O.K., I am still hanging in there. But let's just say, today wasn't actually the greatest. Without going into details , ( I firmly believe the recalling of which might push me over an edge that I can not return) , I spent the majority of my time today in the Scalded Dog, and the dentist chair. The dental thing ended up being unexpected oral surgery, and I am to expect" bruising and swelling". Oh. Good. So I sit here in front of my computer with my mouth packed with guaze and an ice pack close by.

Anyway, My sisters both posted tonight, so go and read their blogs! I posted a few of the pics from the other night. Thomasina is doing three 16 x 20 's (one of each of the kids) in B&W for my living room. This was the last one to get done. I am so thrilled with it! She is fabulous! I can't wait to see them all hanging together.

Em's stories of the boys are just too precious! I can't wait to catch up with everyone at Thanksgiving.

I've gotta go refill my ice pack.
G'night,
Melissa

ACK! Who is that guy??? Of course, it's Austin. Wait, wait..If he is that old.........how old AM I??????

I don't know how my sister does it! Isn't he a handsome kid? And to think, just moments later, he and his brother were having a fight to the death duel with cornstalks!

He is a goofy boy scout!

And Squared. A-way! (For Race to see!)

I wanted to thank everyone for their prayers. I truly felt "prayed for" on Friday. I think that it is the only thing that got me through that day. Hearing that news was just such a blow. I was in a daze the entire day, like I just couldn't wrap my brain around it. It seems like we are under attack here. So many other things cropping up right now like flames licking at our heels. But I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your prayers. And, while I can't go into any details, things with Race's situation are improving. I still haven't said anything to the kids because we just aren't sure how things will play out.

Austin had an AWESOME time at scouts. They camped all weekend. It got down to 35 degrees! But, thankfully he was prepared. Race had taught him a long time ago what to bring, and how to pack it. I didn't help him at all. He was so squared away! He and one of his buddies were in charge of lunch and dinner, which I find hysterical! But apparently they did a fine job and got compliments on their cooking!

Savannah and Jack had a great time going to the movies with Aunt Thomasina. They are still talking about it.

Church was wonderful today. I am so happy that we found this church. I truly love it.

I don't have a lot to add here tonight, because I guess I just don't have it in me, ya know? But thanks so much for the kind words and the prayers. It means so much to me. We are doing fine and hanging in there. And like I said, I have not lost my perspective on this. There are worse calls that a wife can get, for sure. But still it is dissapointing. And we are handling it, and with God's grace we will come out on the other side.

G'night,
melissa

Please pray...

I just received some bad news. Due to recent world events,(terrorist bastards), Race will not be home as planned. In fact,being home for Thanksgiving is no longer a certainty. I would be overwhelmed with self-pity,if I were not so overwhelmed with emotions as to what to tell the kids. Just last night, Jack squealed with excitement as he recounted the less-than-double digit days till Race would be home. I just don't know what...or when...I will tell them. While I haven't lost my perspective on this, it is still very hard, because it will dissapoint the kids so, so much.The kids all have big plans this weekend, with Austin going on a Boy Scout camping trip, and Jack and Savannah spending the evening enjoying pizza and a movie with Aunt Thomasina. I guess I will at least wait till the weekend is over. Maybe things will be more deffinite by then. Please pray that we would continue to be strong as a family, that we would just find that resting place in the Lord and also, that arrangements would be expedited, for Race to be able to come home.

Thanks so much for your prayers!
Melissa

So..if you see me on the road...

When your husband is away for long periods of time, there are several jobs which, you, the wife, shall be forced to take over in his absence.
*This past year, I have found myself on the roof of our home more times than I care to recall. There was The Leak Incident. There were several rescues of various toys that “somehow” ended up stranded on the roof. And there was an antenna problem.

*There will always be the numerous car related incidents in which a wife will have to brave The Garage, in order to have said incident fixed, all the while praying that: 1. she won’t get royally ripped off, 2. that said problem is actually FIXED, and 3., that the greasy guy who has been constantly staring into the waiting area at you from behind that glass window….can’t get out of there.

*If you think it’s a woman’s world, my friend, just make a trip to your local Lowe’s Lumber Dept with your purse over your shoulder. You’ll know differently.

