Hi All! I'm writing in the Volleyball Locker Room again...I think I called it a Training Room yesterday...but it's actually the locker room. They have big screen tv's, comfy leather sofa's, computer stations, a little kitchen, lots of fruit everywhere, and of course, the huge white board.
Our girls did very well again yesterday. They are learning soooo much! The camp is divided into two sections. The first section is made up of 11 teams which are considered the most competitive (better) teams. The other section with 12 teams is made up of some of the smaller schools or bigger schools with less advanced teams. We aren't sure how we got into the first group (we think its because of our conference 12-0 record last year)...but we're happy to be here and we are competing very well with these really good teams!
Last night, they had a meeting just for the coaches (from 23 teams). The head coach here at GA Tech was telling them how important communication and celebration was for the team. He singled out our little team. He asked our coach how big our high school was and she told him there were less than 70 -- everyone gasped! I don't think she told him that 6 of the 10 we brought to camp are homeschoolers. LOL!! Anyway, he said "these girls are the most competitive in the gym. They aren't very big and they aren't the most athletic here, but they are always talking to each other and celebrating like no team I've ever seen! I'm over there trying to put a ball down on them and they keep hitting them. They're in here beating the best teams we've got because they are soooo excited!"
(NOTE: I'm not boasting...okay, maybe a little! So, since I am "a little" I'll say that my sweet dd is doing amazing too! Several of the coaches have remarked on how hard she hits for the tiny thing she is!...now I'm done.)
Some of these are HUGE schools with HUGE players. In one game we actually beat what we call "the professional team" from a private school here in Atlanta -- it was AMAZING!
One coach who works with our team each day has been so wonderful. She is very encouraging to the girls, yet she holds them to a standard and works them hard. Our girls will never be the same after being here.
Neither will I after climbing up and down off that bed in the middle of the night--in the dark!
This afternoon is tournament play. Hopefully, we'll do as well as we have been doing.
Then we will be heading just outside of Atlanta to the Johnson's. Mr. Johnson is a former coach from the school. Our JV team will be meeting us there. Their camp is tomorrow--just one day. We'll stay at the Johnson's tonight; sleep-in in the morning and do something fun tomorrow while waiting on the JV to finish. Then, we'll be headed home to Tallytown.
Stay tuned.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Update from GA Tech!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Tuesday at GA Tech
Hi All! I'm still at Ga Tech with our Volleyball Team...so this is going to have to be short! Short? Yes, I'll try.
After leaving home at 2:30 and the school at 5am, we drove to Atlanta with an a/c that only worked part of the time. We were thankful for the "part" of the time it worked. We got here yesterday around 11am, went to the Varsity for breakfast/lunch, chilled for about an hour until we could check in at noon.
We are staying in a dorm Circa. 1929...it may have been remodeled in the 80's. I'm remembering very clearly WHY I never lived in a dorm when I was in college! I have my own room with two beds that are chest high. I have to climb on a chair to get into it. With my dizzy, this ain't exactly my idea of fun. However, my bed is very comfy and I slept snuggled up under a sheet and two blankets last night just fine!
Did I mention that the a/c is not adjustable? The thermometer in the room registers a steady, balmy 62 degrees! Me? Complain about too much a/c? NEVER!!!! But all of us are freezing up here when we're in our rooms. I've been outside most of this morning for that very reason.
It ain't fun walking down the hall to get to the bathroom -- or taking a shower in the group shower. So I set my alarm for 5am this morning and took a PRIVATE shower! LOL!!
To get from our dorms to the gym is 3 blocks...3 LOONNNNNNGGGG blocks when you're walking TO the gym because it is all uphill. Walking back to the dorms isn't quite so bad. We have to make the round-trip three times a day...so at least I'm getting my exercise.
This morning I am down in the GA Tech Volleyball training room on their computers. LOVE IT!! These folks have been really nice and hospitable.
I've got to run...it's lunch time for the troops. We're eating at the Training Table where all the athletes eat. Food is plentiful and fairly good; definitely filling...but then I get to walk again!
I may try to bring my camera with me to post some pictures the next time I come down here.
By the way... it's wonderful spending time with dd this week. Our team is also doing VERY well considering we're playing/working with some HUGE schools with HUGE players!
Stay tuned!
*Top 10 Tuesday* --10 things I still want to do...
I'm still on the road at Ga Tech Volleyball Camp with our high school team. Anybody around Atlanta up for a trip to the Varsity? I'm sure we'll make it by there before the week is up..."Whata Ya Have?" Thanks to Blogger's post options I scheduled this before I left home.
