cast on, cast off

I bet I lure a lot of knitters in with that title, huh?

Unfortunately, I'm not talking about knitting. I'm talking about arm casts. And Andrew's is about to come off - in a little less than a week.

This is particularly good, because it's beginning to look rather dingy. And I think he's weary of wearing a trash bag in the shower, and not being able to catch a baseball properly. It was nice of the doctor to provide a nice, blue cast that perfectly matches his baseball outfit, but I think we're both tired of it.

My real reason for mentioning any of this, of course, is to keep my word and spill the beans about what I wrote on his cast. None of you were brave enough to guess ... only brave enough to say "Gee, with your sense of humor, there's no tellin' what you wrote!" Ha! That made me laugh. Mostly because I realize you all thought I probably wrote something extremely funny or rude or embarrassing.

**Long pause

Ok, so maybe you were right with the rude part. I dunno what do you think? Is "Smooth move, ExLax!"  rude? 

**Longer pause

Yeah, you're probably right. But what I really wanted to write was "Roly Poly, Pell Mell, Tumble Bumble!"

Why? Because he looooooved that book when he was little. I'm positive I read it to him at least 3,486 times. And - since he truly did go roly poly, tumble, bumble, pell, mell down the hill, it seemed quite appropriate.

As did strawberry shortcake, rice pudding, and chocolate custard...........

Ahem!

However, when I told him I was going to write a portion of The Poky Little Puppy, he said, "Mom. That's too long. Ya' gotta save room for all my friends."

Psh!! Ok, fine. I see where I rank.

So the ExLax comment is what ya' get if you reject the cute comment. To sweeten things up, I did add "Love, Mom" and "Romans 8:28" to the signature.

See. I'm a great Mom.

Right? 

where i've been

*peeks around corner

Hello! So nice to see you again!!

Yes, I've been away, for a very long time. The good news is that I am not deceased. The bad news is that ... well, there is no bad news! I've been away from home for the last (almost) three weeks, taking care of my mom-in-law while my dad-in-law was out of town on business. And while it's been a little bit crazy, I am home safe and sound, and catching up on rest, laundry, cleaning, and getting to know Jessie again. :-) We plan to reacquaint ourselves this evening, while we watch American Idol and just ... veg.

My refrigerator is chalk full of science projects, but I'm not dealing with that until tomorrow. And yes, I said that yesterday.

Other than that, there isn't a whole lot going on, other than normal everyday life. Baseball season has started for both the Rockies and Andrew. I'm soooo excited!! I can't wait until it gets warm enough to go to a game and get toasty fried in the warm sun! And yes, I know all about skin cancer. I just happen to not care. I'd rather remedy my low vitamin D than worry about something that may never happen. But I am kidding about getting toasty fried. I know that's not a good thing.

I'm also in the midst of starting a blog for the ladies at our church. Unfortunately, it won't be something that non-members will have access to, so I won't be able to point you to it. But I at least had to share, because I'm so excited!!! It's an opportunity to write more, encourage more, and get to know others at my church more. Nothing better than that! I can't wait to see what kind of input and feedback the ladies will give.

Bedee, bedee, that's about it, folks! Oh! Forgot to tell you that Andrew broke him wrist while we were gone. He went on a three day youth retreat, and got into a tubing pile up. Ha! He said all of them were going down the hill, and all of a sudden, the tube flipped and all three of his buddies had landed on his arm while it was twisted behind his back. He said he went face first, with his cheek bouncing up and down on the ground all the way down. And then he said, "And Mom! Michael landed right ON my face. I mean, like, ON IT." Michael weighs about 220, so ... ahem ... I can't imagine that was too pleasant, and it made me wonder how his nose didn't end up getting broken also. ;-)

So, he's in a cast for four weeks, and a splint for two. Baseball practice started the night he got the cast on, of course. Thankfully, it's just the start of the practice season, and he should be good to go as soon as the games start up. And thankfully, it wasn't his pitching arm. Thank you, Lord!

Thanks for stopping in again, assuming I'm not talking to thin air. I'm sure I've lost most of my readers by now. If you did stop in, leave me a little comment and let me know if you have any guesses as to what I said when I signed Andrew's cast (I'll reveal the answer in the next post).

Any guesses?

Anyone?





Anyone???

happy vday and a guest post

First of all, Happy Valentine's Day!!  I hope your day is filled with pink and red candy, kisses, and hugs. I'm personally spending my day at the orthodontist to get braces on (I know ... how hopelessly romantic!). 

But don't be too quick to judge. I've already been romanced with a movie and dinner, and a whole weekend of Shaun and me time. So trust me, I'm content. ;) 

For those of you celebrating today, I invite you to read my guest post over at Scribing the Journey (click on the link below). It's all about kisses ... both chocolate and real. And, if you've forgotten VDay, it'll give you a few ideas on how to get up from the computer immediately (!!!!!) and begin putting something together for your lover. 

Hugs and kisses to you all!! 

Okay ... maybe just hugs. 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Guest Post: 


Dear men reading this, 

Valentine’s Day is today. You’re welcome for the reminder.

Dear women reading this, 

Valentine’s Day is today. You really should make your lover something good to eat.