*There are also many minor household repairs which a solo wife must learn to deal with on her own. I can honestly say that the inner workings of toilets, faucets, sinks, and showers no longer hold a mystery for me.

But I must tell you that while all of these tasks hold their various challenges, there is no task that I dread so much as hauling our refuse to the dump. DUMP DAY. I have looked high and low for a trash guy. I’d pay my a lot of my husbands hard earned money for that service! None to be had. We must take care of this on our own.

First, the problem was that we had to haul garbage in the back of our suburban. That was bad. Thankfully, my Mom and Dad heard my cry and came to my rescue(again). They gave us the use of one of their spare pick-ups, to haul our garbage. Now, this little truck came to us with the character already well worn in, and with many instructions from my dad about it’s peculiar workings. First of all: Don’t roll down the window (won’t go back up). Don’t put down the tailgate. The speedometer will show about 20 miles slower than the speed that you are actually traveling, so if you go about 85, you will actually be around the speed limit. Oh, and here are the specific starting instructions from my dad: “Mash the pedal all the way to the floor one full time, turn the ignition, and then pump the hell out of the gas pedal, and she’ll fire right up.” With the added caution that you may have to do this a few times to keep it running. (Which, by the way, is EXACTLY how it starts, and your right leg WILL get used to going up and down that fast.)
One look at this little gem, and you KNOW it has to have a name. Further on in my dads instructions, he said….and I will quote him directly, “She’s slow gettin’ goin’ but if you mash the pedal to the floor she’ll run jus’ like a scalded dog!” And, like a voice from heaven, I knew. It was just…..right. Thus, the “Scalded Dog” was born
So, once a week, we load up the Scalded Dog, and head to the dump. The way there was a little scary the first few times, but once I figured out that there was approximately a half-radius worth of “play” in the wheel, it was a piece of cake!(Oh, and the first time, I drove with the blinker on the WHOLE way!) Jackson LOVES this truck, so he is my eager dump helper. I ease her right up close to the dumpsters, between the gargantuan, shiny pick-ups that sit outside of every trailer in this county. And Jack unloads. The ride home feels good. Freer somehow. We can’t get the FM radio to work, but she’s got a really sweet cassette deck.
So, ladies as you hand that bag to your husband to take out, or drag that can down to the curb…..think of me…….. And when you see the garbage man driving by your house this week to whisk away your refuse…… give a little wave and a smile….and think of me…and the “Scalded Dog.”

G'night,
Melissa

Dump Day!

O.K., I didn't blog last night. I totally and completely blame Dy. (grin) Yes, Wonder Woman called my house last night. I always love talking to her! We have been praying for her poor little John today. I hope that he is all better this morning!

Austin worked with Thomasina at the polls, and thoroughly enjoyed himself! This was a great experience for him, and I really appreciate Thom showing him the ropes.

Yesterday was long, and exhausting, and we were on the road for most of it. Although Midol was my best friend yesterday, it was a good day. And a productive day. But man was I glad to drag my weary carcass back into this house!

I will be back later this evening to post a bit more about the goings on around here. But right now, I have to go and get Jack rigged up in his bungee chord harness (see comments in previous post) and everyone else going on lessons. We have Boy Scouts tonight. And there is a camp out this weekend, that I think Austin is going to go on.

