Frog and Toad

Andrew and I were eating dinner together while Dad and Mason did some little jobs at the house one evening. He looked over his plate of ravioli and asked, "Are frogs and toads the same?" I said, "they are similar, just a little different. Frogs have wet skin and toads have dry bumpy skin." Sorry, that is the best I could do at recalling basic biology. He looked at me with a funny stare and said, "I thought toads were just old frogs." I guess that makes sense...the older I get the more my skin looks dry and wrinkly!

Check out more funnies at Mary's Tiny Tot Tuesdays.

MY MOM...

Things with my mom continue to improve but today we had a setback. She was struggling to breathe while coughing up the lung secretions (sorry, gross) and the ICU nurses had to insert a tube and put her on a respirator. The ICU staff is very positive and have said this could be a good thing for today. It will allow them to suction her lungs more effectively and then start weaning her off of the respirator tomorrow. Please pray that she will keep her strength and have strong respiration tomorrow as they scale back the respirator.

I am ready to get her off of this roller coaster!

UPDATE

Things are looking up at this point. Her lungs are looking better and today her kidney function shows some improvement. Your prayers are so appreciated and are availing much. I will update again soon with some humor I have been able to find in the midst of undesired moments.

PRAYER REQUEST

WE ARE HEADED TO TENNESSEE UNEXPECTEDLY. MY MOTHER IS IN ICU. SHE HAD AN UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTION HAS GOTTEN INTO HER BLOODSTREAM AND INFECTED HER LIVER AND KIDNEYS. PLEASE PRAY FOR HER, THE DOCTORS AND NURSES CARING FOR HER AS THEY TRY TO IDENTIFY THE INFECTION SO THEY CAN CHOOSE THE BEST TREATMENT FOR HER AND THAT SHE WILL RESPOND WELL TO HER TREATMENT.

MY MOMMA IS ONE TOUGH COOKIE! SHE RAISED 10 CHILDREN IN CIRCUMSTANCES THAT WERE NOT ALWAYS EASY. SHE HANDLES EVERYTHING WITH A QUIET GRACE THAT I COVET SOMETIMES. IT WASN'T UNTIL I HAD CHILDREN OF MY OWN THAT I TRULY CAME TO RESPECT HER TOUGHNESS AND GRIT. I'M SURE SHE WAS TOUGHING OUT THIS "CHEST COLD" SHE HAD AND AT 73 SHE JUST CAN'T DO THAT. I AM THANKFUL FOR A GOD OF STRENTH THAT WILL SUSTAIN HER IN HER WEAKNESS.

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PRAYERS.

Oh, to want...

Our intent with the new/old house has been to keep as much of the old charm as possible. Part of that old charm is the original light fixture in the dining room. It is a great old pendant style light but it just didn't have the kind of presence I wanted for the dining room. Mark wants to keep it in the dining room and I have wanted to find something else for the dining room and use the original dining room fixture in the hallway.

I was ready to concede because I just have not found anything I really like. I just couldn't find anything that fit without looking too "Tiffany craftsman" or more ornate than I like...until now! I LOVE this light fixture for the dining room! I don't know if Mark will agree with this look but it is so turn of the century with just a hint of an industrial look. Now that I have this image in my mind, nothing else looks good.

OCCUPATION

UPDATE...Not too sleep deprived this morning. Mason and one other friend will not be singing the same tune. I caught them up still playing a racing game at 3:30am! Now I just need to find something to cut through the stiff stinky feet/wet dog smell creeping down the hallway :-)

Mason and 3 of his buddies have taken over the house. They are so stinking cute! They are all such good boys. They have even let little brother tag along throughout the evening. I know a lot of parents dread having sleepovers and can't wait for them to end, but I have to admit that I love all the activity. The sound of kids having fun is just the best...even if it means things get a little messy.
I made homemade pizza and cupcakes for the boys to eat while they played video games and built the Rescue Heroes firehouse. Andrew played with them for a while but we retreated to the my bedroom to snuggle and watch a movie. He is now down for the count. The big boys are in the middle of a serious pillow fight tournament so I think I may have to call the final match and get them to settle down for a movie in their sleeping bags. Hopefully I won't be so sleep deprived tomorrow that I lose my fondness for sleepovers :-)

THANKFUL FOR SIMPLE PLEASURES

On this relaxing Thursday, I thought I would list some simple things in this life that bring me so much joy and for which I am so thankful.
...Early morning snuggles from a little boy with puppy breath

...Hot coffee and cozy socks on a cold, rainy morning

...the smell of a roast cooking all day in the crock pot

...the sound of the boys playing with their friends at our house

...little shoes piled by the front door

...Andrew snuggled up with Sadie with a blanket on the floor watching a movie.

...folding little big boy clothes

...a bathtub full of rubber duckies

...giggles while boys try hiding a practical joke

...cuddles with bedtime stories

...the quiet of bedtime

...hot tea, cozy socks, pajama pants as the cold rain continues

Good night, sleep tight :-)

A TRUE BREAK

Spring break around here usually means a trip somewhere to visit family, well not this year. We are staying home and visiting with each other. Believe it or not, I think the boys are actually enjoying this more than a trip. Our schedules are so busy that they rarely get to completely veg out. Even Saturday mornings are usually filled with baseball, football, basketball, etc. This week has been slow and relaxed with a few simple treats.

