Monday, Monday....

...and all I really want to do is to go back to bed.

The kids are back to school today, and hubby's home from work for the day. I have not had much in the way of work today, but have mostly had a really lazy day, playing games, running the dishwasher, laundry, and drinking coffee. I can tell it's going to take some doing to get back into our regular schedule.

Tonight, we have 2 kids with baseball practice...hopefully it will dry out enough by then, so no one comes home muddy.

Maintenance was just out here. Hopefully they will be replacing the glass on the front screen door. The frame of one of the glass pieces broke, so the whole thing fell on my son's foot on Saturday...fortunately the glass did NOT break, nor did his foot, though he was convinced that he was permanently disabled...for the next 10 minutes or so, anyway.

We survived the weekend, and my daughter came back from Acquire The Fire, determined to go on a missions trip this summer...to Tiajuana, Mexico. Torture me. Please. Make me go. So, now we get to help her raise the money she needs, plus getting her visa taken care of. Ack. I'm excited for her, but dreading the work involved!

Now, to do battle with the state of Virginia...for a fine of $200+, and fees of $85 to get the drivers' license reinstated....

Memories (installment 12)

Aren't we just the cutest couple in the world? My brother took this picture, way back in the dark ages before I gained weight and when Jason still had hair...oh, the glorious, beautiful hair he had!

Our wedding was Saturday, October 17, 1992.

Jumping back into our jobs as newlyweds was fun. We didn't have much of a break for a honeymoon...and all of the happiness quickly changed.

I had never voted...I grew up in a Mennonite church, and Mennonites (at least the ones I grew up with) didn't vote. This was my first election to be a registered voter. I was really looking forward to voting in November, 1992.

I was also pregnant...about 10 weeks pregnant when we got married. I was thrilled. All I had ever wanted was to be a wife and mom...

Over the weekend of November 1st, I went on a Ladies' Retreat with my mother-in-law and the rest of the ladies from our church. On Saturday night, I discovered some spotting...I was a little worried, but not too much so...

On Monday morning, I called to find a doctor to see me...I didn't yet have an OB...I was able to get in to see him quickly, and was quickly sent to get an ultrasound done. Because it was so early in the pregnancy, I had to have the more invasive vaginal ultrasound done. That confirmed that my baby had died, and I was scheduled to have a D&C done the next morning (I think...things are blurring a little bit...this has been 14 years ago, now!...the D&C was on Tuesday, November 3, 1992). My parents had quickly come to town (they lived about a two-hour drive away from us), and were at the hospital when I came out, as were Jason's parents.

I remember my one thought (other than being overwhelmed by the speed of everything) was that I was going to miss voting in my first election.

Jason had been able to take the time off to take care of me, but he was working as a manager of a fast-food restaurant, and when he didn't work, he didn't get paid, so he couldn't take too much time off of work. He took me home from the hospital and made arrangements to leave me with his parents the next day while he had to work.

We had been married less than 1 month at this point. Jason was 19 years old and I was 23.

We got up the next morning, preparing for him to drive me to his parents' home. I tried to get up to walk to the bathroom...and promptly passed out. Jason was too far away to catch me, and I just melted into a little puddle on the floor. I came to a few seconds later, and Jason was right there...scared to death. We talked a little, but I still had to pee...so I tried again....and again passed out. Poor Jason. He didn't want me to pass out again, so I crawled to the bathroom while he was calling his parents. Fortunately, they were able to come out to the house to get me...I know Jason wouldn't have been able to carry me out of that little trailer by himself, and he wasn't about to let me try to walk out of there again!

I spent the day with Jason's parents, and my recovery was pretty uneventful, though I was NOT prepared for the depression that followed. I had been mildly depressed for years...since my early teens, but this was WAY more than either of us had bargained for. We were still EARLY newlyweds, and this was NOT what we had planned for our first year of marriage.

THEN, my mom told me that she had always known I was going to lose the baby, and that she still didn't think I needed to be married to Jason. Oh, yes, she did...Thanks, Mom, for being so loving and supportive.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I was given some good books that helped address the aftermath of my miscarriage.

Beyond Heartache, by Mari Hanes with Jack Hayford

(Available at Amazon, here.

Miscarriage, A Shattered Dream,

by Sherokee Ilse and Linda Hammer Burns

(Available at Amazon, here.)

If you're dealing with the grief of a miscarriage, abortion, or other loss in your life, please don't be afraid to ask for help. Get into counseling, or at least talk to someone who has been through it...don't try to go it alone.

Scrolling Saturday, Edition 11

From the Scrolling Saturday site (many thanks to the lovely ladies running this batch of fun!):

Once again, please show a round of applause for another edition of...SCROLLING SATURDAY! Yes, it's Saturday. Again. So, for all of my new little lovelies...go and find yourself an unloved and virtually unwanted, archived post. Give it a little smoochie. And...display it for your new friends to see. Yeah, I know...it's that easy. Oh...you're sooooo welcome!!Have a wonderful Saturday, my little friends!!xoxo

From Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Cell Groups, Brew Groups...whatever...
Back in the dark ages, before half of the churches in the US decided that Small Groups were the wave of the future, the Bible College I attended decided that it would be a good thing to prepare The Church's future leaders for leading small groups.

Every student was divided into a group, and for certain chapel times, we were all required to attend the group to which we had been assigned. For some unknown reason, I was assigned as a LEADER of a group of some 10 girls.

We met in a little room over by the chapel, and the only thing I remember from that was one lone meeting, and coming away from that feeling like a complete and utter failure. I was not comfortable leading then, I was not comfortable talking to other people then. WHY I was named the leader is WAY beyond me.

I had completely forgotten about that abysmal failure...probably BECAUSE it was such a painful experience for me.

Last night, in our Brew Group at church, we started talking about experiences in Bible College...two other couples in our group went to Christian colleges, so we had a lot of similar experiences. We chatted about sleeping through classes, and experiences on and off campus, and keeping and/or breaking the rules. It was fun to relive those brief five years of my life...and to start remembering some things that had been buried.

All of our chatting started me to thinking about how men and women *do* official Bible Studies. Last night, we sat around the table, and talked and had fun...while having Communion. We talked about how pastors and Christians take themselves WAY too seriously...and that made me wonder.

When men *do* Bible Study, do they have fun? or is it all serious business? Is it just the women who get together in groups who are too full of it to have any fun? Is this why unbelievers see us as stuffy, and full of ourselves?

I was reminded last night that Jesus' first miracle was not healing, or feeding someone...he made water into wine, people! He made GOOD wine! Which made it a PARTY!! Jesus DID have a good time with His disciples, and with His friends and family...HE wasn't all about being all serious, all the time. Why can't we follow His example in this little thing?


For more Scrolling Saturday fun, go here.

Lame Post....

I have really worn myself out over the last two days. I'm more emotional than usual, and have been CRAZY busy with work, and the kids are home (Spring Break is almost over...YEAH!!) bugging the heck outa me. Yes, I used to homeschool...but, dangit, it's amazing how fast you adapt to NOT having them under foot every minute of the day!!

So, everyone is back safely from the Grandparents', and my sister is safely back home. My house is quickly becoming that old familiar wreck (too bad hubby's cleaning job lasted such a short time!!).

