Birthdays

It is birthday time around here this week! Today is my Granny Margaret's birthday. Happy 81st birthday, Granny! Tomorrow is Jonathan's birthday. This past weekend was his "non-party." I was teased a bit because I told Jonathan he wasn't having a party...he was just having two or three friends over for pizza and a "camp-out" in the living room. The main event, however was a shaving cream fight No...you didn't read that wrong. They had a shaving cream battle! Here is the proof!

After they got showered and changed, we had cake and ice cream, and then Jonathan opened presents. Okay...so maybe it was a party. Here are a couple of more photos.

My handsome boy will be 12 tomorrow! I know it is cliche, but it does seem like very little time has passed since we brought him home from the hospital. Jonathan, we're so grateful to God for you, His gift to our family. Happy, Happy Birthday!

Did you know...

that butterflies can't fly when the air is cold? I just learned that the other day while reading Matthew's library book with him. We're fortunate enough to have flowers in our backyard that are still attracting these gorgeous creatures right through much of the fall. The temps are beginning to get cooler (50's) in the early morning, but it still gets up into the 80's during the daytime. I love to watch butterflies...but funny thing is, I don't care too much for some of the weird looking caterpillars. But like many other things in life, you can't have one without the other! :)

Highlights

• This I know....the weekend went by much too fast!
• The ragweed is doing a number on me and Jonathan!
• Loved the sermon series we just finished at church. It was on the differences and similarities between the three major world religions of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, and what sets Christianity apart. Check it out here.
• Both kids got fall school pictures made this past week. WOWZA, the prices have gone up! I shelled out $73 before seeing one photo!
• On Thursday, Jonathan picked up his instrument for band. We decided to rent to own, just in case he decides he doesn't like it. He will be playing the trombone!
• Went on a field trip Friday to Langley. There was a Native American "festival" of sorts there. We heard stories, saw tribal dances, etc... It was pretty good.
• Driving on another field trip tomorrow. Jonathan will be on the newspaper staff, and we are visiting the Augusta Chronicle. Should be interesting, especially since his GT teacher thinks I think she's weird! (Another blog...another day!)
• This week we started our Life groups back after a break for summer. I enjoyed getting to spend time with the other couples again. Such great people!
• This Friday night is our monthly church scrapbooking crop. If you're in the neighborhood, you should join us!
• Two birthdays coming up...Jonathan turns 12 on Oct. 1st, and my Granny Margaret turns 81 on Sept. 30th.
• Matthew's early progress in first grade has caused me to be a little more optimistic! He's doing well on his Focalin.
• That's all I have...a string of highlights! Let me know what you've been up to lately and what's on your agenda for the coming week!

Stuff You Never Knew You Wanted to Know About Me

I found this on another favorite blog I read, and decided to give it a go on mine! Warning: LONG post!

1.What time did you get up this morning? 6:30
2. Diamonds or pearls? Pearls
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? It has been so long I don't remember. But we are going to see Fireproof soon.
4. What is your favorite TV show? I don't really have one, but if there were a regular scrapbooking show....it would probably be high on my list.
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Rarely the same thing daily.....cereal with turkey bacon, a bagel with peanut butter, yogurt with a bagel, etc...
6. What is your middle name? I use Hughes (maiden name), but Renee is my given middle name.
7. What food do you dislike? mushrooms
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Natalie Grant's Relentless
9. What kind of car do you drive? Ford Taurus
10. Favorite sandwich? a really good chicken salad sandwich
11. What characteristic do you despise? Selfishness
12. Favorite item of clothing? a comfy pair of capri pants.
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Holy Land
14. Favorite brand of clothing? I'm not much on brands...hey...I often get stuff at Walmart!
15. Where would you retire to? I would love to live in the mountains (hopefully close to my grandchildren.)
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? This year, I had several friends over to scrapbook and eat pizza and have a girls night in at my house.
17. Favorite sport to watch? Baseball (I love watching the little leaguers live and on TV)!
18. Furthest place you are sending this? I’m not. But I do have a blog reader from New York! Hi Randy and Janet!
19. Person you expect to send it back first? Not sure...
20. When is your birthday? August 2
21. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night person
22. What is your shoe size? 7-7 1/2 wide
23. Pets? 1 dog, Sally
24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? My six year old is learning to read! I'm getting a new Canon Rebel XSi camera for Christmas!
25. What did you want to be when you were little? singer/vet
26. How are you today? groggy-headed from sinus congestion, but otherwise fine.
27. What is your favorite candy? I'm not much of a candy person, but I love dark chocolate M&M's.
28. What is your favorite flower? I love them all, espcially the ones in my yard that attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Thanksgiving day....getting together with family.
30. What is your favorite pastime? scrapbooking
31. What are you listening to right now? "He lifts me up...I get down." by Audio Adrenaline on WAFJ 88.3 FM!
32. What was the last thing you ate? A piece of turkey bacon.
33. Do you wish on stars? No
34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? green
35. How is the weather right now? cloudy and pleasantly cooler
36. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? No one yet (probably Granny Margaret in a few.)
37. Favorite soft drink? Coke Zero
38. Favorite restaurant? Olive Garden
39. Real hair color? Dark brown
40. What was your favorite toy as a child? Toss up between my record player and Donny Osmond records or my barbies.
41. Summer or winter? Summer
42. Hugs or kisses? Hugs
43. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
44. Coffee or tea? BOTH!
45. Do you want your friends to email you back? I’d rather they post a link in my comments.
46. When was the last time you cried? A couple of days ago, when I realized the on-line camera store where we placed an order was a scam.
47. What is under your bed? Lots of dust!
48. What did you do last night? Laundry, watched a little TV.
49. What are you afraid of ? heights and spiders
50. Salty or sweet? Sweet
51. How many keys on your key ring? 3 or 4 (unsure)
52. How many years at your current job? I've been a SAHM for almost 10 years now.
53. Favorite day of the week? Sunday
54. How many towns have you lived in? Seven, I think.
55. Do you make friends easily? No

