Well, we were busy. Everything went smoothly. We saw most everyone and had a nice Christmas.

Christmas day was the busiest. We got up and opened stocking stuffers, but didn't have time for other gifts, because I had to be at church early to practice with the bell choir. We played three pieces Christmas morning. And for only three practices we did fairly well.

We didn't get to finish up our gift opening until after dinner. Our daughter took the longest to get her things unwrapped. Being only 1, she got distracted a lot. I think it was Wednesday before her last gift was opened and even then, I opened it.

Off to our first Christmas dinner. We are going to my husband's dad's house for dinner and gift exchange. Then to church for the Christmas Eve serivce, where we, the choir, will be performing "One Incredible Moment," this year's Christmas cantata.

Tomorrow is our little family's Christmas and present opening, then church, than Christmas with my parents and sister at our house, than Christmas dinner at my cousin's, than back to our house to finish up with my parents.

Then on Monday we are off to my husband's mother's house for Christmas with them.

Yes, a busy weekend. But we decided one family a day. We didn't get to my husband's family Christmas dinner. We just couldn't do two in one evening. It will be their turn next year. We also should see my husband's mother on Christmas day next year. They rarely see us on the actual holiday.

We are finished decorating. It was hard this year. My husband was not into it like past years. His grandfather's death is weighing on him.

Our daughter helped in the decorating. She put up a few ornaments, with mama and daddy helping. Though, she did get one on the tree all by herself. She has also helped in the undecorating, though she is unaware that doesn't happen for a while yet. She is all too glad to move things and rearrange them.

We are also a little behind on the present wrapping. In fact, I think none are wrapped. I'll get to it sometime, I suppose.

Last night was the final rehearsal for our Christmas Cantata. I very much enjoy singing in choir.

Another favorite Christmas song of mine is "One Quiet Moment," by Glad.

It talks about a woman and man, who accept their part in God's plan. It talks of the joy and pain of their lives.

"He almost had left her, but then chose to remain
Close by the woman he had not even kissed
Who would bear him a son that would never be his."

"And some days the fingers that had fashioned the stars
Would reach out to hold them when the walk was too far."

"They wrestled with knowing that his life would bring change
Their friends would grow distant and shun them as strange."

"Their baby was destined to die for the world."

In one quiet moment, how do I choose to be part of God's plan?

One of my favorite Christmas songs is "Mary, Did You Know?" by Mark Lowry. As an aside, I find it quite interesting that he wrote this song, since he is a comedian. The song is rather reflective and contemplative.

I can not even imagine what Mary went through. Not as a pregnant women, who must tell her betrothed of this impending birth and convince him that it is a miracle and not unfaithfulness. Not as a very expectant mother traveling on a donkey to an unfamiliar place with her husband, the only person she knows. Not as a new mother holding her baby, who is God. Not as a young mother teaching her son about a world he made. Not as a mother witnessing the miracles her son is doing. Not as a grieving mother holding the body of her son, who has now delivered her.

Mary, the favored one of God. Did you know?

We got our tree up. No lights or ornaments yet, though. We have it on a platform, because my husband has his lego trains. Last year we set up our little lego town, but our daughter is not ready for that yet. So, it's just the train this year.

She will be getting a legos quattro bucket for Christmas. They are four times as big a regular legos. We have to start her early.

Today my husband was up at 3:00 to take his aunt and uncle to the airport. The weather wasn't the best, so they were allocating plenty of time. As it turns out, the roads were fine and they made it in plenty of time.

My husband was able to come back home before leaving for work. The past week and a half have been quite draining for him emotionally. This Christmas will be different for him.

The service was very nice. We sang songs, which was a joy for his grandfather. Several people shared touching memories of how his life met theirs. Two of his children shared their love for their father through childhood stories and lessons learned. We heard stories about his grandfather we did not know. We saw a video of his grandfather talking about his time in the navy during WW II. It was good to "see" him again and here him tell some of his experiences. My own grandfather was in the war, but he could not talk about.

It was a hard day. My eyes where filled many times. Touching moments were when taps was played, his flag was folded, and then family members could put flowers on his casket.

It was also a very cold day. The temperature was near its lowest that week. We had to dress warmly for the interment. The cemetery had metal chairs, but they had covers on them (which was somewhat amusing to see.) We also had to be careful walking through the packed snow.

But hearts were warmed by the generosity of church members and family that helped with the busy work. My husband's mother was very helpful in watching our daughter, so that we could give full attention to the service. She also gave of herself to help my husband's family.

We got our Christmas tree today. We'd like to set it up soon, but probably won't get to it for a little while. Christmas decorating is on hold.

The service for my husband's grandfather is this Wednesday. I am making cookies for the meal afterwards. My husband's aunt and uncle are flying in and his cousins are driving up on Tuesday. They all live in South Carolina.

It is nice ot see his southern family, but we would prefer other circumstances.

My husband's grandfather died today. It was sudden. And although there is sadness, there is no despair. We know where he is. He has met his Lord Jesus, and is having a great time. Kicking up gold dust, as the pastor says.

I used my stand mixer tonight to make mashed potatoes. What fine mashed potatoes they were, too.

Using whole milk instead of skim doesn't hurt, either.

Stand mixer.

That's all I have to say.

My husband and I drove to dog and bird sit while my best friend was at her grandmother's funeral. We were driving along in our automobile obviously not paying attention to what exit we were suppose to take. About thirty miles down the road, we realized we had made a mistake. So, off we went across Delaware to get back on track. We took at least an extra half hour on that trip.

Kashi was very glad to see us, though. He is always glad to see us. He wags himself over sometimes.

The birdies . . . I don't know what they feel.

My friend did not have a very good visit. Her family does not appreciate her. They are really missing out.

She likes scrapple. She willingly puts it in her mouth. She likes it plain. No applebutter. She is offended by the presence of applebutter on her scrapple. The next plain piece she receives is scrutinized on both sides before being placed in her mouth.

She likes mashed potatoes. She willingly puts it in her mouth. She likes them untainted. She spits out the pea hidden in a spoonful of the fluffy pile. She scrutinizes the next spoonful searching for a hint of green before allowing it in her mouth.

I am writing of my daughter and dinnertime.

Another Thanksgiving with my father's family. There were 20 of us. The table has grown to accommodate us all. My daughter wanted mama or daddy at first, but by the end of the night she was tooling around not worried about the whereabouts of her parents.

My cousin's husband is a developer and recently bought some land with lake. He mentioned selling off some of it to specific people. Two being us. But sometimes you can't take him seriously. So, we won't hold our breath. Thought it would be great if he did offer us a parcel, not that we could afford it.

The dinner was wonderful, many yummy dishes. The stuffing was tasty, with almonds. My grandmother made her tangy cranberry holiday salad. My cousin made her apple and pumpkin pies. Everyone went on and on about my husband's pumpkin bread. They thought it delicious. He thought when he tried the first bite that it was a flop. I made sure everyone knew he made the goodies. He even got requests for the recipe. He spiced it up a bit. He likes to do that to recipes.

We went home with full bellies and happy hearts.

Preparations for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Thursday - bread. My husband made two loaves of delectable pumpkin bread, one of which we tested. I am making two loaves of white bread using my ever trusty bread machine.

Friday - pies. One apple, two pumpkin. And pie crust from Pillsbury, a great invention.

Saturday - turkey, stuffing, gravy. A turkey breast, boxed stuffing, homemade gravy.

A boat load of family for which I am thankful.

Yesterday, my family went for a little walk. Though, for our daughter, it could be a rather long walk. She likes to make it longer by stopping to discover whatever there is to discover - a small leaflet, a twig, a step to go up, a sound to which she must listen. Sometimes we end up carrying her. We let her discover some things.

We went to get our mail. In that 50 yard walk, we must have seen over 100 geese, comprising over 12 different gaggles.

Our walk went something like this: We'd hear them and look up pointing them out to our daughter. Keep walking. We'd hear them and look up pointing them out to our daughter. Keep walking. We'd hear them and look up pointing them out to our daughter. Keep walking. We'd hear them and look up pointing them out to our daughter. Sometimes several gaggles would fly by at once. And they all were flying in the same direction - west. We wondered about the direction, and I suggested maybe they needed to hook up with some other geese, before they headed south. I know when my aunt drives home, she goes west before turning south. As we neared our front door, some gaggles flew by without honking, and to my amazement we could hear their wings as they flapped. It was short whooshing sounds.