The weather has been BEAUTIFUL...the windows are all open, and we're enjoying the evening breezes, and the girls are playing out on the back patio during the day. Spring fever has really gotten me...I REALLY don't want to be sitting at my desk all day working!

We're getting back into the baseball practice schedule again...one practice tonight, one tomorrow, and back to normal on Monday.

Hubby's got drill this weekend...looks like I'm going to have to drive him over there. It seems that the state of Virginia (bless their little pea-pickin' hearts) can withhold any information they want...including the fact that they have fined you and suspended your license for failing to pay said fine. So, we wait for payday (Monday night) to find out HOW MUCH he has to pay so he can get his license reinstated. GRRR...did I ever mention how backwards they do things in this state?!? Jus' sayin'.....

Oldest daughter is attending an event this weekend...Aquire The Fire...gotta be over at the church offices EARLY to catch her ride....

Hubby's drill, daughter's event, son's baseball practice....somehow we'll get it all done...somehow...somehow....

Thursday Thirteen #12

Things about Spring Break:

1. My schedule is thrown off
2. I get to sleep in
3. We've all stayed up WAY too late
4. The house gets trashed, every day
5. The refrigerator is empty, because the kids are eating everything they can get their hands on
6. We're watching WAY more TV than normal
7. The kids have time to play with their friends
8. We've gotten to see both sets of grandparents.
9. My sister got to come stay with us for a couple of days.
10. The weather has cooperated!
11. Having to work when you have company stinks!
12. We got to have a fun birthday party.
13. Having hubby home when I have to work stinks, too.

For more Thursday Thirteen participants, go here.

A lot of years ago, when my voice was still well-trained, and not worn down from years of yelling at children, I used to sing in our church. I had a few songs that I kept at the ready for whenever the need arose. There were a couple in particular that were my favorites, and those words are burned into my memory. Whenever I was practicing, I carried the accompanyment tapes in the car, and sang the particular song over and over again until I had it perfected. Inevitably, while I was working on a song, "circumstances" would come up that would drive home the lyrics, making them an integral part of my life.

One such song came back to me today. It has been a LONG, LONG time since I sang this song, but I can recite back the words as if it were yesterday...

by Twila Paris

This is no time for fear
This is a time for faith and
determination
Don't lose the vision here
Carried away by emotion
Hold on to all that you hide in your heart
There is one thing that has
always been true
It holds the world together

God is in control
We believe that His children will not be forsaken
God is in control
We will choose to remember and never be shaken
There is no power above
or beside Him, we know
God is in control

History marches on
There is a bottom line drawn across the ages
Culture can make its plan
Oh, but the line never changes
No matter how the deception may fly
There is one thing that has always been true
It will be true forever

God is in control
We believe that His children will not be forsaken
God is in control
We will choose to remember and never be shaken
There is no power above or beside Him, we know
God is in control

He has never let you down
Why start to worry now?
He is still
the Lord of all we see
And He is still the loving Father
Watching over
you and me

God is in control
We believe that His children will not
be forsaken
God is in control
We will choose the remember and never be
shaken
There is no power above or beside Him, we know
God is in control

I needed that reminder today, and God knew it...I was sitting here at my desk, worrying about something that I KNEW was a lie from the enemy, and God reminded me that HE is the one in control of it all, and that worrying about it implied that I thought I could somehow control events. We all know that's not true, and God took that time to remind me that HE is powerful enough and is my LOVING FATHER who wants to take care of it for me, if I will just hand over the reigns to HIM.

Headed to cook dinner now, singing....even if a bit under my breath...

Surprise Birthday Party

Yesterday, we had a surprise birthday party...not a surprise to the Birthday Girl, but a surprise to the Mom! It seems that my wonderful husband okayed a party without telling me about it. I found out before it happened, fortunately, so I was able to run to the store and get a cake and ice cream. Fun was had by all...playing hide-and-seek, blowing bubbles, and playing with the new Polly Pockets...in the Polly Pocket swimming pools!!!

And, NO, it was not *that* warm outside...I most certainly was NOT going barefoot outside...but kids...

Happy Birthday!

My 5 year old turns 6 at 10:56 pm today. This one is my one homebirth baby...the best birth experience ever!

Bitty Girl at about 3 month

Bitty Girl at 2 1/2 yearsBitty Girl playing around
Bitty Girl's Birthday Jewels

Not-quite-so Bitty Girl on Mt. Helena, Helena, MT

Happy Birthday, my girl! I love you and hope you have a wonderful day,

and a great next year!

Spring Break

Not having to get kids up and on the bus has been nice...but it also means that I'm staying up later than normal, visiting with my sister who is in town for a couple of days. We also have 2 less children in the house right now, as they are in South Carolina with their grandparents. My husband is going to be driving down tomorrow, taking my sister home, and picking up the two children, and driving back.

Today, I am hoping to get out of the house, at least heading over to Curves for a little, and maybe show my sister around a little bit. I also have to work, and we have Brew Group tonight. Must get busy...may have some pictures later!

We're home....

...and recovering from driving forever and ever yesterday. I am glad to report that we made the whole trip safely and uneventfully, and that things went mostly as planned...minor issues like forgotten toothbrushes and too-cold children are not major issues! The kids and I had a great visit with hubby's parents, and we left the two oldest with them for a couple of days, and I took the other four and drove to my parents' house...another 2 hours away, and picked up my sister, so she could spend a few days with us. We then turned around and drove back to Virginia, arriving home at about 2:15 am. Everyone was safely in bed and sound asleep by 2:30 a.m.

And, while we were gone, hubby was busy! I came home to a wonderfully clean house....my kitchen was spotless, and the whole upstairs was picked up and vaccuumed! Thank you, honey!

Now, back to work!

My memories post....

...will be back next week, after Spring Break! Hope everyone is having a wonderful Resurrection Sunday!!!

Scrolling Saturday, Edition 10

From September, 2007


September 07
My second home
I normally spend a lot of time in Walmart. I actually spend approximately 40 hours a week there...as a cashier. I have gotten to the point that I HATE to go to work, because standing for that many hours a week on concrete floors HURTS. And the only shoes that were comfortable are now not allowed. However, on my days off, I can't seem to stay away. I've been in the store 4 times in the last 3 days...fortunately only spending about $150.00, total. I find that it is relaxing to me to go in there, and just be able to wander around, looking at things, and not be on some kind of hurried schedule.

So, when I went back in after our vacation, I was a little surprised at how different things looked! A LOT had been rearranged...in Cosmetics, I couldn't find the acne cream my daughter needed. In Electronics, all of the shelves had been rearranged, and new, different displays were out. Fortunately, on the grocery side of the store, things were still in their old familiar places. Honestly, I DO understand WHY things are moved around on a regular basis...it is to keep peoples' interests piqued.....BUT, it is aggravating. I like being able to find things in the same place they were the last time that I bought them....and when they're rearranged, I can't find them....lots of times I need help, and during the day, lots of time the help just isn't avalable.

Alright...off to fix lunch for the little girls, and take naps!!


For more Scrolling Saturday, go here

FOUND: March 18, 2008

Margarita "Magui" Martinez
DOB: 4-19-1994
MISSING: 3-10-2008
2 scratches on left arm, just above the wrist; scar from a burn as a child on
right index finger.
5'2", 120 lbs., hispanic
Magui has Retinitis Pigmentosa, an eye disease. Due to this, she has nightblindness, photophobia and tunnel vision.

