This is the day.

It has been busy around our house with the ark setting sail. (Or would that be a launch?) Hmmm...

So, I wanted to share some thoughts with all of you, dear Internets, on this day, the day with which I struggle each and every year.

Our church had a festival this evening with Trunk or Treat, games and free food for all. At first I struggled with whether or not I should participate. Some of you may remember this post.

I prayed. I prayed a lot. I respect our leadership. I truly do. Our pastor has a love for people and a real heart for all to know Christ. He is the type of pastor who wants to go to the people, to meet them where they are and tell them the saving message of Christ.

I kept thinking about the struggles I have with this day, many of the things that go with it, and about my own Sunday School class. All of them would be there. Should they see their teacher?

And I prayed some more.

In the end, I felt led to participate. I felt God tugging at my heart. I thought about those Sunday School kids and how they should see their teacher support the outreach ministries of the church. And believe me, folks. This event was truly an outreach ministry.

Tonight, hubs, daughter and I passed out over 600 bracelets with a message about God on all of them.

That's 600 kids, with probably 2 parents (you do the math) who I otherwise would have never met. Who knows how many of them will decide when they are searching for a safe haven, a place where people love them with A Love that is beyond compare, to choose our church as that place?

And you know what else? I was in the car this morning after seeing some not-so-friendly costumes at a local business and I thought to myself, "This is the day that The Lord has made."

I will rejoice and be glad in it. I am not going to let anything or anyone prevent me from rejoicing. Nope. Not this day.

Even though I still would love to see our churches have festivals on other days, I know there are so many kids out there, some of whom walked by my trunk and held out their precious little hands, who otherwise would not have stepped onto the church grounds if it had not been for tonight's festival. I am thankful for the opportunity to smile at them and offer them a message of hope and of love.

So now you know why I have been working on the ark. My prayer is that these many people, some of them lost, will not remember a simple, cardboard replica of God's amazing promise and grace. Nor will they remember a saved-by-grace, middle-aged woman, still growing in her faith, still struggling with the answers, sharing the message of God's amazing promise and grace.

My prayer is that somewhere, tucked down deep in their hearts, is the message of God's amazing promise and grace.

And tonight I am going to pray for them all. All 1800 + of them.

Comment of the Week #6

The Comment of the Week goes to Julie for this quote about Atlanta-



"I will never forget getting stuck at a Subway with a friend of ours who lives in Atlanta because the time had passed that we could drive anywhere. Apparently there are certain times that no one who lives in Atlanta will go anywhere! I dont know where all the traffic comes from since everyone is waiting wherever they are for "rush" hourssss to be over. We went to the World of Coke on our honeymoon. I thought it was great."- Julie



I am sorry for laughing at your expense, Julie but the image of you being stuck at Subway because no one- even from Atlanta- would drive at that time of day cracked. me. up.



Classic Jeff Foxworthy moment!

Gettin' to the church on time.

Daylight Saving Time ends next week in the US, unless you live in a few US States and Territories that never started it.

Those rebels.

So don't turn back time tonight, folks. Save that hour for next Saturday.

I was almost one of those people who turned back the clock tonight thanks to my calendar. Thankyouverymuch, Calendar Maker People for not listening to Congress and almost making me late for teaching Sunday School, a class of kindergartners who would have been saying, "Where's Miss Melanie? I want snack."

Please Pray for Linda...

Linda had her wisdom teeth removed and is now having complications. She is seeing the dentist again this morning.

Please pray for her and leave her some encouraging words on her blog.



Thanks,

Where's Mr. Edwards when you need him?

I decided to take a break from the crafty, glue gun goodness to give y'all an update on the pond.

We have beavers.

Our neighbor on one side of us has, I mean had, some gorgeous tropical plants and lush, green landscaping. She now has several banana tree stumps and a bald patch on her lawn.

It seems that beavers have a sweet tooth for bananas.

And St. Augustine grass.

Yesterday I found our dock's outdoor lighting taken apart. Seriously. These guys took one outdoor landscape light and disassembled it. I am guessing they need batteries for the sound system they are installing in their Neighborhood Pond Condominium.

The sound system will be so sweet with the other neighbors' landscape lights, and the lily pads from her gold fish pond.

It's like they have their own little Trading Spaces going on out there.