Creation never ceases to amaze me.

My daughter likes her pacifier. We are slowly trying to weaning her off of it. She still gets it at bedtime and cartime, but is without it most other times. Unless of course she's tired, then anything goes. (Not really but to keep our sanity, sometimes we would like "anything goes" to be true.)

We left the house today with a binkie, thinking there was not one in the car, but there was. My daughter will gladly suck on one while holding one. And then for variety, she'll switch, taking the one out and putting the other in. Well, today she had two with her. As I was driving, I heard a strange sucking sound coming from behind me. I look in my rearview mirror, and there she is - two binkies in her mouth. I was cracking up and wishing for a camera.

Back to food shopping, laundry, ironing, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom. All my main tasks for the week.

I have gotten quite good at removing stains. Mostly trial and error. I don't like the error part. Just this past week I successfully got an Italian olive oil stain out of a shirt that had been washed and dried twice. Secret: Dawn, it takes grease out of your way (overnight.) I still have a stain on my jeans that I am still working on. Three or four times now.

While I was away, my daughter learned to walk all on her own. I missed it. I'm sad about that. But what a precious sight she is. Toddling about. Still not completely sure on her feet. Her face and shins attest to that.

In fact the day after I got back, she fell on her face and got a nose bleed and some cuts on her nose. Looked like rudolph.

She is a smart cookie that girl. On Monday (I know exactly which day, because I have my meal planning chart to consult) we were eating scrapple. My husband likes apple butter on his meat and thought maybe our girl would to. She handed that piece right back to him. The next piece she was offered, apple butter free, she inspected carefully on both sides before putting in her mouth. She also had to inspect a spoonful of potatoes before eating it, when the previous bite had an offending pea.

She is quite a girl.

I guess you could say I am back into my Mommy role.

I missed my girl and husband very much when I was in Italy. Though I had a good time, it was hard to not be with them.

Rome was full of history, architecture, and columns. Florence had an art flare. Venice had water.

Rome - colosseum, Palatine Hill, the Forum, Pompeii, metro

Florence - art museum (David), duomo, many steps, bus

Venice - island tour, Doge's Palace, bridges, water bus

Does that sum it up? Not really, but can I say it all?

Ah yes, one more piece of advice about Italy. Beware of crossing streets in Rome. It could be hazardous to your health. Even our guide book warned us. You cannot assume "walk" signs will give you the right or way, you must walk out confidently, glaring at drivers. They will stop or at least swerve. Now Florence was much better with the right to walk when the walk signs were green. And Venice, well . . . remember, it's a carless city. Here you just need to remember to cross a canal where there are bridges, and you'll be fine.

We put in a lot of walking today. We did a 2 hour walking tour in about 7 hours. Maybe a little less. But we saw lots of fun things. We were walking down the via (road) and there it was - a really cool building, columns and all. We saw the Pantheon. I don't remember all the scenes in the movie "Roman Holiday" with Audrey Hepburn, but I think we may have seen at least one today.

We also dawdled at one of the piazzas (squares) where many vendors sat with their wares. We ate dinner at a ristorante on one side of the piazza. Oh yeah, guess what I got? Nope. Nope. No. I'll tell you. A tattoo.

It's a henna tattoo and will last 20-25 days. It is the Chinese symbol for patience, and it's on the base of my neck. My friend got a groovy design around her wrist.

Can I just say we did an awful lot of walking today? A whole lot. Tomorrow is The Vatican Museum and the Catacombs. Then Wednesday, it's off to Florence.

I would like to wash my pants. We have not investigated any laundry facilities, and my pants selection grows dirty. We may have to wait until Florence, where if I read correctly our hotel has a laundry service.

I vowed to be in bed before midnight, so I am off to bed. Bellanotte.

We are here, my best friend and I. Rome is not what I expected, but still a nice city. For a review of our first day in Rome go to www.merelymusing.com My friend has given quite a good rendition of the oh-so-fun day.

And she did write about today too.

I enjoyed my pizza today. In fact I want to get more, it was so tasty. The crust was crisp. The sauce and cheese was hmm-hmm good.

Tonight we will be playing games until we fall over asleep. She brought with us Rummikub, Scrabble, Skip-bo, Quiddler, Uno, Phase Ten, Phase Ten Dice, and a deck of cards. She would like to play several rounds of all games. I hope she doesn't think that is happening tonight.

For the rest of our stay we are planning to visit the Catacombs, St. Peter's Basillica, The Vatican Museum, Trevi fountain, and Pompeii. She has other fountains and sights in mind, but I am not sure we will get to them.

Much better second day.

We fly to Italy today! We leave in a half hour for the airport. It was hard to leave my husband and daughter yesterday to take the train to my friend's house. I cried at the train station. I cried last night. I cried Tuesday night putting my daughter to bed. I cried this morning. I'll cry or get teary eyed every time I think of them. I love them and miss them dearly.

This weekend was very nice. I saw my friends from college, we bought pumpkins, and went to the cabin. They day on Saturday was beautiful, with blue skies, a fall breeze. Autumn is in the air. I also had a surprise visit from my very good friend. She also changed my girl's stinky diaper. Anyone who is willing to do that is okay in my book.

We relaxed at the cabin. We had a fire. I needed to relocate three spider egg sacks, because mama spider thought the fireplace was a good spot for them. I used a leaf blower for the first time, and let me tell you, I could do it again. It was quite fun to watch those leaves blow around. My daughter rode on my back and helped sweep leaves off the porch and gather firewood. I think next time we go to the cabin, she should be able to explore on her own. She is nearly walking all be herself.

After church on Sunday, we headed to the apple orchard and bought cider, apple cider doughnuts, and eating and baking apples. Everything was delicious - we of course had a doughnut in the car and drank some cider with lunch.

My husband took off this morning, so we could stay over last night. I also had us pose for our picture on the rock. I think we be doing that yearly. I always enjoy staying at the cabin. Such great memories.

Today my girl and I went for a walk. She is still learning to walk on her own. She does rather well holding on to something and can go 5 feet or so all by herself. This afternoon she used her walker - a toy she can push while walking. It also has a place to put things.

On our walk she found some leaves and a stick. The stick came home with us, though she discarded once at our front door. She did very well with her walking. The only times being carried were across a drive isle and when she insisted on going up someone else's steps. She has learned to steer her walker, so when she ran into the grass, she was usually able to get back on the sidewalk.

The walk around our court, which would take a me about 10 minutes, took my daughter and me 45 minutes. She walks slow, finds distractions, and does not walk in a straight line.
But we had a good time, mother and daughter.

Thank you God for another day. Thank you Lord for the lessons I learn. May I apply them to my life. May I be a disciple who makes welcoming others, the common mission of Christians, mercy, and Christ's call my priorities. *See Luke 9:46-62* May I not listen to my pastor's sermon and go away the same person I was. I need to change.

Do I practice what I believe? Do I see people the way God does? Not always. Am I getting better at following Christ? Am I maturing as a Christian? Sometimes I think so, and sometimes I feel like a dismal failure.

Satan tells me lies. God shows me truth. Satan shows me failures. God shows me blessings. Satan beats me up. God drenches me in grace and mercy. Satan leads me to sin's door. God leads me to Christ. Satan hates. God loves.

I choose God. Who do you choose?

We are finally getting the rain we have needed for awhile. And since it has been so long, we are getting quite a bit. So far, it's been raining for over 24 hours. It is a bit wet out.

It also has messed up the plans my family had for today. We were going to go to Merrymead, a local dairy farm, to pick out pumpkins, get lost in the corn maze, maybe get ice cream. Do the fall fest things. But it is a soggy boggy day, so we are staying home. Next week we have a full weekend planned. First, Friday night is dinner with friends we haven't seen in over three months, then Saturday morning driving to Messiah College for Homecoming to see friends we haven't seen in a year, then driving to my grandparents' cabin in the Poconos to hopefully see some fall foliage and relax. My husband may take off work Monday morning, so we can stay over two nights. I love staying at the cabin (see my first entry.)

