Award

Blogger Reflection Award: this award should make an individual reflect upon five bloggers who have been an encouragement, a source of love, impacted you in some way, and who have provided a Godly example. In other words, five dear bloggers whom, when you reflect upon them, you are filled with a sense of pride and joy. . .of knowing them and being blessed by them.

Lori, at View From Our Porch Swing posted this on her blog after being nominated. She went on to give me this award with these encouraging words: Joanne is a beautiful faithfilled woman. She's very intelligent and carries a very tender heart. She has 5 beautiful children and has been blessed with a beautiful grandchild. Hearing about her wonderful family puts a smile on my face. She's truly an inspiration to me. I am so honored to have the opportunity to choose you, Joanne, for this wonderful award.

I don't know what to say. I felt blessed, honored, and humbled. I'd like to share the same encouragement with 5 fellow bloggers. Before I do, I'd like to say Lori is a lovely lady. Please visit her blog if you haven't already. She is such an inspiration!

Here are my 5 choices: Heth @ From Under The Laundry Pile. Heather is a young mom of 7 little clothes wearers. She was one of the first people to comment on my blog. Her sweet comments on every one of my posts encouraged me to keep blogging. As busy as I know she must be, her posts reflect grace and a love for her family. Some of my favorite posts are the way she tenderly describes her growing up years, especially the faith of her father. Heather knows how to have fun and create laughter within her home. I was very blessed to meet Heather online AND in real life.

"We were filled with laughter,and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, 'What amazing things the Lord has done for them." Psalm 126:2
Carolanne @ C Outside The Box. Carolanne lives in Australia. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and shares it generously. Not only does she share online, but with her students. Carolanne is a teacher. She doesn't teach with words alone, although she expresses herself wonderfully through words. Others learn about love & faith through her actions. Carolanne is one you can trust to be open and honest. She is a trusted friend. Oh, and she's also a great photographer.

"My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you." (Psalm 63:5)
Mopsy @ Lifenut. Mopsy is another young mom with lots of children. Mopsy is a deep thinker. She motivates me to dig a little deeper. She's walked through a few valleys and mountaintops, but her faith shines brightly at all times. As we walk through this life, we encounter bruising. Mopsy displays her bruises courageously-which makes her so very approachable.
She is a great mom to her children, creating wonderful memories for them.

"Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life." Proverbs 31:11

Singing Owl @ The Owl's Song This lovely lady is not afraid to step out and be bold. (How else could she maintain her position as a pastor?) She tackles difficult subjects with grace and speaks the truth in love. Her newest title is grandma. Her granddaughter has increased her life with more love and nurturing. Singing Owl is filled with joy and shares it with others.

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my Strength and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14

Anne of Cooking With Anne & The Rest Of Me. Anne is the mom of 7 and is a wonderful chef who shares her expertise with all. She prepares delicious meals for her family (a woman after my own heart!) She inspires me to experiment more in my own cooking and introduces me to things I've never heard of. She has a gift for hospitality and giving. I think her gentleness and kindness came from her dad, that she so lovingly speaks of and who went to be with the Lord last year.

"In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:6

Can I really only pick 5???? This leaves out so very many bloggers that regularly encourage me. I wanted to list a whole lot of them, but I'm afraid I might miss someone and leave them out and I would hate to hurt anyone's feelings. I will try and update my blog link and add those who aren't already there. I'm looking forward to seeing who these ladies pass encouragement on to (and no, you don't have to add a scripture, that is just something I chose to do.)

And of course, if I could have chosen Lori I would have. And I'd post this verse for her. "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

Sights & Sounds

Sights & Sounds Sunday

Paper plates & colored markers are so much fun.

Thanks Mom & Dad!

Thanks Mom & Dad!

For Pom Practice, we carpool with another girl. The other day, Hilary related how unpleasant the drive home was. The other girl, I'll call her Hannah, has her permit. Her mother decided to let her drive home. Apparently, as she merged onto the highway, Hannah cut another car off nearly causing an accident. For the rest of the drive, the mother berated her daughter for her foolishness. Hilary said, "mom, it was so awkward! Poor Hannah was trying to drive but she was crying so hard. Why would her mom do that?"

In my mind, I can hardly imagine what the mother was thinking. Couldn't she have waited until they got home? If the near miss scared her, why wasn't she concerned about distracting her daughter's driving with her non-stop criticism? Did she think her daughter would be more focused through sobs and tears?

