A Special Kind of Friendship

Sorry, I realize that I told you I'd let you know what car we decided on, but I've been feeling funky this week and SO not inspired to post anything.

We did get that Camry. We drove it to Tennessee. We got 30 miles to the gallon on the trip, that's taking the short way through the mountains, so we think that's pretty darn good. Jay even let me drive part of the way. I only stalled three times! But in my defense, it was in horrible traffic, through town, on a hill. It's gonna take some time to get used to driving a stick shift again.

We arrived just as they were eating. We're like that. It was so good to see everyone. It always amazes me how so much time can go by since we last saw each other, but we quickly got settled into our old habits of picking on one another and laughing so much.

Meagan had put together a sweet photo presentation of Nana for us all to see. They made me sit in the chair between Judy and Linda (Nana's daughters), I didn't want to sit there because I knew they'd be crying and I didn't want to feel uncomfortable (isn't that nice of me?). About 3 minutes into the thing, I'm bawling. Not a demure little tears going down the cheeks, but an ugly face, hide with the hand, quick breath kind of cry. (lovely) Part of it was missing my own sweet grandparents, part of it was that it was pictures of not just Nana, but her husband Linn and then of Susie, their daughter that died way too young of cancer a few years ago. All the years of sweet memories came flooding back and I think I was mourning how time has changed so much in our lives. It's been 17 years of being friends with Jeff & Kristy. I'm so thankful for the constant of their friendship and that the two things that keep us so linked is our ability to laugh at each other and our love and commitment to God.

This time we had probably one of the best times we've ever had going and visiting them, and it was only for the weekend. Jeff & Kristy spoiled us. First with giving Calvin his dream experience, watching Indiana Jones in the theater room, he got the comfy chair, and did I mention that they have the room all decorated with the Indiana Jones style motif? Oh yeah, the kid was in his own personal heaven. Then the three boxes of sugar cereal that they put out for us for our breakfast, oh yeah, thanks! Dave was lovin being with Nathan again, video games, basketball, trying to mimic his walk, it was all good.

The guys played a lot of basketball. And that's John (Kristy's dad) roaming the court, we nicknamed him 'Frogger'. (you'd have to know your video games in order to get that joke!)





We spent lots of time out on the deck talking and loving the view.


the view from the top deck of their house.


They drove us by the Bristol raceway which was in full swing for the big race that was happening that night. Oh my goodness, a whole lot of beer was going on there. And the best in people watching ever! Jay flashed a guy that was holding up a sign "show us your ta-ta's"....yeah, the guy was thrilled! That race crowd, it's a different world.

Kristy took Dave to the local firework's store and loaded him up with all things explosive and that night they put on quite the show down on the dock. We had a bonfire with hot dogs and smores and got bitten by several mosquitoes.

**I was told by my husband to share this story, so don't be getting all mad at me, that I shouldn't embarrass Jeff like this....They have some serious mosquitoes out there, being right on the lake, probably doesn't help them any. So one night the family was all sitting outside and all the kids started noticing that Jeff smelled like a car. He just had this odor about him that made him smell like Armoral. After about an hour, he comes walking out of the garage with these wipes that he's wiping up and down his arm and says...."I don't think these bug wipes work, I'm still getting bitten"....the label on the canister said, 'bug away', but it was for wiping dead bugs off the front end of your vehicle. That Jeff, he's a sharp one! And he will never live it down. :o)

The last morning was breakfast at Brian & Breanna's. This is the girl that I taught in pre-school. She has a husband, they have a house, she can cook. What the heck? How old am I? They are too cute.


yep, pretty much sums up the feelings of Father's towards their Son-in-Law's everywhere.

It was sad driving away. We only live 4 1/2 hours away, why don't we drive out there more often? We need to.



****I was trying to find more pictures of all of us together. I didn't take my camera on this trip, like the dork that I am, I forgot, so these were taken on Jeff's camera and sent to me. But in my search to find good fun pics of all of us together in the past, I didn't find any, I found these.....very enjoyable, I thought.

this is Dave climbing in the doggie door at our old house, he fit


this is Calvin trying to climb through the doggie door in our old house, he didn't fit....and I'm pretty sure Dave just kicked him in the head.

Cars

Cars. I eat, drink, sleep....cars.

Sweetie came up with the idea a couple weeks ago that we might be able to save money each month if we got rid of my van and the hefty payment and go with something that has smaller payments each month. Silly me, never knew that was even an option. After hearing that I WAS ON A MISSION!!!!!!!!