Have a great day!
Melissa

Today was pretty good as Monday's go. I'll take it. The morning started out with a beautiful sunrise. And have you ever just had a really "special" devotion time with the Lord. I mean, where you REALLY feel closer to Him than on most other days? Well, that was the morning that I had, so I went into my day feeling blessed.
School progressed along, although there were several interruptions during the day. But, we still managed to plug along. Austin's outlining and essays on British History are really starting to take shape. Today, Savannah (who suffers from a severe mathematics allergy) said, "Mom I REALLY love this math, I am SOOo glad that we switched. Now I UNDERSTAND it!" (Thank-you Math U See ) And Jack? Well amid 30,000 pencil drops, wiggles, squirms and odd sitting positions, and an attention span that is as easily distracted as a young kitten.........well......I think that we actually got some learning done. Jack did school today at the dining room table, on the trampoline, in my room, and on the deck! I sometimes think that if I were to just let this child go, he could live quite happily in the wilderness......a barbarian child fending for himself from mother nature's bounty. He would survive. I know he would.
Savannah had dance class today, so I ran a few errands, and made it back in time to catch the last 20 minutes of class. It is so fun to watch the girls! They are all having the best time!
We got back home at 7:30. I had put dinner in before we left, so I just had to pull it together. We had baked chicken w/ mushroom gravy, baked potatoes, steamed kale, braised carrots, and biscuits. i am hoping that this meal will cancel out the Taco Bell from last night. (sigh)
Tomorrow, Austin will be working the polls with Aunt Thomasina. It's funny, but a 14 yr old, studying logic is just RIPE for being exposed to the world of politics! His new favorite pass time, is to watch the political commercials, and pick out all of the fallacies!
Last night jack was pointing out constellations, and discussing the rotation of the earth, and other things that are curious to him. And all of a sudden he said," Mom, even if someone was gonna give me a trip to the moon right now, I wouldn't go. I would wait right here for Dad. No matter what anyone said I could have, I wouldn't take it, I would just wait right here for Dad. I just can't WAIT for him to get home." We are all counting the days, and even the hours till Race comes home. Words just cannot express how much we miss him.
Tomorrow's election day! Don't forget to Vote!
G'night,
Melissa

Recap....sort of...

Wrote all this on Saturday, but forgot to post:
**It is Saturday morning at 8:45. I am sitting here, at my computer, with my pink travel mug by my side, half-filled with coffee. I have already been into town this morning. I drove to pick up my 3 sleepy-eyed children who mumbled, "We had a great time", in their groggy morning voices. Loaded down with sleeping bags and pillows, they tumbled into the suburban. They were at: NINJA NIGHT. This is sort of like a lock-in at martial arts. They all had a blast, and all three of them came in and promptly climbed into bed and are sleeping quite soundly.

And while I kinda wish that I had an exciting story about the Whoop-it-up good time I had last night, alas, I came home. I watched a show called "Three Wishes" and sat in the middle of my living room with a glass of Chardonnay, eating bruchetta and putting together an etgeire for my bathroom. How's that for excitement? Actually, I thoroughly enjoyed myself! With Race being gone, it is truly a rare moment that I am completely by myself in the house, and I have to admit, it was relaxing! And while I always find myself praying for the kids a lot while they are away from me, that God would protect them, and give them wisdom to handle any situations that they may encounter, I DO covet a little private time once in awhile. So, it was nice. We ALL had a good time.**


We have had a pretty good week, and I should be gearing up for the next one that is upon us. I am having a hard time concentrating on ANYTHING, because it is getting pretty close to Race coming back home. We are all just so excited as we watch what was once an overwhelmingly long ,paper "chain of days", get shorter and shorter!

Oh yes! I got to talk to Dy this week. That is always great for me. She is always so encouraging. You could hear her little guys in the background, and they are really growing up. I was cleaning today and came across a picture from last years Thanksgiving at my mom and dads. Her little guy Jacob is in the picture. My goodness they grow up fast! It is really hard to believe.

I have a prayer request for a very close friend of mine. Her little girl(3) was sent to the E.R. on Friday in what was a very traumatic circumstance. She is doing fine, but please remember the family, as they go through a difficult time.

I got pictures of Lynette's little ones dressed up in the cutest halloween outfits that I think I have ever seen! I'll have to find out if she'll let me post them here. She made the costumes herself: a skunk, and a bug!! Too, too cute!

Oh-Oh! One more thing: I have been using Nuetrogena's microdermabrasion for about 5 days now, and..........WOW! I seriously LOVE it! This is the first thing that has made a big difference in my now..(ahem)..mature skin. Seriously, I give it 2 thumbs way up!

And, after I read the comments on my Victoria's Secret post below...the question begs asking......Am I the ONLY one who wants to know where Jess buys her lingerie??? I mean self respecting christians wouldn't even want their van in the parking lot??? Do tell Jess...(wink).

o.K., this is like a book. I have got to call it a night. And I SOoooo need to update my sidebars!!!

g'night
Melissa

Woah! Where'd Tuesday go?

