some hot news

So I guess I’ve got this thing called a blog. Hmm..I guess I’ll have to try this out and see how it goes. Seeing as how I haven’t posted in almost a month. Do you all even remember me? LOL

Well, there really isn’t that much to tell. It’s summer and we haven’t been up to much.

Oh and it’s hot. I mean really, rilly hot.

And last week I was watching the news and the weather man said that this week was going to be the hottest yet. I’m thrilled.

In another weather cast, he said something about a cooling trend (at some point) and “cooling down” and then he said “100”. That is not even funny, my friends.

We have pretty much given up on the local water park. A friend of mine was there the other day and said the water felt like bath water. Not exactly refreshing, if you ask me.

We have gotten to know our local malls/shops/stores pretty well though. They have air conditioning. And I’m pretty sure I’m not going to have to deal with any bath water in there either.

And in some other, other news..we start school two weeks from today. Doing online school again, cuz we love it. Excited and a bit nervous to get started. Just like always.

Oh..did I mention it’s hot? 

it’s the nurse!

Today I was just getting started buying groceries when I noticed a familiar face. It took a second or two for it to register just exactly where I knew her from. And then it hit me.

She was our pediatrician’s nurse from when both kids were babies up until just a couple of years ago when she had her first child. I loved her. And have often wondered what happened to her after her baby came.

I found out today that she’s now working at the children’s hospital where Bub was treated, but in a different department.

We chatted and caught up a little bit and then she asked me how long ago, how old was he, how long..all the usual questions regarding Bub and his illness.

And then she told me…Dr. XYZ cried and cried and cried when we found out about what was wrong with Bub.

We continued to talk some more and then she needed to get going, so we said our glad to see you’s and our goodbyes.

I turned to pick up some tomatoes and suddenly heard the weirdest sound. It was me. Choking back tears.  I couldn’t get the thought of our sweet pedi, Dr. XYZ sobbing her heart out for our sweet little boy out of my mind. 

I composed myself and moved on….willing myself not to fall apart into a puddle right in the middle of Walmart.

*on a side note, Dr. XYZ “retired” after she had kids. She has an amazing family and is taking time off to raise them. I’ve seen her a few times through the years. We saw her while we were out with Bub not too long after she left the practice…we were out and about over the Christmas break. We knew by then that it was Bub’s last holiday with us, but she did not know that, as she had stopped working before that bit of info trickled down to her. So I told her myself standing in the middle of the mall about his prognosis. And a few years later, I heard her yelling out Mrs. You Know Who…and I turned to see her waving frantically at me. We stood outside Target and chatted for a good half hour. And there have been a couple of other times I’ve seen her ‘out’ and we’ve gotten to talk a bit. I miss her. She is a special lady.

So was our nurse. I miss them both. : )

visitors from afar

We recently made some new friends.

The mother of one of my girl’s classmates called me and wanted to know if they could drop in for a visit so our girls could meet.

They don’t live anywhere around here…we are talking several days of journey for them.

We said we would love to meet them.

So we did.

And our girls did.

I enjoyed listening to our girls giggling in the same room.

Instead of over skype.

For six fun filled days.

I loved meeting and getting to know her parents a little bit…fighting my ‘from the wall’ tendencies the entire time. : )

And more importantly meeting them at our church on Sunday for worship…which is the thing that binds us more than having daughters that happen to be friends.

And then we said our goodbye’s and there was stillness in my little house again.

It was a wonderful experience and one that I never expected when we signed on to do homeschooling online.

Who’dathunkit.

summer school of sorts

Today was graduation day. She got a diploma…and a sugar rush.

It’s been a long month of baking and making greasy icing, but my girl has come a long way. 

Week one was just learning how to squirt out icing on some cookies.

Week two had them following a pattern in the book that comes with the class. She chose the cupcake.

Not bad. Week three had them decorating cupcakes. I was going to pick her up at a friend’s house after class and with all the extra moving around, her cupcakes took one for the team. They got pretty squished so there wasn’t much to take a picture of. I didn’t even get to see them before they got messed up. *sad face*

And then week four was today. They all decorated a cake. I wasn’t sure what to think about it all but I was very impressed!

She even demonstrated how to make roses when we got home from class. Her favorite one..the best one..is at the bottom left. She got better and better as she made them.

Good job, sweetie! : )

get in the boat

Yesterday we went to the waterpark with a bunch of buddies. A fun time was had by all. No one came away red or even pink, thanks to adequate sunblock.

Unlike last week.

*insert PSA here*

I have been using Banana Boat products for years and have always enjoyed good protection with their products. But the line of Boat products I used the most left me sticky, which isn’t all that bad at the waterpark, but is messy and icky at a function that requires…say…regular clothes.

So I have been on the hunt for a better solution. I tried some Neutrogena stuff..and let me tell you, it was pricey! And I came away red more than once even though it said it was waterproof. So it was back to the Boat with us. But this time I tried something else in their line…and the girl and I both came away red last week. She got it worse than I did. And I felt like a dog for it.