Today's topic is inspired by the movie "The Bucket List." I haven't seen it, but it has been recommended as an 'adult' movie worth watching. I'm sure I can come up with a million other things...but this is my list--as of TODAY! I have lots more spiritual goals...those are on a different list. These are a little whacky, so am I...so it fits!
#10 -- I want to...Visit Alaska, Australia and New Zealand--each for at least a week or two. I have no desire to go to Europe (except maybe Austria because Mr. Fix-It's grandfather was born and raised there).
#9 -- I want to...Travel the country by motor-home for at least a year or two like my friends, the Stewarts. Since we homeschool, we've thought about doing this for years. Unfortunately, dd keeps vetoing the idea unless we pull a horse trailer for her horses, the dogs and the cat.
#8 -- I want to...Write a best-selling book about my adventurous, exciting life. Yes, it must be a best-seller or its not worth doing. Of course, that would mean I would actually have to have an adventurous, exciting life to write about...oh well...this might take a while.
#7 -- I want to...Hang out at my vacation home in the mountains of North Carolina or North Georgia...I'm not picky. I love those mountains! My friend Cindy has a house in Hiawassee, GA. They just head north when it gets hot here in Florida. (I'm trying not to break that ticky tenth commandment.) It would be nice to have a vacation home just about anywhere, but I could live in the mountains, I'm sure. One day, after this, that and the other, we'll have to think about doing this.
#6 -- I want to...Take cool pictures and learn how to edit them like the Pioneer Woman. There is plenty of information out there in Blogger-World, should I ever get a minute to actually READ it!
#5 -- I want to...Be in a position to adopt a passle of kids [...maybe not all at once]. No more 14 year olds...I would want a better chance to make a positive difference in their lives! Hey! They could go with us in our motor home (that we don't have yet!).
#4 -- I want to...Be a healthy weight, wear fabulous clothes and feel good about myself, again. I'm working on this one...one step at the Mall at a time!
Okay, these top 3 are serious...not really silly...but I dream and pray that these will truly be accomplished before the Lord takes me home to Glory.
#3 -- I want to...See my daughter get married to a wonderful, godly man who treasures her.
#2 -- I want to...Hold my grand-babies and watch them grow.
#1 -- I want to...Be more intimate daily with my Lord!
Stay tuned.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Wild Weekend...nearly done
Ahhhh... God is so good! Don't you know it?
Finally! This afternoon after church, I had the blissful opportunity to nap. After sleeping for a few hours, I feel refreshed and ready to meet the coming week.
A bit of an update: Friday night's "Hot! Hot! Hot!" event was a smashing success. We had a capacity crowd (near 100) and everything went off without a hitch! We did have to add an extra table for overflow...but two sweet men came down and took care of that in short order!
For food, we had all the fixin's for taco's, burrito's and any other Mexican O's you can think of! We had beef, chicken, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, beans, olives, cheese, guacamole, onions, and probably a lot I can't remember. Several ladies brought home-made desserts that were absolutely sin waiting to happen! Before I even fixed my taco plate, I hit the dessert table. I had some wonderful stuff that I think was called some sort of fruit trifle. It was in layers and absolutely Yummy!
Just an editorial note here:
I truly believe that you should eat dessert first. Let's say you save it for last...like a normal person. What if the Lord takes you home in the next minute? -- You'll never regret missing the meal part...but you'll surely wish you'd gone ahead and had that dessert! Also, what if the meal fills you up? What a terrible waste of good dessert by saving it for last!
[That little helpful hint is a freebie for all my loyal readers!]
One of my friends led the singing. After a few praise songs, she made those ladies get up and do the Mexican Hat dance around the tables. It was hysterically funny!!!
Our pastor's wife was our featured speaker and she did a fabulous job, too! Remember the scripture from Ezekial? She talked about how even with all our blessings piled in, we can feel like that empty pot. Then God has to heat things up, refine us--teach us, until we're cleaned out enough to appreciate our blessings again. Well, that's not really a good paraphrase...but that's what I heard and it meant a lot to me!!!
So, after all the food and decorations were cleaned up, lights turned out, etc...I dragged my exhausted body to the car to head home. As I was pulling out of the church parking lot about 10:15pm, I noticed the 'voice mail' notice was on my cellphone. I knew that it would be my girl leaving a message for her lonesome mom! Sure enough, it was!!! Wow! It's amazing how energizing it was just to hear her voice.
Then, I dialed her number and got to hear that sweet girl say "Hi, Mom!" Ahhh...relief. As we talked, she told me a bit about her fantastic week and that she was sooo tired she really wanted me to come pick her up that night. Ohhhhh, how I wanted to do that! I was just a pinch away from doing it, too! If it hadn't been so late, and if it wouldn't have been about 25 miles one way to pick her up, and if I hadn't been so absolutely exhausted, and if Mr. Fix-It wouldn't have fussed about wasting gas and that I would see her the next morning anyway...I would have turned that car right then and there towards Havana!
