Mundane Musings

My heart aches when I think of the devastation that the people in Haiti. My heart and prayers are with the people of Haiti…

My goal in the new year is to upload a new picture daily to my Flickr account – and hopefully this blog.

We started off the year with a great start – despite the bitter cold temperatures. Dear friends of ours are visiting from Birmingham and we celebrated their daughters birthday today with them and other friends. Kait and Brianna are best buds and it was great to see the girls giggling and having fun together.

We spent the rest of the day playing games (including a 2+ hour long game of Phase10) and the traditional ham & beans dinner with Chip’s parents.

I know it’s been a LONG time since I’ve posted, but we’ve been busy and Christmas is now upon us. I’ve not forgotten about this sadly neglected blog. I’ll be back in the new year!

But for now – Happy Christmas everyone!

I know it’s been way too long since I’ve given a real update. Football and cheer are over for the year. School is in full swing and we’re planning for a couple different trips coming up – PK retreat for the kids, Youth Convention (which Chip and I are going as chaperones), a trip to WI to see my family sometime before Kait’s birthday, an Illinois football game in November and then Chip’s sister and her family coming to see us at Thanksgiving time. It’s a busy time of year and I’m loving it!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from this fall (click on the pictures to make them bigger)…

Cheer/football:

Elijah is #5 and played Tight End…

And what do the littles do while at two football games every Saturday afternoon?

And of course, what fall is complete without pictures from the first day of school? Y’all know you’re jealous that you can’t go to school in your jammies!

I’m actually taking a break from working today! Well, I’m still babysitting, but the little girl I watch is joining me in a viewing of the new Snow White dvd we got thanks to One2One Network.  It’s a DVD/BlueRay combo. We don’t have a BlueRay player yet, so we’re enjoying the dvd.

Snow White has always been a favorite of mine. With classic songs from my childhood like Whistle While You Work (reminds me of my grandfather – who is an excellent whistler) and Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It’s Off To Work I Go, you just can’t go wrong with Snow White! I’m finding myself transported back to my Grandmother’s bedroom, where we would escape to watch VHS movies on Sunday afternoons – where I would dream of my Prince finding me (he has). I’m feeling rather nostalgic on a rainy fall afternoon!

The Snow White blueray/dvd combo is selling for only $19.99. And I can do one better for you! Here’s a COUPON for $10 off that you can print. And if you buy a qualifying Hefty product, you can also get a $5 rebate! So, you’ll end up paying only $5 for your very own copy of Snow White!

But what I really, really want to know is Who is your favorite dwarf? Personally, I’m kind of partial to Doc. I’m not sure what it is exactly, he just reminds me of my grandfather!

I know, I know. A meme is like cheating when it come to blogging. But I feel the need to blog *something* today, so I figured maybe this would give some of my newerish internets a chance to get to know me a bit better. A few of you who think you know me really well might even learn something!

I’m totally stealing this from my friend Amy’s blog! Can you answer these without fibbing?

1 What’s the last thing you put in your mouth? Coffee (anyone surprised?)
2 Have you ever kissed anyone named Matthew? no
3 Where was your profile picture taken? Sitting in the very chair I am right now. In my living room.
4 Who was the last person you rode in a car with under the age of 20? All four of my kiddos.
5 Can you play guitar hero? Yeppers. Not as well as some, but I can hold my own.
6 Last time you walked further than a block? It’s really sad, but I can’t remember the last time I actually went on a walk. Unless you count walking around the mall…
7 Name someone that made you laugh today? I need another cup of coffee before I’ll feel like laughing today.
8 How late did you stay up last night and why? 11ish for no reason at all.
9 If you could move somewhere else, would you? Not right now. maybe in a couple years if God moves us.
10 Ever been kissed under fireworks? Yes
11 Do you believe ex’s can be friends? Yep
12 Do you like calling or texting better? Texting. I have 4 kids and when the phone rings it’s like a signal telling them to be as loud as possible and come bother mom. Texting is much easier!
13 How do you feel about Diet Dr Pepper? LOVE it!
14 When was the last time you cried really hard? Don’t remember – it’s been a while. Now if you if you’d asked the last time I just cried, that I could tell you.
15 Where is your biological father right now? Heaven
16 Where are you at right now? Sitting in my living room
17 What bed did you sleep in last night? My own! I *love* my bed and miss it terribly when we’re away from home!
18 What was the last thing someone bought for you? Chip bought me some Phish Food ice cream. Gotta love a man who brings you Ben & Jerrys!
19 Who took your profile picture? It’s a self portrait!
20 Who was the last person you took a picture of? The kids yesterday at lunch. Five of them lined up across my living room floor eating lunch.
21 Was yesterday better than today? Nope. It’s still early today, but that means it’s a day full of brand new opportunity!
22 Can you live a day without TV? Yes – that’s what the DVR is for! lol
23 Are you a bad influence? Depends who you ask
24 What items could you not go without during the day? My family and coffee. I’m pretty content as long as those two things are a part of my day.
25 Would you share a drink with a stranger? No, ick, no.
26 Who was the last person you visited in the hospital? Granny
27 What does the last text message in your inbox say? From Twitter “davidtnelson: It’s a great day today! Aug 20, 9:07am”
28 What are you wearing? Yoga pants. Because if I wear the pants, maybe somehow I’ll be motivated to actually do the yoga, right? RIGHT?
30 If we were to look in your inbox, what would we find? Lots of emails waiting to be answered
31 Has anyone ever called you perfect before? Yep. I don’t think it was meant to be a compliment though.
32 What song is stuck in your head? Jeremy Camp’s Speaking Louder than Before
33 Someone knocks on your window at 2 am, who do you want it to be? A fireman. Because unless my house is on fire, you don’t want to wake me up at 2am.
34 Who was your last missed call on your cell phone? Chip’s dad
35 Can you handle the truth? Most of the time
36 What was the last book you read? I Heart Bloomberg by Melody Carlson
37 Is there something you always wear? my wedding ring
38 Have you ever crawled through a window? Nope – although my mom tells me I tried to in my sleep when I was little.
39 What’s something that can always make you feel better? Spending time with Chip, coffee, my Jesus
40 What do you want right now? Another cup of coffee
41 Look behind you, what do you see? Fireplace
42 Have you ever worked in a food place? Never
43 Could you answer all of these questions honestly? Yes – they weren’t too hard.
Let me know if you answer these questions too!