The neighbors with the gold fish pond decided to install motion flood lights to try to deter the beavers. The other night, one of the lights came on and our neighbor said,"Look! There's the beaver!"

Motion lights don't even scare off these critters. They just help illuminate all the goods awaiting them so that they can fill their little beaver loot bags while wearing their little beaver ski caps. Nothing stops these bandits; they make raccoons look like Boy Scouts.

Our yard has not suffered much damage. We have sort of a retaining wall that I think is keeping them from coming in the yard. Either that or they just come to our house for their Duracell batteries.

I'll bet they are out there right now, lurking on my blog on their little wireless laptops.

(sigh)

Noah had how long??

I will be back later.



I've got some crafty stuff to do.



It looks like this ark may just set sail...



:>)

WFMW- Scrubbing Sponges

I have started using a different scrubber-

Chore Boy Non-Metal Sponges with soap pad.

I have one in the kitchen and one for the bathroom. It works great for soap scum and for pots. The great thing is that they don't fall apart like other plastic scrubbers and even when the soap runs out, you can still use it.

Love these!

See Shannon for more tips this Wednesday.

Sometimes I think I should become a dog person.

I don't know much about physics or the natural order of the Universe, but one thing is for certain around here.

Road Trip= Maggie's Reluctant And Borderline Violent Stay At The Kennel

I picked up Maggie yesterday after taking my daughter to school and after my Grande Non-fat Pumpkin Spice Latte because it is finally feeling like Fall and I require at least a double shot of espresso before getting Maggie from the kitty cat hotel.

We keep trying to tell her it is like the spa, only the massage includes a temperature reading, but she ain't buyin' it.

Maggie has been having some kidney problems which have been controlled by a special diet. (By special, I mean expensive.) Periodically we have her kidney function checked through a blood test just to be sure she is doing fine. So far, so good.

But lately, Maggie has been having some kidney-related issues on our bathroom rugs. It first began when we moved into the new house, so I thought she had to get used to her new potty box location. She is trained to ask to go out to the garage to the conveniently located potty box. She has done this since she was a kitten and without a kitty door. (They are smarter than you think, folks.)

After a long night in the garage Maggie stopped her kidney-related issues on the bathroom rugs and started asking to go out like a good kitty should.

Until my husband came home from his trip.

You would have thought I had been giving her Pumpkin Spice Lattes. I was washing rugs every day. Oh, and my husband's clothes that he left on the floor. Yes M'am, she did.

The crazy cat lady in me knew this was all behavioral but what if it wasn't? I would have felt really low if all of these kidney-related ISSUES that require multiple trips to the laundry room were all signs of kidney failure. So we asked the vet to check her out.

All kidney function tests- Normal

Maggie- Not normal

The vet asked me a series of questions to rule out any other problems.

Does she have to go down any steps to get to the litter box? No, and the box is right outside the laundry door. This cat runs up the stairs all day looking for our daughter. She is not suffering from arthritis.

Have you changed litter brands? Some cats do not like a new scent. It is the same brand, but could be a different scent. (I don't sniff it in Target before putting it in the cart. I go with odor control.) Besides, she does her other business in there without any problems.

Are there any other cats that could get in the garage? No. We don't even have our cars in there.

In the end, we decided what we knew all along. Maggie is just being bratty.

When I mentioned my husband's return from a trip, the vet just smiled. He said,"Put your husband's shoes next to the litter box and then see where she goes."

Don't worry, honey. I won't do that to you. The vet was just kidding... I think.

I-75 AKA The Real Reason Scarlett fled Atlanta

I think it was Dorothy who said, "There's no place like home."

I have no idea how she walked around in those uncomfortable looking, red sequin shoes, but she was so right.

We just returned from a long weekend getaway to Hotlanta. To be clear, I had fun. Lots of fun. But anytime we go out of town for more than, say... a day, I am ready to come home. I like my own bed. I like my own bathroom. I am just a teeny bit whiny when it comes to home.

This might suggest that one day we could be the um, proud? owners of an RV. But, no. My husband and I would then have to eat crow because we have made fun of every single RV on the Interstate.

Mostly, we like to make fun of the names of the RV's like "Roughing It Smoothly" (actual name, by the way.) The only reason I think we would ever purchase one of these recreational vehicles is just so we could park it in our relatives' yards and say, "Now that there's an RV."