Join me in praising God for this awesome answer to prayer, as Magui was found and is being returned home. Continue to pray for her family, as they deal with the aftermath of this traumatic experience! You can leave comments for the family on her mom's blog.

Thursday Thirteen #11

Thirteen Things I need to get done before the kids and I head to the grandparents' place for the weekend

1. Pack....clothes for myself and 6 kids
2. Laundry, because you can't pack without clean clothes
3. Dishes...because I HATE coming home to a messy house
4. Work....
5. Clean off my desk
6. Sweep (really, with a broom!) the whole downstairs because the leaves are taking over
7. Fill up the gas tank, because 1/2 tank of gas with NOT get us to South Carolina
8. Change the sheets on eldest daughter's bed in anticipation of my sister's visit
9. Call my mother and fill her in on the change of plans
10. Buy snacks for the trip
11. Clean out the van
12. Pack movies, games, pillows, blankets for the kids
13. Prepare blog posts for the weekend.

Hope you all have a GREAT Resurrection Day weekend!!! For more Thursday Thirteen participants, go here.

In support of the veterans

I have a difficult time expressing what this country means to me, and especially what it means to have the military that we have here in this country.

I am a proud Navy wife, daughter-in-law to a Marine, and daughter and granddaughter of proud Soldiers. I am VERY proud to live in the United States.

I am very proud to be part of something MUCH bigger than myself, something that helps me realize, yet again, that it is NOT all about me.

I deeply saddened that the education our children are receiving in this great country is so bent that they are learning more about hating their own country than they are learning about her beautiful, heroic history.

I am very saddened to watch videos like the above, and see the aweful signs of hatred held up by the protesters on the other side of the street.

I am proud of the veterans shown in the above video, so proudly displaying their service and flying Old Glory...showing the whole world that at least THEY are not ashamed of the country they call home.

I am even more saddened to see that those holding those signs are young...children, really, showing such contempt and lack of respect for their elders on the other side of the street.

I am sickened by how poorly our veterans are treated all around our country. By the lack of medical care afforded to them. By the venom spewed at them, in the name of the freedoms they gave so much to protect.

More bloggy bling!!!!

Thank you to the Three Ring Circus for this kind bit of Bloggy Bling....

I would like to pass this on to:

Penelope Anne, the Mama Bear at The Cafe at the End of the Universe

Jennifer from The Petersons go public!

Melody at Slurping Life

Fun Stuff

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
The Midland
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The South
The West
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

I have to disagree with this one just a little...people in TX thought I was from the South, people in MT thought I was from the Midwest or the South, and people from the South think I'm from the Midwest....and I DO NOT say pop....I say soda or Coke. I guess I'm just confused!!

Updates on me....

So I saw the doctor this morning, and he didn't even LOOK at me....he talked to me, skimmed the paperwork that the ER gave me, and said that he is going to refer me to the Physical Therapy department for a Nerve Conduction Study (NCS) and Electromagnetogram (EMG), or some other nonsense...so, I call tomorrow to make THAT appointment. He thinks that because I work on the computer, I may have some pinched nerve, or something like that in my shoulder. So, that's that....

But, I don't NEED to see a pediatrician!

I called yesterday to schedule my follow-up, had an appointment, and set about planning my day to accomodate the change of plans. About an hour later, I got a phone call...it seems that they scheduled me to see one of the pediatricians in the clinic...hmmm....don't think THAT is going to work! I love the pediatricians there, but, not for ME! So, we got that straightened out, and I have an appointment this morning.... I'll update when I get back!

Well, I know I'm not pregnant....

....but the doctor in the ER had to check that anyway. And now I know I don't have heart, kidney or liver problems, nor do I have diabetes. The fun thing is that now we don't know what is wrong. So, I got to spend an hour and a half in the ER resting while they ran blood work.

So, today I have to follow-up with the clinic...joy and happiness.

And, I have WORK to do! Yippee!! Work is a good thing....it means I get paid!!!

Hubby has submitted his officer's package now, so we are waiting to hear what happens next. And in the mean time, he exercises...he's got a little bit of the furniture disease to get rid of...he's running twice a day, and doing bunches of sit-ups...and starting to look REALLY good!!

And we're back into the crazy schedule that passes for our weeks....school, work, baseball practice, Brew Groups....must get busy....have a phone call to make....

Memories (installment 11)

I SO longed to take the coward’s way out, but instead, Jason and I got in the car and drove up to see my parents, and fill them in on what was going on.

It WAS as hard as I thought it would be. There were tears. There were words that shouldn’t have been said. My mother made the comment that we didn’t “have to” get married. Huh?

We’d been engaged since February. We WANTED to get married.

We made plans to get married as soon as possible…the date that worked was October 17th.

We had a lot of work to do, with very little time and less money.

The wife of one of the attorney’s I had worked for made my dress. I kept my parents updated by calling about once a week, even though they weren’t paying for much. Every time I got of the phone with them, I was crying. Jason got tired of it after a while. Finally, about two weeks before the wedding, during one of the phone conversations, he got on the phone, and told my parents that if they couldn’t treat me well, they could forget about coming to the wedding.

We were in pre-marital counseling with our pastor, and we told him about what was happening with my parents. He insisted that we needed to “fix” it, and he called and asked my parents to come to town, so we could sit down and talk the following weekend.

I was really hopeful that this would straighten out the craziness that was my relationship with my parents. I think my expectations were a little too high.

We met, and things were said that still hurt. Jason really DID act the man, and took the verbal beating, and took the blame for it all, though really very little of the actual fault lay with him. Things were okay enough for the wedding to proceed, and for my parents to plan to attend.

October 17, 1992 was a beautiful day in South Carolina. We had some showers the night before, but it had cleared up, and the yard was beautiful. We had an outdoor wedding in Jason’s parents’ back yard.

Some things I remember from the wedding…the clasp of my necklace stuck, there was an inchworm on the pastor’s collar, climbing up and falling down, and climbing up and falling down…, the little girls (including my sister) decided to help with frosting clean-up, my dad shooing the flies away from the food tables.

We didn’t have any money for a honeymoon…all the money we had we had received as wedding presents. I didn’t know if Jason had planned anything. We drove away from the wedding, and went out to our little trailer in Gaston, SC. We spent the night there, interrupted during supper by some guys working on the back of the trailer, getting things hooked up for us, and warning us that we needed to light the pilot light for the furnace and the water heater. We were clueless.

The next morning, we got up, and Jason got in the shower. He didn’t mind the cold water, but I about froze to death. We had NO hot water, and no heat. We left and went to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast and to warm up. After that, we drove to Charlotte, found a motel to spend the night so we could go ice skating the next day.

We went right back to work after that long weekend, jumping into married life with both feet.

Scrolling Saturday, Edition 9

This is a fun little meme put together by Colleen at Manners and Moxie and Melissa at SuchSimplePleasures.

So, what you do is, pick an archived post...one that you felt deserved all the love in the world but, alas...you didn't have any readers so...it was ignored. Well, maybe not completely...your mom, siblings and best friends may have commented but...not your blog posse!

So here is my next contribution...

From December 5, 2007

Sent out to everyone today....

Family and friends,

I know that I've been a little lax in keeping in touch over the last couple of months...I'm sorry.

