Meetings I Sat In

In the past week I have been to too many meetings. I had an IEP meeting with educational experts, a meeting with a random someone about my feelings, a meeting on church authority with a church conflict expert, a meeting with the principal and two teachers, and an Alliance Women's meeting. I am tired of meetings. Today I am going to meet with myself. At least I will agree with someone at the meeting.

Sliding Down a Mountain

Today I was sliding down the side of a slightly snow covered mountain. Only I wasn't on skis or a sled--I was in a Suzuki. And fortunately for all involved I wasn't driving. And fortunately for the driver I wasn't screaming like a banshee. And fortunately for all of us, God was in control all the time and the driver was in control some of the time and I lived to blog about it. Sometimes we need reminded that our troubles are small compared to what they could be. So tonight I am thankful I am not dead or worse. And I am thankful that someone practiced making doughnuts in the school parking lot many years ago.
Also, a side note: Ten years ago I was 38 and I thought I was old. I am a little scared about how old I might be 10 years from now.

Stripped and Barefoot

So I had this dream where I wasn't wearing any clothes (just a towel), and I was in church, and there was a wedding, and half of the choir and the bride fainted, and I drove home in a RV with 16 other people. Clearly I am stressed about church and a wedding, and maybe about not having enough clothes. (Perhaps I should go shopping.) God told Isaiah to walk aroung stripped and barefoot for three years just to make a point to some Egyptians. (See Isaiah 20) Thankfully, my experience was just one night in a dream. If it continues for three years, I will give up mango salsa before bed.

Virtue of the Month

Initiative: Seeing what needs to be done and doing it.

Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4

Nearing The End (if 100 is the goal)

93. thermostats
94. peace
95. quiet
96. rubber bands
97. recipe.com
98. cream cheese
99. a new day
100. the Lord's lovingkindnesses

Library Fines?

Been praying about Amanda's tuition payment due this month for Spring semester. Read the pamphlet from Geneva called "How to pay my bill". One suggestion was to bring cash to the cashier's office. What a great idea!
Amanda and I have both been saving. The bill came this week (along with the very helpful pamphlet). Amanda's bank statement came today. I added up the amount in her account and the amount I have for her and compared the total to the amount of the bill. We are over by $1.81. Makes me think that God must know something we don't. Maybe Amanda has a library fine.
I think Amanda and I will go the bank and make a withdrawal from our accounts and drive right over to the cashier's office and pay in cash. If we don't need the $1.81 for anthing else, we can stop at Sheetz and get a gallon of tea.
How good is that?

Recipe for Kisses

Up.Date. Up. Date. Up. Date. This Just In...

I don't care what Timmy thinks about titles. I like them. Lets just start with the next ten:

82. Chipmunk Christmas Albums
83. A furnace that works
84. A furnace that does not catch fire and burn your house down
85. Warm slippers
86. Space heaters
87. Space
88. Recipe cards
89. Hair
90. Siblings
91. Knowing where my tylenol is
92. Not needing tylenol

Wait-That's eleven. One for good measure.
What do you know about sticky keys? Evidently, if I press the shift key 5 times, I can activate sticky keys. I don't know enough about sticky keys to know if I want them activated. Sticky sounds bad. Like if I left a can of Pepsi in my car and it froze overnight and exploded and then melted down over the cup holder and everything underneath it. Sticky. Bad.
Evidently my keys are not sticky now and I function fairly well that way. Unless you can convince me otherwise I will keep my keys unsticky.
Wait, I have a new thought: Grilled Stickies (ala mode). Sticky. Good. Now I am really undecided.
Why don't you just try it? Press your shift key 5 times and see what happens. Let me know how it turns out for you.

Sixty Five Going on Eighty

Today it was 65 degrees. Unseasonably warm and downright delightful even though it rained. Dixie and I walked Alex to the bus stop this morning. I made a very ambitious list and accomplished precious little of it. It was a good thing I put "Buy Hershey kisses" on the list. At two o'clock this afternoon it was the only thing I had crossed off. The good news is that I am off again tomorrow and I already have my list. Speaking of lists...