Seriously, I can't believe that it is already Wednesday! Tuesday was a tough one. As far as home schooling went.....well.....public school and ease of registration was mentioned. I believe that my exact words were, "You do realize that if I take you down there, they HAVE to find a place for you....". O.k. so, not one of my best parenting moments.

The only other thing that really sticks out from Tuesday, was chatting with Thomasina, and the kids using their Jack-o-lantern's for targets. Incidentally, these are good for arrows, BB's as well as rocks fired from a sling shot, (If you're really good, you can make chunks fly off!).

Oh, Oh yes, the other thing from Tuesday: I went into Victoria's Secret. Yeah. (No jokes please about the husband returning home soon, and whatnot) Admitedly, it has been eons since I have bothered to venture into that store, but I can remember when you could go in there, get yerself some good panties and a bra, and those suckers would LAST....and they were pretty! Wehehehellll....times have changed my friends. Victoria's Secret is no longer......... very........well....."secret". This was like a showroom for the very latest in brothel wear. Seriously, some of that stuff....well, I am not even sure how you USE that??? And the sales associate (what do I call her? Panty girl? Panty Specialist? Bra Fitter? Brassiere Tech?) must have been about to get thrown out of her apartment,(though to her credit, she would've looked good) cause man was she using the high pressure sales! And here's a little tip for the V.S. sales gals: If you want me to drop $68 on a BRA, you're gonna have to do more than tell me it's comfortable, and that it uses the very latest new fibers.... For $68 you should say something like: "This will give you back the breasts of your youth". For that I would've ripped it from her hand, knocked her down, and run over her breathlessly to get to the register.

Anyway, thanks to Laney for answering my skin care questions. On Laney's blog, she had the idea for a Botox fund. Which I thought was a stroke of genius! So then I hit her up for the skin care questions that I knew she would know.....she's beautiful! If anyone else would like to add to their comments about microderm abrasion, please do!

Lynette, I am downloading those pictures as we speak. My ultra slow dial-up, might take till next week, but I shall persevere, to see those cute little young uns in their costumes!

And thank-you for all the nice comments about the kids and me! We are counting down the days till race returns.............and it's getting shorter!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (excited squeal)

G'night,
Melissa

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Here are some of our pictures from the past few days.

Today was hectic from last minute paper work emergencies that reared their ugly heads, and a hastily arranged dental appointment, that I was glad to get. The kids really pulled through for me today, and were very responsible with their school work and extra tasks that they were given. They worked without me having to stay on them, and THAT was really helpful. The last few moments of day light were spent stapling, taping and hot gluing..(as usual). We had a wonderful time trick or treating, and we are bushed!

On the way home from Trick or Treating, Jack decided that next year, he will dress as ELVIS. I find that hysterical. (OHhhhh PLEASE let it be....) Hope that you had a wonderful Halloween!

G'night,
Melissa

Caramel apples and toasted pumpkin seeds...

Pumpkin Carving

Only one of my young 'uns still needs help with carving a pumpkin, now. (sniff,sniff)

Don't they look good?!

Trick or Treat!!

Here's us! We miss you Race! And thank you Aunt Thomasina, for taking the picture!

A picture down by our creek, while we were on our walk.

Trying the old split-finger fast ball..

Our youngest child has some sort of aversion to clothing. He is rarely EVER completely clothed. Really though, over the years we have definitely made progress with the boy in this area. Ohhh..the stories we shall tell..

Catching up

Well, Savannah had a birthday party/sleepover to attend this weekend. It was apparently a BIG hit. One of the girls snored and talked in her sleep, which caused great laughter and silliness. Savannah and her birthday girl hostess stayed up all night. Seriously, ALL NIGHT....never slept. They played "Truth or Dare". O.k. I'll admit that I winced a little when I heard this, but this is not the game of MY youth. One of the BIG dares was for birthday girl to go and "sing to her mom! and she did it!" (gasp!) I am told that the highlight of the evening was at around 1 am when all the girls went down to the kitchen and the birthday girl was able to make hot chocolate come out of her nose. All the ingredients of a good sleepover! Seriously, these are some of the nicest girls, and we are so thankful to know them and their families.