I am not a perfect parent. My parents were not perfect parents. But I am thankful, that it was not their habit of berating us for mistakes or wrong doings. In a tense or stressful situation we will often revert back to our early training and parent accordingly.

When something awful happens, I am not tempted to swear. I am always surprised when I hear foul language spewing forth from an otherwise "normal" parent. Once again, I have my own parents to thank. It certainly isn't anything within myself. It's just that my parents didn't swear when they were angry or upset. Consequently, when autopilot kicks in during a difficult moment, 4 letter words do not spill out.

I just hope that somehow I have provided good habits and examples for my own children. And with that hope, comes the belief that my grandchildren will benefit. Afterall, my children have enjoyed the benefit that came from having grandparents who parented with integrity, kindness, and love. Thanks Mom & Dad!

PBJ

When you hear PBJ what comes to mind? Two slices of soft Wonder Bread with grape jelly on one side and creamy peanut butter on the other? Firmer whole wheat brown bread with peach preserves and chunky PB? My husband skips the jelly and goes for banana and honey instead. He's taught the kids to like his PBH's. How many PBJ's have you eaten in a lifetime?

I didn't grow up eating PBJ's. In fact, I had my very first one when I was 28 years old. Yes, you read that right. I was nearly 30 before my teeth sunk into two slices of bread with slathers of salty peanut butter & sweet, gooey, grape jelly sandwiched in between. I would have stopped after the first bite, but was having lunch with a friend. What kind of an example would I have set if I had refused to eat what I'd been served? So I did what I would have expected my children to do, I politely ate my peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Don't get me wrong, I love peanut butter. But who in their right mind would ruin it by adding brightly colored jam or jelly? I want to say that I like my peanut butter good and salty-crunchy too. But that isn't totally true. I wonder what a PBJ would taste like if it wasn't jelly on the sandwich but a good squeeze of Hershey's chocolate atop the Peanut Butter.

MMmmmm....maybe I could learn to love this new version of PBJ's.

Cute

Five Things I Must Remember

1) Never think or believe I am more than one person. I am not. I cannot do the job of 20 people.

2) Just because a family member won't be home for 10 hours and out-of-town guests are gone for the day, I don't have time to paint and redecorate a bedroom. This is NOT While You Were Out or Extreme Makeover:Home Edition. Ty Pennington's entourage is not outside in a trailer with experienced designers & big, brawny men to do the work.

3) It is never a good idea to shake a gallon of paint. I've seen the shaking machines at the hardware store in action. No matter how much I dance and jump around, I cannot replicate this. That is why the nice gentleman handed me those wooden stirring sticks.

4) It doesn't matter how tightly the lid appears to be on the can of paint. If it slips from my hands and falls to the floor, the lid will magically pop off. Yes, paint cans do explode on impact.

5) No matter how well I believe I have covered the carpet and furniture before painting,it isn't enough. That two inches of brand new bedspread hanging below the plastic? The area of carpet in the middle of the room that is safe from wall drips? These things are magnets for flying paint.

P.S. Happy 23rd Birthday Christopher! I didn't forget about you while I was desperately trying to redo Sarabeth's bedroom (for her 18th birthday, that was in June.) I really did send you a card overnight express, I'm sorry it didn't arrive.

Choices

Quiet here, at least for the moment. I've enjoyed a glorious week with all 5 of my children home, plus my grandson Ethan. I'm happiest when my house is full and running over. To add to the mix, Michael's sister is visiting with her husband and 2 children. I'd forgotten, though, that in trying to accomodate a bunch, that sometimes means having to make difficult choices.

Not knowing how many would be here for dinner, both ovens were fired up and baking away. It would be an eat and run dinner, as we were to watch Hilary's dance performance at 7:00. She was leaving early Friday morning for Pom Camp where they hoped to qualify for Nationals. The girls have worked hard. Practicing 2-3 hours, 5 days a week and spending their Saturdays on fund raisers, it was finally time to show off all they'd accomplished. Hilary was excited to share it with us.

Just before we sat down to eat, Christina comes running into the house with Ethan. "MOM! Ethan was caught in a swarm of bees!" She'd found one sting on his wrist so she ran it under cold water while I found the Benadryl gel. After a few minutes, Ethan began to look like one of those cartoon characters with the distorted faces. His lips were swelling, his chin was twice its normal size-on one side of his face. It was a bit scary to look at him. This time I grabbed the liquid benadryl and forced down the proper dosage, while Christina prepared to whisk him off to the emergency room. I held him in my arms wanting so badly to make things all better for him.

