Daddy and Daughter

My parents found an older monitor that they let me have---
So,today-- I have been looking back at all the pictures I took
recently to see if they look better-
- when they aren't yellow!
I thought this was a super cute picture of Jessica and Daddy!

Tri-fold brochure

Coming soon
a Tri-fold brochure
all about
my Dear Son, Shane!

• Please, do give commands without~saying please at the end
  
• {Shane hang up your coat on the hook}
  
• Let him know what you want him to do, not what you don't
• {Only use the crayons on the paper}
  
• Please, respect his comments
• {That boy, isn't sharing and he should it's in the Bible, "Yes, sharing is important, let's talk about sharing!"}
  
• Notice his feelings and help him name them
• {I see by your face you are angry can you use your words and tell me why?}
  
• Be willing to just let him, not join the current task
• Talk with him on his level, and soften your voice
• USE HUMOR
• Are your ears open? Can you show me how strong you are by stacking your chair?
  
• {Are you using your knees to listen or your elbows?}
  
• He does know right from wrong -- he will share if others are also sharing!
• Give him choices, so that he feels like he is in charge
• {Shane either you can sit and eat snack or stay on the floor}
  
• Warn him before...you switch tasks
• {In two minutes we will be at the circle for story time, Shane did you hear? Two minutes!}
  

This Sunday, when Daddy, dropped Shane in his classroom,
there was a new teacher--- who had not yet met Shane...

----- I love my son, and my church--and staff

I just get overwhelmed when I have to explain him ~ to others--

How do I condense 5 years of learning into a few moments of key information?

I guess that this will be a constant thing in our future, and that hurts my heart~
These things don't seem difficult to me, and they seem easy to implement.
I am always willing to come and get him out of class-- if he really is having a tough time--
-- I wonder am I asking to much?

ears on vacation,real live badgers, and Joy!

This Sunday, morning as I sit at the computer

• I hear the dishwasher washing
• the washing machine washing
• Jessica cleaning her room with music on
• This Week, on ABC on the TV
• I see my son kicking his feet against the chair while he uses the spoon as a shovel to get the Corn Flakes cereal in his mouth~

And I have to reflect that these moments create Joy for me...

However...
I think back to just last night when my dear son would not get his PJ's on and I had to go in his room, and help him remember what his task was--
I made him cry-(I had to pick him up out of his bed and help him to get his Pj's on --- he didn't want to be picked up or anything...)
-- and although that made me sad
I felt like he needed to release some emotion--and he did!
The aftermath was that after about 10minutes of tears and complaining-- Shane with my help got his PJ's on-- and then it was off to the bathroom to brush his teeth, Daddy was helpful to work with both of the kids with love care and attention to some details-- He forgot to remind Shane to get his fluoride. I had to step in and remind Shane to get his fluoride-- Jerry went in and gave Jessica kisses and hugs and then caught Shane up in his arms and deposited him on his bed... They spend another 12 minutes talking-- and Shane still had the whine in his voice...
-- Jerry came out and I walked in-- to see if I could talk with my son and convince him that he was wrong earlier...

Shane said "Mommy you broke my heart, you took the love right out of my heart when you weren't nice to me"
Mommy said "Well, I am sorry that you feel~like I broke your heart-- but you hurt my heart because you weren't listening--- "
Shane said "I didn't hear you say any of those things Mommy, and Daddy didn't say any either..."
Mommy continued, "I asked you to put on your PJ's and instead you were pretending to be in bed sleeping , when you were supposed to be putting on your PJ's"
Shane said "But, you never said Please, Mommy! "
Mommy said "Well, I did say PLEASE, maybe your ears were on vacation." "I am sorry, do you think you can forgive and pray with me?"
Much little boy laughter followed-- and I sat there looking at my dear son with the all love in my heart overflowing, in between laughs I asked if his heart was better now, and if he understood why I was mad-- he said " Yes, he understood, he promised to try not to get in trouble for 8 hours!"
About 15minutes later he came out of his room to show me the "real live badger" that was in his window! There wasn't any "real live badger"-- I looked--
I very calmly said, "Sleeping boys belong in bed, not looking out the windows at badgers-- or anything else.--- Besides, badgers don't have keys to the the door or the windows!