We finally made it to the beach by 1:00 pm on Saturday. My husband finished working around 8:00 am and we were on the road several hours later. I drove, he slept. Not that I got much sleep that night either. I found things that "needed" to be done. Like rearranging my jewelry box, from when our wonderfully behaved cat knocked it off my dresser. I also thought it the perfect time to put the new pulls on our ceiling fan chains, or at least try to. I wasn't successful.

All this after I told my friend I couldn't play scrabble anymore and needed to go to bed. It was a beautiful weekend. Sun shiny days. There was also a nice breeze blowing in from the ocean. The water temp. was 78 degrees. 78 feels colder than it is when you first stick your toes in. It warms up as you stand around introducing your daughter to the ocean. She liked it. She wasn't overjoyed, but she also wasn’t clinging to my neck in terror, either. We also sat her in the surf, to which she didn't object. She did enjoy playing in the sand. We foolishly sat her in the sand to play while her little bottom was still rather wet. You can imagine how covered in sand her little bottom half was. Added to that, is the cute little cover-up she had on that was also wet and then drug through the sand in the efforts of playing.

Once dried, the cover-up and her bottom-half lost some sand. But alas, my child felt the need to coat her insides with sand as she did her outside. We gave her some crackers, but some fell in the sand. So we put them in her bucket to throw out when we reached the trash can. However, while we were packing up, she found them and started munching. Apparently, the grit did not bother her. We enjoyed our walks on the board walk as well. Mack and Mango pizza, savory loop fries, would be fresh squeezed lemonade, gourmet coffee, fresh roasted peanuts, chocolate covered chocolate chip cookie dough. Not all eaten on the same visit. We also found this nifty store where all merchandise changes color in the sunlight. We made a few purchases.

But alas our time was over and we headed home. The drive is not too long, just 1 hour and 40 minutes. We listened to our book on tape that we hadn’t finished from our trip south. Unfortunately it was an abridgment of Tom Clancy’s The Teeth of the Tiger. By the end, we could tell a lot was missing. I actually went looking for more CDs. It seemed like there should have been more.

It was a dark and stormy night . . .

Well, maybe not stormy, but it is dark. It is actually tomorrow, since the hand went past the 12. I got home from a Phillies game (our last one at the ballpark for this season, the Phillies won 12-5) shortly before the clock struck 12, but since my friend talks about not playing enough scrabble, I thought I could play some games with her instead of going to sleep and instead of packing. (I am in the process of winning two out of three games.)

Ah yes, and my husband . . . where is he you might ask? He has a project due on Monday and needs to get it done before we leave. So, presently he is at work. I dropped him off there after the game. He will be there overnight.

We each won two games of scrabble. I am going to bed. I still don't think we ever discussed Hu being a shortened name for Hugh. It was Stu.

We are home from our jaunt down south and are loving our own house and our own bed.

Though, I have still not unpacked everything, I did get my daughter's pack n' play put away. And I thought to myself, what a good mom am I. Then I remembered that we would need it for this weekend. So, I made more work for myself in my effort to clean up.

Yes, we are going away this weekend to Ocean City, NJ. Yes, after we just got back from a two week vacation. It was the only weekend available for the house where we are staying. It is free. My mom's cousin lets family stay for free.

Lastly, we are in Alexandria, VA.

We made it here around 7:00 pm. We had a nice leisurely day at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's house. We joined a tour of the house, which got interrupted, for me, by a squirmy-wormy daughter, a short time after we were slightly embarrassed by the musical toy that my daughter pressed to play its little ditty in the middle of the tour. This seemingly quiet sound in the car, turned very loud in a reverberating room. It also brought forth a scowl on the tour guide's face and a curt "Could you turn that off?" With red faces and quickly as we could that thing was away from her little hands. After the official tour was complete, our tour guide gave me a personal tour of what I missed. She was as nice as could be.

We also joined the plantation tour, which was actually just a walk down a lane while a lady talked about the plantation. I assumed (silly me) that we would be walking around more of the plantation. We took our time and walked around ourselves after the "tour."

We headed out for Alexandria at about the time we were hoping. We leisurely made our way north. I had told my friend that we wouldn't be there until tomorrow. We surprised her and showed up tonight. Unfortunately, my dear friend was working late on a project that others were suppose to have finished long ago, and she wasn't home yet. I called her and ended up telling her we were here. Very gladly, she wrapped up things at work and came home.

Thinking that her house was too unclean for us to be in, she came in the door cleaning and continued for a good hour. My friend scrubbed, vacuumed, dusted, and fussed forever. She nearly wore herself out. What would happen to our visit then?

Sometime after dinner last night, my aunt's boyfriend was on the phone with his daughter. She told him there was a tornado warning for his area. They went into emergency mode: lighting candles, filling jugs and the tub with water, making waffles. (I don't get the waffle thing.) But alas, no tornado. We just had the hurricane. Wind and rain whipped around all night and into today. Of course today was our chosen day to leave. My husband packed the car with the pelting rain and the wind whipping at him. As we left we saw leaves and branches strewn about.

But we were on our way. Of course the nasty weather was not done with us, oh no. Our chosen route was to take the Blue Ridge Parkway into Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Let's see. Oh yeah, we couldn't. There was fog and mist on the Parkway. Not much of a view. Well, there were some places where we could see out across the mountains and valleys. Then, we reached a high point, atop a mountain. No view. Not even across the parking lot of the visitor center. We decided to eat lunch here. Almost two hours later, we were back on the road. The other side of the mountain was clear and even a little sunny. The complete opposite. Although we could now see the beautiful views, the wind was still very strong.

We made it to Great Smoky Mountains NP. But guess what? Those strong winds knocked down trees and branches on the very road we wanted to take. Yep, the only road through the park was closed. So, back to the maps we go. This is only the hundredth time we have consulted the maps. We ended up taking state routes to I-81. We did drive into the park a short way and checked out a campground, so we could be in the park.

The rest of our drive was rather uneventful.

Franklin, NC. Our forth destination. Another aunt's house.

We relaxed after our late arrival. But today we went sightseeing. There are many a waterfall in this area. We looked at least five of them. Unfortunately, the roads to all these beautiful sights were windy and hilly. My stomach had a hard time with that. (I am getting a little queasy thinking of it.) Sitting in the back seat was also not helpful. One of the waterfalls you could walk behind. The power of two little hydrogen atoms and one little oxygen atom strung together with trillions of other little H2Os is amazing. The spray from the water hitting the rocks was very wetting. All my little hair wispies got curlier.

Finally we were back on solid ground that didn't go up or down or twist or turn. My stomach wasn't sure if it should believe that or not. It took awhile for me to feel better.

We had a yummy dinner at a Thai restaurant. While I was looking for a peanut sauce meal, I found a cashew sauce meal. It was yummy. Previous to going out to eat, we fed our daughter. Trying to feed her at restaurants is more taxing than feeding her at home. Besides, it would have been too late to wait to feed her at the restaurant. As an aside, the food she willingly ate for dinner was the same food she adamantly refused to eat at lunch.

Sometime after dinner my aunt's boyfriend was on the phone with his daughter, who told him there was a tornado warning for our area. They went into emergency mode; lighting candles, filling jugs and the tub with water, making waffles. (I don't get the waffle thing.) But alas, not tornado. We just had the hurricane. Wind and rain whipped around all night and into the next day. Of course "the next day" was our chosen day to leave. My husband packed the car with the pelting rain and the wind whipping at him. As we left we saw leaves and branches strewn about.

But we were on our way. But the nasty weather was not done with us, oh no. Our chosen course was to take the Blue Ridge Parkway into the Great Smokie Mountain National Park.

My husband's cousin is getting married tonight. It will be a wonderful event. Weddings always are.

I've told my husband that I want to wear a wedding dress again, so he needs to ask me to marry him again. He hasn't asked. I could just put it on for fun. I haven't had it cleaned yet. I should so that it doesn't turn yellow.

Back to the traveling. We leave after church on Sunday for my aunt's in Franklin, NC. Then we are driving up the Blue Ridge Parkway. My husband has his heart set on seeing Monticello. We will be stopping, I don't mind seeing it. He'd be happy as a lark to stay there three days. We won't be staying that long. Than we are off to my friend's house. Where games and pizza abide.