Instead, I hiked up my big-girl britches and just talked to her on the phone as I drove towards Lonesome Pine. I arrived at home shortly before 11pm, kicked my shoes off and fell into bed. My legs were so tired and sore from walking in the dreaded heels, I had to get up about 2am and take some Tylenol so that I could sleep.
On Saturday morning, Mr. Fix-It declared that he had some tire services to perform on my van before we could drive it all the way to Marianna for the Volleyball party. Since we would have to leave the house by 10am, he headed outside in the already hot sun to work on my car.
I had to get up and make something to take for the picnic and decided on Potato Salad. Our gas was out on the stove (from the day before) but I had had the propane bottle filled Friday in town so I knew that would be no problem. I set to peeling potatoes. As I got close to having them all peeled and ready to go on the burner, Mr. Fix-It set about hooking the propane up. He came in to light the pilots on the stove...and the burners wouldn't hardly light up. What??? After fiddling around with things, he decided the 'regulator' wasn't working right. So how am I going to cook this big pan of potatoes?
If you know me, you KNOW I am the Queen of Plan B, C, D, E, etc. So, on to Plan B--Use the extra burner on the grill outside. So I take my nice, pretty, stainless steel dutch oven out and set it on the grill's gas burner. Yes, it cooked, but the whole outside of my pan is now covered with soot! Yuck!!! Anybody have any ideas on cleaning that mess up? I know I'll probably have to buy some Kilz...another day.
So we head to town to pick up our sweet dd. It was sooo wonderful wrapping my arms around that sweet, tanned girl with the swollen right eye covered with poison ivy! We headed towards Marianna, slowly, because Mr. Fix-It realized when he was changing the tires, that the right front wheel bearing was flopping and needed to be replaced ASAP.
[At this point, please note that "I" being the sweet, wonderful, submissive wife that I am...did NOT mention to him that said submissive wife had been 'advising' him that wheel had a problem for months and months and months...which is WHY we had already purchased the appropriate part to fix it and it had been riding around in the back seat for months and months and months, etc. and that NOW, was not really a great time to have said wheel fall off the car! Rant over...]
So! We decide to drive Hwy. 90 all the way to Marianna, so we wouldn't be pushed to drive fast on the Interstate...thus adding nearly an hour to our drive. However, I must say, the drive was beautiful through the rolling hills and farms between Tallytown and Marianna. It would have been immensely relaxing had we not been a bit tense from listening to the roar and whining of the wheel bearing!
We made it to the picnic. Blue Springs Recreation Area is absolutely beautiful. We had a great time...except for one slight incident that my darling dd will NEVER forget...but will go unreported here lest she never speak to me again!!! She'll definitely remember...heh,heh,heh!
Our return trip was equally relaxing and tense, but we enjoyed the beauty of God's creation, listened to dd snore in the back seat and made it home safe and sound. After arriving home, dd and I washed clothes, Mr. Fix-It worked on the car. I'm happy to report the job has been completed and the van is now back in working order...with the slight exception of a bad tire that needs to be replaced fairly soon.
I'm glad to report that my Sunday School lesson based on Revelation 13 (The Anti-Christ) also went well this morning. Guess what?! It doesn't matter what the Anti-Christ does...JESUS IS THE VICTOR!!!! As long as we know Jesus as our personal Savior and trust him with our heart and life...we'll win too! The Anti-Christ can affect us physically -- but NOT spiritually!!!! AMEN!
After church, dd and I headed over to the nursing home to check on a friend, then to Mrs. Becky's to let her get her Jr. Becky-Fix (since dd missed her day with her last week and will miss the coming week). I'll tell you about our sweet friend, Mrs. Becky, one day soon. Then, we headed home for lunch and a nice, long nap!
It's now 10:30pm local time and we're busy packing for our trip tomorrow. That means in about 5 1/2 hours, we'll be heading towards town to catch the team van. Last I heard, the a/c might not be working. At 4 o'clock in the morning, that won't be much of a problem...but during the day in downtown Atlanta...oh, my goodness. I don't do well without a/c! (Yes, I'm a wimp!) PLEASE pray for me AND the van!
Oh, by the way. Our Illinois trip has been postponed again. Praise the Lord! I'm sorry we won't get to see our southern Illinois relatives, but trying to prepare for camp with the thought of not being able to come home and decompress a day or two was starting to weigh on my mind a bit. My sweet Daddy is too busy this week...so we'll re-schedule when we get home.
