wife shopped. A young mother with two kids came to pick up a piece of furniture and her little boy (probably around 4) found a tag on the floor and came and turned it in to me, then went from booth to booth exclaiming "Mama! Look in THIS one!" and "Mama! We haven't seen THIS one yet!"! He was so cute! Then , I had the pleasure of having two veterans come in with their wives (at separate times) I visited with them a while and was able to tell them how much I appreciated their sacrifice for us. I always want to thank military people when I see them, but I usually just hold my tongue, but, this last Saturday I just thanked them. I could rant right now but, I'll save it for later! I am just so thankful for these people who put their lives in jeopardy every day not only for them but for all of us. And do so WILLINGLY. Anyway, I was blessed by their presence.
Then I had a wonderful visit with Dawn and two of her kiddos and then Randy and Bob and Sarah came to pick Rebecca up to spend the night with Sarah. It was just a great day all-around.

Sunday, after church, we went to the new Indiana Jones movie. I LOVED it! Yes, it was a little "out there", Yes, it was a little "different" BUT I really loved it! I just wanted to be entertained. I didn't want to have to follow a convoluted plot and figure out who the bad guys are, etc. I just really liked the movie. It's fast paced, action packed and funny! Then ice cream at Braums to keep us happy while we went to Wally-World! Yeeha!

I'm still trying to post pictures - I am not having any success. I know it's easy but my computer is not co-operating. I think I'll have Matthew try for me tomorrow!

Early Wishes

There hasn't been that much blog-worthy lately, but, I'll try and post a little! Let's see...I got my new camera last Thursday - Becca used it Friday and Saturday at the youth gathering - Josh & Hannah used it on Saturday at the rodeo and I finally got MY CAMERA to use on Monday!! HA - I don't mind them using it - they took some good pictures. Josh and Dylan rode in a rodeo on Saturday night. Josh rode a bull and Dylan rode a bronc. Hannah got a video of Josh's ride - and a picture of Dylan's ride. Neither made it to the buzzer - but they did better than last time! And no-one got hurt, thank the Lord.

I've been trying to get some stuff ready for my booth at Ooh La La this week. I actually got a load up there early in the week - I was proud of myself! Last night, I had a bunch of stuff I had painted yesterday still outside "curing" and a pickup full of unpainted stuff to paint today parked in the front yard. I woke up from a sound sleep at around 6:30 to the rumbling of thunder and the patter of rain. I ran around outside like a crazy woman trying to get everything under some kind of protection! I looked at the radar on my computer and the rain was just over our area - no where else in the state. Figures! So, today, with the rain all morning and the gale force wind this afternoon, instead of painting, I kind of "gathered" stuff together and prepped it for painting - - hopefully tomorrow.

I do want to say an early HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the Diva and Janice! I hope you girls have an awesome birthday and may the Lord bless you richly as you walk in truth and light. You have walked in obedience on some really hard paths and have humbled yourselves in doing what is right. I pray that God will grant you strength, wisdom and Grace to continue on pursing righteousness. You are an inspiration to me and I consider myself blessed by your friendship! I love ya'll!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Fed Ex found me!

Yea! The Fed Ex driver actually found me today and brought my new camera! I called the dispatch again this morning because it didn't come yesterday and gave her improved instructions. Matt came in this afternoon and said either the Fortney's were here or Fed-Ex got a new truck. I looked out and a big, long, white passenger van was pulling in. Well, it wasnt' the Fortney's - it WAS Fed-Ex. I ran out to meet the driver and he apologized (not very believably) for being late. He said the woman that had this route the last 5 years quit a little while ago and took all her delivery notes with her. PLUS, I guess he must contract with Fed-Ex because he drives his own vehicle and has to pay for his own fuel. PLUS, a little tid-bit you all might want to remember if you ever use Fed-Ex, he said they will hold packages till they can get enough to justify delivery in the rural areas because of fuel prices. Hmmmm. Interesting. He did say he has me mapped now, just in case. I think I'll stick to UPS. Hopefully, THAT driver won't leave. He's got our address down cold. Anyway, the camera is great, I think! Lots of buttons! And big enough for me to feel secure in holding it. I'll have to learn which button is which. Matt already has it down - in the first 10 minutes. Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to share in the next few days. They won't be as interesting as tea parties or Hawaii, but I'm going to give it a shot!

It's a good thing the camera came today. Yesterday, after reading an email with an attachment of a self-photo from a friend of mine who took their picture in a mirror (on a whim they said) with the camera strap wrapped around their head (I thought it was just a silly shot); I thought, "I can do that with Matt's camera! (Of course, I didn't want the camera strap in the shot - besides, Matt's camera strap wasn't long enough to get in the way. ) Then I can post a picture on my blog!! So, I proceeded to the nearest mirror to try this cool trick, and, well, to make a long story short, I dropped the camera on the tile floor, ..... now I owe Matt a NEW camera. Must of been the fact that I forgot to wrap the camera strap around my head.... must of been the MAKEUP test....Patience is a virtue I need to work on.....I just wish I was a faster learner...!!

New Camera ?