Don’t have a clue what to bake? Fear not! I am here to give you a little hint. Continue Reading

under construction

*Please excuse my mess. This site is currently under construction - obviously! In the meantime, feel free to browse, as posts should continue to be readable.

Thank you for your patience!

must share photos

A few weeks ago, our car was in getting repaired (again!), due to an accident. They rented us a fancy smancy van for a few days, so we decided to take it for a spin. It even had a DVD player in it! :)

These are a few pics that I took along the way. The calf ones are just so sweet. So glad I happened upon them, at what must have been literally three or four minutes after the birth.

A lake we passed: 

I know. The view is just horrible!!! :)

The calf, gettin' a moppin' from his mama.

She would lick him so hard he couldn't stand up. But he was pretty determined!

She didn't appreciate my presence.

There was a pic before this, but it wouldn't load. He finally got up on all fours. And then fell flat on his face. Poor baby!!

Mama looks a little disappointed. I thought he did great for the first time. ;)

I've named the calf Rupert. A fine name for such a lad, don't you think? 

daybook entry

For Today... Feb. 2, 2011

Outside my window... Sunny skies, but bitterly cold. Rumor has it that the temps will be around -20 today.

I am thinking...of my to do list. It's very long.

I am thankful for... family and friends, and second chances.

I am wearing... my jammies.

I am remembering... my mom-in-law, who is going through a pretty tough time of health issues.

I am going... to get braces on my teeth on Valentines Day. What a way to celebrate! ;)

I am currently reading... City on a Hill, by Philip Graham Ryken

I am hoping... that when I dye my gray hair for the first time, it doesn't turn out purple. Or green. Dark brown with a bit of a red tint would be best!

On my mind... Whether or not Ashlee and Daniel's offer on their house will go through.

Noticing that... Everyone complains about the weather, whether it's hot, cold, in between, wet, or dry. I think we always want what we can't have.

From the kitchen... Not a whole lot going on there. I made chocolate, chocolate chip muffins on Monday though! That's gotta count for something, right?

Around the house... It's a little cluttered, but mostly clean, if that makes sense.

One of my favorite things ~ Just hand me a book, a fireplace, and a cup of hot chocolate. I'll be fine.

From my picture journal...  My Christmas gift from Jessie. I can't wait to start reading it. And yes, I am a "Dubya" fan. Did you know that Mr. President is short?! I had no idea! They always make him look so tall and authoritative on tv. But seriously ... I hear he's only about 5'6" tall.

But I still like him .... :)

**** Update! I have been misinformed! Apparently, "Dubya" is a hefty 5'11"! At least according to all of the internet searching I did. And everything on the internet is absolute truth ..... right? 

I feel so much better now that I can go back to the mental image of what I thought Mr. President would look like in real life. Maybe one of these days, I'll find out for myself. Sigh ...

Like this post? Hop on over to Simple Woman's Daybook, and write up your own entry!

joy in january

When I looked out my dining room window to the north this morning, you know what caught my eye? 

Brown. 

That's it! Brown fences, brown lawns, brown, leafless trees, and mostly brown houses. Even my dog was brown. A droopy, dirty American flag swaying in the wind three houses down seemed to be the only color filling the scenery.

The sky was not brown, but it was gray, and the streets were empty and lifeless ... a mirror reflection of my soul.

For me, it's easy to approach January as "the dead month." Not only does all of creation seem to be dead, but the hype of Christmas has passed, year-end sales are but a memory, and life takes on a routine, mundane feeling. It all leaves me wondering, does Joy in January even exist?

It does, of course. And Ruth Harms Calkins sums up the root of the problem beautifully in her poem simply titled January:

It's January, Lord –

the drab, dreary middle –

and my thoughts

are as drab as the miserable month. 

Does everybody hit a January slump,

 or am I the only one?...

The first week wasn't too bad;

there were Christmas thank-yous to write...

a few resolutions to store away...

the huddle of year-end sales. 

But thank-you notes bring no returns,

and resolutions are quickly broken,

and marked-down trinkets fast lose appeal. 

When you said, "Behold, I make all things new,"

did you forget January, Lord? 

Or, in January, do I sometimes forget you?

I was seriously diggin' this poem, right up until that last line! You see, nothing has changed since Christmas ... except for my focus. 

Jesus is still the light of my salvation ... but I forgot. 

He is with me in times of trouble ... but I forgot. 

He will hear me in my time of need if I will humble myself and call on Him ... but I forgot. 

He has been and continues to be my help ... but I forgot. 

Will you come along side me and resolve to remember the Lord's promises through the month of January? 

Let's remember that He has always been and always will remain faithful. Let's remember His kindness toward us. Let's refuse to give in to our bleak, midwinter feelings, and simply remember Jesus and all He has accomplished, is accomplishing, and will accomplish for us. 

Has His mercy ceased forever?
         Has His promise failed forevermore?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
         Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?  Selah 
 And I said, “This is my anguish;
         But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
I will remember the works of the LORD;
         Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
I will also meditate on all Your work,
         And talk of Your deeds.
Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary;
         Who is so great a God as our God?

~Psalm 77:8-13 (emphasis mine)