ghost and goblins, oh my...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

May the ghoulies all be friendly!!

Tonight we loaded our cheerleader (and big sister) into the van and headed south to Mrs. Camillia's and Mr. Bill's house for Halloween fun!!

There was a bonfire for roasting hotdogs--and to sit around telling really scary stories; the scariest one being about the upcoming presidential election:( and of course, food galore. There was trick or treating (Mrs. C and Mr. B live out on several wooded acres so trick or treating stations were set up around the yard and in the woods.) After collecting all the goodies around the yard, we loaded up for a hay ride to do some more 't-n-ting' around the 2.5 mile loop of DARK country roads. (It was more members from the church that had set up along the road) I am sure, if any of the people were home in the few houses we passed, they were confused about the combination of Halloween ghost and goblins and the caroling of 'This Little Light of Mine." and 'Roll the Gospel Chariot Along' as the hay ride passed!

The kids had a great time and came home with some LOOT!!!!!

Now, what to do with all the candy!!! {There is a dentist in La Grange that is giving $5.00 to anyone who brings in his/her candy. Tempting. Very tempting:)}

***Emma went from wanting to be Marie Antoinette to a fairy to a cheerleader.

***Michaela was not allowed to go t~n~ting--we had decided last year was her last year to dress up. Somehow she still managed to bring home ALOT of candy????

j.o. lantern...in the making...

5 little pumpkins sitting on a gate.

The first one said, Oh my its getting late!"

The second one said, "There are witches in the air."

The third one said, "But we don't care."

The fourth one said, "Let's run, let's run!

The fifth one said, "Isn't Halloween fun?"

Then WOOOOOOO went the wind

and OUT went the lights.

and 5 little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

Emma's masterpiece in the making

the planning

the blueprint for carving

scooping out the goo

making the cuts...

Michaela's masterpiece in progress...

scooping...

cutting...with some helpmore cutting...the finished masterpieces!!!

God's beauty unfolds...

Have a glorious Wednesday

the things nightmares are made of...

Before I begin this post, there are two things you should know about me. The first is that I like antiques. Especially items that have history in our family. One's with meaning for my husband or myself. The second thing you should know is that I am EXTREMELY afraid/petrified of mice. Not just, "Oh, there's a mouse!" Heart pumping, body shaking fear!!! They are not more afraid of me than I am of them. It is not possible!!!!

Okay, with that being said...
A few years ago, before Emma was part of our family, Steve, Michaela, and I went down to Steve's grandfather's land in Sunnybrook, Ky. Steve showed us around the house (that should really be demolished), the outhouse in the backyard (UGH!!!), and around some of the acreage. We also explored the attic of the house and found a small table and a pottery jug. Steve was excited to be able to have a part of his family history.

The table was refinished. The jug was put in the garage to be cleaned out. We left for England and were gone for three years. The jug was left in the garage. Since returning to Kentucky, we have been very busy getting things back in order--cleaning, painting, etc... One of the projects Michaela volunteered to do was to clean out the jug. She took it to the backyard, put some dish detergent in it, and began spraying water into it. I went back to check on her progress. There were suds and lint everywhere. Michaela wanted to go sand a project in the garage so I took over spraying the inside of the jug. As I continued to spray, I began really looking at the enormous amount of dust and lint coming out of the jug. I realize it had been in the garage for many years, but the amount of stuff coming out was extraordinary. I bent down to get a closer look and was fairly certain that what I thought was lint and dust was actually MOUSE HAIR!!! I sprayed one more time and out pops a mouse carcass!!! Did I mention I am petrified of mice. Even dead mice give me the heebie geebies. I had been cleaning out TONS AND TONS of mouse hair. I threw the hose down. Ran into the garage and told Michaela to go wash her hands. ALOT. I immediately went and stood in the shower for 45 minutes with the water as hot as I could stand it. I am not sure I feel clean yet!!!

Steve took the jug to the back and dumped it out. He would not tell me what he found, but it was 'quite a few' skeletons. ( I later saw in the fence row that 'quite a few' was actually more than a dozen.) Lots and lots of mice in the garage. In the jug. It makes me ill. I shiver just thinking about it.

What is even crazier than dozens of dead mouse carcasses in my garage is my husband thinking that the jug is coming into the house. I.DON'T.THINK.SO!!!!!!!!!

you know you have eaten too much when...

Having lived in England for over three years, there were many conveniences we were use to in the States that we missed greatly during our time there. Restaurants being at the top of the list--right after Target. Needless to say, since we have been back, we have made up for lost 'dining' time. Olive Garden, Skyline, Don Pablos, among sooooo many others have seen our smiling faces--and widening bums:)--on many, many occasions.