Augusta, SC.

We are staying in my husband's cousin's little house. It is very nice. It will be the first home of the newly married couple. They are on their honeymoon, so we are staying there.

We have the rehearsal dinner Thursday night, the wedding Friday night, relaxing and visiting on Saturday, and church, a big lunch with family, packing and leaving on Sunday. Of course, with all the family down here, we have a lot of rounds to make.

Being patient. That is what dial-up is all about.
My aunt has a computer with internet connection. A dial-up connection. So, I sit and wait while the page I desire loads. Than I sit and wait while the next page loads, and so on. Meanwhile, I age 3 years. Since getting DSL at my house, I cannot imagine going back to dial-up. Perish the thought. I'd rather give up my spending money, I think. Everything is faster with DSL. I can actually send pictures, and not have to go do a task around the house while waiting for it to send. I can use the phone while using the internet. There really are no minuses with DSL that I can think of. Unless you consider the cost factor, but let me tell you: IT IS WORTH IT!

Alright. Now, let's see. My girl has another tooth. Or did I not mention she had a first tooth? Well regardless, she now has two front bottom teeth. Barely poking their little selves out. Now we have to remember to brush them.

It is 6:45 pm and no dinner yet. My daughter ate, though. That's alright since we had a late breakfast and lunch. The plan is a chicken casserole, which takes an hour, but I wouldn't mind pizza. Unfortunately, my aunt isn't into pizza like I am. My husband said no one is into pizza like I am. I quickly replied that there is one person. My best friend. Whom no doubt would always eat pizza with me. You can never have too much pizza, I always say. However, you can have too much of a brand of pizza. It is important to switch around.

Albemarle, NC.

Well, we had a nice but short visit with my husband's cousin in Virginia Beach. We left much later than we wanted and pulled in at 11:30 pm Saturday night. Though really late, we stayed up and talked some. My daughter did not want to settle down after being woken. But when we were ready for bed, she finally did settle. She usually isn't up that late. It threw her off. It happened again last night, because we got in to my aunt's house late. Not as late but still way past her bedtime.

Speaking of bedtime, my husband has her ready tonight, and the computer is in the room where she is sleeping.

Good night my sweet child.

I am home, but I am off again.

My little family and I are off to visit family and friends in North and South Carolina and Virginia. We will be gone another two weeks. We get to see family we don't see very often, and some new additions we haven't met yet. We will be witnessing the marriage of one of my husband's cousins. We will be relaxing and reading. We will be together. I am very much looking forward to our vacation.

I will however miss the Scrabble playing with my friend, although her house is the last stop of our voyage. She will be expecting us to catch up on all our missed games of Scrabble and Phase Ten. I will have to beat her. Badly. No mercy.

Bye. Again.

Here I sit at my own computer. In my own house.

I slept in my own bed. I showered in my own shower, where I didn't have to pay (in Telluride, if you wanted a warm shower you had to pay $2:00 for 5 minutes.)

I got to put my daughter down for a nap in her own crib. I also got to take a nap.

An aside . . . that wonderful cargo bag . . . got a rip in it on the way home. I took it back today.

I guess I should be more specific on our travels. The state of Colorado is beautiful.

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is very deep, and it is steep. There are streaks of color in the rock. The power of water.
And the sunrise at our campsite was magnificent.

Next was our stop at rainy Telluride. Although it rained most of the time we were here, the town was beautiful. We also rode the gondola up the mountain. The view, when the clouds were parted, was spectacular.

Next stop . . . Durango. We camped in a great spot. There was grass on which the kids to play, the train went by right next to our campsites, and we went to visit Mesa Verde NP.

Then we ended our tour of Colorado at The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Here we fought winds, more rain, and flash flooding to get to the visitor center. After the storm blew through, there was a freshness about the park. And in the morning we went and played in the sand.

That is our trip, except for the exciting three-day drive out and back. I cannot fully explain the beauty I saw, or the fabulous time I had with my family, but beauty was all around me, and I shared it with my family.

Yeah!!!!

I am home (actually my parents' house.) I am in a house. No tents. No Sleeping bags. No getting wet in the rain.

Well, we finally made it back to my brother's house.

We had a great time. We went to Almont, The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Telluride, Durango, Mesa Verde National Park, and The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

We drove and camped, drove and camped, and drove and camped some more. Through sun and rain. Though it seemed like more rain at times. And get this . . . my sister and I used a cargo bag on the roof of my car. That is all fine and good. But since there is no roof rack, we cinched it to the roof with straps. The fun thing about that is, that when it rained, which was often, the straps wicked the water right into the car, creating four small waterfalls. But having the brilliant mind that I have, I came up with a brilliant plan. Use diapers. Yes, my sister and I wrapped diapers around the four straps. And get this . . . it worked. For the most part. We saw evidence on our vacation that water is rather persistent, so the water did try to find a way in anyway. We got out more diapers. I was most embarrassed when I had to stop at a toll booth and the diaper is hanging there in my face. I can just imagine what the lady was thinking.

And although we are back now, we are leaving tomorrow to head on home. Home. I like the sound of that. Not that I like the sound of three days of driving. But I am missing my husband.

And even before we get to bed, we have repacking to do, and shopping to do. We want to be ready, since we are aiming to leave by 7:00 am, or is it 6:00 am. Regardless, it's early. My sister and I are trying to make our stops on the way home short, save the one for lunch for my daughter. She needs time to crawl around. We took entirely tooooo long on our stops coming out here. We'll see how well we do going east.

After feverishly getting everything ready, I think the car is packed. Except for the pack and play, for the child is still in it. My daughter is very tired from her trek west. Her schedule is skewed. She was up at 5:15 this morning and yesterday. She needs the rest. And besides, I was free to pack. No crying girl at my feet. She has been a bit clingy lately.

Well, must still help my brother and sister-in-law pack.

We'll be back in a week.

We made it. We are in Fort Collins, CO. We pulled in around 7:00 pm last night. But let me tell you. I don't need to be getting in a car anytime soon. My daughter has the same thoughts. In fact she was done traveling each day around 5:00 pm. Which was unfortunate for her, since we didn't get to our destinations each night until at least 10:00. We did take some long breaks for her, which helped, but fussing occurred a lot.

Yeah, although we had maybe 8 hours of driving, the whole traveling thing took much, much longer. With stops it took us probably 10-12 hours. That makes for an unhappy baby. But this coming week will go better, because we won't be doing more than 4 hours at a time.

We still have to get home, though.

We leave today. We will be driving to Norwalk, OH, about an eight hour drive. then on to somewhere in Iowa. Then Thursday, Fort Collins, CO, where my brother lives.

We hope to get off by 9:00 am.

Today my girl turns ONE!

It is hard to believe it has been a year. So much has happened, but it doesn't seem like enough time has gone by.

I think back to the day she was born and get all teary-eyed. I miss my newborn, but enjoy my almost toddler. I miss her smallness, but enjoy seeing her grow. I miss our time together nursing, but enjoy seeing her try new foods. I love her sounds and her attempts to copy what I say. I love hearing "mama" and "dada." I crack up at her growling, wondering how it doesn't hurt her throat. Her want for independence is evident, along with her stubbornness when she doesn't get her way.

There is so much to remember. All the things she can do now. And all that she still has to learn. Of course, she will never stop learning.

What will the next year hold?

Oh boy.

Today was my daughter's 1st birthday party. We had a grand time. She received all sorts of fun gifts. We went swimming, spent time with family, had yummy cake. I made two cakes, because it was also a birthday party for my cousins two girls. We had carrot cake in the shape of a bunny, and the other was a banana layer cake. They were both very tasty.

My husband made the pork barbecue. He likes to tweak recipes.

My daughter had a taste of her cake. She liked it very much. We got pictures. She is still in the midst of her "I'm not eating much" stage, but she had no problem getting that cake to her mouth. We leave in three days to drive to Colorado, and I hope the food thing goes well.

Today was the last day of VBS. The kids had a great time, they learned all about God, they learned to make Him a part of their lives, they learned some fun songs to help them remember.

Tomorrow is a birthday party.

We are having a wild time, here at Serengeti Trek. We are also learning how too live what we are learning. When we go home at night, we need to share what we learned with someone. We can teach how great God is.