Ok, so maybe it won’t kill you, but it might kill your blog! Because that’s certainly what happened to mine after school let out. Between trying to keep up with my kids’ crazy schedules and the fact that it’s summer, micro-blogging via Twitter (and by extension Facebook) has replaced my blog as my record keeping application of choice.

I’m going to resurrect it. It will likely be a slower-ish process. We’re still in full summer mode here and not starting school until September 8th. But my early quiet mornings will start again next Tuesday. I started to get back into the groove of things yesterday by actually making a menu for I think the second time all summer. We kicked off the beginning of fall sports last Saturday with the football jamboree.

So don’t give up on me, internets! I’ll be back soon! Until then you can FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER or just follow along right over there <-------- in the sidebar.

Life has been NUTS around here lately. We’ve been kept hopping from place to place and from one activity to another.

The boys are finally done with baseball.

Noah’s team finally got some hits at the end of the season. It was the first time most of them have played baseball. It had been tball for all of them until this year. Noah had a very young team, mostly 7 year olds. (It’s a 7/8 yr league). I think out of 10 kids, only 2 of them were 8yr olds. And it showed. Hasn’t stopped him from bringing his glove and ball to the rest of the games and trying to get a pick-up game together with the other kids who are there. The boy just eats and sleeps baseball. And I’m guessing that will switch over to football in a couple weeks when Elijah starts.

Elijah’s team had a rough year. I can’t remember what they finished the season at, but they were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. Poor guy doesn’t know what to do with himself quite yet (they finished last Thursday). He’s gotten to the point where he can hit the ball really well (and had connection at home of his at bats, even if it meant the ball went foul). Football starts in 2 weeks. Until then, I imagine he’ll do some moping around.

Kait is still playing softball. Tourney starts tonight at 6pm in Arthur. She’s had a GREAT season and realized that she *loves* playing catcher. I mean loves it! And for those of you who know Kait, I know you have to be wondering, “Catcher? Really?” But it’s like she’s a completely different kid when you put her in that catchers gear. My daughter, who will cry if you look at her funny, straps in and is all over the place jumping in front of balls to knock them down and taking them in the chest and facemask. It’s nuts! And I love watching her play! Her team finished with an 8-3 season going into the tournament. It’s been a really fun team to watch play. She’s supposed to start cheerleading practice tonight for football, but she can’t exactly be two places at once. So cheerleading will have to wait until after the tournament.

Seth is doing great. He’s not playing sports, unless you count playing out in the yard with his kids (our own and neighborhood kids). He’s become a master frog catcher lately. And we seem to have a plague of them this year! We’ve had toads in the past, but this year the kids have caught and released more grass frogs than I can even count. I only have one rule – KEEP THEM OUTSIDE!!! He’s really looking forward to watching football and can’t wait until baseball season next year when he’ll get to play tball (which will mean FOUR different kids at different levels – not sure HOW that’s going to work).

We found out recently that our dear, dear friends the Vanderlaans are moving. From 9 blocks to 9 hours. We’ve excited in a completely sad kind of way for them. We know that they’ve sought after God on this and know that they are just taking the next step in the plan God has laid out for them. So, while we’re sad that they are leaving, we cry our tears and help them pack. Knowing that God is going to do amazing things for and through them as they take this giant step of faith! I just wish the step weren’t so far away. But doing what God wants and needs for them is so much more important that anything that I could ever want for them.