But what about Hilary? I couldn't miss her performance. How does a mom/grandma be in 2 places at once? I had to allow Ethan's grandpa to fill in for me, while I stayed home and served dinner.

I noticed Elisabeth was a bit down. I asked her if she was going with us, but she said no. She'd made other plans because no one told her about the dance. I argued with her for a few moments about changing her plans, when I realized she was having a crisis of her own. I wanted to stay and talk to her about it, but ended up leaving.

As I drove, I found myself tearing up. I prayed for Ethan and hoped his throat was not closing up and he was breathing ok. I prayed for Elisabeth and the situation she was struggling through. I arrived at the school feeling very undone. I wanted to feel excitement for Hilary, but it wasn't easy with so much on my heart and mind.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who would tell me that is one reason NOT to have lots of kids, that I can't possibly be there for all of them. For a second I would feel guilty. I do want to be there for them. But in the end, I know I can't. That is when each of them will have to rely not on their mom or dad, but on their Heavenly Father to be with them. I know I can stand on this reassurance, but as a mom, I still want to be there for them.

Happy 4th

Happy 4th of July!

It has been terribly busy. My kids are all here, as well as Ethan some cousins, siblings and such. Here are a couple of pics of Ethan and my niece.

Text Messaging

Text messaging is the preferred communication of choice at the puzzle home. Each member possesses a cell phone. We've enjoyed competing in text message competitions, checking to see who has sent the most text messages in a month and other text sporting events. (I can't recall for sure, but I believe the winner of the most text messages in a month was around 3000.) I wish I hadn't deleted the 90 or so I had saved on my phone yesterday. But I will share a few tidbits from this week.

A few I received today:

10:08a.m. "Ethan just threw up at the eye doctor's office." Christina (Wish I hadn't been eating my breakfast.
11:17a.m. "It came out of no where. He seems ok now." Christina (Nice to hear.)
11:55a.m. "ok, he just threw up again." Christina (This might fall into the too much information category.)
12:04p.m. "Too bad we are out." (meaning not at home) Christina

I came home from shopping on Wednesday and Sarabeth asks me if I got her text. I checked my phone. Nope, I didn't get one. "Oh no, I sent you a message asking you if you knew that Elisabeth went out to lunch with Josh? Remember Josh? Oh no, I think I might have sent it to Elisabeth." She checks her phone. Sure enough. The message intended to dish out the dirt on Elisabeth was actually sent to Elisabeth. She responded back, "yes, I do know I am having lunch with Josh today." Text messaging can be so tricky.

Ethan

A Father's Day

"Mom, what is Father's Day?" Five year old Jacob asked.

"Oh you know, it is a day to honor fathers, the same as mother's day. Remember the nice card you made me? We bought grandma flowers and a book and spent the day with her. Then we went to dinner at that nice salad place. On Father's Day we'll have a cookout at Grandpa's house. Your grandpa loves cookouts."

"Isn't there a kids' day where we get presents and cards and get to do what we want?"

"Every day is kids day," Jenny answered, as she tossled his blond curls. "Now go brush your teeth or I'm going to be late for work." She smiled as she watched her little boy flex his superman muscles, then run to brush his superhero teeth.

As they drove towards Jacob's daycare center, Jenny was thinking about taking off early so she could take her car in for an oil change. She really needed to keep her car in good running condition.

"Mom, why don't I have a dad?" Jacob's question caught her off guard. While she desperately tried to come up with a reasonable answer, he continued. "I was supposed to bring a picture of my dad to school today. But I don't have a picture because I don't have a dad. I told Miss Sarah that but she just said, don't be silly. Everyone has a dad, even if he doesn't live with you.' Mom, do I have a dad that doesn't live with me? Or is it just you and me?"

Jenny's eyes began to sting as they filled with tears. She had a busy day ahead of her. She needed to concentrate on the traffic around her. She wanted to forget her past. She did not want her little boy to be sad. She didn't want him to be embarrassed at not having a dad. Fumbling for a tissue with one hand in her purse, she glanced in her rearview mirror. Jacob's brown eyes looked up at hers as he waited for a response.

STUCK

I HOPE TO BE BACK LATER TO POST, BUT FIRST I HAVE TO CLEAN THE JUICE FROM MY KEYBOARD THAT IS CAUSING MY SHIFT KEY TO STICK. DID YOU NOTICE?

Short Update

Sarabeth is laughing now. She was officially hired yesterday and starts work tomorrow. Christina and Ethan are fine. The man that lives next door was allegedly threatening violence, so the police stepped in and took control of the situation. This afternoon they are driving up so Ethan will see the new toy I bought him. (It's my privilege as Gramma to have new things for him everytime he comes to visit.)