Moving always does this to me, and then I try catching up afterwards, but somehow always fail...so this time, I'm making the effort to email as many as possible to let you know where we are, and what is happening with us. If you've already gotten some form of this, I appologize.

We left Montana on Friday, November 16th, and drove to Fargo, ND, where we spent 2 nights with some friends (Thank you, Karla!).

Leaving there on Sunday, we spent the next 2 nights with some friends outside of Memphis, TN (thanks, Sean and Margo!).

We left there on Tuesday, and had lunch with my grandmother in Montreat, NC, and then arrived in time for dinner with Jason's parents in Winnsboro, SC. It was a HUGE relief to pile out of the van, and carry out stuff in, and know that we weren't going to be travelling again for 5 days. We spent some relaxing time with them, catching up on sleep, and preparing for the remainder of the trip to Virginia Beach.

On Monday, November 26th, we drove up here, along with another friend, and got our keys, and basically moved in. The moving company arrived on Tuesday with our things, and I've been unpacking ever since. I've found all of the dishes, and most of the clothes, but I am still looking for some of the kids' birth certificates. We've found a church (thank you, Tara and Andrew!), but I am still looking for a good AWANA to put the kids in, and I am still working on getting everyone back into school....birth certificates would certainly help!

At this moment, I am sitting at my computer in our new place in Virginia Beach, VA, while my husband is staying with a friend in Helena, MT. He flew back out there last Thursday, and will be at the reserve center there until sometime in January, at which time he will drive across the country again, and hopes to report to his new duty station by February 1st.

The trip went well (no cars broke down this time!), but it was a LONG drive. God was with us all the way, and we are very grateful for His provision and protection. Now, we look forward to the whole family being together again, and getting to know our new community.

Laura, for the Paxtons

For more Scrolling Saturday, go here.

Gotta see this new movie!

Ben Stein's new movie, Expelled, should be interesting to watch. I rarely see movies...I have seen 3 movies in the theater in the last 7 years. I don't go to see movies. This one, though, I may make an exception for. Go, watch the trailer, and see if you don't agree with me!

Some fun

You are 10:02 a.m.
You are breakfasty, like a pile of pancakes on a Sunday morning that have just the right amount of syrup, so every bite is sweet perfection and not a soppy mess. You are a glass of orange juice that's cool, refreshing, and not overly pulpy. You are the time of day that's just right for turning the pages of a newspaper, flipping through channels, or clicking around online to get a sense of how the world changed during the night. You don't want to stumble sleepily through life, so you make a real effort to wake your brain up and get it thinking. You feel inspired to accomplish things (whether it's checking something off your to-do list or changing the world), but there's plenty of time for making things happen later in the day. First, pancakes.Like this quiz? Send it to a friend.
12% of the people who took this quiz got the same evaluation.

The dust trail...

..through my bank account appeared overnight. I have to go shopping today, and order a program for my work (I do medical transcription), and I have to work at some point...and we have baseball practice for 1 kid tonight, plus date night and bowling. I also need to make some phone calls.

I wanted to pass on a prayer request for a beautiful young girl in California. From her mom's blog, Walking On:

Margarita "Magui" Martinez
DOB: 4-19-1994
MISSING: 3-10-2008
2 scratches on left arm, just above the wrist; scar from a burn as
a child on right index finger.
5'2", 120 lbs., hispanic
Magui has Retinitis Pigmentosa, an eye disease. Due to this, she has nightblindness, photophobia and tunnel vision.
May be accompanied by hispanic male.
Possibly in the Yuma, AZ area/ El Cajon, CA/San Diego, CA area.
If spotted, please call your local police department.

Please pray for Magui and her family.

AWARDS

Thank you to The Mother of This Lot for this special award!

I am going to pass this on to some really special blogging moms!

First, My Life With Boys, because anyone with three young boys deserves all the lovin' she can get! Second, McTriplet Mommy, because again, 3 young boys... Next, Our Seven Qtpies, because with 7 kids and her mom in the house, she deserves a medal! And finally, both the Little Brown Mouse at The Three Ring Circus and Tiffany at Snapshots of Life because losing a baby doesn't make you any less of a mother. I love you guys!

Thursday Thirteen #10

Thirteen Things that happen in my house every week.

1. Baseball practice....8 times per weeek right now.
2. AWANA...my kids love AWANA, and I love all they are learning.
3. Brew groups...3 different Brew Groups on 3 different days.
4. School...5 kids in two different schools, and hubby in a Master's Program.
5. Work.
6. Church...Reality Church. It's a really rockin' place to be!
7. Bowling.
8. Date night...dinner before we go bowling.
9. Homework.
10. DISHES...I LOVE my dishwasher.
11. Laundry...Mt. Laundry is getting ready to blow again...
12. Cleaning...the kids are getting there...they are the best cleaning team I've got!
13. Practice...flute, piano, recorder....

For more Thursday Thirteen, go here.

The weather outside is beautiful....

I am loving this weather! I wish I could be outside in it all day long! Today is clear and sunny and it's 47 degrees....compared to the 36 degrees of Helena...I'm happy! I am ready for sunny and warm...and taking walks on the beach. I am NOT looking forward to the bugs. We haven't had to deal with bugs for the last 4 years, and now I am remembering all the nastiness that are known as "waterbugs" in the Southeast!

I started working from home in January, and I am still learning how to balance working and keeping up with the house, and NOT being "on the clock" after everyone gets home in the evenings. I had a bad couple of days, with some jobs that had to get finished, and I let my vitamins go, and was just sitting at my computer all day, and late into the night....last night I had a "moment"....well, okay, it was more like an hour....My body can only go so long without enough sleep, working long hours, and sitting in one position...and then I just lose it. Hopefully today, I can get back up, and get back at it...since this is all a learning process...

I just got a phone call from the school...my kindergartener is having hearing issues...the nurse said that the cold she has may be affecting her hearing, but what she saw was outside of the range of what it normally affected by colds. The nurse was also concerned about the 5th grader....it seems he showed up at her office with bruising on his arm, and said something about some other students hitting him in the lunch room. She encouragement to call about any "bullying" that happens...there is a person who handles it and can make sure that the students involved do not know who "told" on them.

I am overwhelmed. House upkeep. Kids that are sick. Dealing with learning issues, and bullying, and baseball practice, and my own work, and church...there is just too too much. I am just one person, and I can NOT do it all. Yeah, hubby's here...but he's learning a new job, and his schedule is erratic right now.

Okay, enough whining. Back to work....because it is still there waiting for me....

Getting Better

You know these kind of days....the ones where you have LOTS to do, and you don't feel like doing any of it, and you realize that it doesn't really matter, because there is no way you will finish it all any way.

The sick child is back to school.

The elementary kids have picture day today...at $9.00 per class picture, we just dished out $36.00 this morning. Is it really worth it? Just for the class picture?

I have a TON of work this morning...must get back to typing...

I have a WIC appointment at 1:00 pm....

Child #2 has baseball practice this evening, at 5:30.

We have Brew Group at the house tonight...which means...

I MUST clean house. (Clean) Laundry is piled on the sofa, and there are (dirty) dishes all over the counters and table.

Hubby is home, and keeps interupting....going to try to put him to work!

Going back to work, now!

