Gram's Place

Shawn picked Em up at school and had to go to the other school to get Abb. While they were waiting, Emily said "There's Jennifer's sister." "Where?" "Over there by the tree." "I don't see anyone by the tree" "Daaaad!" "What?" "Duh... Dad... you know, Jennifer " "I don't see anyone by the tree." "Dad... Jennifer Carson ..." "Who?" "My imaginary friend , Jennifer Carson" He finally understood. Jennifer's sister would not be real because Jennifer is not real. She is imaginary. Her entire family is imaginary. This morning, I said "Em, so... how many people are actually in Jennifer's family?" "Lots" hm..... interesting character. I started to worry a bit. "Emily.... do you actually see Jennifer?" "Yeah, I'm the only one though... unless I snap my finger a special way, then other people can see her." I saw the movie

This post is in honor of my husband, the Closet Blogger. For the man in my life, who never posts, unless anonymously. But, always faithfully reads my daily blog. For the man in my life, who knows what is going on in my blogging friends lives... But, would never admit he reads their blog. For the man in my life who knows all about Michael Yon.... via his blog. For the man in my life who I caught visiting Angry Beaver websites After I blogged about Angry Beavers. For the man I love dearly. You're so fun to be with! Thanks for being so awesome. (Although truthfully you don't know what you're missing by not adding your posts! It's so fun!) And by the way, thanks for coming in early for me this morning, and letting me sleep in a little longer.

Thought I'd blog about Shawn's favorite cartoon. The Angry Beavers. It's not on anymore.The show was about two beaver brothers trying to make it on their own. Apparently their mom had a new litter and they got booted. Norbert is the calm, collected one with the brains, a rather large ego, and a desire to be accepted by Barry (“Mr. Cool”). Daggett is the nervous one who doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him. Total opposites. That’s what makes the show so funny. Some of the things they get into are absolutely hilarious. The writers are great, and the animaters are awesome. Some episodes are really gross and some are down totally stupid. Maybe that's why Shawn likes it so much. What in the name of Aunt Eileen's cabbageless coleslaw is going on? Why did Nickelodeon cancel this show? I decided to try to find out. I googled it : "Why did Nickelodeon cancel Angry Beavers". Get straight to the point. No need to beat around the bush with Google. It seems, afte

I wonder how many times I will write that we are still moving. ? Seriously, nobody should have this much stuff. The good thing is... gramma marge is still providing meals. We're actually thinking we might tell her we're still moving even when we're done. Just for the food. Tonight is tacos/burritos from a bar here in town. We're not really bar supporters, just good burrito supporters. I spent a teensy weensy bit of time on the internet today shopping for furniture. Furniture shopping is so fun. More so when you get to BUY it and not just LOOK at it. But, I found the cutest sectional from storehouse. They have the best stuff! It's a little out of my pricerange though. But, I'm going to send a photo of it to my friend at Simpsons to see if she can copy it in a cheaper version. :) I love the color mostly. I could probably get any old thing in that color and love it. It would look awesome with my black lectern recliners . Emily is having fun with the move. She said

Thank God for my mother in law. She is so nice. For the past few days, she's been providing our meals while we work and move. Tonight it's goulash. and very good I might add. Shawn went to a contractors steak night. hm... what a trade off. It's so funny though. Cuz normally at mom's, Monday night is McDonalds night. Shawn's bro Shelly is so cute. He has to have McDonalds every Monday night. And he has it down to a science. His favorite show starts at 8. So, he writes a list... same list every week, 2 fish sandwiches no cheese extra tarter sauce, large fries, orange pop. Even McDonald's workers know Shellys order. But, he still writes the list. And he brings it upstairs at exactly 7:30. If you are in a hurry or want to go early, or try to do it sooner, he gets mad. And believe me you don't want to make shelly mad. You can't leave until 7:30. Not a minute before. Tonight I'm on McDonalds Duty. So, better go!

I haven't updated in two days! That is bad! bad bad bad! We moved our bedroom stuff and our bathroom stuff and our kitchen stuff. So, we can eat and sleep and "do bathroom things" at one house(#2). The rest of the stuff, computer included, is at the other house(#1). So, right now I'm at the house #1. We took the day off to move more stuff. me and shawn. what a lonely couple of movers. We keep getting interrupted by urgent work calls on our cell phones. He takes one call, I make one call, next thing you know it's an hour and a half later. He's still on the phone now, and I had to check email. So, I snuck onto my blog to update. It's wierd moving this time. We don't have the new house built so we're moving into something SMALLER, and it doesn't have all the conveniences of this home. Like... ROOMS. jk. We really like this place. But, it's going to be good for us to be closer together for a while. We moved a bunch of stuff in the enclosed