One more thing before I go. If you haven't checked out my friend's blog here...I respectfully request that you do so. After reading it you will know what to pray for. If you will lift her and her family up to the Lord this week, I'd be soooo grateful! She's doing the foreign mission thing that I'm so THANKFUL God hasn't required of me. My job --and yours-- is to hold these folks up before the Lord in prayer. Thanks in advance for helping me here!
Sooo, dear reader (or readers, as the case may be?)... you have your marching orders. Pray for me and dd, pray that the team van will continue to work properly, pray for my friend in Brazil, and if you have a bit more time you might want to pray for Mr. Fix-It ...here all alone with all the animals to feed...[do you hear me snickering???]....
Stay tuned.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Frenzied Friday!
Whew! What a weekend I have before me! Tonight, is our Women's Ministry quarterly event. Our theme is "Hot! Hot! Hot!" based on the scripture from Ezekial 24:11 (NLT) .
"Now set the empty pot on the coals. Heat it red hot!
Burn away the filth and corruption."
Sounds interesting, huh? Since I'm the "Special Events Coordinator" [big title!] I have a million and one things to complete before 6:30 tonight! We're decorating in a Mexican fiesta theme and will be serving tacos with all the trimmings for dinner. One of my favorite gals will be leading the singing and worship time; our pastor's wife will be the featured speaker and she will be fabulous. Can't wait to hear what the Lord will say through her tonight!
In addition to all the last minute things I have to accomplish for Women's Ministry, my sweet dd's volleyball coach called yesterday and said she would really like another adult to go to camp with the team next week. Of course, ME, being the team mom should go, right? So, of course, I volunteered to be ready to leave at 4am Monday morning to spend the week at Georgia Tech with our wonderful bunch of teen girls. So much for my relaxing week hanging out at home! (At least I'll be able to squeeze my girl every day!)
In addition to those things...my dad (71 yrs old) is wanting to travel to S. Illinois next weekend for a family visit and wanting me to go with him. I can't let him go alone! So that means, coming home from Ga Tech, washing all our clothes, repacking and heading out the next day...
So....let's see. Today, I get to spend this crazy Friday getting ready for WM event, get home by 10 pm, study my lesson for SS on Sunday, Saturday morning pick up dd from friends who brought her home from camp, go straight to Blue Springs in Marianna for Volleyball swim party, come home for friend's graduation party Saturday evening, complete preparations for SS lesson (based on REVELATION!!!) for Sunday morning, wash all of dd's camp clothes, help her pack for Ga Tech camp, pack my clothes, get the house ready for me to be gone, make sure Mr. Fix-It has easy-to-prepare food available for the week, be at church for the 8:15 am service on Sunday, teach my SS class, rush home, cook lunch, etc......okay, enough already--I'm overwhelmed with all the things that have to be done in the next 48 hours. I've got to get off this computer and get busy!
You may not hear from me for a while....Pray for me!!!!!
Stay tuned. (only a few more hours till I get to at least TALK to my baby!!!!!)
Thursday, July 10, 2008
**Thankful Thursday** Mr. Fix-It
I've noticed, as I surf around Blog-World, that many folks use daily themes to help them come up with ideas for content for their blog. Thus, Top 10 Tuesday and now Thankful Thursday comes into play here at the Lonesome Pine.
We're all thankful for the big things God has blessed in our lives: salvation, life and health, our family, our church, etc. But so many times we forget about the little things we should be thankful for. Thankful Thursday is all about counting those little blessings.
~~~~~~\*/~~~~~~~~~~~~~\*/~~~~~~~~~~~
So today...
as I think of Mr. Fix-It!
I'm thankful that Mr. Fix-It doesn't mind taking care of yucky bugs --or frogs that come in the house. We live in the woods...so this is pretty common. Lately we've had the invasion of those huge, tree crickets. He's used to the screams of his girls "Dad! There's a bug in here!!!"
I'm thankful that Mr. Fix-It usually takes the trash out without me asking him to.
I'm thankful that Mr. Fix-It doesn't have a weak stomach. Whenever anyone at our house is sick and throwing up, Mr. Fix-It is always there holding our hair, offering a cool, wet rag and a soothing word. At our house, dd doesn't holler "MOM!!" when she's sick...she hollers "DAAAADDDDDYYYYY"! He also cleans up the mess!
I'm thankful Mr. Fix-It is so trusting. He gives folks the benefit of the doubt--until they prove him wrong.
I'm thankful Mr. Fix-It is such a good daddy. Among the many things he's taught our sweet dd, he's taught her to be a Pyromaniac...he loves fire. He's taught our dd to shoot things...he loves guns. He's taught her how to get dirty...she's not a priss. He's taught her to love the outdoors...he's always up for adventure.I'm thankful Mr. Fix-It likes to call me on my cell phone. Although my cell has to be attached to my person every minute I'm away from him [grrrrr]...I'm thankful he cares enough to worry if I don't answer.