I was supposed to get my new camera yesterday. I ordered a Canon Power Shot from Circuit City last week so I could have my own camera instead of always borrowing Matt's or Becca's. I want to be able to share pictures through this blog, etc. So, I was so excited! It was supposed to be delivered by 5/13. Yes! So, I waited all day yesterday for FedEx to get here. I kept looking up the status of delivery on their website and, imagine my surprise when I found the status changed to "package at destination" and I had not seen hide nor tail of FedEx. I was afraid they might have left the package on the front porch where it would have turned into a new toy for the dogs or in one of the trucks where I might not find it for days. I wondered when I ordered it why no-one called for directions. I think UPS is the only delivery service beside the P.O. that can find us. We don't have a 911 address and that's a problem, I guess. I called this morning to find out what's going on and after listening to NUMEROUS pre-recorded menu choices and pushing buttons and entering tracking numbers, I finally confused the system enough and they gave me a real person. When I explained the situation, the representative said "Oh, yes! Here it is - we can't find you! I'll need your 911 address" I said "We don't have one but I can give you directions. Where is your driver coming from?" She said "Well, it doesn't matter - just give us a major road to start from." (!!) She liked the I35 road to start from. Hopefully, the driver will not come from the other direction. So, I gave basic directions and she finally asked for my phone number "just in case the driver needs to get ahold of you for more directions." Then she said, "The driver may not have your package on the truck today - it may be tomorrow before he can deliver it." ARGH. This is a test of patience, I'm sure. I hope I can pass it. I don't want a redo.
The makeup test is sometimes harder!

I, too, had a great Mother's Day! After church, we all had lunch together at my in-laws, then Matt, Becca, Tony and I went to the movies. We went to see "Iron Man", which I really enjoyed. Dawn and the Slacker showed up right before it started and that was an added bonus! We stayed in the parking lot for an hour after the show watching Tony and Shaun just be Tony and Shaun. Matt has it on tape..! Then to Wally World where, believe it or not, at 8:30 in the evening of Mother's Day, people were still buying cards and gifts!!! It was Crazy! All in all, it was a very enjoyable day. I gave small gifts to each of my kids and it was great - they were totally unexpected and so that much more enjoyable to give!
Monday brought beautiful temps and sunshine and the opportunity to gather with my fellowship sisters Monday evening for a Mother/Daughter pot luck. Due to the gas prices and unplanned trips to town, I had not planned to go, but, as the day went on, I changed my mind. I'm so glad I did. It was a wonderful night and turned out to be such a blessing and encouragement for me. A reminder of what is truly important and a call to focus on higher things.

Honey-Do Day

What's going on with this site? I tried last night to get on and this morning and I kept getting a message that said FORBIDDEN blah blah blah. Did anyone else get that? Becca got on long enough to post her blog but I am just now able to. Matt had trouble too, so I figured maybe it was the bog site itself. I DESPERATELY wanted to tell Lou and Toby that there was a Barry Manilow special on OETA last night! Unfortunately, I missed the whole show (rats) trying to get on this site to pass along the information! :)!!!
Today is Honey-Do day. Tony is off and has ants in his pants to get this place cleaned up. Which is good, in a way. And bad, in a way. He jumped up this morning with orders for everyone and has been happily riding his lawnmower all morning, while the others do the "heavy lifting". Of course, he's a little wounded (his finger got smashed in the door last night and the nail is a pretty shade of solid blue) so he keeps his hand elevated while he rides. So, we cut him a little slack.....just a little. And only on Honey-Do Days.

What a great day! Sunshine all around, cool temps - at least till this afternoon! The kids all made it back safely from Six Flags last night, some later than others. Matt and Becca got back before dark with a few little, ahem, shall we say side trips. Matt's really getting to know Dallas!!! :) Read his blog to find out about their day - it was fun.
Tony and I had decided to take this weekend and ride the Heartland Flyer to Ft.Worth and Stockyards City and just have some time. Then I called and the train was full. Rats. We'll try for another weekend. I actually thought about going the other direction to OKC and Bricktown, but I'm not sure how to get around up there. I think they have trolleys to everywhere, but my computer was back on dial up yesterday so it took too long to look up the info. I still may look today and see if I can't figure something out.
I took a good suggestion from Science Geek and had Becca start a blog. I figured it would be a good English project - thanks Julinda!!! She is also looking into Parent taught driver's ed. Should be some interesting subjects coming up from them in that category! She's still working on the layout but posted her first one before she went to Six Flags. Her blog is called Harmony-of-my-Strings. She's going to babysit this afternoon and I will hopefully try to work on some of my junk! I may get sidetracked and go fishing..................

www.biblegateway.com. This is a very cool site. You can look up any book, verse, passage in the Bible in any translation just with the click of your mouse. This morning I looked up Psalm 5:8 since it is the fifth month and the 8th day (just a little thing I do) and it reads "O LORD, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes; Make Your way straight before me. " This morning, actually, this whole week, the foe has wanted me to walk in a little bit of self-pity, I think. I've been kind of partying with pity this week and telling myself that I need some time alone, that I'm tired of all the demands of motherhood - well, I've been all alone for only three hours this morning and I'm ready for some noise! How sad is that!