It just surprises me how often the little things are the things that matter to me, and to my kids~
I guess that just explains This blogs title, Not for Profit, but for Joy!

Memorial Day --

These aren't the BEST pictures, but I think they get the point across!

Way back when I was 20something, this is what I used to look like, --
WOW!

I may of been thin and kinda cute,
but most people could of won an argument with me !
Let's just say I thought, if you are nice to people,
they will be nice back...
I guess I still believe that, but I also know that~ God is in control
-- and that really calms my racing heart!
So, Maybe at this point you are asking yourself why..
.why is she showing us funky pictures of the past?
Well, I thought that I could honor Memorial Day in some way
-- that would have meaning and emotion for me
-- and so that is why I took these pictures of old snapshots of me--
I miss looking like I used to, but I am thankful for the fullness of my life now--
I am very happy that I am less flighty and annoying --than I used to be--
I think back about what was important,
way back then and all I can think of is the music we listened to =
Depeche Mode, The Cure,Def Leppard, Queen,Van Halen,
Duran,Duran,Richard Marx,Randy Travis,
The Nylons, Prince,Elvis, The Kingston Trio,---
I could go on--but I hope you get the drift!

Anyway, the past is the past--
but what I love is the current,
I am more confident, willing to be a listener as apposed to a talker{well, sometimes...}
I like that even though I have had broken hearts and hurt feelings,
all of that has just helped to mold me into who I am now.

Mother,wife,sister,daughter,friend -- Good things with AGE!

Anyway, I just wanted to take a moment
and remember the past-- and appreciate the Present!
I hope that you enjoy a Happy Memorial Day ---
May God bless all those who have passed in Service to our Country!

Criticism

Criticism leaves you with the flattering unction that you are a superior person. It is impossible to develop the characteristics of a saint and maintain a critical attitude.

Oswald Chambers~


I found this quote while reading Espresso for a Woman's Spirit by Pam Vredevelt

I had to go and look up the word unction --
I still don't ...completely get what Mr. Chambers is saying-- but it seems quite profound--

What do you think?
Leave me a comment! Thanks!

Snopes,and carrot rings...

I found out that if you use a veggie peeler like the one above, and you peel carrots-- then you roll the peeled carrots up and put them in an ice cube tray

After you freeze them for a while you get frozen carrot rings--- my son happens to think these are AWESOME--- they are very cold and they do get somewhat slimy while you eat them-- they also leave orange-colored carrot juice on the face...
but you child eats the carrots!
And really as long as they eat it--- That's the GOAL!

Well...
Can I just say that even when I think I'm alone -- I'm not?
The rain comes falling down, or the wind ruffles my hair--
or I smell the stink of my dear child's' fart! Gotta love 'em!

I shared information below that is NOT correct--
and so I just wanted to Thank ~Patty !!
for being my compass of reason and knowledge of Snopes!
For more information -- read her comment on the post below!

Bounce sheets

My Aunt Patsy, who is creative and impressive
{plus she raised 2 boys who are Good MEN, and she is Still Sane! }
sent this to me--via email... I thought it might be interesting to you also?


As a mail carrier tells it: the US Postal service sent out a message to all letter carriers to put a sheet of Bounce in their uniform pockets to keep yellow-jackets away. Use them all the time when playing baseball, soccer, when working outside. It really works. The yellow jackets just veer around you.
All this time you've just been putting Bounce in the dryer! It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them. It also repels mice.

• Put Bounce around foundation areas, or in trailers, or cars that are parked for a time. Will keep mice from getting in.
• Bounce takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.
• It repels mosquitoes! Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season.
• Eliminate static electricity from your television (or computer) screen.
• Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.
• Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.
• To freshen the air in your home - Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.
• Put a Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner.
• Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.
• Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of bounce inside empty luggage before storing.
• To freshen the air in your car - Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.
• Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food and the pan.
• Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.
• Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the loose hairs.
• Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.
• Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.
• Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.
  
• I wonder if putting a sheet of Bounce in the diaper bag might be a good idea?
  
• Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight.
• Golfers put a Bounce sheet in their back pocket to keep the bees away.
• Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. It will keep them smelling fresh.
  