Today was a gorgeous fall day! I made a really great soup for the occasion. It was white bean with sausage. I was wingin' it, and it really turned out great. hit the spot with some warm crusty bread. I also made Austin a birthday cake. THIS was huge for me. I don't do birthday cakes. For those of you who don't know, once upon a time we were having a little trouble making ends meet, (read:flat broke, dirt poor) so I learned how to do cakes. I started doing them for people at church. ANd then my dad, (who owns a skating center) suggested that I do all the cakes for their birthday parties at the skating center. This was like windfall for us!! The extra $$ were awesome, and it really helped to pull us through a particularly (ahem) "lean" time. But it nearly killed me. I would do 30+ cakes at a time. In just my little kitchen and dining room. At the time Jack was only a few months old. Anyway, when I did my last cake, I pretty much swore off cake decorating forever!

I took jackson for a long walk today. We walked our back property line from one end to the other, which follows the creek. He found a deer rub! We saw a lot of turkey and deer sign everywhere. This morning, the turkeys had roosted in the treeline just beyond the yard. I could hear them calling when I got up. jack and I also found a black walnut tree, and paw paw (sp?) trees that I didn't know were down there. I'll try to put up a few pics from the walk tomorrow.

The boys played a lot of baseball and a lot of Monopoly today.

Now the following is for your amusement. SO that you can chuckle to yourself at the life that is mine:

Well here's something that you never want to hear: Jack comes running in the back door and yells ,(he always yells)" Mom! Jeb is in love with me again!"

Jeb is one of our chocolate labs.

"Serenity now!"

G'night!
Melissa

Don't know why that link isn't working! grrr.. Click on "A day in the life" on the sidebar instead.

GOOD cabin pictures...

Go and look at the gorgeous pictures that my sister took at the cabin! Ya know, I just can't tell you how great it is traveling with your own private photographer!
Cabin Pictures

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNIESUE!

Anniesue was my roommate, my freshman year in college. What a year it was! We were all quite a mixed bag, but it was a great year. And I don't think that I have EVER laughed as hard as i laughed that first semester! And I HOPE that I never eat that much pizza EVER again! The "Big Man" (O.k., that sounds strange when I re-read that, that's her Blog nick name for him....just so ya know..) anyway..yes, the "Big Man" used to come to our window every evening to talk to her, or take her out, and then later they would drive us crazy talking on the phone ALL night, until the phones got cut off(They cut the phones off at a certain time each night). And just look at 'em now. Married, with 2 adorable kids. Happy Birthday Anniesue! (Oh, and don't worry about all those pictures that I have from that first year in college.....I'll take em' to my grave..ahem, I'd appreciate the same in return (blush)).

A really nice man at Martial Arts came up to me today,out of the blue, and told me to please thank my husband for all that he is doing "over there". That was greatly appreciated. By me, and by Race, and by my kids.

Race sent me the sweetest email tonight. That's kind of a big deal, because he is sort of a man of few words...(and I am a woman of MANY word, so therefor we are a match made in heaven). He wrote all of the stuff that he misses about me. (All together , now: AWWwWWWwwwwww....) Anyway, it wasn't anything you'd find in a hallmark card or anything (gag-who WRITES those things, anyway?) But, just dumb stuff I do like following too close to the car in front of me and standing in front of my closet FOREVER to find something to wear and watching me fix dinner. Just dumb stuff like that, but, man.....I love that guy!

Good night, and PLEASE, be sweet to your husbands!
Melissa

At the cabin....

Don't know how well you can see this, but again, this is the old vs. new. The tiny little add on kitchen joining the 170 yr old cabin, with the hot tub outside! The original family who built the place was German, and they had 15 children (yes, 15) in a cabin that would fit easily into most living rooms today!

Hello!

Midnight Monopoly with Aunt Thomasina! (Yes, he won.)

The totally fun loft! here, you can see the old vs new. The roof, and skylights are all new, but we were thrilled to see that they left the old loft in!

The view!

Please note the child with no shoes!

The bridge.