As I cleaned up the containers from dinner tonight, (We worked outside until 8:00pm--much too late to cook. Really) I began thinking about how I have not cooked one meal, no not one, since Stephen came back into town. {If truth be told, probably since the girls and I came back!} That is B.A.D. Most children think it is a treat to go out to a restaurant. My children would LOVE to stay home and have a home cooked meal!

So, how do you know that you have eaten out for over 30 days?

1.If you were brave enough to add up all the restaurant charges on your bank statement, you would be fairly certain it would be AT LEAST one month's mortgage payment.

2. When you look in the mirror you see the beginnings of a layer of winter warmth--and you are NOT a polar bear.

3.You are fairly certain that if you had liposuction (which has crossed your mind, but you were crazy enough to watch the procedure done on a documentary and there is NO way you would go through that) dark, carbonated beverage would come out of your thighs and buttocks.

4. Your sweatpants have become your favorite clothes.

5. Your 'unmentionables' are beginning to fit like thongs!

So if you come looking for me and I don't answer I am probably:

1. At the grocery store shopping for nutritious food. Novel idea!

2.
Downstairs on the treadmill. Yes, with it turned on. Did you know just having it in the house doesn't help take off pounds??? You have to get on it and run!!! Who knew?

3.

Spending time with my friend, Kathy. UGH!!!! With friends like her, who needs enemies!!!

4.

JUST SAYING "NO!!!!"

5.
Dusting off the stove. Washing out the pots. Cooking!!!!


Okay, I have said it outloud (sort of). It is out there in blogger world. I am accountable!!!

Repeat after me...

You can do it! You can kick the restaurant habit. You are stronger than your desire to have someone else cook your food!!!

Do you think there is a 'I hate to cook so I eat out too much' Anonymous??

what not to wear police beware...

This is what an outfit looks like when you let your 5 year old choose it for herself!!!!

No, not really!

Last week was RED RIBBON DAY--saying "NO" to drugs.

Friday was "Drugs and I don't match!"thus the mismatched outfit.

Sadly, we went out to eat and shopping after school-with her STILL in this outfit. We got a few looks. Maybe a sign stating "We don't normally dress like this." should have been put around her neck:)

drip. drip. drip...

drip. drip. drip
Mmmm!! the sound of fresh brewed coffee dripping through the percolator.
Oh wait, I don't drink coffee. That can't be it.

drip. drip. drip
Ahhhhh, the soothing sounds of a relaxing water feature.
No, that's not it either.

drip.drip.drip
I know!! I know!! Pick me!!! That is the sound of the first rainy day in weeks and an unfinished roofing job!!!

That is NOT a good sound.

We woke up this morning to the sounds of rain pelting the roof. Normally, this would be a soothing, welcome sound. I say 'normally' because we are in what was to be the final day of the roof repair from the storm damage. The front of the house and the garage have NO shingles. So, along with the soothing sounds of the rain outside, came the drip, drip, drip of water coming through the light fixture in Emma's room---onto the BRAND. NEW. CARPET.

But with each trial lessons can be learned. Right? In order to grow, we need to see past the negative and search for the positive.{she says through clenched teeth:)}

So what did I learn from this...

1. Longaberger baskets make great buckets. WHAT!!!!!
***Obviously a husband's choice. His response when I said, "Your using my basket to collect rain water? (You add the infliction in my voice that you imagine I used) "It has a protector." Oh, okay. Silly me.

2. Roofers get here pretty fast when you call and say water is coming into your house--and they are liable for the damage!!!

3. I am glad I am not a roofer--because as I sit in my dry kitchen drinking a Dr. Pepper, Dave and his wife are on the roof, in the pouring rain, trying to re-felt the areas that are leaking.

4. That no matter where we live, how together we think we are finally getting, Murphy's Law will always prevail in our lives!!! And it makes us stronger. Right? Builds character. So I hear!!

Have a great Friday!!!

too much information...