Baptisms--

My nephew, who lives in California just got baptized this weekend, {yipppeeee!}
and although I'm not Catholic
I am proud from afar--
Can any of you who are Catholic... give me a short over view of the baptism?
Our family goes to a Four Square church, and we do baby dedications-- which are similar but less scripted.
Would the Priest of used verses from the bible just for Miles-- or are the same verses and blessings the same for all ?
Please comment and help me understand! Thanks!

more pictures~

Such smiling faces...~

Rosy cheeks~ sweet, sweet girls!

birthday party pictures!

The wind kicked up, and we had to try REALLY hard to keep the candle lite~

I love the smile that you see here... Honestly, this made my whole day!

Thanks, to Daddy and Krista who tried to block the wind and keep the candle alight!

Cute, messy Kelsey! sister to the cutie pie kids below!

Ethan and Savanah - brother and sister~

spiders and parties

Look Ma, I found some baby spiders~ aren't they cute?
Wow, that is a lot of baby spiders!

This weekend we finally celebrated Jessica's 7th birthday and
even though the weather was TOO HOT
It seemed that kids and adults all had a good-messy time! The kids played in the sand and water, ate carrot cupcakes with a little cream cheese frosting and tried to say Cool~
(this part of the fun was a little harder for me, I don't like my kids all sandy,wet and messy-- but I was practicing patience !)
The post to follow this one will just be pictures from the party~
Can I just complain..
.I tried to make the font smaller but...
the computer is NOT following directions! AGH!

Precious children

This is one of the first pictures that I have of Jessica, while we were in Portland, at Dornbecher's there was this Wonderful photographer who would take pictures of your child and leave them for you free of charge-- Awesome...

This is a picture of Jessica, during her time fighting E coli, the yellow strip is a balloon, that was the only thing that I could really let her play with~ Her body was so bloated from the toxins in her body. Do you know that even to this day they don't really treat E coli, they just let it run it's course and try to treat the complications that come with it?

This is a picture of this morning, Jessica in her new outfit,
Thanks to Uncle Pete, Aunt Sara and Baby Miles...--
I hope it looks cute, my monitor is going out so I can't tell if it's a good picture or not!

We are finally getting around to celebrating Jessica's birthday--
{because her birthday tends to be near Mother's Day, scheduling a gathering or party is tough~!)

I thought that I would post some pictures from the ...past
to show just how far we have come--
I had to take a picture of a picture,
so I hope you are able to see the image well enough--

My book is Here, My book is here!

I am so very Happy~
to report that
I am now the proud owner of
a book, signed by the Author!
I plan to read it and take it's message to heart,
then I plan to pass it along !

Family~

What is Family for?
How do we value it ?

I love my family~ Truly I do~ However~

May I just say that it is VERY tough to plan and
organize things when you can't get a majority of the people to agree!

ah, well... I plan to add some prayer to this issue and wait for the results!

Shane at the coat, it almost looks like he surfin' ?



Freckle face boy~



Jessica's beach front home away from home~



Can you say Well, Duh, Jessica!

Well, anyway it was a funny weird weekend!

Mother's Day Happiness!

I may be a weird mom, but my kids and husband think I'm just right for the job!

I am happy to be mom, happy to be married~
*I wish there was less of me to love, but then again-- my bigger body makes way for a bigger heart- and that makes the world JUST right!
* My list for the things I want -- is very odd--- but then most of me is -- odd and I don't mind a bit!
* someone else to wash my KIA, and clean it out
*someone else to clean-up after I make an AWESOME dinner--that everyone likes!
* a Kendall from amazon dot com--- it may have a price tag of almost $400.00-- but just think of the trees it will save
* a CD player for my KIA, and a cup holder that works on BIG cups--
*to go and buy another new bra, without anyone with me!
* some personal and emotional things that I am not ready to share.
* my kids to be AWESOME teenagers
* a maid that is willing to clean without judging -- and the money to pay her
* a personal trainer and the time to be whipped into shape--without worrying about where or who the kids are with
*my friends and family to know just how much I love and value them, even when we whine and complain to each other
* someone to fix my ugly foot so that I can once again wear shoes that show my feet

* My kids give me Joy in the littlest of things,
Jessica washing her OWN hair, Shane going out of his way to share his snack with Grandpa,
Jerry for saving the pickled pigs feet to eat when I am not Around!
Jerry may not officially be one of my kids,
but I know that even his own Mother.... thinks he is ODD!
he did eat a nutria-- that says a lot about the man I married...