Ever smell those "smells" in your kitchen and wonder where they are coming from? We came home from v-ball yesterday. I walked in the house and smelled it. I thought "what is that smell?". Then, one by one, each member of my family followed me in the house and I listened as they all repeated the same question: "What IS that smell?". "It's coming from the bathroom"... "No, I think it's the laudry room." ... "Is the garbage from the garage coming in after us?".... "When was the last time you cleaned out the fridge?".... "It's definately inSIDE the house"... Everyone sniffed around for a while, Shawn sprayed some stuff in the garbage. The garbage was only 1/10 full, so we couldn't take it out yet. We would waste a whole bag. We each got busy, did our own thing.... and the smell didn't bother us so much. We went to bed, got up the next morning,... it was back. that SMELL. This time nobody c

My hands, my shirt, my pants, all covered in newspaper ink. Why does that stuff come off? Why didn't I get packing peanuts instead? Why am I moving? Why do I have so much CRAP? Why - oh why - oh why? no sleep happens... only work... and pack.... and work... and pack... and jr. high volleyball... and work... and pack... and pack... and work.... and dig... and clutter... and toss... and pack.

It's one of those busy oh my gosh what else can i try to fit into one day and get done why am i so insane days! But, thought I'd at least update! That way everyone doesn't think I dropped off the face of the earth.

When I was in high school, a friend of mine and I were addicted to words. We did the whole word-a-day calendars all the time, and challenged each other to use the words each day. It was so lame, but strangely fun. But, I lived in Missouri at the time and there wasn't much else to do... So, last year, I wanted a word-a-day calendar just to see if I could get my teens into it. uh, it didn't work. They rarely glance at it. Okay, so here's today's word. I like to read the word, then guess what it means, use it in a sentence or two... and then see how close I am. backronym - It could be a reversed opposite. It could be a backwords acronym. It could be a location. A form of study." A Nutty Intelligent Teacher is the backronym for my name ."(I actually think that's an acronym but it's worth a try) --- Teacher: " Do you know the new student Jonny?" Student: "Sure, I sit in backronym." " The opposite of black is white, and the backron

Okay, before you sigh and wonder how many chapters there are in this book, I'll just tell you. There are 16. I'll try not to bore you over the next 2.5 weeks! But, it's just too good not to share. I think this is a book everyone should read! In chapter 3, the authors talk about boundary problems. They point out that boundary conflicts are in no way limited to those who "can't say no". It is also related to what you HEAR. Here is a chart: CAN'T SAY NO - The Compliant - feels guilty and/or controlled by others; can't set boundaries CAN'T HEAR NO - The Controller - aggressively or manipulatively violates boundaries of others CAN'T SAY YES - The Non-Responsive - sets boundaries against responsibility to love CAN'T HEAR YES - The Avoidant - sets boundaries against recieving care of others The author points out that you can be any combination of the above. IE a Compliant Controller, A Non-Responsive Avoidant, A Compliant Avoidant, A Non-Responsiv

I think coffee has got to be one of my absolute favorite things. When I filled out a survey the other day, they asked what your hobbies were. I wrote coffee. When did coffee become a hobby? It used to be known as a beverage. Now... a hobby. You can only understand coffee as a hobby, if it is one of your hobbies. Those of you who have a coffee-hobby completely understand me. Those of you that don't, still see it as only a beverage, and don't understand what I am even saying. Funny thing is. I used to hate coffee. I remember one time, when I could not stand coffee. I agreed with Shawn, it tasted like an ashtray. I decided to try it. Just to stay awake when I was working the third shift. It was hard to drink. I drank it way watered down. More like tea. Once when i was just starting Shawn's aunt Karen made a pot of coffee, when I was at Gramma J's house. It was soooooo black, I had to secretly dump it out. Now I sometimes wonder if people dump out mine for that same reason.

It was especially difficult for me to sing in church yesterday. I can blog about it now, only because it's over. :) I was sweating bullets. I recognized last week that it was going to be pure agony for me to do it. I was so mad at myself for letting the devil have that foothold in my life. But, nonetheless, I was seeking for any excuse or reason to get out of doing it. The bottom line, however, is that I knew I had to do it. It was bad enough that I allowed satan to get at me, but then to allow him to have victory: that would not happen. In the Boundaries book, the author talks about our talents, comparing two responses: "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" "You wiked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the banker