I'm thankful Mr. Fix-It truly can fix just about anything. That's not to say things get fixed much at our home...but when the rubber meets the road...he usually fixes things, eventually.
I'm thankful Mr. Fix-It likes to wear the same color socks every day of the week. Same color...same style. I HATE matching socks. This makes it so easy!
I'm thankful Mr. Fix-It can sleep ANYWHERE at ANYTIME. We often joke that we could stand him up against a wall and he'd sleep. If Mr. Fix-It is still for more than two minutes...he naps. I don't know that he has ever watched a movie all the way through in one sitting. My brothers marvel that we ever had a child...
I'm thankful Mr. Fix-It works so hard to support his family. It's not easy being an outside worker in this awful Florida heat.
I'm thankful Mr. Fix-It bathes and fleas the dogs.
I'm thankful Mr. Fix-It likes to mow the yard. I'm not thrilled he mows down all my flowers...so I've learned to live without them.
I'm thankful Mr. Fix-It gets along with all my brothers. I've often thought that if we were ever to divorce -- my brothers would keep him and get rid of me! (Okay, maybe not...but I don't intend to ever test that theory!)
I'm thankful Mr. Fix-It is trustworthy and honorable. His word is truly his bond. His friends know they can count on him...even if its not convenient for him [or his family!].
I'm thankful Mr. Fix-It is easy to buy clothes for. His size hasn't changed (even a little) in the last 26 years!
I'm thankful Mr. Fix-It doesn't fuss at me about MY size...which has changed a LOT in the last 26 years. He loves me anyway!
There are many other Mr. Fix-It things I'm thankful for...but this will do for today.
Stay tuned. (Only 2 days till...)
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Butterflies!
Several folks have asked me if I took the picture of the butterfly in my blog header.
My answer, "I wish!" No, I didn't take the photo in the header, but I do have some butterfly pictures I would like to share. A few years ago, while visiting in Gainesville, my dear SIL took us to the Butterfly Museum at the University of Florida.
The biggest thing I remember about that day is that it was HOT! VERY HOT! Apparently, butterflies don't do well in air conditioning. I, on the other hand, don't do well NOT being in air conditioning.
The picture to the left is me and my SIL. Her married name is exactly the same as mine was before I got married. Cool, huh!? She's from Venezuela... so her name is the Spanish version of mine--so we don't get mixed up too often. She has a better tan. So even though I dearly love her--I still have to hold that against her.
We did enjoy the visit, though. The butterflies were beautiful, plentiful and friendly. Here are some of the better pictures we took.
Oops! I don't know how this one slipped in here!
No butterflies...but my sweet dd. It's amazing how much she's grown up in the last two years.
Can you pick out the butterfly here? I loved this guy's camouflage!
One of my favorite pictures!
Another favorite!
Stay tuned. (Only 3 days until...)
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
**Tuesday's Top 10 **
Welcome to Tuesday's Top Ten...a new tradition...at least until I get tired of it. So, just check here each Tuesday to find out what thrilling, exciting, and fabulous top ten list I've posted!
We'll start with the
Top Ten Reasons I Love My Ice-Maker.
There aren't many appliances that I can say "I LOVE." Yes, I love my bread machine, I love my dishwasher, I love my microwave, I love my toaster oven, ...okay...I love my washer and dryer, too! So, sue me. I guess I love a bunch of my appliances..and I found out today that I LOVE the folding machine at our church!
But today, I want to talk about my beloved ice-maker. Here are the Top Ten reasons I love it.
#10 -- I've never had an ice-maker before this one.
#9 -- It actually works!
#8 -- No more of those flimsy, plastic trays to fill up.
#7 -- No more of those flimsy, plastic trays emptied of water all over the floor.
#6 -- No more trying to wrench those cubes out of the flimsy, plastic trays!
#5 -- It makes ice faster than I can use it ...most days.
#4 -- Without ice trays...there is more room in my freezer for BLUEBERRIES!
#3 -- I don't have to TELL it to do its job! It is able to complete tasks without me constantly checking it's work. Even when the dispenser in the refrigerator door died, the ice-maker kept on doing it's thing!
#2 -- It NEEDS me...'cause sometimes it gets stuck and it seems I'm the only one who ever notices and actually fixes it.
#1 -- I love ice! Cold, wet and crunchy...who could ask for anything more?
So there you have it. I'm sure it will make your day --knowing why I love my ice-maker. Well, maybe you chuckled a bit, at least!
Stay tuned. (4 more days till...)
Monday, July 7, 2008
Just "Pine-ing" Away...