I've been doing my shopping this week. Sweetie gave me a crash course in car shopping and salesman slappin'. I've been to 7 dealerships in the last 3 days. I'm a little pooped. And LITERALLY, I've been dreamin' cars, I make lists about the cars while I'm eating, and I wake up EARLY in the morning still mulling it all over in my head.

Calvin is mourning the loss of 'the van' and his personal lazy boy in the back with a movie screen. Dave is hoppin' with excitement, seriously the boy has been jumping for a week. He's wanted to go with me on every test run, but the kid is a pain, as he just wants racer red or streakin' blue and it needs to be on a mustang. He's VERY practical, that boy.

We've narrowed it down to two pretty different choices and this morning we go and see which one. I'll let you know next week.


(this is one of the choices, and the best deal, SCREAMIN' deal on 2008 Camry, stripped model with manual transmmision, which, thanks to Daddy, I'm pretty darn good at drivin')

We are also driving to Tennessee today to visit some special friends. Her nana just passed away yesterday morning. Nana was a sweetie and a pillar in that family. She was 92 and is now home with her Lord and her sweetie. She will be missed, I'm sure.

So I'll see you on the otherside of the weekend, hopefully with a different car, a little extra monthly money, and some precious memories from Tennessee.

Ten on Tuesday

Crayola Lady does this thing, Ten Thankful Things on Tuesday, but I'm such a rebellious little thing I don't follow her rules. She's going through the letters of the alphabet, me I'm just random. Today is suppose to be the letter M.

1. Our family devotional time in the mornings, while snuggling with Dave and sipping my coffee, and watching the cat massage Calvin's belly to get it just right, thank you, Jay, for your words of wisdom to us every morning.

2. The whole-grain banana bread that is baking in the oven. Can't wait till it's done. 21 1/2 more minutes to go.

it was starting to rain, so we sent Dave out to collect the trashcans that were drying in the grass

he made it just in time



(that had nothing to do with my thankful post, but I just had to share the pics)

3. My shopping trip and giggles with Cathi yesterday morning. What a blessing she is in my life.

4. The financial strain that we've found ourselves in this year. It has turned my life upside down, but the blessings are abundant, and I find myself in tears often, being thankful for God's goodness to us.

5. My sweetie giving me a hard time this morning for waking him up at 5:30 with my snoring...whatever! Like a girl so petite and feminine and classy could snore?? I'm sure he finds me SO attractive that he just can't go back to sleep.

6. Homeschooling. SO thankful for the peace God gives me and reassurance that I am suppose to be doing it. SO thankful for the freedom to do it. SO thankful for the curriculum I'm able to use.

my precious mummies





7. Blogging, being able to keep up with people far away that I love, finding new friends that inspire me and make me giggle, and keeping our family up to date with the happenings of our lives since we don't live a mile away from them anymore, but 3000 miles.

8. Reading. It's a free hobby. It's relaxing. I can do it with my boys. It keeps me sane. It keeps my hands out of the Chocolate Teddy Grahams.

9. Bathtime. I've started taking baths every night. It's my little heaven. Except, of course, when 'Sweetie' comes into the bathroom and leaves me some of his 'aromatherapy'...oh yeah, that's lovely.

10. We get to take a Burmese couple to the library today to get their library cards, they are the sweetest little things. Pray that we can be witnesses to them.

Hope you are all having a great day and that you have much to be thankful for.

New Do

As promised, my new do. I like it. I really like it. Jay was a little in shock. Like he was going to get into trouble for flirting with someone else, other than his wife. He kept seeing me and saying 'How You Doin'? Which of course made me just giggle. And then he decided he needed to take his new girlfriend out on a date.

The boys were very sweet, though I had threatened them before I left, to make sure not to hurt my feelings. They like it, but they again keep walking into a room where I am and wondering who's here to visit.

And of course I keep having to take double takes in the mirror, trying to find myself.

Anyway, sorry, I know I promised I'd post the picture yesterday. But a sad friend needed me, I HAD to come to her rescue with pints of Vanilla Swiss Almond so we could drown our sorrows, her two oldest had just left for college. :o(

Then of course, there was the date.

Then I had to go on my walk this morning.

Now I'm getting ready to go over and help a friend organize her house, we're starting in her laundry room. I'm so excited I just can't contain myself. I've got the label maker all plugged in and warmed up (just kidding, but I did pack extra batteries). I'll see if she'll let me post before and after pics. I know y'all will just LOVE those!

Have a Happy Day Loved Ones.

THINGS I'm Thankful For

And I mean THINGS. You know, those materialistic THINGS that we love. Those things that we aren't suppose to treasure and store up here on earth? Well, I still give thanks for them. I know they are directly from God. Who else would give us such genius brains to think up such things. I'm very thankful to HIM for these THINGS.