I LOVE THIS MAN...

And I've been married to him 18 years today! (And it was about this temp. on our wedding day, 90 degrees and humid)! Ed, you are a terrific dad and an awesome husband! I love you, and I look forward to at least 18 more! Happy anniversary!!!

Camera News!

Take a look at what I'm getting for our anniversary (and Christmas)! I am so excited. I should have it in my hands within the next couple of weeks. It is my first SRL, and I can not wait to see the pictures I will take with it. It is a Canon Rebel XSi, and I think it will give us quality pictures for a long time to come. After I get it and play with it, I will let you know what I think of it. :)

UPDATE: I am so upset right now. DO NOT do business with Photodynasty.com. After you place your order, they tell you they have no more in stock and that your order has been cancelled. In six to eight weeks when they get more, they'll E-mail you (I'm sure charging a MUCH higher price!).

Vote

Have you been keeping up with the presidential election news coverage? I was not much for politics until the last 10 years or so. And so I'm not going to tell you who to vote for, but I will say this. It really ticks me off when people complain about politicians or political establishments when they won't even bother to vote. A friend sent me this E-mail below, and I'm not sure how much of it is accurate, but I know there were people in our country who suffered for their right and ours to vote. So if you aren't a registered voter, there is still time. Click on the link that says REGISTER TO VOTE in the upper right hand corner of my blog.

A Piece of History:

This is the story of our Grandmothers, and Great-grandmothers, as they lived only 90 years ago. It was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote. The women who made it so, by picketing the Whitehouse, were innocent and defenseless. And by the end of the night, they were barely alive.Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of "obstructing sidewalk traffic."They beat Lucy Burn, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air. They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold.Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.Thus unfolded the "Night of Terror" on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote.For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food - - all of it colorless slop - - was infested with worms. When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because - - why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?HBO's new movie "Iron Jawed Angels" is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say. I am? Ashamed to say I needed the reminder.Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege.HBO released the movie on video and DVD. It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a Psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy.The doctor admonished the men: "Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity."Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all the women you know.We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote Democratic, Republican or Independent party - remember to vote. History is being made.

Have a great weekend!

Thursday Thoughts

1. Heading out to do some shopping in a little while. Going to Anything Goes to get Webkinz stuff for my son, whose birthday is Oct. 1st, and for his best friend, whose birthday is 9-15. Yeah, a new Webkinz to play with on-line....I mean, for Jonathan to play with! :0
Then I'm headed to Walmart to get groceries and gas. I dislike this job worse than dusting! Hear that, Mom? I hate it WORSE than dusting! LOL!

2. Tonight, after a quickie dinner, heading out to Parent Academy at Matthew's school. I really don't feel like going, but I can use all the tips I can get to help him.

3. Sadly, we had to temporarily drop speech therapy at MCG. Yesterday, we got there for his 3 O-clock, thirty minute appointment at 3:15. I got there on time, early in fact. But it takes FOREVER at that time of day to find a parking place. So we decided until she has another time slot opened up, we'll just take a break. On the bright side, I won' t have to depend on someone else to bring Jonathan home from school every Wednesday. :)

4. Monday, the 15th is mine and Ed's 18th wedding anniversary! I told him recently that I've been wanting to try Thai and Indian food. Yea, I know...I don't get out much. Last Friday, we did Thai. Tomorrow, we're dong Indian food. It will be our Anniversary get out of the house date thingy!

Okay....that's about all I've got. Hope you have a great weekend! I hope to post some photos or layouts soon!

Missing: Dolly Party (No, not Dolly Parton!)