On Monday we went to the park and played with Max & Vivi Jo. They were so cute together playing in the music park. I think that was every one's favorite. Andrew and Vivi held hands as they walked over together. It was so sweet. Mason, as usual, was doting on Max and they were both loving it! Mason just loves little Max and Max loves to be loved by Mason...the feeling is mutual. I love watching those two together! It was a fun, simple afternoon.

Yesterday we had a picnic lunch at the lake with our fabulous neighbor Mrs. Gladys. Mrs. Gladys isn't just any neighbor, she is 99 years old and is going strong. She is so vibrant and joyful. It is a treat to be around her. It was only about 3 years ago that she stopped tending my vegetable garden for me! She still lets me know what needs to be done now that she has a harder time doing it. ;-) We picked her up and she had her picnic treats packed and ready to go. We sat out by the lake with a blanket and a few lawn chairs and enjoyed the beautiful view. It started to sprinkle so we picked up and went to a small plant stand in a neighboring town. Mrs. Gladys picked out a few plants for her beautiful yard and helped the boys pick some that they can tend for our yard. It was a wonderful time. It is just precious how much my boys love Mrs. Gladys. She gives them unconditional love and praise and they are just drawn to her. Our family is so blessed by her! She is a prayer warrior and has such a heart for children's ministry. It has been great to have an example of a life lived as a woman of God displayed before me so closely.

Today we will head out to do our grocery shopping and to do a little "good will hunting". We will meet up with my friend Tonya and her family to go bowling on this rainy, cold day. Tonya's son Cameron and Mason have been big buddies since Preschool so they will have a good time together. Andrew is smitten with Cameron's big sister Ashlyn so he will have fun pestering her and her friend today. ;-)

So there you have it...our exciting spring break schedule. The true beauty of it all is THERE IS NO SCHEDULE! We should all be nice and relaxed by the time Mason has a sleepover Friday night with 3 other boys. That should be another post all it's own!

Menu Planning with style

Now, even the most budget conscious (something I do need to work on)menu can look absolutely delish. Thanks to Jodee and her kind give away. She sent one of these menu planning pads to everyone that commented on her post. I think that is so sweet and generous. It was so nice to see her beautifully addressed package waiting at my office on top of a STACK of business mail. It sure brightened my day just like her blog posts do. She just has such a fun positive way of looking at the world while juggling work and family. Thanks Jodee for the adorable menu planner and for sharing your precious family with us through your blog.

We've got...PERSONALITY

One Fabulous Mom posted this fun personality test. I tried it out and it is pretty right on. I thought you guys may have fun doing it yourselves. Post your results and leave me a comment so I can see how you were pegged. Here are my results below.

Your personality type:
Practical, traditional and organized. Likely to be athletic. Not interested in theory or abstraction unless they see the practical application. Have clear visions of the way things should be. Loyal and hard-working. Like to be in charge. Exceptionally capable in organizing and running activities. 'Good citizens' who value security and peaceful living.
Careers that could fit you include:
Military, business administrators, managers, police/detective work, judges, financial officers, teachers, sales representatives, government workers, insurance agents, underwriters, nursing administrators, trade and technical teachers.

HOUSE UPDATE

Well, the progress on the inside continues but the exterior looks a lot more like a home. I know, I know, the dumpster and siding boxes really class up the place. Just look past that for now. I just love the red trimmed windows and garage doors.

Aren't the gable windows just the greatest!

The front door will be stained a dark Cherry type finish. Just picture a porch swing on the far left and some cute chairs and plants to the right of the front door. It just makes you want to come sit a spell and sip some sweet tea doesn't it?

MY FAVORITE SIGN OF SPRING...

NO CRYSTAL VASE WITH LONG STEM ROSES.

JUST A CRAZY MONKEY CUP WITH BLOOMING PURPLE WEEDS TO ADORN OUR DINING ROOM TABLE.

A GIFT FOR MOMMY FROM LITTLE MISTER ROO.

D.I. TEAM IS HOUSTON BOUND!

Mason has been a part of a Destination Imagination (DI) team since December of last year. This is the first year our elementary school has sponsored a team so it was new to the two team managers and the kids. They registered to participate in a challenge that required they create a Music Video to bring to life a piece of children's literature. They had to take music from an existing song but create their own lyrics to tell the story. They had to create all of their own props and costumes as well.

Yesterday was the big day for these 7 kids. The regional competition was here and they had 6 minutes to set up all of their props and perform their music video. They did great even with an obvious prop malfunction. It was amazing to see the finished product. These kids are all 8 to 9 years old and came up with some great creative and original ideas. I was so proud to see them work together so well. Even with a little setback, they were positive and encouraging with one another and went on with their great performance. Well, the judges must have noticed too because, THEY PLACED SECOND IN THE REGION! They were beside themselves with pride when they went to the stage to receive their medals. When the realized they were going to advance to the State competition, their smiles were even bigger.

I had never heard of Destination Imagination until Mason was asked to be a part of the elementary team this year. I have to say, I am blown away at what this program offers to children. This organization is all about teaching kids to be problem solvers, to think on their feet and be creative in the process...exactly what all children need to learn to be ready for this big world that awaits them. I am completely sold and look forward to supporting kids in this program for years. Check out this video below if you would like to learn more about this wonderful organization.