In case you notice my blog becoming a bit whiny this week (even though I'll try NOT to be) ...be aware that my home is very quiet this week. Very, very quiet. Wayyyyy too quiet! No volleyball bouncing over and over and over; no phone calls from our little neighbor girl, Montana, or from that Duh-girl in Hay-vana (she's at camp, too!); no bridles and horse tack jingling; no sweet-feed smell in my car; no piano being played; and no "Hi Mom"s as she sashays in the door. My sweet girl is at Camp Charis again this week.
If you don't know about Camp Charis you can click here; it's truly a wonderful place. Mr. Fix-It and I consider Camp Charis to be one of the few things we, as parents, KNOW, without a doubt, has been absolutely right for our girl! Our sweet dd has gained confidence in herself as she works with other teens and youngsters; she's solidified her faith and assurance in Jesus, as her Savior; she's learned the principle of Servant-Leadership; and she's cultivated many wonderful friendships I expect will last long into adult-hood. I'm sure she's enjoying herself immensely while her mom is languishing in loneliness without her. So lonely, I may even have to talk to Mr. Fix-It this week! LOL!!
With all that said...I sure hope you folks will pray for me this week! I've got so much to do this week with Women's Ministry at our church, I shouldn't have time to be lonesome...but I will be.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Bombs Bursting in Air!
To celebrate Independence Day, our family drove to the other side of the world and joined the crowd at Northwoods Baptist Church. This is such a great place to celebrate! We had wonderful fellowship with many old and new friends; heard Christian music and a wonderful testimony; and saw an awesome fireworks display.
We DIDN'T miss the City celebration, the drunks, the half-dressed women (okay, there were a few of those...but not many), foul language or having to wait on the bus.
Here is a video and a few pictures...
By the way...the people fussing at their kids are NOT us! 
Stay Tuned.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
No Ducks, But LOTS of Gooses
Yes, I know the plural of goose is geese. However, these guys were walking pretty much in a single file line...so it was goose, goose, goose, goose, goose and lots and lots more gooses!
As dd and I were on our way home from town yesterday, we saw this crazy sight. Hundreds of geese had decided to cross the road for an evening swim at the park. We saw them from quite a distance and figured that they would finish crossing before we got very close. NOT!!!! They kept coming and kept coming and then...they kept coming! It was like one of those clown cars at the circus! THEY were in charge -- and no crossing guard in sight. The geese paid the cars absolutely NO mind at all!
The following pictures do not do justice to this wild and feathery experience.
We're still quite a ways from the geese. My camera was fully zoomed in!
Not great pictures, but you can see a bunch of them had already crossed.
I finally quit taking pictures...they just kept coming! By the time they were finished, there were 5 cars waiting ...almost stuck out in the intersection.
PLEASE! Somebody call Canada. Tell them it's SUMMER -- Come get your geese!!!
Stay tuned.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Why Celebrate the 4th of July?
I wish I was techy enough to put a really cool patriotic picture right here. Too bad...you'll just have to have a vivid imagination...
Today, most of us are off work. Of course! It's a holiday. Most of us will celebrate the day by eating and socializing. Maybe...just maybe... we should think about why we celebrate at least a teeny, tiny bit more than we do?
From the Declaration Of Independence:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."Most of us learned the quote above sometime during our educational experience. But have you ever actually read the WHOLE Declaration of Independence? If, like me (until a few hours ago), your answer to that question is a shame-faced "...ummm...no, not really." Then take the time today to educate yourself and just read the document. You can read it here. It won't take that long...go ahead...do it...then come back here, if you feel like it.
Here's a timeline from: http://www.ushistory.org/Declaration/timeline.htm
1776
June 7Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, receives Richard Henry Lee's resolution urging Congress to declare independence.June 11Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston appointed to a committee to draft a declaration of independence. American army retreats to Lake Champlain from Canada.June 12-27Jefferson, at the request of the committee, drafts a declaration, of which only a fragment exists. Jefferson's clean, or "fair" copy, the "original Rough draught," is reviewed by the committee. Both documents are in the manuscript collections of the Library of Congress.June 28A fair copy of the committee draft of the Declaration of Independence is read in Congress.July 1-4Congress debates and revises the Declaration of Independence.July 2Congress declares independence as the British fleet and army arrive at New York.July 4Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence in the morning of a bright, sunny, but cool Philadelphia day. John Dunlap prints the Declaration of Independence. These prints are now called "Dunlap Broadsides." Twenty-four copies are known to exist, two of which are in the Library of Congress. One of these was Washington's personal copy.
Apparently, Thomas Jefferson wrote a super-lengthy first draft of the document (apparently, he was very 'wordy' like me!). Then, a bunch of these guys got together and hammered out the edits.