Life with the Icky-Sickies

It seems like the kids have been sick forever.

Today, the eldest is home with (probably) the flu. She is feeling better...but her skin is still "crawly" and she's weak and tired.

I probably should have kept #4 home, too...he was up at 4:00 this morning, attempting to cough up a lung or two...I worry about him, because this is a cough that has been around for something like 2 years...it just gets WAY worse when he's sick.

At least #5 is done with impetigo...

#6 is starting in on the coughing and runny nose....

AND....

MOM is the one with the doctor's appointment....gotta go, or I'll be late!!

Memories (installment 10)

This morning I am home with sick children...attempting to *not* have a mental breakdown. Maybe, hopefully, I can escape for a few minutes to long, long ago....

Jason and I started dating in October, 1991. I was a senior in college, he was a freshman. There were certain people at said college who intensely disliked the fact that we were dating. They saw fit to take it upon themselves to call my parents and present their concerns to my parents. My parents then tried to get me to stop dating Jason. BAD MOVE.

By this point, I had been out of the house for 5 years. I was working for an attorney, renting an apartment with a friend, and finishing up my last few classes in college. I had a cute little car...my first...a 1976 forest green Chevy Nova, with a hole in the back left fender. I was taking care of myself, paying my bills, going to church, making all of my own decisions.

I did NOT take kindly to my parents' strong suggestions that I quit dating Jason. If anything, it made more determined than ever.

In December, I flew to Nebraska to be Maid of Honor for a friend's wedding. My flight back out of Nebraska was delayed for 4 hours, because of snow, causing me to miss my connecting flight in St. Louis, MO. I had no money, and no credit card. I went to the desk, and cried, and then they put us up in a motel overnight...with no food. It was exciting, but also a little scary. I was in a city I had never been to before, and knew no one there, and was stuck in a motel with no food, no money, and no way of getting either.

Jason met me at the airport the next day when I got back...he was *such* a love-struck little puppy back then!! He was still living at home with his parents, and had spent the night before recording songs onto a tape for me, with commentary between songs by him. I wore that tape out!!

On February 1st, I had to work (it was a Saturday), getting some work done for one of the attorneys, so Jason went in to work with me. While I was working, he went and picked up lunch from Chick-fil-A, where he was working. After I finished, we went to the park for a picnic...complete with a blanket spread out in the sun....this was February, in South Carolina...warmish, but not toasty yet. I started pulling out the little boxes that CFA uses to pack their foods, and one had something extra in it....a RING BOX!! Right there, in the middle of the "Water" Park, in Columbia, SC, Jason knelt in front of me, and asked me to marry him. Of course, I said yes!!

Jason's parents were thrilled. They were (still are) the best people...they took me right in.... Actually, when we started dating, the first time Jason took me home to meet his parents, his dad grilled me....the Marine asking some really tough questions of the almost-graduated-Bible-College-student...he intimidated me! Now I know that he's just a big ol' teddy bear, but I was NOT used to military people back then! After Jason and I left, his parents and sister had a conference in the kitchen... Jason's mom "knew" then that we would marry....

My parents....well, lets just say they were less than happy. I still look back at that time and get that horrible feeling in my stomach. It was TOUGH telling my parents. Jason HAD actually called and talked to my dad prior to asking me, but that didn't make it any easier for me to talk to them.

We did not set a wedding date yet. We were concentrating on my finishing school, and Jason was trying to get into the Marine Corps.

Jason had been in the delayed entry program in high school, but had injured his knee, and had surgery to repair it. He did great on the ASVAB test, and actually did good on his run, push-ups, etc....but the doctor who looked at his knee said that he needed to have surgery on it, again, before they would let him in.

He went back to the doctor who originally did the surgery to get his opinion. That doctor said that another round of surgery would not make that much difference in the range of motion of his knee, and that he couldn't justify doing the surgery. Appeals were made...WAY up the line. Letters to Strom Thurmond, even...but no success. Eventually, the final answer came back..."your knee would be fine through boot camp, but would fail soon afterwards, in training, and then the Corps would be responsible. We cannot assume that responsibility."

Now, we can look back and see God's hand in this...at that point, though, it was the death of a VERY cherished dream. We mourned that for a long time.

I finished with school in May, 1992, and went looking for another job sometime that summer. I worked temporary jobs for a while.

In August, I found out I was pregnant.

Stop the world. I want to get off. NOW.

Remember how hard it was for me to tell my parents that we were engaged? I KNEW this would be infinitely harder.

Update on Hannah

Since people were asking, I am posting the most recent information I have.

Forwarded from some attorneys in the case....

Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:18:16 +0000
Just incase you didn't get this.
Below is an e-mail from Brad and Linda, two attorneys who were able to visit Hannah the day after her birthday(2/19/08).

Some good news, some not so good.
Lord have mercy on dear Hannah.
Please continue to pray to God Almighty for His blessings and intervention. Mark
It was so good to see Hannah. She looked healthier than when we had last seen her at County. Brad and I both feel guilty that it was us visiting instead of those she misses so much. I wrote notes as we were talking because I told her there was no way I would remember everything to try to relate to y'all so I'm going to share as the conversation went along.

Getting access was relatively easy as compared to here. We located the main building, got a permit and were then sent to the "Reception Area" unit just down the street. Once there, we walked up to the guard at the side gate, gave him our paper, showed ID and were taken inside. Within a few minutes waiting for the room to be prepared we saw Hannah on the other side of the door and were visiting within minutes. She wears a white dress which is worn by all those in this unit unless you're a trustee.

We had a few papers to pass to her which had to go through the guard sitting in an adjacent area. They sat at the far end of the room and don't know if they could listen to us. We had a picture of Emma that Sue had e-mailed us. Brad included it in the stack of "papers" passed to Hannah and then asked if it was permissible. The guard checked with her superior and was told no pictures, only documents relating to her case but Hannah got to see it anyway.

Our conversation . . . First, she is still not classified and has no ID card, thus no commissary. After our phone call with her over a week ago we thought that had been resolved. She got a temporary ID but still not correct to get commissory. Brad is calling this a.m. to see where it stands. She has received some toiletries from other girls as well as some hotel size items. The others can get written up for sharing, but . . . There appears to be some confusion that Plane State took her picture, issued ID and hasn't made its way to Gatesville. Others say another unit should have issued. Brad's checking.

She says this "RA" reception area unit has no rule book, but yet the rules are supposed to be followed. It's hard to follow rules when you don't know what they are, even hanging your towel up and where. Her roommate is "Angie Trevino", a girl from C.C. who went up the day after Hannah. She is a Catholic and they have had many conversations about Jesus/Mother Mary. She says it's rather annoying that when she's ready to sleep this is when Angie wants to talk. The girl across the hall is a Christian and asks Hannah to pray for her and sing. Hannah sings and sometimes the other girls yell because they don't want to hear. She says her migraines are somewhat worse. Her ear has been bothering her, but gave up on seeing someone after waiting five hours only to be told all they were going to do was refill the migraine prescription and not look at her ear. "Fill out another request". Very few bad dreams as compared to while at County. She doesn't fear for her safety nor feel singled out. At County she felt it was better because many were aware of her case and believed in her innocence. Up there the guards just treat all of them as being there doing their time. One of the hard things is being asked at least 15 times a day "When are you going home". She says that is the biggest topic of conversation among the girls. Afternoons seem to be the hardest time. Mail comes around 7 p.m. Anything received from attys comes around 2 p.m. She has been to worship twice on Mondays. Not able to go this past Monday as it was a holiday. Out of her cell for three meals and shower. Not allowed to go outside until after there 30 days.