In other news, Granny is in the hospital. A week ago, Chip went to pick her up to take her to the drs office. She had been sick for a week already. When he got there, she had a bag packed and knew she was headed to the hospital. She *hates* the hospital, but was hoping they would admit her because her lungs felt awful and she was hoping some oxygen would help. A chest xray showed pneumonia, so Chip got her all checked into the hospital. Yesterday, Chip’s dad went to visit and said she was very excited because the thought was she’d get to come home possibly today. Well, not home, but out of the hospital. She’ll be spending at least some time at Chip’s parents house. But then she got the chills and started shivering. The news this morning is that she has some sort of infection and is running a temp. She’ll be in the hospital for several more days and won’t be able to go home to her home until her strength is built back up a lot more than it is. And we all have a feeling that’s going to be a bit of a fight (wondering if Kathy – Chip’s aunt – is ready to come back down and wrestle with us since it really might come to that). All I can think is “Poor Granny.” The woman is such a huge help to other people – always giving, always loving, always caring. Even for the people that no one else wants to deal with. It’s hard to see her so sick. Prayers are appreciated…

So, that’s what we’ve been up to. What’s your summer looked like so far?

*My blog is broken. Again. Stupid wordpress updater. I don’t have time to fix it right now, but I think I’ve figured out how to post using html for now. It’s not a fix, but it’s a bypass for now.

*The kids had a GREAT time at camp. I’ll have pictures soon!

*Seth didn’t win the Mr. Firecracker thing for our town celebration. But he still got to ride in the parade. I’ll have pictures of that too!

*We’re spending a lot of time at ball fields lately. We had seven games last week and six games this week. Noah is done for the season. Again, I’m promising pictures soon.

*Chip’s aunt and uncle are down from Fargo, ND this week. Looking forward to spending some time with them this week.

*I have some recipes that I’m going to post tomorrow for Works For Me Wednesday – it’s a special theme WFMW with favorite summertime recipes.

I used the computer for about 20 minutes on Saturday, only for church stuff on Sunday and didn’t turn it on at all yesterday! It was a nice break!

Saturday was a busy, busy day. After playing an 8pm game on Friday night, Kait had to get up and play at 9am on Saturday morning. We had to leave the house at 8am to be there on time. But she got to catch both games and *loved* every second of it! She was a bit sad she was going to have to miss just one game this week while she’s at camp. (However, if it doesn’t clear up, they aren’t going to be able to play tonight anyway). We have an 8pm game again on Friday night.

Saturday night, we all went over to Macon County Speedway to watch Chip drive in the “Faster Pastor” race.

Chip is in the yellow car, his friend Kevin is in the blue car

He finished 4th and only one person was able to get buy him! That person ended up winning the race and was an actual racer who happened to be a pastor. Most of the pastors racing had never raced before or had only done it a handful of times in the past. We had a great time. I’ll have some more pictures of the race on Friday.

Sunday morning, I woke up early. On my own. I got up to finish up stuff for our services and almost had a heart attack. Our external hard drive would NOT work. It’s making an awful clicking noise. That can not be good. So, I had 2 hours to redo everything we needed for our Sunday morning service. YIKES! I managed to get it done and get myself and our 4 kids to church only 5 minutes later than we normally get there.

After church, Chip’s parents stayed and ate lunch with us. His mom and I went and got the few last minute things we needed for camp for the kids for this week. His dad stayed here and watched 6 kids (our 4 plus the 2 kids of some of our favorite people in the world). I guess they had a good time. When we got home, we got to hear all about how PawPaw let them shoot the BB gun in the yard. They were all smiles!

The older two boys went to youth group that night and then afterward our youth leader stayed and played with all of the kids in the yard. My kids *love* him! He’s a great guy and I’m so thankful for the work he’s doing with the few teens we have! They’re having a great time and learning along the way! He encouraged them to fast on Monday morning, and they both did! They escaped to the church to pray for a while during breakfast. Can’t say I blame them – they both agreed to fasting knowing full well that I was making biscuits and gravy for breakfast. It really was a sacrifice for them.

Monday morning, I got up early again and with lots of help from my WONDERFUL husband, got 6 kids ready to go to camp! We breakfasted, showered, finished packing and loaded up the van!

Back row: Kaitlyn, Isaac, Race, Elijah, TJ, BreeAna, Jon Front row: Noah, Brianna

About 40 minutes away from camp, it started raining! The forecast looks like it could be a soggy week for them, but I’m sure they’ll have a blast!

After we got home, we drove into town and took Seth to the mall at his request. He wanted to go to the pet store. And GameStop. The boy knows what he likes.  We finished up our erranding and came home. Seth played in the yard with Kait’s best friend and her cousin for a while. We basically just settled in for a quiet night at home.

We did get a text message from our youth guy who is Noah’s counselor at camp this year telling us he won the “Best Kid award” for the day at camp! WOOT! I know he’s a great kid, but it’s great that someone else sees it too!

It should be relatively quiet this week with just Seth at home. I’m already missing the other three and can’t wait to see them all when we pick them up on Friday!