Happy Tuesday to ya! Hope you all are doing well. My week has started off pretty normal. Yesterday I spent doing bills (I loathe that job, btw...) and getting dinner ready, helping with homework, etc... Why did it take so long to do bills you ask? I had about a month's worth of ATM and debit receipts to record and subtract, along with getting the checkbook done. Dinner was easy though. I put pork chops in the crock pot with 2 cans of cream of chicken soup and cooked it on high for about 4 hours. DONE! The soup makes a wonderful gravy and was served with brown rice and green beans.
Today I'm doing the crock pot again. Such a time saver! I put salt and pepper on 4 cube steaks and coated them with flour. I placed them in my crock pot sprayed with cooking spray. I mixed an envelope of onion gravy mix with 2 cups of water and poured over the meat. This will cook for about 8 hours on low. Easy! So good with potatoes and another side. I love to use my crock pot.

Yesterday, when I picked up Matthew from school, he got in and started bawling! I mean red face, REAL tears bawling! He said, "I had a terrible day!" Oh my gosh. Let me tell you. I wanted to pull over and just cuddle him right then and there, but I had to get out of the way of the car line and head to the middle school. So I just listened. Apparently, he'd just gone to the library with his class. And apparently he'd lost his library book (which he checked out 2 weeks ago). And apparently he was told he couldn't get any more books until he returned the other one. He looked and looked but couldn't find it. Now realize that two weeks is a long time for a first grader to keep up with a book. The day after he checked it out, I put it back in his book bag, and that's the last time I saw it. Hopefully it will turn up! So....if you've seen the book Dolly Party, please turn it in for him! I say that jokingly, because I know you'll most likely not run across it. But I feel sure it is at school and will turn up. I just hate that this little boy who LOVES books can't check out another one until the first is returned. I understand though. Oh, and you may wonder why my six year old chose a book called "Dolly Party." Since he just started first grade and can't read most words yet, he just saw a cute picture of a bunny on the front and had no idea it was about a girl bunny having a tea party with her new "dolly." We read it anyway!
If I have time today after loads of laundry and such, I'm going to get up to my scrapbook room. It has been feeling neglected lately. LOL! Have I mentioned lately that I love my life? I love my family and am so blessed! Tell your family what they mean to you TODAY! Have a great week!

UPDATE: Dolly Party has been found and returned! Thank you, Lord! :)

Only 1 Me...Only 1 You

A neighbor friend forwarded me this link. I thought it was kind of fun. As I played along, I found out that there is no one else in the US with my exact name (first and last). Click and try your names.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 1 or fewer people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

That reminded me that not only is there no one else with my exact name, there's no one else exactly like me. God knit me together in my mother's womb. He knows exactly how many hairs are on my head (even after all that have fallen out in the last few years), and he knew my name before I was even born. God's fingerprints are all over me, and they are all over you. You and I are masterpiece creations of the Almighty God! We are all created as unique individuals, wired to be who we are. We're not always happy with ourselves...we're human, and we mess up. But we're still God's masterpieces...fearfully and wonderfully made! Remind yourself of that (as will I) the next time you feel inferior or bad about yourself, or the next time you're tempted to put someone down.

Hope you all are having a good weekend.

Fireproof

Only 20 more days until the opening of the movie, Fireproof. I can't wait to see it! Here's the trailer.

September's Here!

Well, September is already here. I can't believe it. It has been a busy week, despite having Monday off for Labor Day. Ed and I spent most of the day cleaning out closets, drawers, etc... getting ready for a yard sale soon. We ended the day by enjoying the pool. There won't be much more of that, as the water is already turning colder. I can tell that the change of season is coming with the mornings becoming chillier when we get ready to leave for school.
Speaking of school....Jonathan is doing well in middle school so far. He has managed an A for math and science...don't know about Language Arts or Social Studies yet. He is enjoying band, learning to read music. He thinks he will play either the trombone (first choice) or the saxophone. He originally wanted to play the trumpet, but he had a little trouble hitting the higher notes during try-outs.
Tonight is Open House at his school. I look forward to going to each of his classes. Boy, school sure is different than when I went a "few" years ago. In GT, (gifted and talented) Jonathan actually has to label all the countries on the map of North and South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe by MEMORY! Can YOU do that?
Matthew is trying his best, I think. He made an 80 on his first spelling test, and a 95 on his first math test. It's getting harder, and he gets so anxious. This is one kid who can't wait for the weekends! On this past Friday, I took him to the doctor because his teachers had told me he was going to the bathroom way too often. To sum things up...there was nothing wrong physically. The doctor thinks it's anxiety about school! So the teachers and I have put him on a bathroom schedule...so he has three times to go each day if needed. Hopefully a routine will be more reassuring for him. I am working hard at home with him on spelling and phonics. So hopefully he'll be able to keep up. His ADD meds have surely helped.
Well, to end today's post, here are some shots from our final pool "hoopla" of the summer! Have a great week (what's left of it!).