1. See this thing. I've named it my hole-fixer. Bought it years ago at Staples (Staples is my second favorite store, next to Super Target)....I love office supplies. In fact when we bought this business of ours 8 years ago, that was the ONLY positive thing about it for me....I would get a desk, I would get to buy office supplies to fill that desk...ah the bliss. Anyway, I love this thing. I didn't really use it that much though until last year, we switched homeschool curriculums and the boys keep binders for each subject. If you know my Dave, you know that his folders are just filled with his 'precious-ness'...and I went hog-wild-crazy with my 'hole-fixer' this morning in his binders. Love that kid.


2. This is a favorite Christmas present from my sister last year. We were walking through Macy's kitchen department to get to the bathroom and I fell in love with it. I love that it's metal. And I LOVE it's color. AND I MEAN LOVE-LOVE THE COLOR! I don't have anything else in my life that matches that color, but I absolutely LOVE IT! But the matchy-matchy in me has made it sit in the pantry all this time, because, ew, it would just clash with the rest of my house. But yesterday after getting a smile on my face just for seeing it there made me bring it to the counter. That's right, I'm gettin' crazy and puttin' the thing right out in public on my counter. Oh, the joy! Plus it's where I put all my made up recipes, because my family claims I will need to write a cookbook some day. Love them, I've got them SO fooled!


3. I'm a 'need to write my list down so I can cross things out kind of girl'. So for several years I have used a day-timer sort of calendar notebook. It's been 8 1/2 X 5 1/2 size for a few years now. Which is great for sitting on my desk or kitchen counter. But lately, yes in the middle of last year, I decided I wanted to try a smaller one that I could carry to town with me. So I switched to THIS SIZE and I'm in love. Can fold it up and put it in my purse. And when I write in it it makes me feel like I have dainty little hands and fingers, which is SO NOT THE CASE!


4. These flip flops. They are from Eddie Bauer. They are currently on clearance. I buy a new pair every summer, because they get thrashed with all my wearing. They are super comfie. I think they look nice enough to wear to church. I even try to pull them out for date night, you know when I don't feel like wearing my red stilleto's. They come in colors, but I seem to really enjoy the dark brown ones. Though I have a dream of getting the green ones and wearing them with jeans, too cute. For the rest of the year, I'm a Dansko clog wearing girl. Because I'm sorry, but they are heaven for my feet and back. But during the summer, those clogs look a little funky and Sweetie says that they really don't look that great with my shorts. SO I have these flip flops, just as good and only $19.99. (oh and if anyone feels so inclined to get me the green ones for, say, my birthday...that would be GREAT! I'm a size 8.)


5. I've said this before, and I know I'm going on and on about shoes here, but I love shoes. But if you don't have a pair of these, well, take your hand off the mouse, grab your keys and GO GET YERSELF A PAIR. I even got my Sweetie some for Father's Day this year and he's a happy man, though, not when I told him he WAS NOT ALLOWED TO WEAR THEM WITH SOCKS, who are you tryin' to be? My Father? (Sorry, Daddy, but you KNOW it's true!) And yes, by the way, that is me, wearing them with a skirt, that's how much I love them.


6. Pillows. I'm sorry, I mean, really sorry for people who live in areas where it's not 'normal' to have a pillow. Or they can't afford pillows. It makes me think of starting a missions fund for supplying third world countries with pillows. Really. I love mine. I sleep with three. A special one for my neck & head. Then a super cheap flat one for between my knees. Then my favorite squishy one for hugging. Sweetie loves this. Really he does. Because if he didn't already get pushed to the side six inches of the mattress, he also has to fight off pillows in the middle of the night. He's very blessed, that man. Don't you know that I caught him in the middle of the night trying to steal my pillows for himself, I've converted him, but, oh the whoopin' he got, don't mess with a sleepy girl and her pillows!


7. These little circular tasty treats. Skinny Cows. As I'm trying to lose weight, these are my saving grace. One a day, and one for Sweetie if he catches me eating one. But the kids get a scoop out of the big vat of fake ice cream I got for $5.99. They can handle the fat. Dang, Dave NEEDS the fat. And after a month, you rinse the stuff and it tastes just the same. (Right Daddy?) Anyway, these Skinny Cows are SO good, good for you, have a cute skinny cow on the package, and don't DON'T taste like diet food. Amen! (excuse me while I go whoop someone's behind for stealing my skinny cow)