I have always had a fascination with the origins of colloquialism in our language. While living in England, we were able to learn the histories of many familiar phrases while we toured various historical sites. It is amazing to hear words and phrases that were 'created' hundreds of years ago in England, still being used today--in the States in 2008! {Yes Rebecca, I know the English developed the language! Yet you MUST remember, we Americans perfected it:):)}

Along with the origins of colloquialisms, I also have enjoyed researching the history of customs--driving on the left hand side of the road, Mufti Day, holiday traditions, etc. Knowing my interest, Michaela shares any tidbits she learns in her classes with me. Her Social Studies class is studying Mesopotamian history this quarter, so she has had some interesting topics of discussion-- Hammurabi's law being the most recent. I have been learning a lot about early civilization! More than I would like at times!!!
So when she came home and asked if I knew why we shake hands with our right hands, I was curious. Maybe that is why "curiosity killed the cat"!
She proceeded to tell me that we shake hands with our right hands because in Mesopotamian times, individuals used their left hands as 'toilet paper' thus making it unclean.(Ya' think!) Eating and greeting one another with a hand shake had to be done with the right hand--the 'clean' hand.

Sometimes knowledge is not power. Sometimes knowledge just gives you bad images. This is certainly not the visual I need every time I shake someone's hand.

a life lesson...

He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:2-4

This evening during the invitation at Bible study, Emma was acting up--wiggling, squirming; being a regular booger. After the prayer, I looked at her and told her I was very disappointed in her behavior and that God was very sad because she disobeyed her parents and she was disruptive to others. I told her she needed to tell God she was sorry for her behavior. Of course this broke her heart and the tears began to flow. In that moment, the lesson I was trying to teach to my child became a lesson for ME.

Emma was sincerely upset that her behavior was disappointing. No act of discipline would have had a greater impact on her little heart. When do we lose that deep emotional reaction to our disobedience? When does the genuine remorse for disobeying our heavenly Father become numb in us? How do we remain as 'little children"?

I pray Lord, that I can take the lesson that Emma taught me tonight and feel deep remorse when I have sinned. I pray that I am genuinely pained knowing I have disappointed you. I pray for my heart to be as pure as my child's. I thank you for the lesson I thought I was teaching, but I was actually learning.

..farm livin's the life for me...

There was a gentle breeze. The temperature was a mild 68. The sky was bright blue. It was a glorious day to visit Farm Haven for an afternoon of getting 'lost' in a 5 acre corn maze, taking a hay ride around the 300 acre cattle farm, saddling up for a ride on Brownie, enjoying a drive in a 1926??? Model T (the first car of one of the previous Ferguson generations!), and of course, picking out the perfect pumpkins!!!!!!

back again...

Well, Steve worked on the blog and finally got it back to the 3 column and I added my widgets back onto the side columns. ERRRR Frustrating!!!!

I just wanted to check in and let you know I have not given up posting. I will be back in full force tomorrow! Now I am off to do my Bible lesson and go to sleep.

Bye for now:)

isn't this pretty...

I went to do one thing and the template change and I lost all of the widgets I had on my sides. I am not pleased right now!!!!! I will fix it as soon as I have the patience!!

overqualified...

As I drove home from church services Sunday evening, I noticed a large sign on a warehouse off of 75. I am not sure if it is a new company or if it has always been there and I have just not noticed. Anyhoo, they are hiring for seasonal work. I told Steve about it. I figured it would at least bring in some income until he gets a 'real job'--so our savings does not have to be whittled away. He went in today for an interview and was told ...he was overqualified. WHAT?????? You have a responsible family man willing to work for you and because he has some schooling and work experience, he is overqualified. I don't get it.

Of course God knows how to get our attention and remind us who is in charge ( a frying pan across the head moment as my dear friend Holly says.) About 10 minutes into MY wallowing in self-pity and ranting about the stupidity of that line of thinking, our phone rings. On the other end is a representative from Orion International. This is a company (basically headhunters) that work with corporations across the US and with former military personnel to match jobs and place them. Steve has been in contact with them for a few weeks. They called to tell him they reall want him at the hiring conference so they are paying for him to go to the hiring convention in Chicago this weekend--travel expenses and room and board. So, as I have thanked God for opening a door for financial stability in our future and for the reminder that I do not have the control (as much as I would like to think I do), I ask for your prayers as Steve heads up to Chicago and for a company--or two or three:)--to want to hire him. ..but not in Indiana, Texas, Arizona, New England... I know, I know God knows what is best. I pray for the wisdom to see God's desire for us and not what I think is best.

just because...

sometimes you have to post

about the u*g*l*y

As much as I would like to always write about the fantastic, happy times of life, there comes a time when the sad, depressing topics must be discussed. Tonight is one of those nights:(

ALABAMA beat KENTUCKY!

We here in Kentucky are grieving.

**Not really--I just wanted to be able to post about the Crimson Tide and put Auburn colors!

I just wish I could be in Muscle Shoals when Lindsey reads this!--Love ya'