My kids are all gone to Six Flags, my husband is gone to work and the house is very, very, very quiet. It's kind of a little taste of "empty nest" I think. I don't think I like empty nest. I like the joy and noise and clatter that a full house has. I like to hear the voices of children, grown and not-grown, chattering, singing, fussing, laughing. I like to hear the words "Mom, come look at this" or "Mom, watch this" or "Mom, can you help me?".

I think about Mother's Day this coming weekend and I almost get mad about it. I don't like it that society uses a sort of guilt trip to make children feel obligated to buy something for their mothers. I, personally, don't want them to buy me something out of obligation. I don't like having society tell us that for that one day a year, we should make our mothers feel special. That should be an everyday thing. I think that this year, I am going to give my children gifts and tell them that to me, mother's day is about them and how special they make my life. I am so thankful for each of them and the place they have in my heart. They are, each one, a special gift God has given to me and I am so grateful and humbled to be their mother. They are a joy and a blessing, even in the trials and tribulations we go through. They are laughter and joy, and sunshine and rainbows mixed with cloudy days and storms and I love each of them beyond belief. I thank the Lord for the beautiful children He has entrusted me with.

So, Matt, Josh, Hannah, and Rebecca - this day is for you. I love you. Mom

Hand Signals

Becca and I have been taking the ASL Sign Language class for the last two "semesters" that Naomi has been teaching at church. I have to tell you what a blessing that class has turned out to be. When we first started the class, it was "so fun!" and "really cool" and "she's so funny" and now it's almost a way of life. When we speak to each other with language, we don't really take the time to think about what we are saying, but, when you communicate in sign language, you have to think about what you are saying. There are not signs for every word - there are signs for concepts. When we see Janice or Roy or whoever signing the songs and interpreting the teaching each week, we just kind of take it for granted. But these interpreters have to get the message, not just the words, across to the deaf. It's hard to do when you can take your time about it and REALLY hard to do when you have to keep up with Reggie!
We have had two "silent" dinners at the Loving Hands Ranch in Sulphur this past year. The first one we went to, we spent one hour with earplugs in our ears and no talking, only signing. Naomi had invited several of her friends from the deaf community to spend the evening visiting with her students, so we tried to communicate with them. They were very patient with us - they signed very slowly (FOR THEM!) so we could follow the conversation and were very encouraging and helpful to correct our signing.
Anyway, when we first put the earplugs in, a lot of sound was reduced but we could still hear each other and background noises. Then, after about 10 minutes - it was like ALL sound was gone. We could hear ourselves breathing, and chewing and our hearts beating and it was kind of surreal. Then I noticed that we were paying more attention to each other and what they were "saying" to us. We had to really pay attention to the person signing because we had no audible clues and no noise distraction. I can't really explain it except that, all of a sudden, I began to have just a small understanding of what a deaf person might go through. Just a very small inkling, but enough to have a real compassion for what they go through. I remember wondering as I watched everyone signing in REAL sign language just what a deaf person sees going on around them all day while the people around them "talk" idly with their hands. It made me realize what a lot of idle talking we do. When you have earplugs in, there is no idle chatter! And, as limited as we are in signing, we have to stop and think before we speak. Hmmm, doesn't the Word say something about being slow to speak...?
Then, last Saturday we had our final "Silent Dinner" - same thing - earplugs. This time however, was easier. We found that we could actually carry on a conversation with the deaf community and actually "hear" what they were saying. We were only required this time to wear the earplugs for 15 minutes - but we went over an hour without even noticing. It was awesome.
I have a new awareness and appreciation for Naomi and her family as well as the deaf community and the struggle they have with the hearing world. They have heard the call and are doing their utmost to reveal the truth of Christ to the deaf. I'm glad we have had the chance to be a small part of what they do by learning to communicate with the deaf.
Everyone should try using earplugs for an hour, try it just once. When the Lord speaks, He does so in a still, quiet voice. Maybe we are just too busy with idle words to hear Him clearly.

Blog Name

Well, this is a first for me...blogging. After several of you suggested I join this blogging community, I decided to give it a shot. I enjoy reading all of your entries so I thought I would at least try! First of all, thinking of a name..sounds easy - NOT. Matthew thought of a really cool name for me for a blog - Ecclectically Inclined. Fits me! I was so excited ---until this morning when I sat down to create my blog. To my surprise, the blog name already existed UNDER my HIS PROFILE. He kept it and is doing his own. So, I asked for contributions from the rest of them. I was leaning toward some kind of romantic, grown-up reflection of two of the things I love most - the ocean and music. Well, hello wake-up call. Some of the more entertaining were Plucky Pelican; Beachy Woman; Pelican Posts; and my personal favorite - A Pig in a Palm Tree. That contribution from Rebecca who thought it was really funny. I was born in the Chinese year of the pig and I love the ocean..therefore the name. Anyway, I finally settled on Seaside Serenade. Ok, that parts over. Now I just have to set up the page. I may be a while...I want my page to look like Dawn's with the pictures everywhere. I just have to figure out how to do it! Anyway, you guys bear with me and I could use lots of suggestions!