Well, the cabin trip was awesome! I will have to post a few pictures later. The mountains were beautiful. On the way up, we stopped at some of our favorite places: The old apple orchard where we picked up some apple butter, apples, and cider. Then we made a stop at the old suspension bridge, that we have been visiting since Race and I were in college. The kids LOVE this spot! It is a part of the Appalachian Trail, and is somehow still relatively secret, except to serious hikers. It is beautiful. (Look for pics tonight)

Once at the top of the mountain, we had a bit of a snafu getting our key to get into the cabin. (I say it was a snafu, because, you have NO cell phone coverage of ANY kind the entire time that you are up there...NONE.) I had to go back to the little country store-(the ONLY store) and use the pay phone. The owners met us out at the cabin, and got everything straightened out. They chatted with us for awhile, and wanted to know how Race was doing.It was nice to talk with them again.

Once we settled in, we were completely relaxed. We had warm bowls of chili, topped with cheese and a dollop of sour cream. We followed up with thick slices of chocolate cake. The mulled cider on the stove made the whole cabin smell wonderful.There is nothing like sipping warm cider sitting on the fieldsone patio, in front of a 170 year old log cabin, in the middle of the woods.

Thomasina and Austin had a killer Monopoly game that lasted till after midnight, and had to be resumed the next day. The kids had an awesome time hiking through the woods and metal detecting. As always, one of the highlights for the younger two is the loft. The cabin has a second story and a tiny loft, with it's own window that looks out onto the yard. This little spot is a kids dream! It was great.

We are at Mom and Dads, now, and will be heading back home soon. The night that we arrived, my dad fixed us some of the most mouth watering steaks that I have ever had the pleasure of eating. (And this is really sayng something, because , for those who don't know it, Dad is known in these parts for fixing the most succulent beef around). But this meat was FRESH, and marinated, and cut and cooked to perfection. I shall dream of this steak for quite awhile. I had an awesome dinner last night in down town Fredericksburg at one of my all time favorite Restaraunts "La Petit Auberge". Thomasina and I met Janelle and Allona and we had such a nice evening! We laughed and talked and the meals were wonderful. We didn't get out of there until after 11:00.

BTW, if you are ever having trouble sleeping..........GO HOME. I slept better at Mom and Dads, in my old room, than I have slept in weeks! It felt so good, and I feel human again.

I wanted to say thanks so much for all the payers and really sweet comments you guys have left. You know, it really does help when you begin to wear down. It's great to hear someone say, "Hey, you're doin' fine. It's O.K. Keep goin', I'll pray for you." Thanks so much! And I think that I will start responding to comments IN the comments section, so be sure to check that out once in awhile!

Bye!
Melissa

I had a huge, baseball sized knot in my stomach tonight.

*Austin went to his first Boy Scout troop meeting. He was a cub scout and a webelos scout, but this is our first Boy Scout Troop experience. This is a new troop, that is sponsored by our church. Austin knows several of the 18-20 boys in the troop. The Scout Masters are AWESOME! At least 2 of them are Eagle Scouts, and there is one 16 yr old Eagle Scout in the troop. They run the troop meetings in a fun, but disciplined and efficient manner. All the Scout Masters, and all of the boys are dressed, inspection-ready style, in their uniforms every week. They begin with formation, pledges and prayer. This is an excellent Boy Scout Troop, and well worth dragging myself out of the house, on what was my one free night of the week, for an hour and a half meeting across town. *

SO. WHy the knot in my stomach???

Because I know how much Austin wanted his dad to be there with him tonight. ANd I know how much Race would LOVE to have been there. I couldn't even turn to look at A. when I left the gym, because I knew that if I saw his face I would have lost it completely. An entire gym full of men and boys in their uniforms......and ME. (Everyone was very helpful and accommodating.) But... talk about feeling completely inadequate and intimidated. If Race wasn't Johnny Bad Ass, it wouldn't be half as bad....but HE IS. I mean c'mon. If that was your dad, wouldn't you want him to be there with you.....at BOY SCOUTS? You'd know how much the other kids would love him, and how fun he would be. And for Race, doing this stuff with his son would bring him some of the best pleasure to be had on this earth. I was fighting back the tears all night, and feeling that knot get tighter.

As for Austin, he did great. He shook hands with the Scout Masters, and introduced himself. He was fine. He had a great time. And he might be going on the troop campout this weekend if we can work the scheduling out.