Boundaries Book Update: I am on page 45. That's not very good. But it IS chapter 2! It's good reading. I just use all my time to read other more "pressing" books. Here is the jist so far: Chapter 1: A day in a Boundaryless life - the author describes the life of Sherrie, a working mother of two, who has the best intentions but seems to be sidetracked quite often by other peoples needs and requests. She doesn't ever say no and has a hard time taking control of her own time... always trying to help other people fix their "problems" in the name of "sacrifice". At work, she is taken advantage of, a large work load dumped on her because she is capable and willing. At home, she feels guilty because she doesn't spend enough time with her family, her children are acting out and she doesn't discipline well. She works from 6am - midnight, just trying to keep up. She tries to live her life the right way, but she feels isolated, helpless, confus

We are moving . It's quite a challenge for us, to say the least. The worst part is, we have to do it twice . In the meantime, we have to move all our stuff to a house half the size we have now. I see it as a great "opportunity" to say the least. However, Shawn is scared. Somehow some of his stuff never makes it when we move... gosh, I wonder how that happens ? It's not the tools I mind, or the books, or the hobbies. Those are usually organized and untouched, thus easy to pack. It's the piles and piles of cardboard squares , the empty tin cans , the architural digest magazines from 1982, the moldy books , the pieces of wire , the broken electonics , the 790 million empty 5 gallon buckets , and the stockpile of writing pads (that nobody can touch). Those are the wierd items that typically test our marriage, and my "fruit of the spirit". He keeps wierd things. But, I love him anyway. I lose things. He loves me. That's a good thing. O f course, depend

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 1 twist 3-4 step step side side That's what you do when you have teenagers. practice dance routines all night long.

Just discovered there is going to be a new store in town called "Crawdaddy Outdoors". Next to Jim's Sport Shop. Darrin Siefkin, former naturalist, soon to be former extension director, has purchased the business and moving it to town. Camping gear, backpacking stuff, kayaks (is that spelled right?), that kind of thing... What I want to know... when is there going to be a M.A.C. makeup store, or a TJMAXX in town? Those have got to be my fav. But, I'm betting it will never come here. :( okay sorry, another day with nothing to say.

oh yeah, I'm reading a new book. " Boundaries "by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. I'll let you know how it is.

I have nothing to say right now. It's that writers block thing again (see muse apnea blog entry from August 7). But, I am so dedicated to this blog that I will write even when I have nothing to say. Pretty uneventful day. I took abbie to practice at 6am, went to work at 7am, had a lunch appt that didn't show so I didn't take a lunch break, worked 'til 4:30, came home, cooked supper, ate, went to church, came home, blog. Of course, lots of things happened in each of those headings... Let me try again to make it sound more exciting: took abbie to practice at 6am - wore my pjs, no makeup, no hair, and slept most of the way there...thought about what would I do if I got pulled over or had car trouble made mental note not to do that again. went to work at 7am - stopped at kwik star first and bought coffee cuz I didn't feel like making it at work, ... did a bunch of stuff at work --- like about 4 days worth of work, just maniac, maybe I should take the rest of the week o

We went to meetings today in des moines. oh my gosh, why are meetings so boring? how long can you sit around and talk about current housing market trends and marketing strategies.... what the company does well and doesn't do well....... i woke shawn up twice. it was really boring though.... All in all, it was pretty lucrative. I drew some really cool doodles. At lunch, I told the group of men I ate with that the waiter had cute hair. I applied lip gloss a minimum of 5 times. In the end, the new president and ceo of the company told me he wrote my name down to invite me to a marketing strategy meeting he is planning in a few months.... thought I'd be a great asset to the team... hm... I wonder if it was the berry lip gloss or the cute dog doodle.

Linds has a stress fracture on her hip. most likely from cheerleading jumping. She has been in pain for weeks, under chiro care, and we finally resorted to an x-ray when things aren't improving. diagnosis: stress fracture... and a "funny looking" growth plate that needs another look by a more qualified professional. It's always good to get an answer. But, now she's mad. Cuz... no cheerleading for two weeks minimum, no dance, no pe. Heck, when I was a kid, I'd have died for an opportunity to miss pe. So, she's happy mad. happy we have an answer. mad she doesn't get to do nothing. (double negative- hope no english teachers read this).