These guys were really smart -- and DEEP! I wouldn't have thought of half the things they did. Actually, I can't even pronounce some of the words they used. They laid out all their beefs in a clear format for the king. They were being abused and they had had enough.
These guys were desperate. Hey! If you were the victim of "repeated injuries and usurpations" you would probably do the same thing! They had tried and tried to go through the correct lines of protocol, to no avail.
They had even appealed to their British brethren; "appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity."
These guys were tough. They didn't like the king disbanding their legislative bodies "for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people." Maybe that is what we need today --some "manly firmness." Whatever happened to that?
These guys knew exactly what the "Patriot Act" was all about several hundred years before it was enacted. What do you think they would say after learning we let them take our freedoms so easily; after they fought so hard? They were talking about the tyrannical king when they said, "He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands." They knew very well how it felt to be accused of terrorism by their friends.
These guys were gutsy entrepreneurs. (much like the Weso's!) They were willing to put their money where their mouth was. Many of them donated their entire fortune to the cause. There is a great website that gives you a snippet about the lives of each of these brave men. Check it out here.
These guys were godly men. They were "appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions"...
From the Merriam-Webster dictionary
"Rectitude:
1 : the quality or state of being straight
2 : moral integrity : righteousness
3 : the quality or state of being correct in judgment or procedure"
How about you?
How about me?
....stepping down off my soap-box...
Hope your 4th is full of family, fun, fellowship and freedom!
Stay tuned.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Wasted Blueberries...
Yesterday, as I arrived to pick my dd up from Mrs. Becky's house, she showed me a big write-up in the paper about a U-Pick blueberry farm close to us. As I read the article, I just kept thinking "Heh, heh, heh...we don't have to PAY for ours!!! [nanny, nanny, boo, boo!]" You get the idea, right? It went on and on about how 'organic' the blueberries were. Well, you can't get much more 'organic' than letting the trees grow up and not doing anything to them for 10 years! That's where we pick OUR organic berries!
But at the end of the article it had a recipe for Blueberry Pound Cake. Mmmmm! Doesn't that sound wonderful? I read over the ingredients and the directions. I said to myself, "Meggy-girl, I think you can do that!" As I re-read it, I wondered out loud as to whether I had enough butter at home to make the cake...but no worries, I would just pick some up Thursday on our way home from volleyball practice. At that point, Mrs. Becky said that she had plenty of butter and that I should take 2 sticks. I assured her that I could just pick some up the next day.
As we prepared to leave her home, she INSISTED that I take 2 sticks of butter home with me so I could make the cake. (She knew if I made it, I would bring her some--especially, if I used her butter. ) At that point, I realized there was a "method to her madness" as she likes to say. SHE wanted some cake!
So, last night...pressured by Mrs. Becky...I made Blueberry Pound Cake. It came out of the oven at 11:15 pm.
It looked beautiful when I took it out of the oven. I made it in a Bundt pan.
I'm not sure why all the blueberries ended up at the top. That's kind of weird.
After it cooled, just a bit, me and Mr. Fix-It had a slice. I slathered some butter on mine. (Especially good for the old calorie-count at midnight!)
I must admit, it tasted pretty good HOT. VERY much like a blueberry muffin. Mr. Fix-It approved.
This morning, I had another piece of cake for breakfast --in place of my Blueberry Yogurt Crunch.
Here's the rub. After all that work and ingredients...this didn't taste all that much better than the Jiffy muffins I make! What's the point in wasting my time and effort AND all those dirty dishes? I'd rather use my hard-earned berries in a cobbler that I love...than in something that is just so-so.
My friend, Jeanne, makes fabulous pound cakes that make my mouth water just thinking about them. This wasn't anywhere close to that. Maybe I'm just not a baker. That is more likely where the problem lies.
I'll print the recipe below, just in case some of you 'bakers' want to give it a go and prove me wrong--which probably wouldn't be that hard!
Blueberry Pound Cake
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 cups blueberries (fresh or thawed from freezer)
Cream butter and sugar, beating well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla. Sift together 2 cups of flour, salt and baking powder. Add gradually to creamed mixture, beating well. Mix the remaining cup of flour with blueberries and gently fold into the batter.
Bake at 325 degrees in a greased, floured tube pan for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Personally, I won't make this again unless the flavor is magically enhanced by sitting on my counter. Next time I want Blueberry cake, I'll just break out the Jiffy mix!
Stay tuned.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
June's Journey
Oops! The stalker made me forget about the tradition I started with myself last month! (I still haven't figured out who's been taking those secret video's!) So, in keeping with tradition; I'm posting a recap of all the fun and foibles of June, 2008. Now, when my dd reads her precious "Mom's Memoirs" book in 30 years, it will serve as an index of sorts. So here we go with June...