Lastly, we celebrated Grandpa's 84th birthday yesterday. He received his first digital camera. I'm thinking it is time for him to start a blog of his own to keep everyone up-to-date on life in Colorado. Afterall, who better to capture the essence of moving to a new state and community?

Happy Birthday to my dear dad-in-law. It's been so great having you live so close-I understand my husband so much better and why he does the things he does. (At least where he learned them from.)

Phone Call

Another Phone Call You Don't Want To Get

A few minutes ago, I received a phone call from my daughter's apartment manager. After identifying herself she asked,

"Does your daughter have a cell phone number? The police are here and there is an incident. She needs to vacate the apartment immediately."

Why don't I have these numbers memorized??? With cell phones and the latest technology there just doesn't seem to be a reason to remember phone numbers, especially multiple numbers for one person.

But I am thankful for several things:

1. That in spite of the obstacles, Christina started a 4 week-long class this past Monday. So she wasn't at home.

2. Ethan's CNA who is scheduled to care for him had an emergency trip out of town. So she wan't there either.

3. Christina chose not to have a substitute CNA care for Ethan today. Instead, he went to his former caregiver's home. Ethan did not have to be escorted out of the apartment by the police surrounded by strangers in a scary situation.

4. That God knows what each day holds, and makes provision for us.

Nervous

Sarabeth went for her very first job interview ever. I was impressed with how well she did. She was comfortable enough to joke with the interviewer. If you've known Sarabeth for any length of time, you would be very impressed too. For those who don't know, she was affectionately known as the velcro baby. (Never wanting to leave my side and disliked strangers-that included everyone but me. )

During the interview Sarabeth was given a list of requirements. She found them a bit amusing. "Do you really have to tell some people that it is necessary to wear deodorant?" She queried, wanting to laugh out loud.

She came home gleeful, with her second interview this past Monday. It was more of a formality, at least we hope. Prior to her going to this second interview, we'd been talking about what her new job would be like. Her dad mentioned that it is not a far drive and she could easily make it in 15 minutes. Apparently she took that to heart and left for the interview 20 minutes til, but ran into traffic. She ended up 5 minutes late.

She was asked a few questions by a stoic man and given paperwork to be drug tested. One of the questions he asked was, "Are you normally a late person?"

Her response was "no." She isn't. She arrived a half an hour early for her first interview. His next question was, "have you ever had a detention?" I know she was nervous. She is also a stickler for following rules-honesty being one of them. Her response was "yes." His eyebrow raised as he looked up.

"And what did you receive a detention for?"

"Tardies."

Afterwards she wanted to scream. She thought she looked like she'd been dishonest. The truth is, she DID receive a detention for having 3 tardies. It was in the EIGHTH grade. Her school is strict about tardies. But for the past 3 years she has completed 6 classes per day, 5 days a week, without ever getting 3 tardies again. Of course, the stoic man did not know this. All he heard was she'd had a detention for her tardiness, even though she said she was an on time person. And he knew she was 5 minutes late for their appointment.

Someday she will laugh about this.

National Child's Day

National Child's Day

Last year on June 1st, President George W. Bush gave a proclamation 8026: "I, do hereby proclaim June 4th as National Child's Day. I call upon citizens to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also urge all the people of the United States to take an active role in helping nurture the minds and character of our nation's children."

Even if you missed this, like I did, I think we should make up for it. Let's celebrate all month. It doesn't matter if your child is a day old or 50. Celebrate each one of them. Can you think of a better occasion to have chocolate..., err... a party?

Questions

The Woman tagged me a few weeks ago with this meme. She was given 5 random questions and to play along she assigned 5 new questions. (She chose HARD questions, lol.) At the end I will pick 5 new questions and anyone that wants to play along can use those questions.

1. Do you have a signature scent? Something that when someone gets a whiff they think of you?

No, but I would love to have one. Any ideas?

2. Have you ever told a lie that severed a friendship? Romance?

If I did, I certainly can't recall.
3. You are granted a day to help mankind. You can be either a cup, a shovel, or a tire pump. Which one will you choose and why?

Definately a cup. I could offer a cold cup of water to a dying man, or quench the thirst of a hard-working one. I could brighten someone's day as the hot coffee warms her heart and hands. I could be a delicious cup of milk offered to a child to dunk his cookies. Helping mankind? Well, I don't know.