Stories about the facility being the former "Boys State School" circulate -- something about ghosts in the place. One girl particularly bothered by stories (she seems a little slow) has expressed a hunger to Hannah about faith. Another lady "Kat" from CC ended up there. Told everybody they better not hurt Hannah or she would take care of them. "Oh, baby, you shouldn't be here". She feels very strong about Hannah's innocence. They sang Happy Birthday to her at 3:30 a.m. She is not freezing like in County. She was issued a jacket. Says yes, they have roaches there, too. She got bit by a spider, but nothing serious. Of probably 40 ladies, only five have not been classified within a week. Some have been there 30, 60, 70 days.

One lady across the hall in for life seems to upset her, lady talking suicide. She's been in for 15 years and now trying new legal approach. Married her "significant other" after locked up and he's been to see her every week for 15 years. One trustee lost trustee status for taking a bite of food after she stood up. Can be charged with "escape" if you stick your head out the opening in the door for food service. Alot of arbitrariness.

She's asked if she'll be brought back to CC if oral argument granted. Brad checking. Her hair seems to be falling out when she showers -- she thinks due to stress. Male guards are on the unit and can come in any time. The ladies watch out for each other and warn each other about male guards when showering/going to bathroom. Like to withhold things for "control", i.e., toilet paper, etc. For med call (2-3 a.m.) they'll say "Medicine" real soft so ladies won't hear and receive proper meds. The life girl across the hall says most won't talk about their experience because it's so bad, but she wants to write it so everyone knows.

Books, letters . . . . Can't stress how important these are. This absolutely makes her day. And yes, Larry, she's thrilled each time you have written. She wrote you Tues. a.m. Since no commissary, her access to envelopes/paper is quite limited. She can receive homemade cards with things glued if not too much glue so they can see underneath it. Stickers are OK, but no "puffy" stickers. Nothing laminated/plastic. Cardboard bookmarks OK. Books must come from book store, not individual. Magazines from the publisher would be great. Can't send blank paper.

She would like: Streams in the Desert, Randy Alcorn (Not Dominion), Redeeming Love, Teen/Kid book on spiritual warfare (She said ask Doug), Shofar Blew (Francine Rivers), Mark of the Lion series, and "Hinds Feet in High Places". Some of these were in the "stack" she hadn't finished reading or just wanted to keep. No "mushy" books.

PRAYERS: ID/Classification so she can . . . get commissary and visitations. Pray for contact visits with family. Pray for Godly cell-mate, hall-mates. Pray after classification her reassignment (dorm/cell).

Talked about best way to prepare kids for visit. Still remembers visits with her dad.

John & Kenda wrote, said they'd be there last Friday and didn't make it. Wondering why.

We touched through the screen and prayed. Leaving is always the hardest.
<>< Linda and Brad
We told her we would try to get back after brief filed so we can go over it with her.

My 100 Things

I have had a blog for working on 3 years now, but was never very diligent about it. I also didn't learn about all the fun stuff that is part of the bloggy world. Now, with this new blog I'm learning, and finally being consistent about posting.


Now, with my 100th post, I want to present more of those things that make me who I am...the person behind this blog. Here you will find a lot of things about me...how I grew up, who I am related to, things I have done, things that have been done to me, and things that I believe very strongly. This is ME...or at least part of me...I can't fit it all in 100 short facts...there is more to me than this list....but I have to save SOMETHING to write about!

1. I am the oldest child of 2 oldest children....and both of my grandfathers were only children.


2. I have 3 living siblings.


3. I lost 1 sibling when he was 5 months old. He was born with a heart defect.


4. I married an oldest child.


5. I have moved 16 times in my 39 years of life.


6. I have lived in 4 different states.


7. Because of my chemical sensitivities, there were fears I would never be able to have any children.


8. I have 6 children.


9. 4 girls, ages 4, 5, 10, and 14


10. 2 boys, ages 8 and 11


11. They were born in 3 different states.


12. I was scared of having boys, because I didn't think they would be any fun.


13. The first child was a C-section...she was stubborn.


14. I also had a miscarriage...on election day in 1992.


15. The 5th child was born at home.


16. That was planned.


17. A week after that birth, my husband deployed.


18. I love being a military spouse.


19. I get very upset with people who claim to support the troops, but are unsupportive of the jobs they have to do.


20. I love having a large family.


21. I get irritated with people who ask if we know what causes "that"...being children. I LOVE having children, and I love the activity that creates children, and I am a relatively intelligent, college educated, married woman. Of course I know what causes "that"....don't insult my intelligence.


22. I would love to have more kids.


23. That is not going to happen.


24. I was homeschooled for kindergarten.


25. I was also homeschooled for portions of my highschool experience.


26. I also attended two different church schools.


27. I went straight to college from high school....at a Bible College.


28. I spent most of my childhood attending Mennonite churches.


29. I couldn't wear makeup.


30. Or jewelry.


31. Or pants.


32. I made some of my dresses.


33. I learned to sew complicated things when I was 12 years old.


34. I love to sew.


35. I also love to paint.


36. I used to write poetry.


37. I also wrote fiction when I was in elementary school.


38. I have never had anything published.


39. I also play the paino....for my own enjoyment.


40. I love photography....though I am not very good at it.


41. Both of my brothers, my father, my uncle, and my grandfather are all good photographers.


42. I draw...mostly for my children's enjoyment.


43. I would love to be able to use my skills to earn some money.


44. I sing, too....


45. I sang in the choir for all 4 years of college.


46. I would love to use this ability again.


47. I played softball on the college team.


48. I haven't played since then.


49. My brothers and I used to go on LONG bike rides.


50. I had planned to hike the Appalachian Trail with my aunt after high school...that never happened.


51. I lived for 5 years on a dairy farm.


52. I lived for the remainder of my growing-up years on a 300-acre farm...my parents still live on that farm.


53. I homeschooled some of my children for 4 years.


54. I have worked as a secretary/receptionist.


55. And a short-order cook.


56. I cook well, but it bores me to tears.


57. And a switchboard operator.


58. I LOVED this job.


59. And an overnight cashier at Walmart.


60. I think that anyone who lasts working at Walmart for more than one year deserves a medal.


61. And about 10 other jobs.


62. Now I work from home...I LOVE working from home!


63. I started my first blog in April, 2005.


64. My husband and I were separated twice... the second time he filed for divorce.


65. God miraculously restored our marriage both times.


66. I am a HUGE advocate of counseling...the RIGHT counseling. Not all counselors are created equal. Keep looking until you find one that both of you can trust.


67. I was pregnant and/or nursing for a grand total of more than 13 years.


68. I LOVE being pregnant....I feel WONDERFUL when I am pregnant.


69. One of my passions is being a support to young moms, especially breastfeeding mothers.


70. Another of my passions is supporting military spouses.


71. I have several other passions...co-sleeping, attachment parenting, AT LEAST delaying vaccinations, homeschooling....


72. I also love chocolate...DARK, DARK chocolate, but will eat the other kind of chocolate if that is all that is available....