But a funny quote from a National Lampoon movie is no reason to spend 100 grand on a motor home with a micro fridge and faux wood trim.

So we just stick with the hotels with free breakfast.

But I digress.

I grew up in South Georgia. From an early age, I was taught the dangers, the hazards, the horror stories, the urban legends. About the tragic endings of innocent, happy lives and about the special ones who were spared from it all.

I'm talking about Atlanta traffic.

People who do not live in Atlanta or the Metro area try, at all costs, to avoid it completely. I think that if you ask my Daddy, he could tell you how to get from Alabama to South Carolina through Tennessee just to avoid the Atlanta traffic and still make good time.

And if it's really good time, it would be railroad time. Yes, M'am. You have really done well to make railroad time. Seeing as how we were driving into Atlanta, Daddy, I am ashamed to say that we did not make railroad time.

We visited the Georgia Aquarium and World Of Coke, both of which I highly recommend (even though they are in the heart of Atlanta.) My husband is much more brave than I so he drove and I navigated.

I have found that when you are giving directions, if you don't really know what you are doing, keep unfolding the map. The more you unfold, the more competent you appear. Once the map is completely unfolded, you must then flick it a little, as if you are trying to straighten out the creases or just shake some sense into it. This really makes you look like you know what you are doing. If this doesn't work, tell the driver that it must be an old map and somehow the streets on your map do not match the streets in real life.

Because we all know that they change the streets in Atlanta on a daily basis. And that someone is working on the Guinness World Record for Longest Time To Complete Road Construction because I-75 has not been finished since the time we went to Helen when I was 8 years old.

I have to give my husband credit. He is sooooo patient. And I am a pretty good map reader, folded or unfolded. No one screamed. No one cried. No one died. These are good goals while driving in Atlanta.

The Aquarium was phenomenal. The layout was great. Unlike some museums or theme parks, every exhibit takes you back to a central location so you don't have to walk from one side of the attraction all the way to the next and then back again. Mr. Architect Designer Man- you are a genius. Please talk to the Disney people. Thank you.

The Georgia Aquarium is home to whale sharks, beluga whales, jelly fish, an octopus, and much more. There are a few hands on exhibits that my daughter loved. I loved the fact that there were guides pretty much everywhere reminding people to handle the animals gently. Although it is self-guided, there are plenty of people available to answer questions.

My daughter carried a little journal with her everywhere we went and documented what she saw. She even stopped to draw some of the creatures. It was so sweet and the journal will surely be a treasure for her to keep.

During our World of Coke visit, we sampled more soda than should be legal. They have flavors from across the globe. My favs were from South Africa. We also watched a small assembly line bottling Coke and then we were able to take one home for free as a souvenir.

One night we ate dinner at The Varsity Downtown. The Varsity has been around for decades and is the largest drive-in in the world. Their chili dogs and onion rings were fab. We topped ours off with a chocolate shake. Even though my husband referred to his dinner as a "gut bomb" he still said it was good.

While eating her own hot dog and fries, our daughter said,"What is so cool about this place?"

(sigh)

Hubs and I just laughed and told her she would think it was cool one day because it is famous and one day she will be watching a show about it on Food Network and say,"HEY! I've been there!" or ""HEY! My parents dragged me there once on vacation."

Her favorite meal was at Carrabba's. Not necessarily historical or regional, but they do bring kids a ball of pizza dough to play with while they wait on their meal. She carefully wrapped it and we brought it home with us.

We drove all the way to Atlanta for a ball of pizza dough.

We could've just stayed home and made railroad time.

Comment of the Week #5

This week's award goes to Carrie for her warning about infomercials. Yes, Carrie, I think I lost a few brain cells after all of those OxyClean commercials. But my laundry is impeccable. (wink)



"Sorry you had allergies last night, but really glad you found Field of Dreams... those infomercials could send you into a coma, if not kill you." - Carrie

He will hear you call out in the night.

We went to church tonight for prayer meeting. My daughter was in the other building singing her sweet little heart out and learning about God's Wonderful Word while we sat there among other believers making our requests.

Requests for prayer. Prayer for family, friends, people who are hurting, people who are healing, for somebody's mother, somebody's son, for our church and our community, for our nation, our military. The list went on and on.