* I am happy when they eat their dinners, and then say 10 thumbs up-- or more !
*I am happy when they let me finish at least one cup of coffee, without spilling !
*I am proud that I have beautiful family that I value above all else---

I am Thank full to God, for making it all possible!

Happy Mother's Day~

Now, if I can just get my husband to read and
commit all my wishes to his To-Do list--- Yeah right!

Recently, someone I talked with said that instead of writing
a to-do list she now writes a done list...
Can you imagine? Oh, the Joy of ...getting things done!
As my dear Grandmother Moore used to say, Think Good Thoughts!~
(put a positive spin on it and the wash will get clean!)

Sleepers, and Computers

This computer is not being a good computer....
and so I might have to be away from the computer for a while...
Just today I ...ummm... killed one monitor---
and so we are using another monitor that is on it's last legs
.... so if I'm not posting for a while,
it's only because I am not able,
not because I don't have things to post about!

But here are my sleepy kiddo's ---
after we had been to church and then to Great Grand parent's house--- There is a HUGE yard to run and play in at Great Grandparents house...Blessed are the Little Sleepers!

What does the future hold? Prayer, lots of prayer!

My dear husband took the time this weekend to replace the brakes on all four wheels-- on my KIA-- We found out later, I really didn't need new brakes, but instead a slave cylinder -- That part we ordered and it took 2 days to get here...(I got to drive the big, beautiful, new, gas hog truck while we were waiting for the part to come in!)

Shane wanted to be just like Daddy---

I think he spent a good 10 minute under his, "truck" WOW!

This time of year is always full of unknowns for me-
My dear, Miss Jessica was born at 33 1/3 weeks the day before Mother's Day---back in 2001
Since her birthday and Mother's Day are on the same weekend, yet again,
I am just waiting to see if I will be okay... I know that she is healthy and happy-- except for her one kidney that is just a little smaller than the other, but still -- I worry-- and I remember--That she was only 3 pounds 4 ounces at birth, and that she had to be given CPR right after her 3minute emergency C-section. Ah, the roller coaster of Life and Kids !
anyway...
How do you explain to family members that just don't get it...???
Shane is very interested in the truth, and he doesn't do well with things that aren't real at the moment-- someone mentioned to him about something that they had, and that they wanted to show him, the next time he came to visit---= All Shane heard was that this thing was available to see and visit and -- now he wants to know just when will we go and visit this thing...

I dropped off paperwork to enroll Shane into school at the Dr.'s office *pause*
I am very angry.... *pause*
They have had this paperwork for two days, and only after my phone call to them last night--
did I find out that the paperwork won't be ready till NOON today!!!!!! GEEEZZZZZZ it's only four pages total, and if they fill out one I can just copy the information to the other! AGHHH!!!!
I am having them fill out two sets of papers since I don't know which school he is going to -- that way I am prepared for both.

I guess I am expecting more
from others than they are capable of ?????
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pardon me while I brag for a moment----
Do you know about the Global Day of Prayer???
Our church is hosting one day (May 9th)
of the 10 days of prayer in our area,
and I am beyond excited!
If you want more information about
the Global Day of Prayer, go to www.onehopenetwork.org

The Tree,the new truck, and less hair!

Look how wide this tree is!

Just to show how huge this tree is/was!

Isn't it pretty? and shiny?


I drove it last night, and it was more fun than I ever thought possible! I think I have a new favorite thing!

I got my hair cut... kinda cute, don'tcha think?
The kids and Jerry got their hair cut also,
but I haven't had them stop playing/moving around yet to take their pictures!
Things are good here- WOW! How are things with you?

The Tree is down!

I don't know if you will be able to see, -- but there are two grown men on the flat-bed part of the crane,(standing up) and they are almost as tall as the stump is wide!
The neighborhood thinks that the tree was about 100 years old! -- I might just have to go over with my yard stick-- and see !

---I'll have pictures of our new truck to post -- later today if I get some time,
we even got rid of the camo truck! WOW!