73. My favorite animal is a horse.


74. My favorite flower is an iris...a DEEP PURPLE iris.


75. My birthstone is my favorite color.


76. You guessed it...my favorite color is purple!


77. My favorite drink is blackberry wine.


78. My other favorite drinks are coffee and HOT tea.


79. I get migraines....but not quite as many, if I drink a glass of wine before I go to bed.


80. My reading habit gets out of hand on occassion...at times, I have had as many as 15 books which I was in the middle of reading...all at once.


81. Currently, I am reading 4 books...I haven't gotten to the library here yet...


82. I have a piano that has been moved all around the country...and not played nearly enough.


83. I also have a piano that resides in my parents' home...a baby grand piano. It is more than 100 years old, and a BEAUTIFUL piano. None of the rest of my siblings still play.


84. I love my computer....and I am the least computer literate sibling in my family.


85. I read fast.


86. I type fast.


87. I am slower at both than my mother.


88. I hate watching TV...it is such a waste of time to me...as are movies.


89. I grew up without watching ANY TV or movies...


90. I saw my first movie when I was a senior in high school...it was "Chariots of Fire."


91. I have been through a lot of painful situations in my life.


92. I was abused as a child...physicallly and mentally.


93. I have been an outsider all of my life.


94. My oldest child was taken from us for one week when she was still nursing.


95. Our finances have always been tight.


96. There have been times when I didn't think we would have anything to eat.


97. Marital issues were a huge part of my life for the first 10 years of our marriage.


98. I believe that everything I have been through has made me who I am today.


99. I believe that everything I have experienced has been for a reason.


100. I believe that God will use everything I have experienced for His praise and glory.

Scrolling Saturday, Edition 8

Originally posted in January, I am convinced this one needs to be seen again!

Tragic Travesty of Justice
I just finished reading a very tragic story, of a loving mother of 5 children, falsely accused of murdering her child. Read the rest of the story here.

For more Scrolling Saturday, go here.

Maybe this is a good thing...

There's not too many of me out there....

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 40 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Updated pictures!!!

Go, see my house...since I feel like doing nothing, I decided to go take the much-requested pictures of the new abode, and post them so people can do a virtual tour...

For your viewing pleasure... Paxton home pictures, March, 2008

Gotta headache...

...and I made the mistake of taking Ibuprofen on an empty stomach...now I am nauseous, too....

SO, since I really don't feel like blogging today, go check out the Ultimate Blog Party, put on by 5 Minutes for Mom (and since I can't get onto her website, I'm gonna send you to someone else who is also doing UBP08....check out After a Cup of Coffee...Or Two).

Have fun partying without me....think of me, curled up somewhere in a corner, in the fetal position, trying not to barf all over...)

Thursday Thirteen #9

Thirteen Things about having four kids in sports at the same time 1. They all get to learn from each other...if they're playing the same sport. 2. The parents get to make a lot of new friends, in a lot of different settings. 3. The kids learn responsibility for gloves, cleats, uniforms, caps, balls, bats... 4. The parents learn to juggle....practices on Monday and Wednesday for team #1, practice on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for team #1, practice on Saturday for team #3, and we don't know yet for team #4...plus the other family activities on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday....and homework.... 5. The two littler girls learn to entertain themselves at games and practices. 6. The parents learn to say "NO" to anything else.... 7. The parents learn budgetting...for buying more gloves, balls, bats, cleats, uniforms... 8. The kids learn to do their homework in an efficient manner, in order to make it to practices on time. 9. The kids all make new friends on their teams. 10. The parents remember how to make quick, filling meals, in order to get kids to practices and games on time. 11. The kids who have played before add to their skills. 12. The kids who have not played before learn a new sport, and learn about taking risks. 13. The whole family gets to learn more about our new town, and makes new friends and more memories.

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I survived....

...to go crazy another day. Last night's activities turned out much better than I expected...the baseball practice was only for 45 minutes, we got in a little bit of grocery shopping, and had a great visit with the people who showed up last night for Brew Group.

This morning, I woke up to see that it had rained during the night, and there was a nice little puddle inside my back door....now I wait more to try to get this door fixed. I have been trying, since we moved in here in November, to get them to replace the door. The door is messed up...it is warped, and I used to get a breeze around the door, so they put foam-rubber stuff around the door, which pretty much stopped the breeze, but made it almost impossible to lock the door. Mind you, this has taken something like 10 visits to get it to this point. I was looking around the door last week, and realized that it looked like water had dried around the door....and then this morning I found actual puddles there....looks like I was right.

So, more....tonight is AWANA...we want our kids to stay in AWANA, but #4 child has HIS first baseball practice tonight, and there is a family meeting afterwards...I am guessing that one of us will take him, and the other will be taking the rest of the kids to AWANA.

In the mean time, I have work to do...and I need to get the phone number to set an appointment...I hurt my toe over the weekend, and am about to run out of medicine for my GERD...must see the doctor to get the prescription filled again. Don't know how long it will take them to get me in to see a doctor...last time I tried to set an appointment, it took a month. I can't wait that long.

And so it begins....

Baseball tryouts were on Sunday afternoon, and the three that are playing baseball this year have been assigned to teams...all three are on the Red Sox teams...the softball player hasn't heard anything yet from her coach.

So practice starts tonight...eldest son had practice at 5:30, tonight and Friday night, and at 1:00 on Saturday. Next child, daughter, has practice on Saturday at 10:00. Third child has practice Wednesday night at 5:00 pm. All of this is in addition to what we already had on those nights...

My life is officially insane. Tonight, we have to get eldest son to practice, and then have our Brew Group here, at our house, at 7:00. I have to clean the house, and figure out what we're having for snacks....plus, I have to work today....

INSANITY....really, that nicely padded room with the cozy coat is starting to look inviting....

An Increadible Speech

I disagree with Oprah, a lot. I will not watch her show. I think it is an increadible waste of time...as is most TV. I believe that she got sidetracked in pop culture, and the feel-good religion of our times. That said, every once in a while she actually does come up with a gem....

See for yourself....





Thanks to Baby-amore' at My Little Drummer Boys for bringing this to my attention!

Memories (installment 10)

My parents were city slickers when they bought the farm where they now live. I was not yet born, and living on a farm was all I knew growing up. The land my parents currently own was originally two farms, with two houses, and their accompanying barns...a total now of 3 barns, 2 houses, a mobile home, and some small outbuildings...chicken houses, well houses, dog houses. There are two different orchards, several different garden areas, and at least 3 wells. The property is just around 300 acres, and currently only has 4 horses, a couple of dogs, a bunch of chickens, and who-knows-how-many deer on it.



Over the years, we had a lot of different animals. I remember Mama giving horseback riding lessons to kids from town, on a few of the somewhere-close-to 10 horses we had. We also boarded an Arabian stallion, which resulted in two beautiful fillies...plus boarding a miniature donkey...dang, he was noisy!!! We had pigs for a while...they were nasty animals...Iunderstand they're better if they are able to be free-ranged, but ours were in a barn. We had rabbits, raised for meat. We had chickens...LOTS and lots of chickens...for eggs, and for meat. Those were in a run, and some were free-range. We had ducks (they didn't last long, because the foxes got them!). We had guinea hens....they didn't last long either...they all went wild on us... We had turkeys...stupid birds, every one of them. We had dogs...German Shepherds, Border Collies, and lots of mutts. We had cats...always lots of cats. We had goats....a LOT of goats...they were fun, and a bit of a pain...the fences wouldn't hold them, so they were always out on the road. We had cattle...beef cattle were Angus, and dairy catttle...all Holsteins. For a lot of years, we hand-milked a cow for our own milk. We never had pets. All of the animals were working animals...they all earned their keep, or they didn't last long. (This is something I think people who do not grow up on farms do not understand...)