Our pastor had us bow our heads and we prayed as we felt led, some of us silently and others aloud. As the saints poured out their hearts unto The Father, with eyes closed and heads bowed, we heard praise and petition, sobbing and sorrow. There we were. Together. In. His. Name.

In the midst of all of this power there was a peaceful quiet. As sorrows were revealed amid prayers to Him, our hearts broke for the people who are hurting, the people who are healing.

And I thought. This is how My Lord feels tonight.

Surely if this pain brings me to tears, His Precious, Loving Heart must ache at the sound of His children crying out.

I thought about the sound of my little one in the night, calling out from the darkness of her room, "Mommy... I need you." How I stretch with sleepy eyes and walk to her room to check on her and see what is wrong. A fear. An illness. Or a just because.

God is like that. He hears us in the night when we call to Him. Only He doesn't have to rub sleepy eyes or grab slippers in the night, because He never sleeps. He is always there, listening and watching over us.

God loves you. He hears your voice. You can call on Him day or night. In fear. In illness.

Or just because.

I don't FEEL smarter.

Funny thing. I keep eating Smart Ones and I still can't do Algebra. (The fact that I say "do" Algebra should be a clue into my mathematical skills or as Napoleon would say SKIIILLS.)

Seriously, I just finished the bite size portion of Asian cuisine (and I do use the term cuisine loosely) and now I am attempting to write a post.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Hmph.

Maybe they should call them Uninspired Ones.

Perhaps it is time for an interference.*

I have said before that my husband and I quote Seinfeld all the time. We can relate almost everything in life to Seinfeld.

And if you are not a Seinfeld fan, this post will leave you totally lost.

If you are, you will know I have lost it.

These were a few conversations we had yesterday...



After daughter asked for some soup.

Hubs said, "Did he crumble any crackers in it?"


During a discussion about skin cancer and how my mom kept me out of the sun as a child to prevent wrinkles later down the road...

"Mama never put sunscreen on me. Sunscreen came later when I was a teenager. It was all about the shade."

"And then there's Maude."

"That was a good episode."

"You gotta see the baa-bee!"

"When in fact a certain something is all that it should be and more."

"You know, Elaine, sometimes you say things just to be nice."

(CHUCKLING OUT LOUD)



While out to lunch at a Greek restaurant.

Hubs to the waiter- "The hummus and grape leaves are good."

Waiter- "Good."

Me- "Why are you telling him? I am sure he cares if our hummus was good."

Hubs-"Huh?"

Me- "Don't you remember when Elaine tells the waiter that the soup is good and Jerry asks why she would tell the waiter and that the waiter doesn't care if the soup is good?"

Hubs- "I don't remember that one."

Me- "I think it was Elaine. Maybe it was George. Anyway, it was funny."



I know. We need to get out more. ;>)


*Kramer- "Is this the interference?"

Jerry- "InterVENtion!"

Episode- The Pez Dispenser


For a link to all of this classic TV about nothing, click here.

At least I'm not allergic to corn.

I woke up about an hour ago after going to bed at 7:30. That would be before my child even thought of brushing her teeth. And before all the old folks thought of taking out their teeth.

Don't worry. Hubs tucked her in, so you don't have to call CPS on me.

It was about 7:00 when it hit me. It started as a sore throat. Then my head started to stop up with goodness knows what, one nostril, then the other nostril, then back to the first one. It just wouldn't make up its mind!

Allergies. Dreadful, mean and hateful allergies. They either make me sleepy or keep me from sleeping. And breathing.

So now I am awake in the wee hours of the morning, checking email and blogging. And watching every, single, low-budget infomercial ever made in film school 101.

Much to my surprise and shall we say, um, glee? I find Field of Dreams. Baseball and Kevin Costner when he still had hair.

If I could breathe, this could be heaven.

Scarecrows: Updated

Now they have names!

Thanks to Roxanne for naming my scarecrows.

Meet Daisy (Country Girl) and Camille (City Girl.)

And, just to be clear- I didn't make these from scratch. I bought some scarecrows, redressed them, and repainted their faces. It is actually pretty easy. Even if you don't repaint the face, you can update them and make them unique by throwing on a funny hat or old clothes.