I am excited to see how excited the kids get about God.

This week is vacation Bible school at my church. The theme is Serengeti Trek, where kids are WILD about God. I will be leading kids around from site to site, helping them remember the Bible points: know God, talk to God, tell about God, love God, and work for God.

There is an animal from the serengeti for each point. A zebra, lion, crowned crane, giraffe, and elephant. We have many fun songs to learn, too. And motions. It is a wild time. We will also learn about Gideon, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Mary Magdalene in the Garden of Gethsemane, and Paul and Silas.

And we have fun Bible snacks, that go with our Bible story for the day. We also play fun games, too. Some with water.

It will be a wild week.

Yes, she did it again. Not only did she eat her meal, she just kept right on going. My dad said that if she kept opening her mouth, he was going to keep putting food in it.

Tonight we went to the Phillies game. It was close. They went into extra innings. But the fightin' Phils prevailed in the end. Chase Utley hit a two run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to win the game.

My very good friend drove up for the weekend and met us at the ball park. She had traffic, but since the game went into extra innings, she got there right before Chase was up to bat. She brought her doggie. He and our cat should get along splendidly.

Now starts a weekend filled with games, food, and movies. What else could you ask for?

Yes, my daughter ate her meals again today! Might I hope for a third day?

There is talk that my friend will be coming this weekend. Somehow, someway she is going to try to come. It is hard for her to be in a car driving for so long. But she wants to see us. I think it is mostly my daughter she wants to see, for my girl is very adorable.

I wonder . . . .

Does anyone have notes on a Thursday?

I have a comment on a Wednesday!

MY DAUGHTER ATE TODAY!!!!!
She ate all her breakfast, she ate all her lunch, and she ate all her dinner. There was no arms flailing, no tongues sticking out, no food being spit out, and almost no food dropping to the floor.

Can I hope for another food day like that tomorrow?

A friend.

A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts.
A person whom one knows; an acquaintance.
A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade.

That is how dictionary.com defines a friend. But I have a few more. Loves you, your husband and daughter. Plays you in scrabble. Compliments you. Reads you stories. Listens to Frog and Toad stories (requests them, actually.) Sings with you. Makes you laugh. Laughs at your jokes. Understands you and your problems. Shares her joys and troubles. Heeds your advice. Gives you advice. Gifts things upon you. Memorizes Bible verses with you. Shares with you from her abundance. Watches movies upon movies with you. Plays card games with you. Is working on being a better loser with you. Cuts your hair. Will change stinky diapers and soothe a cranky baby. Cooks the most delicious food. Is willing to eat pizza with you at every meal. Is a sister to me.

I have a friend like that.

My daughter will hardly eat.

We went to the cabin this weekend. Gary accomplished much on the stone wall. In fact it is finished. The driveway is cleared. The two flowerbeds, void of flowers lest it become a deer buffet, are quite beautifully bedecked with ferns and moss.

My daughter still chose to eat a portion of her normal amount. I think the most frustrating part is that she sometimes won't even open her mouth to find out what is coming.

We picked blueberries. Watched some movies. We were going to go swimming in the lake, but there was a high E. coli count, and the beach was closed.

I like swimming in the lake. There is no squishy bottom, just smooth rocks. I also like taking the boat out. But there is no boat in the water. It is slowly rotting, sitting unused since my grandfather got too sick to care for it. No one else is able to take care of it.

Maybe I will take care of it. Somehow.

My daughter will hardly eat.

At a restaurant, no less. We went our for my grandmother's 86th birthday. My two cousins and their children, my aunt, my mother, my sister, my daughter, and I gathered to wish grandmom "Happy Birthday!"

My child would not eat the Cheerios , or the toast, or the Italian wedding soup. Neither did she want much of her bottle. She did eat a few (a few mind you) of the carrots from the soup and some pasta from a pasta salad. She also ate some applesauce.

All the food she consumed amounted to only a fraction of the normal amount that she eats. She usually sucks down her bottle and cries fiercely if it is taken away, even when it's empty.
But not this week.

Her mother is very frustrated. I am trying to nourish my child. She sticks her tongue out, turns her head away, flaps her arms at the spoon, dumps the food on the floor. Her mother is very, very tired of this little practice.

Maybe it's her teeth coming, for she has none.

My daughter will hardly eat.

My daughter will hardly eat.

What have I learned from the Women of the Bible?

Eve - God shows grace in the face of my sin.
Sarah - I need to wait for the Lord.
Hagar - The Lord shows me mercy.
Lot's Wife - Follow the Lord's directions.
Rebekah - The Lord is faithful.
Rachel - God will always remember me.

I very much enjoy reading about different women of the Bible. I have read about these women countless times, but each time I learn something new. That's the way God's Word is. Living. Breathing. Unchanging. Changing me.

My nose tells me the smell is gone. My brain tells me not to be so sure. It may be back.

We are slowly working on getting the dining room back into order. I think it will be a while. The spackling has to be finished. Then the room will be painted (which we still have to buy.) Some of the molding is painted. Some of it still needs to be cut.

My husband has been doing most of the work, and he doesn't have a lot of time to work on it. Just some evenings and some weekends (we seem to be rather busy.) I've begun to help with painting the molding. But since we have a ways before we need that, I haven't been working too hard. But it should look splendid when we are done. Until then, we live in disarray.

Understanding each other is difficult. It will always be, because God made us unique. But you work at it, you do not give up and resign that you must be a knucklehead.

My husband and I are forever miscommunicating. We don't love each other less for it. It helps to learn more about each other. Although it is very tiring at times to have my words interpreted much differently than what I had planned, I am glad we are talking.

It has also caused me to really think about how I say my thoughts, and if I should always say them. Could the tone of my voice be saying one thing and my words another? I know that is the case sometimes, much more than I want to admit. That is something on which I need to work.

I think back over a conversation and realize that my mouth would have done far better to have been stuffed with cotton. And I am learning to listen to my tone, speak only what will be edifying, and carry cotton at all times. My getting-better-progression is shown by the length of time it takes me to realize I should not have said something. The time is getting shorter.

My husband and I went to a zoo of sorts several weeks ago. I thought I was going to see farm animals. We did. We also saw animals that do not belong inside a fence.

The saddest sight was the bison.
I lived in Yellowstone National Park for a summer and hiked throughout the park. The bison ranged on thousands of acres. On one hike we were very near a large herd of bison. There were apparently scouts in the herd. They slowly walked us away from the rest of the herd.

At this zoo, the bison's jail was very small. I equate it with me living in my bathroom. We both need more room. He needs his herd.

If you want to see a bison, then go to Yellowstone.

Happy Birthday America!

America, the beautiful. What does that mean?

If you ask Katherine Lee Bates, who wrote the lyrics to America the Beautiful, she might say, as she looks upon our country from the top of Pike's Peak, that America is beautiful, with its purple mountains and fruited plains. I've been on Pike's Peak, and the view is breath-taking. God's creative hand is obvious.

She also wrote of a country with unselfish heroes and patriot dreams. She wrote of a country with pilgrims willing to cross unknown wilderness. She wrote of a country where God is present and gives grace. She wrote of a country that is beautiful.

My friend brought this song to mind. It was sung at her church on Sunday. She couldn't sing it. She saw the dark portions of our history, which cannot be separated from the good.

We don't know what was in Katherine's mind when she wrote this song. Maybe she saw the good and beauty in our country. Maybe she ignored the bad. But she did want the grace that God gives us.

But what of the horrendous past? What about the suffering caused by the pilgrim's feet across the wilderness? Can we call something in our country beautiful, knowing that it came with a bloody price?

I think the answer is yes and no, depending on what it is.

The words from a Nichole Nordeman song come to mind (she is referring to God):
But you called me beautiful
When you saw my shame
And you placed me on the wall
Anyway

I have not yet decided how these words apply to our country, if they do at all.

I like to listen to books on tape. I like the freedom it gives my hands. I can "read" a book while still doing things around the house and while driving. I think my favorite is John Grishom.

I am actually reading a book right now, though. Even though while listening to a book on tape I can still do things, there is nothing like reading a book for yourself. I can stop and reread a confusing part or a fantastic part. When I read I am in that court room; my stomach has knots with the young woman about to be married; my tears flow because of his sorrow. I am in the story. The experiences happen to me, too. And I love it.