1. Squeaky (the cat) is still doing well. Since we were gone so much for VBS, he has followed dd's every step today. He's really going to have trouble with her gone for 2 weeks in July! He squeaks if he's hungry, he squeaks if he's not, he squeaks if he wants attention and he jumps on me--hard--at night when he's ready to go outside.
2. Ahhh...Fajitas! It's fun just to say "Fa-hee-ta's" isn't it? I haven't made these again. Hmmm..maybe that's an idea for tomorrow night! Actually, I'm still trying to figure out how to use these "Breaded Chicken Parts" that we got in the Angel Food box.
3. Blueberries are still ripe and waiting for more picking. Blue jean shorts survived camp and continue to be worn. DD did inform me that the legs of the shorts are too tight on her legs when she sits down...I told her that was a sensation she was just going to have to live with!
4. I'm still walking at the malls. Just last week I actually passed an old lady. Wahoo! DD says I'm getting faster...but that was because I was trying to show off and impress her...just about killed me!
5. See #3. I will not be 'sewing' jean shorts anytime in the forseeable future!
6. What cool things folks have on their blogs. I'm trying not to be a copy-cat; but some things are just too cool to pass up. This month I added a neat, scrolly thing at the top to beg for comments..it's really called a 'marquee.' I also added the blog list. It is so nice to keep me updated on my favorite blogs without having to go to each site individually! Another neat add-on is the 'Live Traffic Feed' thingy. It sort of lets me know who is lurking around without leaving a comment! LOL!! I'll keep looking for more cool updates.
7. Yes, I missed MNO in June. Hopefully, July will be better. I'm trying to be a good mommy anyway!
8. Yes, I missed my girl at camp in June. I'm afraid July will be much worse! She will be gone back to Camp Charis July 5-11 and leave the very next week for Volleyball Camp in Georgia. Volleyball camp isn't quite so bad because I can talk to her each evening~when she remembers to call! As long as I can talk to her every day or so, I can handle it. I'm probably going to take some of the Junior Varsity up to a one-day camp...so I'll only miss dd a few days. I think its do-able.
9. I'm glad to report that my cute nephew has recuperated wonderfully from his 4 wisdom tooth extraction ordeal. We even had lunch last week after he had the stitches out. I've also recuperated from the cleaning binge my SIL put me on. Mr. Fix-It's parents moved back in to their old home this weekend. So far, all is well.
10. VBS was worth four different days posting pictures. We had a great time. The official final count of children deciding to ask Jesus into their heart is 20! It was soooo worth getting up at the crack of dawn every morning. I might even be persuaded to do it again next year.
Someone told me that working in VBS is like child-birth. You work like crazy to get ready for it; knowing it is going to be painful. Then, when it gets here it wears you out and you wonder WHY you decided to do this! After it's over you sit back with a sigh of relief and see some of the fruits of your labor. After a few months, you only remember the good parts...so by the time next year rolls around you're ready to do it again!
11. Since posting about seeing too many turtles, we haven't seen a one! I guess, it wasn't much of a trend after all!
12. So many blueberry posts...I think I'm turning into a Smurf!
13. A few good things came out of having so many blueberries. I came up with my own special recipe. Unfortunately, the magazine article saying I would lose 5 lbs. per week eating blueberries and yogurt was NOT true. I guess if that is ALL you ate, it might work.
14. After much poking and prodding, I made an attempt to make things look better on my blog. I'm happy to say "MY WIDGETS ARE BACK!" All except the scrolly thing. I'm holding back on that until I'm desperate.
15. Don't think I won the tote-bag...but it was worth a try!
16. Just for the record: Sweat does not enhance my hair-do. Never have gotten it to look good since the day I didn't need it to be!
17. Still waiting for Smurf-dom. Another good blueberry thing...Cobbler!
18. My Sunday School class is full of wonderful ladies who can really cook! Of course, Ms. Edna is no longer with us [she hangs out with Jesus, now]...but she was a fabulous cook. It was said that if you gave her a stove and a stick of butter--she could cook ANYTHING!
So there you have it. The month at a glance. Not a post from every day...but close to it!
Stay tuned.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Who's Stalking Me?
Today, I found out that someone is stalking me. Yeah! Really. I think they're hiding in that stupid big 'ol television Mr. Fix-It just loves. I don't know who it is. But someone has been secretly videoing me exercising in the morning. How embarrassing? They even posted it on the internet! What am I going to do? Here's the evidence. Watch this:
Don't know how they got in here...where they came from...or where they're hiding...but I WILL be watching!
Stay tuned.