71. Subarus
72. Zero interest loans
73. My George Foreman grill
74. Foodland (close to home)
75. Vintage video of Suzy Snowflake
76. Sprint to Sprint
77. Clean shirts
78. Did I say mango salsa? (worth repeating)
79. Calculators
80. Christmas stamps

Seventy and Counting

1. Rice
2. Kennels
3. Friends who take care of your dog while your away
4. Car trips
5. Wrigley Field
6. Chewing gum
7. Ivy
8. Sunshine
9. Shadows
10. New winter coats

Wednesday Going on Friday

In a three day school week everyday is like Wednesday. On Monday there are only two days left, so Monday is the third day before the weeks end, so it is like Wednesday. Tuesday is the middle of the school week, so it is like Wednesday. Wednesday is of course Wednesday. Tomorrow is Wednesday, but the last day I work this week so it is like Friday. There is something special about Fridays. I am looking forward to tomorrow. If I go to bed now and sleep well, when I wake up it will be Wednesday which is like Friday this week. Unfortunately, I have two loads of clothes to finish and gravy to put away. How did this Tuesday get in my week?

Sixty and Counting

1. Small group
2. Online shopping
3. Joyful giving
4. Hugs from 2 year olds
5. Construction paper turkeys
6. A God Who listens to my prayers
7. A God Who answers my prayers
8. A dog who does tricks for hot dog bites
9. Blogging
10. Comments

Drop and Give Me Ten

Remember...these are things I am grateful for:
1. Kohl's coupons
2. Pajamas
3. Sparkly things
4. Baby pictures
5. Antibiotics
6. Completed school projects
7. My digital camera
8. Micah
9. Cranberries
10. Hot chocolate with marshmallows

Diversity Lyrics--By Request

If we minded our own business
And stayed in our own continents
Then maybe we would not have it
It's called diversity.

But no, no, no! We immigrate.
We switch countries and then we mate
And when the ceremony's done
We're practically related to everyone.

Lyrics by Alex Havener

Oh, And Ten More Things...

1. Pretzel chips
2. Music
3. My iPod nano
4. I don't need a PS3
5. Part-time
6. Payday
7. My clothes dryer
8. Mitochondria
9. 1LUKE37
10. Adverbs (really)

Official Kickball Rules

Alex is searching for the official kickball rules. Seems there is some discussion on the playground about what the rules are. Some people want to vote on the rules, but Alex's concern is that more than half of the people with a vote are the cheaters. Alex discovers the problem with democracy in fifth grade. He downloaded offical rules from a few kickball leagues at both the college level and adult competitive leagues. One set of rules for a community fun league was 21 pages long. Evidently, more than half of adult kickball players are cheaters too.

This Makes Thirty

1. Toothpaste
2. Teeth
3. Periodontists
4. Smiles
5. Sisters
6. Aunts
7. Chicken broth
8. Homemade noodles
9. Gluten free noodles that don't dissolve in chicken broth
10. My Mom

Oodles of Noodles

From generation to generation...

Some things you should learn as a child. Things like eating raw noodle dough will stick your guts together. (Or give you worms, depending on which Aunt you listen to!) And that your aunts are really your mom's sisters and they were once kids together. And that making things is really more about the process than the end product.

Some things don't change.

Traditions handed down from generation to generation. Things that we do because our parents did them and our grandparents did them. Like piles of flour and eggs mixed and stretched and dried and cut and dried some more--until they are noodles spread all over the house on faded flowered tableclothes. And that you share things with your cousins that you don't share with just everyone. Like your bed. And your sense of humor.

And each generation adds its mark, uniquely its own. Like a noodle hat.

Ten More Things

1. apple dumplings
2. husbands who clean
3. sisters who understand clutter
4. nieces
5. nephews
6. Hershey kisses
7. clean sheets
8. automatic washing machines
9. swiffers
10. kids who still need resters

November-Virtue of the Month

Gratitude: Letting others know you see how they've helped you.

Is gratitude really an attitude or is it an action? Can I be thankful for something, or do I have to be thankful to someone. Can I just feel grateful or is it only gratitude when it is expressed?

Ten things I am grateful for:
1. My husband
2. My children
3. Noodle makers
4. My dog
5. Towels that wrap all the way around me
6. Hot chocolate
7. Mango salsa
8. Warm water from the tap
9. Indoor plumbing in general
10. Instant messaging