I find it fascinating to be able to understand those markings on the pages. I simply cannot fathom how small and grey my world would be without the ability to read or write. It is incomprehensible to me that people make it through twelve years of schooling and cannot read or write their own name. How could a teacher let that happen? How could someone not notice?

To be able to write what is on my heart and on my mind is a wonderful gift. I thank God for all my abilities. And for His Word, which I can read and know to be true.

Yesterday, my daughter did something new.

I put her in her crib so I could wash my hands. Her pants were decidedly on. When I came back to get her two minutes later, her pants were decidedly off.

And to top it off, she had them dangling outside the crib and dropped them right as I came into the room.

Well, the-not-so-nice odor still remains, but in a lesser concentration. My husband has not fixed the hole yet, so we are hoping that once the wall is closed up again, we will be breathing fresh air. He did paint on a sealer of sorts, claiming itself to be a "killer of stains" and an "odor barrier." Painted twice. Still smells. This is worse than the first (we've had two) cat urine smell we had. [Ironically, in the same room.] Some concrete, plastic, and duck tape fixed that one. Maybe we should use the same method for this problem?

My child will be eleven months old tomorrow, and the girl still has no teeth. Trying to progress her food coarseness is hindered by the no-teeth factor. Though, she does quite well at mashing food with her gums, she does balk at certain chunkier foods.

She cares not for the skin of a pea, though she will eat the insides . . . if I squish them out first. I haven't given much inspection to the food she spits out, but I think she may do the same with corn. Eat the inside, spit out the outside. She will not eat a meatball if in tomato sauce, but rinse it off and she mashes away.

Meal time has become quite an adventure. However, I have decided I am not enrolled in the school of thought that allows young ones to totally and with abandon experience their food in all ways possible. She may not throw her food, bathe herself in it, or imitate Van Gogh with it. She will be allowed some leeway, but I foresee many reprimands being given and not happily received.

We thought we had mold. It was actually just mildew, and . . . . another surprise.

There was a very nasty odor coming from our wall. First thought was mold. Well, it wasn't mold. We paid a company to come out and investigate. No mold. It was mildew. The insulation had gotten wet. But you just take it out and replace it. Unfortunately, the nasty smell was still there.
The mold people said to just let it air out. My husband said it had to be more than "just let it air out." His nose couldn't stand it any longer. He started cutting the drywall away from where the odor was emanating. Mouse dirt . . . . everywhere.

Thank goodness there were studs in the way, so it was contained to a small 1 x 3 foot section of the wall. It was not a pleasant clean up. He did this last night.

Still very stinky this morning.

Allowing a loved one to face reality, does not mean you don't love them.

I heard this paraphrased statement on New Life Live! today. I feel it is a very true statement. When a person is allowed to fall because of their mistakes, this doesn't mean that those family members who could have stopped it don't love them. It shows their love.

Everything went well on Friday with my sister.

Tip #531: Use Fels-Naptha soap to get stains out of your clothes.

Tip #739: Eat a carrot to get food out of your teeth.

Sunday night . . . turned into Monday morning without me sleeping until 3:00 am. My sister needed me. I thought I was helping her. I did help her.

I can't control the doctor.

My sister made a decision against the advise of many. Did I help her as much as I could? I think so. I could have pleaded, held her back, blocked her path. But what would be the purpose? She was determined. It was her decision, she would take responsibility.

I hope she does. I pray she does.

Today, I am going to see her. I want to see her. I think she wants to see me.

Tomorrow, she has meeting. I pray it doesn't go the way I want it to. I pray it doesn't go the way my sister wants it to. I pray it goes the way God wants it to. He knows what my sister needs, even if she does not like it, and can't see how it could possibly be for her good.

He knows. Trusting God is letting go of our own way. Letting go of control. It is hard, but He is always with us.

I love you, Sissy-Pooh.

What shall I say?

I just don't know.

To my husband . . .
and my dad . . .
and my fathers-in-law . . .

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!


Our camping trip was a success. We had a relaxing time. We read, watched the fire, played games, kept the baby from eating stones, spent time with family and friends. (My parents and aunt went too. Actually many people we knew were there. You see, it was a family camping event with our church. We reserve a number of sites and families sign up to go. We have dessert together Friday night, and dinner together Saturday night and the leftover desserts. Each family brings something. We took White Chili. Very yummy.)

We had a fire Friday night, all day on Saturday, and until we left today. We are very smoky. I like that smell. Although two and a half days of it, is a bit much.

I forgot some things. I always do. But you'd think I would remember a coat for my daughter. And something warm in which she could sleep.

More stains.

A diaper accident Saturday morning. Had to wash the onesie, pajamas, sheet, and Pack N' Play mattress.

Campfires. S'mores. Extra chocolate.

A very nifty water station. Rigged by . . . ME! Involving a hose, a bucket, a stick with two "Y"s in it, a hole in the ground, and some stones. I took a picture. Actually I took video, but my dad got a picture.

We had a good time.

I am running around very busy-like today. We are going camping this weekend. I have shopping and packing to do.

Good for me that my parents and sister are available to watch the munchkin, so that I can do my running around much more quickly. I love to have my daughter with me, but taking her in and out of the car, with that car seat, is very tiring. And if I leave it in there and just take her out, I have to do some calisthenics to get us both in the back seat without hitting either of our heads, than try to fasten in a wiggle worm, who very much likes to arch her back while twisting.

This is our first camping trip as a family of three. We are looking forward to it.

What's in a name?

My name means bound or tied. What does that mean for me? Am I bound to something? Or someone?

If you could pick your name by it's meaning, what would you pick? I haven't decided yet.

This week's lesson is on Sarah. I am reminded of keeping my impatience in check. Sarah knew of God's promise to Abraham, that he would have a son who would become a great nation. Being 90 years old, she had most likely given up on the idea of motherhood. But God said Abraham would have a son. She was his only wife. She thought the idea rather funny.

As time went on, her finite mind told her God was taking too long. She decided to do things her way. She told Abraham to take her maidservant as his wife, in hopes that she could bear this promised child. Not only did Sarah come to resent her maidservant, who had a son, but Ishmael and Isaac, for Sarah did indeed bear a son, and their descendants have been at odds to this day.

Sarah didn't trust that God would do what He said.
How am I like Sarah?
What matters do I take into my own hands?
What consequences have I suffered for my impatience?

I need to be willing to wait for God's blessings. I know they will come. I have evidence of that fact. God's plans are far better than my own. I settle for "good." God will give me "excellent."


Quick update ~ I won the battle yesterday.

Evidenced by the dirty tops of my daughter’s feet, my floors are not as clean as I supposed them to be. Not that my floors are dirty either. But when I have a young one dragging her feet along the floor, it is unmistakably obvious that I need to mop a little more often.

Her clothes, as of yet, are not showing evidence of the same dirt that shots from the tops of her feet. Her clothes do, however, show evidence of the hole in her chin.

Once again let’s talk about stains. Now, I have a mildew stain problem on some clothes. Today is my wash day, and I am at war. Well, maybe just a battle or two. I am going to tackle washing our pillows today. I haven’t washed them before. We’ve had them for five years. Seems to me I should have washed them several times by now.

I bought a women’s devotional book. Well, I guess it isn’t necessarily a women’s devotional, but it is a devotional study of women of the Bible. It is set up to study a woman a week. I have only read about Eve so far. I should be much further. That is my problem. Taking time during my day to be with God. To study His Word. To commune with Him. I try when my daughter is napping, which is usually the best time. It is basically impossible to spend quality time with Him, when she is awake. I was doing quite well in taking time before she was born, but since August 1, 2004, I have had trouble. I need people to keep me accountable.

Please keep me accountable.

My husband is a wonderful man. He is an unselfish man. He always has my best interest in mind. He loves me and tells me so, many times a day. He finds me beautiful, regardless of how I actually look.

He knows that being home with our daughter is rather stressfull at times and is always willing to take over when he gets home. In fact he wants to. He will take it upon himself to get her dinner ready. He will feed her. He is a little wary of giving her a bath by himself, mostly because she is a greased pig in the tub and requires four hands, if not more. He will spend time playing with her after dinner. He likes to put her to bed. He wants the time with her. . . . to hold her, make her laugh, rock her, soothe her when she is upset. In fact, he does a much better job at rocking her to calm her down than I do.