Because you asked, here are the ladies on the porch having tea.

A Country Girl

and A City Girl





I'll bet they are talking about their blogs. ;>)

Craft Update

In case you were wondering...

The scarecrows are finished! Yeahhhh. I have a city girl and a country girl having tea on our front porch. It was fun.

Noah's Ark- ahem. Not so finished. We are given the choice of what theme to go with for our trunk and I chose Noah. My goal is to use a Bible story. That was a good, kid friendly one to me. Unless I can find some gopher wood, I may have to change my mind on the story.

We'll see...

Y'all have a good Sunday!

Well, don't I feel special?!

My sweet friend, Linda awarded me with this button after reading about the cubits and the crafts and the seasonal decor. Oh, the cubits, Linda! ;>)

Thanks for the lovely candied apples! They are much prettier than ones I would make AND no calories!

A Mom Remembers

Loni over at Joy In The Morning left me a comment after this post. Her son Matthew died nearly three years ago after participating in the choking game.

Please visit Loni's blog and leave her some words of encouragement, read her story and learn about others who have lost children to this deadly activity.

God Bless You and your family, Loni.

And Noah loaded the animals in the ark, one potato, two potato.

In the true blog tradition, I am going to share my day with y'all.

Here goes.

Try to stay awake, please.

This morning I painted a dolphin in my daughter's room. Her room is slowly getting finished, first with jellyfish, glow in the dark fish, and today a dolphin. It turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself. Most importantly, she liked it. She also pointed out to me that all dolphins need a buddy.

I responded, "I know they do, but I was having a hard time fitting that one where he is, so you will have to be his buddy."

Next up- A sea turtle and a sting ray.

I am also in the middle of redecorating some scarecrows for my porch and I'm all tapped out of vintage clothes for them to wear. So I headed off to the local indoor flea market for some bargains and some inspiration.

Oh, and I have signed us up for this little thing called Trunk or Treat at church (more on that later) where we are expecting up to 1500 children. Yep. Can you say,"FREAK OUT?" Normally I have planned, sketched and started making something for this type of project by now but I am having difficulty with the logistics.

The theme I am going with is Noah's Ark. Has anyone out there every tried to turn the trunk of a Camry into an ark? Oh, the cubits!

So I'm at the indoor flea market hoping for a treasure, a gem, some tiny bit of inspiration among all the Elvis posters and the spoon rests that say "Florida." All I could find was a wooden box that said "Taters."

Taters do not inspire me. Unless I am eating the taters, then maybe the carbs could give me a surge of energy straight to my brain cells, inspiring me to build a boat full of animals out of a Toyota.

Or not.

I left the flea market with nothing. No treasures. No inspiration. No Taters. Nothing.

And that was my day.

Dangerous Activity Among Our Teens

Have you heard of The Choking Game?

It is a "game" kids are playing where they either choke a friend and then release them, or choke themselves and release the ligature. The goal is to feel a so-called high after passing out.

This activity is extremely dangerous and kids are dying across the country. Their friends are telling them it is safe and that "No one dies from passing out."

Take a minute to read about this deadly activity, its slang terms and warning signs.

The Nina, The Pinta, and The Day Off Of School

My daughter's friends were over yesterday playing and giggling and squealing and having a screaming contest (outside.)

They came inside to do some crafts at the kitchen table. The conversation turned to Christopher Columbus.

This conversation was overheard-

"Tomorrow is Columbus Day. Do you get the day off of school?"

"No. Do you?"

"No."

"Then why do we even learn about Columbus if we don't get the day off?"

"Yeah!"

You may award me with the Educator Of The Year Award now. Thankyouverymuch.

Comment of the Week #4

This week's award goes to everyone who commented on the WFMW Backwards Edition!



I asked for some new ideas for school lunch and y'all left some AWESOME suggestions. If you missed the post, take a minute to read through the comments for some great ideas for kids' lunches.



You guys are the best!

I imagine that Torre must have said,"This Ain't New York."

This is proof that Deet is your friend whether you are in The Deep South or at a Yankee's game in Ohio.

Girls, even your husbands will appreciate this article.

;>)

Why My Lawn Has A Mohawk

It was quite the celebration at our house.


An Extravaganza really.