So I did some research online and found that not all Banana Boat products are made equal. So I tried the Sport line (in the orange bottle) and neither of us were the least bit pink after yesterday. It is the same stuff that left me sticky “back in the day”, but I don’t think I was as sticky when I used it this time. I wonder if they’ve reformulated it or something. But anyhoo…one of those consumer rating/research places online gave Banana Boat Sport and No Ad Brand the best ratings.

(It also comes in a ‘face’ formula and it worked perfectly on both of us…with no burning eyes either!)

So get on the boat…the Banana Boat!

*end PSA*…and no, nobody paid me or gave me anything to say that. I just don’t want you burned like we were. It was so nice to just leave the park, wash the day off and be the same color I was at the start of the day. Woot!

As I said, a fun time was had by all. I had a particularly thrilling couple of moments when a spider when down my cleavage swim shirt and I began to wonder if I was gonna have go to into wardrobe malfunction to get the silly thing OUT. But thankfully I was able to finally flick the little guy out of there without scaring anybody around me or getting kicked out of the park.

So it was a good day indeed.

the jury is out

Today was the day.

I had a date. At the courthouse.

But it wasn’t my idea. I got called to jury duty.

I’ve never been before…that’s one of the perks to having small children. You get off the hook. But now she’s not so little. So much for getting off the hook. : /

I was not thrilled about driving “down town” either. I have never driven down there. Hubs took me around down there a couple of times so I would know my way around the crazy maze of one way streets and hopefully find my way.

I had the choice of a free lot a few miles away, which included hitching a ride on the public bus system. Orrrr, I could pay and park in the parking garage right next door to the courthouse..space permitted. Guess which one I chose!

Best $15 evah! (PTL for a parking place!)

So I got there and walked in and was greeted by airport style bins and metal detectors. Great. The buckle on my shoes went off so I had to go back through and take them off and put them in the bin also.

And walk through security barefooted.

After that, the same helpful guy that told me I would need to remove my shoes, also pointed out that I could get some booties to wear.

You’re a little late with that tidbit, dude.

I found my courtroom and planted myself on the pew in the hallway…along with the rest of humanity. I won’t even go there. And commenced to waiting. And texting. I informed my peeps that I had found the bathroom and been in there twice since I arrived. My daughter texted me back that I get bonus points for that find.

So they were having a good laugh at my expense. Evidently I’m here to entertain and to serve.

At some point the hubs and the daughter ran out of snarky things to say. But it took a while.

And the bailiff (???)…he was wearing a uniform and a gun..but whatever…”the guy” came out and gathered all our jury duty slips and we were told to keep waiting. He also made an under his breath comment about ‘this’ possibly taking a week. Soon he came back out and told us that the case had been settled. I guess that was his idea of “humor” earlier. Well, it was totally lost on us. Not a bit funny. And with that, we were free to go. That is..after we went to the dismissing area. That room is one up from the benches..these were real chairs with padding and everything.

I chose to sign over my ‘pay’ to charity hoping there would be less paperwork and I could get out faster. But alas that wasn’t the case. Oh well, maybe they’ll name a wing after me with that $6 donation!

And with that, I was on my merry way across the street, and up the scary steps to my van to whisk myself back to the ‘burbs!

the highlights

I’ve been doing a lot of reading. I just finished Crazy Love by Francis Chan. And I just started Forgotten God, also by Chan. I am also reading The Breaking of the Outer Man and the Release of the Spirit by Watchman Nee.

Not exactly whatcha call light summer reading.

But good. Oh so good.

So good that I keep my highlighter handy at all times. So far in Forgotten God (I just started it), I have been in agreement with the things said…meaning the thoughts expressed aren’t new thoughts to me, but I do agree with them. And then I highlight them.

But especially in the Nee book, I highlight something because I agree with it. And other times I highlight because I know what he’s saying is true, but that truth isn’t alive in me yet. In the highlighting, I am in mental agreement with the idea or concept. And often those words stick with me or I find myself returning to them and reading them over and over until they become a part of me.

But something was still missing.

I am just beginning to understand that in the reading, I also need to give a more deliberate consent to the truths expressed and take them into my spirit and submit to them spiritually. Not just my mind. I have struggled with this for a very long time and yet for some reason, couldn’t “figure out” the answer. To which I say DUH to myself. The missing link to taking these truths further…whether expressed by an author in a book or in the Bible itself…is prayer.

I must pray though what I am reading. Pray the very truths/things being presented. My spirit would agree with them and yet I wondered why they weren’t coming alive in me any more than they were. I know of doing this, but I had never really figured out how to practice it. I am still just learning.

The Nee book is especially teaching me this. It is a very hard read. And taking me beyond what I know and what I am comfortable with. And yet there have been many “ah-ha moments” contained. Answers to some of the very basic and yet vital questions of walking with God. And yet those answers bring me to see that I need God all the more…and for more than just mental consent to the truth. But for it to be alive in me.

And for that, I am praying my way slooowly through. 

*I will give a short ‘sales pitch’ for the Nee book. Excellently written and hits the nail on the head as to our struggle to walk with God, be fruitful and experience His presence in our every day life.