8. This isn't very exciting. But see this brush. I want to hug whoever invented it. I got mine at Walmart, when my old one was starting to grow things out of it. (I know, gross.) Anyway, had to get pink, because, well, I don't have a daughter and my boys frown when I buy them anything pink. Anyway, with long hair, the tangles after washing can be LOVELY! Especially MY tangles. I love to wash my hair at night and then leave it all frantic looking and run upstairs to kiss the boys goodnight and scare them. I look like I've just stuck my finger in a light socket. It's great fun. Anyway, you can see, I have a tangle issue and need a really stellar brush. This one is like magic. Not only does it brush the tangles out really quickly & effortlessly, THERE IS NO PAIN! Thus, they call it the 'Ouchless Brush', wow, I wonder who thought up that name, so creative?. It feels so good to brush my hair now, sometimes I just sit in bed and brush my hair forever. Like those women of 'yester-year' who would brush their hair 100 strokes? Yep, that's me. Walmart people, the Ouchless Brush, get pink, it's my favorite.


9. I love purses. In fact I've been known to have a few. In fact, if I fall in love with a certain style, I've been known to have it in several colors. Yes, this might be a sin. And I'm working on it. But last Christmas trip to CA my friend Sara talked me into getting this one (yeah, like she really had to twist my arm), what I mean is it's not quite the style I go for usually. Well, let me just say. I love this purse. Love the color. It makes me happy. It goes with ANYTHING & EVERYTHING! I look like I might even be a little 'hip' with it hanging on my shoulder. Plus it carries, like, a whole drug store in it. I've tried to go to something else, but just keep coming back to it. Too fun and cute.


10. Back to office supplies. But this one I can blame on my Mama. When she worked for us, she found these little treasures, and I was NOT happy, because it meant more work. But Sweetie was in love, with these and a little with her for finding them. So we had to change all our files to this. But now....oh my goodness....the little party I have everytime I open my file drawers. I mean, really, check it out, how cool is this and don't y'all just want to run out and re-do your files. I've told you before about my office supply fettish, well, here you have it at it's best! It's like labeling to the estreme! I know, I know, you're all jealous. :o)


(can I just say, that running around the house, taking abstract pictures is a little time waster. but let's face it, you wouldn't have read this post without them, would you? and for those that love my boys, and that's really the only reason you read my blog, i try to put in a couple recent photos of them, your welcome)

HIS Majesty

Was driving back from town with groceries in the back of the van. This is what I was staring at all the way home. Too beautiful for words. HE is so good.

Please Pray

I've been following the story of this sweet family for sometime now. We got some very sad news today at church. Please link over and pray for this new Mom & Dad. Their honesty and faith throughout this have been such a testimony to me.

Hair Do Tuesday

In an effort to save money and simplify my life I've decided to go back to my orginal hair color. I've been wanting to do this for a year, but Jay has been dragging his feet a little. But when your hair looks like the reverse skunk that mine does right now. And you just HAVE to go in to get it done, but the bank account doesn't agree, well, one needs to reaccess ones priorities. So I wish I was asking for y'alls advice on this, but I don't really want your advice, I want you all to lie and tell me I look better the way God intended me to, a brunette. A mousey brown brunette. Besides everyone knows, brunettes have WAY more fun! I go under the knife Tuesday afternoon. I notified my hairdresser today during Sunday School. She's excited, though she demanded that there would be no tears allowed. It's been eight years of blonde bliss. Dave is very sad, as he thinks he's getting a different Mommy. Calvin called me 'hot mama' no matter what my hair color. Jay promises to love it. I'm thankful that I won't be the brunt of all those blonde jokes, even though most of them fit me to a tee, whatever. So gear up for pictures and please don't laugh. See you Tuesday night. (oh, and please forgive me for saying that my hair was mousey brown, no, I don't think every brunette looks all mousey, quite the opposite.)

Thankful Saturday

1. Sweetie comes home tonight, he's been gone for a week.

2. Laughing with a sweet friend and her girls at tea yesterday.

3. Sweetie comes home in 12 hours.


4. Good Morning hugs from Calvin this morning, he's the best hugger, outside my Mama.


5. Sweetie being home tonight.


6. Dave's sweaty-smelly boy kiss when I told him he could stay at his friends last night and spend the night.


7. Seeing Sweetie tonight.

8. Waking up to this beautiful scene every morning.

9. Did I mention that Sweetie's comin' home?



10. Date night with my boys this past week.

11. A sleepy Sweetie callin' me this morning saying he's leaving for the airport.



Must go now, lots to do...put away laundry, shave legs, stock fridge, throw away ice cream evidence, wash hair, take trash & recycables to dump, shave armpits, scrub shower drain, find dress that hides what ice cream did to me, water drooping house plants, have second cup of coffee, will need the energy.

Hope y'all have a great Saturday!

(most pictures were found on my camera phone and taken by my boys)