Even from the time she was born, we have shared the responsibility of caring for her. He would get up and calm her or bring her to me to nurse. I tried to let him sleep, since he had to go to work in the morning, and I could stay home and nap when she napped.

He is taking off work to watch our daughter while I take a trip with my best friend. He knows that she is both our responsibility. He doesn't step aside from his responsibilities.

I truly thank God for bringing my husband into my life.

My friend talks about my forever war with stains.

I can usually win, if I treat them right away. I have to say though, that that is not always practical. I end up having a pile of laundry sitting on my dryer waiting to enter my washer. I like white clothes, you just bleach them. Though it is believed by some, that bleach weakens fabric. Clorox says it doesn't. Well, of course they would say that. I still bleach.

New mothers, beware. Bananas are one of the hardest foods to get out. Also squash is high on the list. Again the trick is to rinse it out immediately, or as close to immediately as you can.

A poop story follows. Read at your own risk.

This past week my young one went in her diaper. Well, I thought, being the good mommy that I am, I will go relieve her of her dirty diaper. I picked her up, and we went upstairs. I laid her down on her changing table and readied myself for the struggle that ensues. (She is a major wiggle worm, constantly trying to roll over.)

I noticed my arm seemed wet. Being a mother, I smelled it. My nose didn't like it. I looked at my daughter's bottom. The one leg of her white bloomers was not white. Apparently, the diaper did not do it's job very well. Half of what was inside the diaper was also outside the diaper.

I will say no more, save that she got a bath.

For those dying of curiosity, the stain did come out. No bleach required.

Most of my writing, so far, has been about my daughter and life with her. She is a huge part of my life, so it is understandable.

But about me.

Well, I like to put words on paper . . . . or screen. I usually can't think of what to write. I enjoy putting words together to make fun sentences. And to make people smile when they read it.
I enjoy reading. And since I am able to listen more than just sit and read, I have been listening to my books on tape. I have a bookmobile card and take out books on tape. I especially like John Grishom. And I like Mary Higgins Clark.

I love to sing. I have sung in my church choir. I plan on joining again next fall. I sing tenor and like the harmony it creates. I love hymns and the stories behind them. Many hymns were born from heartache and loss. Many from the praises of thankful hearts. Some are meaningful because of the places they were sung. I believe the younger generations are not being taught the beauty of hymns. They mostly only want to sing praise songs. If you think about it, though, many hymns are praise songs. They are just arranged differently. Fanny Crosby wrote hundreds of hymns, many of which were written in praise to her God and Lord. I also like praise songs. I like both styles. What I have to be careful of is singing and not paying attention to what I am singing. I need to be more mindful of the words, whatever the song.

I also like to play my flute, though I haven't picked the thing up since before my daughter was born. I don't really have much flute music, though I can play from our hymnal. I wish I could play and sing at the same time.

I like to play games, all sorts. Board games and card games, mostly. Scrabble, Phase Ten, Rummy, Yatzee, Tri-Ominos, Quiddler, Taboo, Cranium, Rummikub, Set, Skip-bo, National Parks version of Monopoly, to name a few.

I should exercise. And drink more water.

Things that bother me:

Poor grammar, people not using turn signals and other poor driving decisions, people's lack of courtesy, poor customer service, litter bugs, disrespect, our cat's recent behavior, losing.

Things I like:

The smell of my daughter, the feel of my husband's arms around me, playing Scrabble, winning, playing all my letters in one move in Scrabble, winning, talking with my friends, spending time with my sister, relaxing at the cabin, a glass of orange juice, milk and pretzels.

Now, of course some of the items in the "things I like" section are inconsequential. (There's a Scrabble word for you!)

And there's something to say about sleeping in your own bed after being away.

My friend from college came to visit today. We went to the pool. We had quite a crowd there. My friend, her husband, and two children, my sister, two cousins, my daughter, and myself.

My daughter was a little better in the water this time. She held on to me for dear life. She buried her head in my shoulder. She started to fall asleep, but when I got out of the pool to lay her down, she decided she was ready to play. I went back to the pool, and my sister took her. She did end up falling asleep.

I played with my two young cousins, 5 and 3 years old. They enjoy the water. They enjoy playing. Seemingly, we were in the right place. The older one likes to be whipped around, touch the bottom, and dunked. She likes the shallow end of the big pool. The younger one likes to splash and play in the baby pool. She is a little shy of the big pool.

Later that night after we were childless due to sleep, my friend, her husband, my husband, and me played Rummikub. We enjoy that game. My friend won, than I won. I like winning.

Although it was a short visit, it was good to see my friend and her family. Her daughter is 2 months younger than my daughter. We hadn't seen each other since my girl was a month old, 9 months ago. The two girls were very cute together, especially since they have the same name. Call one name and get two smiles.

Baby girl went swimming today...for the first time. We won't be calling her a fish, yet.

My sister and I went to our community pool today. My daughter got her toes dipped in the pool. She did not like it. She sure wanted to hold on, too. My sister taught swimming lessons with babies before, so she did the "one"; "two"; "three"; dunk. My daughter was alright with it. I tried it. I miscalculated and accidentally dunked her on "one." She got a mouth full of water, and I think some came out her nose. She sneezed, too.

We will keep trying.

I was sooo tired yesterday afternoon. My sister was over, and we were watching Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Toward the end, I couldn't keep my eyes open.

My mother-in-law stopped in to see us, and I couldn't stay awake. I slept through most of her visit. It was not very polite of me, I know. I apologize.

In the evening, I was planning on going to a hymn sing at church, but I completely was not paying attention to the time. I would have been late had I gone, and I would have had to eat very quickly or missed dinner altogether. Plus, I felt too tired to try to go. Even ice cream following the event was not enough to coax me into my car.

Before the sleeping sickness hit, I did mange to solve the ceiling fan conundrum. My husband had installed a ceiling fan in our daughter's room on Saturday. He had it all finished, but when he turned the power back on, there was no spinning blades. He checked all the outlets in her room, but they all had power. On the other hand, the outlet in the bathroom was not working. He figured out that the wires went from the outlets in her room, to the fan, to the bathroom outlet. He wired everything correctly, but it was a puzzle to him that the fan was not working.

I took a look at things to add a new set of eyes. I first started with the curcuit box, since it was an easier choice than climbing to the attic to inspect the wiring. Although trying to see into our curcuit box isn't exactly the easiest thing either. Using the flashlight, I looked closely to see if any where flipped. One on the very bottom seemed to be. So taking the chance of something happening, I reset it. On my approach to our daughter's room, I saw spinning blades. I exclaimed with happiness that I found the problem. We all rushed to the room to stare at the ceiling.

Yep, the fan was working. When my huband pulled the chain to check the lights, it was as if the sun was in the room. 120 watts puts out quite a brilliance in a small room.

Our daughter slept in breezy slumber that afternoon.

My daughter loves to play with toys. She crawls around with them in her hands. She shakes them to hear the noise. She knows right where they are and heads for them when I set her down. The only thing is, they are actually the cat's toys. She likes them better than her own.

Maybe the toy industry should think on that one.



The camera is fine. After fresh batteries, it is working like it's old temperamental self.

Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday dear my friend,
Happy birthday to you. (Yesterday)

My ten month old might have accidentally broken our digital camera. She grabbed at the strap when getting picked up, then she let go of it. It fell, making a nice crashing sound on the hard floor.

Goodness, I am tired. But it's a good tired.

My day has gone well. I have accomplished much.

I made the needed purchases at Wal-Mart; cleaned the bathroom; vacuumed the downstairs and the bathroom; dusted some dust; filled, ran, and emptied the dishwasher; baked a cake; fed my daughter; and wrote about my day.

I feel good.

Some would wonder how I could find fulfillment in just being a wife and mother. But I would say I can find great fulfillment in following God's plan for me as a wife and mother. I enjoy making our home a place where my husband loves to be. I may not be thrilled to scrub the toilet, but I am satisfied to see it clean. Not every part of housekeeping is glamorous, but I glow and feel wonderful when my husband says the house looks great, and thanks me for all I do.