I learned to butcher at an early age...some of my earliest memories are of helping my dad butchering his first cow. I also remember butchering goats and chickens. Chickens are the messiest.

We always had a garden...fresh green beans, peas, lettuce, tomatos, plus apples and pears and plums from the orchard, and our own beef that we had butchered and processed ourselves...we ate WELL. I was SHOCKED when I got married, and started shopping, and found out how expensive steaks really were! We also had fresh eggs, and got corn and peaches from neighboring farmers...as well as the dreaded over-stock of zucchini...gotta LOVE zucchini bread....YUM!!

Most of my growing up years, we didn't have central heat or air conditioning. The house my parents live in has two wood burning stoves to heat it, and the only air conditioner is one in the window of the dining room, put there recently to keep the computers from getting too hot in the summer.

In the years after we left the dairy, we had a lot of left-over equipment scattered around...tractors, rakes, post-hole drills, hay forks (for the back of the tractor), trailers. My dad rarely kept a charged battery in the tractors, because we always had a good hill to "jump-start" them on... He also kept the generator, which really came in handy every winter when the ice storms broke off pine branches onto the electric lines!

Many more things come to my mind, but I have work to get done....more next week, I promise!

My two favorite food groups....

COFFEE and DESERT!!

You Are a Cappuccino

You're fun, outgoing, and you love to try anything new. However, you tend to have strong opinions on what you like. You are a total girly girly at heart - and prefer your coffee with good conversation. You're the type that seems complex to outsiders, but in reality, you are easy to please

What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?

What Your Latte Says About You

You are very decadent in all aspects of your life. You never scale back, and you always live large. You can be quite silly at times, but you know when to buckle down and be serious. Intense and energetic, you aren't completely happy unless you are bouncing off the walls. You're addicted to caffeine. There's no denying it. You are responsible, mature, and truly an adult. You're occasionally playful, but you find it hard to be carefree. You are deep and thoughtful, but you are never withdrawn.

What Does Your Latte Say About You?

You Are a Brownie

Decadent and intense, you aren't for the weakhearted. Those who can deal with your strong flavor find out how sweet you really are.

What Dessert Are You Most Like?

Scrolling Saturday, Edition 7

I missed last week's Scrolling Saturday...and trying to figure out if I actually have something to post has been fun...a trip into ancient history... From my other blog. Thank goodness this one is past!

Entry for November 04, 2006
It has been a LONG time since I found time to write in here. Much has changed, and changed again. Jason has graduated from college....but still no diploma...something the school messed up is hanging things up. The kids are back in school. I have changed from working nights to working evenings...starting at 11, 12, or 1:30, and working until 8, 9, or 10:30....this is getting old....I am also now working 40 hrs/wk, to make up the pay difference from working nights...$1.50/hr goes a LONG ways!! I am waiting to hear on a job that I've applied for on base...it would be a state level job, at more than twice what Jason is making right now. It would be GREAT to be working on base, and close to the same hours that Jason works! I'd be able to see the kids more than I see them right now, and we'd be able to do things together in the evenings!

More changes....August was a BAD, BAD, BAD month....as was September. August 12th, Jason finished his last class. August 13th, a "friend" threw Jason a graduation party...I was invited as an afterthought. Soon after we ate, Jason sent the kids home with me....supposedly to get some sleep, since I had to work that night. I didn't get to sleep....and Jason refused to leave his party. We FOUGHT. The next 2 weeks were HELL. Jason moved out on August 24th, and went to stay in the barracks on base. So many things went on. We tried counseling. I went to SC for 5 days. The day I got back, Jason filed for divorce. He didn't tell me until almost a week later. He lied to me about doing things with this "friend." He lied to his command. He lied to his parents. He lied to the children. He told me that there was NO chance that we would be able to work things out, that his mind was made up. I was TOTALLY dumbfounded. I did NOT see this coming. NO ONE saw this coming. Still, I was determined that I was NOT going to give up on our marriage. I called everyone I knew, and asked them to pray. I emailed everone. I found a Christian counselor, referred by Pastor John and Irene. The counselor recommended that I pray that Jason become REALLY uncomfortable in his sin. I PRAYED. Our friends and family all over the country prayed. God worked. Jason went to Hawaii for a pre-arranged supply/Haz-Mat conference. I quit talking to him while he was gone, because all he did was badger me. During the 2 days that I quit taking his calls, he called me a total of 20 times....on the day before he was scheduled to return, we actually talked for an hour or so....I could tell that something was going on, even though he was DETERMINED that nothing was going to change his mind. He said that he felt like he had gone too far to come back. I told him that no one was EVER too far gone to come back to God. Jason arrived back on Saturday, September 23rd...he came out and saw the children for about an hour. On Sunday, I had to work in the afternnoon, and Jason was suppopsed to come out and stay with the children. He came out for a little while, then left again. I came home for my lunch time, and found that the children were by themselves again. I was PISSED. I called him, and we ended up talking again for a while. He asked if it was okay to come back out and see the kids again for a little while, before he had to go bowl. Of course, I said he could....he sounded like he was crying. He said that Carol had told him that morning that she never wanted to have anything to do with him again. That really started him thinking about what he was doing. The next morning, Sept. 25th, he was confronted at work by his Chief, who really laid it on thick, about what he was doing to his carreer, if he stayed on the path he was currently headed down. At that point, he started making some serious changes. He called the "friend" and told her that he was breaking EVERYTHING off with her. He called his accountability partner, and set up frequent meetings with him. He called my attorney, and asked him how to stop the divorce. Then, he called me, and left a message about the changes he had made. He came home that night, and has been home ever since. He has appologized to me, and to the children, and to the whole church, in both services, and to his parents, and to some of our friends. He has been going to counseling, both individual, and as a couple. He is changing how he is handling the finances. He is making being with the family a priority. Our counselor is VERY pleased with how things are shaping up. I am still hesitant. I have been through this before, and I feel like I am just waiting for the other shoe to fall. Sometimes I really feel like things are going to go back to how they were before, and I can expect this kind of thing to happen again. Other times, I dare to hope that the changes being made are permanent, and we will have the marriage I have always known was possible, but haven't seen.

Right now, the finances are TERRIBLE. We HAVE TO have more income. Jason is working on his officer's package...he goes on Monday to take the Officer's Exam in Butte. This weekend, he is in Billings for the funeral of a Sailor who was killed in Iraq. This weekend has been HARD for me. It has been a little more than a month since he came home. This is the first time that he has been away since then, and I find myself wondering....I am having a little bit of a hard time turning all my fears over to God. I KNOW that He is the only one who can change Jason. I KNOW that none of my worrying does any good.

I need to go, and get the rest of the kids into bed, so we can get up in the morning.

For more Scrolling Saturday, go here...