The spaghetti sauce simmered in the crock pot all day, the house was cleaned from top to bottom, and then our much awaited "guest" arrived.

My husband is home.


Home? Did I even mention he was gone? No. The paranoid Praise the Lord and Pass the ammunition part of me would never divulge such information. Just think of me as that weird aunt who always locks her doors, watches America's Most Wanted and quite possibly has the tip line on speed dial. You know, that aunt. The crazy one. With all the cats.


Hubs has been out of town on business and it has been a real trial for us. There have been lonely moments and lots of tears. I have missed him so much. I've missed the little things about us- the silly Seinfeld jokes, the late night talks, and all of those blessings I often take for granted.


I've learned a lot. I've learned to depend on God and to trust myself with His help. I've learned how much I do not need my husband and how much I really do all at the same time. My love for my husband has grown.


Along with the grass.



Let me tell y'all about my history of lawn issues. I have never been afraid of "man's" work. I will check the oil and change a tire. Let's face it- sometimes changing a diaper can be much more difficult, not to mention dirtier. So, mowing the yard is nothing.



When we first married I bought a used mower. It was what I would call a starter mower. It was what my husband called a lemon. I bought it for fifty bucks thinking I had found a real bargain. After seeing it, my husband told me we had been ripped off. It required special attention. In order to start it, you had to hot wire it- literally. My husband specifically told me he did not want me to try to start the mower. The wires were much too close to the rapidly rotating blade and he was afraid I would lose some fingers in the process.



And I prefer to keep all my fingers.


Later on, when my husband went on a business trip and the grass just continued to grow and grow (despite all my efforts to stop it), I decided it was time to buy a new mower. I was all proud of myself until I realized I had to assemble it. All. By. Myself.



And I did it. And kept all my fingers. Look Ma! All hands!



This time when hubs left for his trip, I was prepared to cut the grass. The sweet neighbor's son mowed the smaller front lawn and I mowed the larger backyard.


With a push mower.



It should be called the "push with all your might and work your calf muscles into a twitching frenzy while the mower chokes and sputters to a stop because SWEET MERCY who on earth decided to plant this thick St. Augustine grass?" mower.



Not one, but two of my neighbors had pity on me as they watched me struggle to cut the grass that I had just cut a week ago, good grief! They kept begging and pleading with me to please use their self-propelled mowers,"Please! We can't stand to see you suffer any more."


All the while I was thinking to myself,"How much easier can it be? Seriously, how much better can a self-propelled mower work?"



Then I had a taste of the bittersweet moves-smoother-than-butter mowing goodness. I gave in and used the neighbor's mower.


To this push mower-







You are dead to me.



And to this self-propelled mower-

You are like the beacon in the night guiding this drifting ship into the house where the A/C is on and the tea is cold and sweet.

I love you. Almost as much as my husband.

Works for Me Wednesday: Backwards Edition

Genius Shannon has come up with another brilliant idea- For this WFMW, we ask a question and the reader leaves tips in the comments.



Here is my latest dilemma-



What are some creative school lunches? My daughter does not like sandwiches and it is getting tougher and tougher to be creative and healthy. During the cooler months, I send soups and the like in a thermos.



Any other tips that do not require a thermos?



Visit Shannon for more WFMW!



More later on the suspenseful "guest." I promise! :>)

Update- Amber Alert

Alyssa Frank has been found safe. Praise God!

Please continue to pray as law enforcement searches for the suspect.

A little explanation is in order...

If I seem to be "out of sorts" or more weird than usual, or if you are wondering why my posts have been extraordinarily boring lately, it is because I am awaiting the arrival of a very special guest, so to speak. (No, I am not expecting a baby!)



One could say I have been a bit preoccupied with things like house cleaning and grocery shopping.



And let me tell you that I do not occupy myself with those things very often.



More later...



In the meantime, you have to read about Linda's celeb encounter. I tell ya, I am starting to think I should move to Muncie.

Car Seat Safety: Kyle David Miller Foundation

Most of you have probably seen the video warning parents about the dangers of some car seats for young children, urging the use of a 5 point harness.



Kyle's parents now have a foundation in honor of him, hoping to reach more parents and save children's lives.



Take a look at the great things being done.

Our hearts go out to the Miller family for their loss. Thank you for reaching out to others in the midst of your own tragedy.