And if molding the life of another isn't the most rewarding job, I don't know what is. My daughter depends on my husband and me for everything. Because I am the one home with her most often, it is more my responsibility to teach our daughter what we want her to learn. If I think ahead to the immense task of instilling our values, morals, and beliefs in our daughter, my head spins. Can I do it? Will my daughter stray from the Truth? This is the hardest job I will ever undertake.

I am very fulfilled. My life has meaning and purpose. I have an identity. I am a wife and a mother. My family is important to me. All this is true because I am a child of God, and Jesus is my Savior. I am who I am, because I have given Christ first place in my life. I am not just a wife and a mother, I am who God wants me to be.

Our Anniversary. May 27, 2005. Five Years.

We went to Jim Thorpe, PA.

Jim Thorpe has nothing to do with the town. Asa Packer is the man of Jim Thorpe, PA. The town had been named Mauch Chunk, PA. (What a name.) It is a Native American name having to do with Bear Mountain, I think. So, it is different to our ears. Someone didn't like it and thought that Jim Thorpe would be better. Apparently, Jim Thorpe was an Olympic athlete back in the day. He probably never even heard of Mauch Chunk, PA. Anyway, the town's claim to his fame is that he is buried there. And to top it off, they paid to have his remains moved and buried there.

A bit odd in my book.

Here's the kicker.

It should have taken us three hours to get home.

But, no. We didn't pull up to our house until 4 hours and 23 minutes after we drove away from my friend's house. Give or take a minute.

We had construction traffic. We had toll booth traffic. And all after 9 pm on a Sunday night.

Our weekend was not as peaceful as we would have liked, but we were never told that our life would always be peachy keen.

We had circumstances that were less than peachy.

But as I try to remember, my life is as my attitude is. I wanted a positive weekend, so my attitude needed to be positive. I needed to look at the things that went right.

I was able to visit with my friend. She got to see my daughter crawl and growl. (Yes, I know, she really does growl.) We had some surprise adventures. My husband got a chance to see my friend's finished basement, and all the work she has put into the house. We are ready to go with our Mount Vernon passes. I got to play Phase Ten. We watched some movies. We had a great food selection and superb meals. I felt appreciated and loved. I didn't have to change as many diapers.

Look at that. Another fun yesterday.

Let's see……this day's adventure was assisted by the caring folks at Mount Vernon.

My husband has been trying to catch a glimpse of Mount Vernon for twice now. His eyes have been disappointed.

4:49 PM We purchase our yearly passes.
5:00 PM We enter the gates of Mount Vernon.
5:01 PM I read in the brochure (that was available only after walking through the gate) that Mount Vernon closes at 5:00 PM.
5:09 PM Discover the audio tour is to be purchased at the ticket counter.
5:10 PM Husband and I walk around to exit and to the closed ticket counter.
5:11 PM Walk back to closed entrance gate. Park man will not let us in, not even to get our
child. Tells us to talk with guard at exit gate.
5:14 PM Guard at exit gate will not let us in to get our child and meet our friend. Tells us
we have to wait for her to come out.
5:15 PM Sit on bench and wait.
5:31 PM I ask the guard what time they make sure all the visitors are out of the park.
Told that they should be getting people to leave now.
5:45 PM Go to ask the guard if they could at least call to guards inside to let my friend
know we were waiting at the exit.
5:46 PM We see my friend and our daughter coming to the exit door. We are reunited.

Several things could have been done differently.

~They should not have sold us tickets.
~They should have told us the park was closing in 10 minutes.
~They should not have let us into the park.
~They should have told us we only had half an hour to look around.
~They should have allowed us to get our daughter. If they didn’t want us in by ourselves,
they could have escorted us.
~The guards could have radioed to each other to helps us find each other.
~Someone could have gone and told our friend we were at the exit waiting. We did tell them
where she could be found.

Several things should have been done differently.

Why did no one care enough to help us?
Why did no one want to help parents separated from their daughter?
Was it too much to ask someone to help us?

I don’t understand.

Yesterday…..was an interesting day. I had fun trying to figure out how to run the “wet” part of a wet/dry vacuum. My friend had tried before, but all she got was a shower. The part she needed was thrown out by contractors working on her house. I found the instructions, looked at the parts list, discovered what was missing, and went to the store to buy it. I put the part on, and Voila! The machine worked. My friend could stop her back-breaking work of sopping up the water with a mop.

You see, it was raining. And raining. And raining. It rained most of the day. We thought maybe we would stay in and play games all day. Not the case. The finished basement was filling with water. There was probably ½ an inch already, and it continued to flow as we started mopping.

My friend filled at least four buckets of water through her efforts. Then, when we got the shop vac working, I started vacuuming the water. She took care of laundering the towels and blankets used to help dry the floor. But as we mopping and vacuumed, the water seeped and seeped.

And finally, finally, the water slowed. I vacuumed the area dry and my friend placed some towels and blankets along the wall to sop up the water that would begin seeping again at any moment. It worked for several hours. We changed the towels and blankets. At long last the water stopped. The second set of towels was still dry. The flooring was squishy for two days, though.

While we were bailing out the basement, my husband was stuck on a train for an extra two hours. One of the baggage car’s brakes were not working. Therefore, they needed to replace the car and switch the luggage. This change took two hours.

So, we went to Target. My friend and I, in a store, is a dangerous thing. I should think that the store loves to see us coming. We spent the entire time there, after the jaunt to the bank. We shopped our woes away.

My daughter rode the day well. She is a good baby.

You can see this day in one of two ways. A failure or an adventure.

I choose the latter.

My husband is home, and I am not. I will see him tonight. He is taking the train. I miss him.
My daughter and I have traveled to visit my friend. My best friend. I haven't seen her since January, though we talk nearly every day.
~
We like to play scrabble. We both like to win, which does not go well with losing. We are very poor losers. And not always good winners, either. We have a passion for games. Especially Scrabble and Phase Ten. Let's see......on my last visit we played ten games of Phase Ten. Sadly, I won only three. When I come to visit, we spend most of the time playing games and hoping to beat the other.
~
Kashi loves me. He is my best friend's dog. He greets me so exuberantly that his tail wags himself over. He takes his toys and naps with them on the bed I use when I am here. Even if I am home, just hearing my voice, sends him into a frenzy.
~
It is raining here. We are even more inclined to play games on rainy days. The day held promise to journey outside, but if the water continues to fall, we may be resigned to sit on the couch and the green chair indefinitely.

There is a bird on my head.

And because I love my friend, I will leave him there. For a short time anyway.

My daughter was taking her nap this weekend. She had bent over from a sitting position and fell asleep. She looked very uncomfortable. My first instinct was to straighten her out. But then I remembered my mother and her predicament.

She had come into my brother's room to check on him. And what did she find? A daughter being very helpful. I had climbed into my brother's crib toting lotion and powder. I put the lotion on him and gave him a good powdering. Apparently he was a sight. She didn't know whether to scold me or laugh. She never got a picture.

So, now when I see my daughter doing funny or goofy things, I run for the camera.

A scrunched up face. The "woe-is-me" look. Hands on the forehead. A very sad cry. Binkie on the floor.

All this and my resolve to not pick up my very tired child is nearly gone. She is in her crib and needs to take a nap. I look at her and want to sweep her into my arms and coo loving wrods into her ear, soothing her to sleep. But alas, she needs to get herself to sleep.

When I have given in, she thinks its playtime. Mommy's picking me up to play. She does not listen to my words of comfort. She does not hold still to be rocked. Back into the crib she goes.

And it starts over.

A Wood Thrush singing. A Hawk Soaring. The sound of deer passing by.

These are all memories I have of visiting my grandparents in the Poconos.

I am going there tomorrow. I love going to the cabin. The smells and sounds bring back wonderful memories of growing up years. Spending time with my grandparents was the highlight of my summers.

But for two years now it hasn't been the same. My grandfather died in September of 2003 and Grandmom moved into our area. She misses the cabin and Grandpop. They built the cabin and lived there for thirty years.

My daughter is 9 months old. I want her to grow up and know the special time of being at the cabin. I will share with her my memories. And maybe someday, my parents will be living there anticipating the summers when their grandchild will visit.