4. Are you ticklish? If so, does anyone else know?

Yes. My sister and I used to tickle each others feet at night to see who would laugh first.
5. Congratulations! You have just won one million dollars! Only one catch. You're not allowed to spend the money on the house, husband or the kids (including grandkids!). How will you spend the money?
Does that mean I have to spend it on myself or that I can give it all away? I'd be very generous with my church and parachurch organizations. I'd adopt as many kids as I could and provide the money for others to do the same. I'd send others out on missions to help children and others.
Now it's your turn:
1. If you could spend a day "just having fun" what would you do?

2. If you wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?

3. What is your favorite meal, dessert included?

4. Regrets? If you could change something from your past what would it be?

5. If you could drive any car in the world, what would you choose and what color?

Quiet

Ah, I sit her sipping hot coffee, the house is oh-so-quiet. I enjoy quiet time to collect my thoughts and sanity, to pray and read my bible. But today it seems too quiet.

Yesterday was the last day of school for my girls, so we are officially in summer mode. On Wednesday I was celebrating that I had only 2 more early morning lunch-makings for this year. Then I realized that Friday was a half-day and it was only 1 day left. (Did I really yell "Woohoo" and dance around the kitchen?)

I called Christina to see if she and Ethan were coming up this weekend. I was disappointed that they weren't. To celebrate the end of school, I wanted to take the 4 girls to get pedicures. I thought it would be fun. They didn't feel up to it.

So here I sit on Saturday morning alone. My oldest 2 have graduated from college and will not be coming home for the summer-will probably never move back. At the moment, my 3rd and 5th are housesitting. My 4th left early this morning to take the SAT test. It is too quiet.

Friday morning I was sitting at my computer. Michael walked in, gave me a hug, and said, "this is so sad."

"What?" (I'm thinking he realized that it won't be long before our kids are all grown up.)

"This is the last morning I'll see you up so early."

I was looking forward to sleeping in this summer. Is this what I have to look forward to when my kids are all grown? Quiet and more quiet? I better decide what I'm going to do when I grow up. It's a good thing parents and grandparents have a way of becoming needy as they get older. Otherwise I don't know what I'd do with myself.

Graduation Day

To the gentleman (who really wasn't) sitting behind us on Graduation Day, I wanted to tell you a few things.

When we took our seats, we didn't see you sitting there behind us. You must have come in later. But surely you noticed my young grandson sitting with us. He was there before we arrived, as was the little boy in front of us. If you thought it might be a problem, why didn't you sit somewhere else? Since you didn't I can only surmise that you were either neglectful in choosing your seat, or you thought you were a member of the noise patrol.

I too am very sensitive to noise and other distractions. I find it especially difficult during church with people moving around whispering and the occasional crying child. My solution is to sit in the 1st or second pew. When I sit up front I don't miss a thing and distractions are rare.

I'm pretty confident that when you saw the movement of my grandson, that you assumed he was an undisciplined, ill-behaved child. He is tall for his age and often mistaken for a boy of 6 or 7. He will be 5 this summer. Ethan (that's my grandson,) was very patient through the ceremony. He sat in my lap for most of the first hour and a half. Yes, he squirmed a bit, but he was mostly quiet. He was very well behaved.

I'll admit, right before the graduates walked across the stage to receive their diplomas, he did get down from my lap. He interacted with each of my children, smiling and grinning at each one. Occasionally a little giggle escaped. I think it was those giggles that you found so annoying.

Maybe you couldn't tell that Ethan is a special needs child. He doesn't talk yet and his only form of communication is gestures and noise. His giggles are music to our ears, it says he is happy.

Was this graduation not a happy time for you? Were you not there,as we were, to celebrate the joyous occasion of seeing our loved ones receive a Bachelor of Arts in Ministry? These graduates are ready to begin pastoring churches. They've spent many years preparing to be ministers of the gospel. The Gospel.

I wonder what Jesus would have thought as you so loudly hissed a shuuuush. I do believe the entire sanctuary heard you. I recall another time when some men were rather annoyed with little children in their midst. A wise man said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Jesus. I believe He is the author of the Gospel.

And just in case you didn't know: the pastor of the very church we were celebrating in was also sitting behind us. In your same pew. He is a wise man. He once said the sweetest sound ever heard in church are the sounds of a happy, young child. I do hope our recent graduates remember the wise words of Jesus and not some angry man from their graduation.

Can You Guess

Can you guess what my family is doing? (Yes, they are in my kitchen throwing something. Sorry it is such poor quality. It was taken with my phone, as I couldn't find the video camera.)