I love the mood ring song by reliant k - I should know - mother of four - YES FOUR - girls. 3 of them are teenagers. and then there's me - another girl. and we have 2 cats - both girls. poor shawn. -------- mood rings --------- We all know the girls that I am talking about. Well they are time bombs and they are ticking And the only question is when...they'll blow up! And they'll blow up, we know that without a doubt. Cause they're those girls, yeah, you know those girls That let their emotions get the best of them. GO!!!And I've contrived some sort of a plan To help my fellow man...Let's get emotional girls to all wear mood rings So we'll be tipped off to when they're ticked off Cause we'll know just what they're thinking, Just what they're thinking... She's so pretty but she doesn't always act that way Emotions swinging on the swingset almost everyday She said to me that she's so happy it's depressing And all I said was "

Shawn is gone to PK this weekend. He'll be back late tonight though... not a long weekend. Funny how wives act when the man is gone. no cooking I casually dropped by my mother-in-laws when she was making blts for supper --- oh, eat here? nah... we have stuff at home (lie)... oh, you insist? oh okay.. if you insist. no cleaning We banned the cleaning lady from the budget, but I didn't tell her. She came last night. I didn't say anything about the ban.... maybe he'll think I did it.... no fighting the kids were so quiet. Lindsey was at an away fball game. Abb and Em played Bratz dolls (You know, Abb said she was just "being nice" to Em, she doesn't really like to do that kind of thing.. she's too old). They played until Abbie suddenly fell asleep on the bed.... Em was still going though. no bedtime I stayed up late messin with stuff... should have been packing to move! but I took the time to just dink around with my junk at my desk. and then there is s

I should have been a vet. Warning: don't read this if you have a weak stomach. Our kitty had a spot on her leg she was really sensitive about. For a week she was ornery - is that really a word? - every time we would come close to it. We looked and looked and could not find a thing. So, last night lindsey finally found a spot. And when she looked at it closer, it exploded Osmosis Jones style with yellowy slimy pus. She freakd out and brought her to me. I dug in and examined her like any good vet would... applied a bit of pressure around the affected area where the abscess was located, and lo and behold, the vestication continued to deplete the secretion ---- for a long long time. It was gross. But, on the other hand,... kind of fun. Shawn was a wimp and sat in the corner gagging the whole time while Lindsey and I performed our operation. In the morning I took her to the vet to check it out. He looked at her and said "she can go home, she looks good". I said "Are you

I've been thinking alot about that book again. You know, the Eldridge one from a few days ago. God must really be trying to teach me some things about loyalties and friendships. Elder Keith taught Sunday morning. Funny he would teach on this very topic! I thought that he must have read my blog Saturday night then shared it with the congregation on Sunday morning. :) ..... no ego tied to that statement at all. ;) I met with my mentor and friend this morning. I just don't think I could have ever found a better mentor or friend if I'd have done it myself (you know, I didn't do it... God did). I am so transparent with her. And when I leave our time together, I am encouraged to pray for her, for others, for myself, for the church, the body of Christ. I know she will fight for my heart. That is a cool feeling. To know that you know that you know that someone out there will fight for your heart. Anyway, I DID finally finish the book. YEAH YIPPEE SKIPPY! Now I can loan it to He

“Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28, NLT). Watching the tv and listening to various news channels the last few days, I have been praying for the people in the south, who have had their lives torn apart by the hurricane. Complaints continue to rise about the lack of help. We have heard of Salvation Army, FEMA, and various organizations assisting... here's a few more we haven't heard in the news. Christians rising to meet the needs and be the hands and feet of Christ. Click on the link to see how you can help with a contribution. Operation Blessing Hurricane Katrina Relief Activities As of September 2nd, the Hunger Strike Force has delivered a total of 23 truckloads of food, drinks and relief supplies totaling 920,969 pounds.Operation Blessing gave a cash grant to People That Care in Dallas to support a feeding program for evacuees located in the Reunion Center.700+ families have reci

I am super excited about MAC COSMETICS new Naturally Eccentric fall collection. It is completely ME. Anytime a cosmetic company comes out with warm tones, browns, neutrals, deep colors, dusky tones... they are speaking my language! I think it might be time to go to the Mall of America. Note: After publishing this entry, I found the Mac Backstage picks. Great Colors for Fall! I want to go! Too bad I'm on a budget now, cuz they have free shipping until Sept. 24. Maybe I could purchase my own Christmas present a little early.... ?? Hm...

For the summer I am reading a book by John Eldridge entitled Waking the dead: The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive. It has taken me literally all stinking summer to read it. I am bound and determined to finish it before going on to another one! The first several chapters just took forever to get into. Not because he is a bad writer, of course. But, because I kept feeling like it was stuff I already knew. I wanted to learn something new and be enlightened by the book. Would it really be the very last word of the very last sentence in the very last paragraph of the very last chapter of the very last section of the very last... ???? No... but almost. Chapter 11 of 12. And the funny thing: it's not anything new that inspired me. This is the good part. You don't have to read the whole book. I'll share it with you. (Whoever you are-- okay, Shawn-- and maybe Nate and Heth-- my faithful bloggers). He is writing about fellowships... companies... friendships. Their importance. Church as