We are headed up to the cabin tomorrow. I will not be taking ANY school stuff. Fun books ONLY. Austin has requested that we make chili, and we will be having birthday cake. The kids are taking a metal detector, because that whole area up there never fails to yield interesting, old stuff. Let's just hope that we can keep the fire going all night in that stove, cause it's gonna be cooooold!

Have a good night!
Melissa

Oh- and I forgot to add that we went to the $$store and bought about 8 small mirrors, so that Jack can work with light, reflection,and refraction to his hearts content. He is absolutely fascinated with this. Thank-you Bill Nye.

O.K., so I have discovered that my waking up in the middle of the night is my old friend "Anxiety" trying to launch a sneak attack. I wake up at around 2 or 3 am with my mind racing. And it's funny, because I haven't FELT like I was overly anxious about anything...... Anyway, I am launching a counter attack. I ran today around noon, and I watched what I ate all day, drank a ton of water and took my vitamins and supplements.

So, Dy.....what exactly IS Rescue Remedy.....and how well does it work??? Anyway, here's hoping I am on my way back to "normal". I actually scared myself this morning when I looked into the mirror! ACK!

We had a good day today, but it was a little more hectic than I would have liked ;-\. At one point today, Austin said in all sincerity, "You stressed, Mom? Why don't you go for a walk, or a run?" (So, obviously, it's showing, because a sincere word of ANY kind is rare from my soon-to-be 14 year old boy.) Savannah had art with Thomasina, and the boys had Martial Arts and Jiu Jitsu. We also had an extra kid with us today, as our nieghbor girl needed a ride to martial arts (yes, we have recruited the whole nieghborhood!). So she was with us for the duration of the evening. While they were all in classes, I ran a TON of errands. I picked up some subs, and we all headed out to Thomasina's house. She made some delicious apple spice cakes with cream cheese icing for dessert. They were still warm AND they were FABULOUS!!! (Thanks for not letting me have a bunch of coffee to keep me awake this evening, Thom..) When we left, the moon and the clouds above the corn fields was beautiful.

Jack has spent a good part of the day and evening doing experiments with lights and mirrors. He is fascinated by this. We are going to try to round up a bunch more small mirrors for him to experiment with. When I tucked him in tonight, he said, "Mom, you're the best mom in the whole world.....and I just don't know what I'd do without Bill Nye the Science Guy (happy sigh)".

g'night,
Melissa

O.K., so today, I paid for the fun that we had last night.The morning didn't exactly go smoothly. But, more importantly, I didn't sweat it, and did NOT have a melt down. We got all the important stuff done, and then, headed out to pick up Thomasina. We had to haul her out to pick up her car, so we visited while we drove.

When we got home, our neighbor girl called (17 yr old gal through the woods next door), and she wanted to come over and kill some time. So, I said "sure", and she came over and hung out with us for awhile. She had dinner, and chatted (and chatted) away.

Race got the package that we sent him today! YAY! Have I mentioned how much we miss him? I have been having the worst time sleeping for the past few weeks. I wake up in the middle of the night. EVERY night. Grrrrr... I do not have small children.....I should be sleeping. Very frustrating. Perhaps I could hire myself out to the mothers of young children, who would gladly give an appendage for a good nights sleep. "Hey, no problem! I'm up anyway!" Any takers?

G'night,
Melissa

Well, so much for a quiet Sunday! We made it to Sunday School and church this morning, and we are all really enjoying our classes. The kids and I had an enjoyable lunch afterwards. I love it that they are just so full of life after church! Anyway, we had a ton of stuff to do this afternoon. A trip to the dump, laundry, lesson plans, etc. Remember, I told you all the stuff that I needed to do. Well. The church was having a Jr/Sr High picnic for the kids + families. They talked us into it. They were all so nice.....how could we refuse? We rushed home, went to the dump, did a few loads of laundry, cleaned the kitchen, made macaroni and cheese, and headed back out. I am so glad that we did. The kids had such a wonderful time!

***O.K., I should say here, that when we got to the park...(which is about 20 minutes away), youngest boy realized that he had NO SHOES!!!!! I wish that I could say that this is the first time that this has happened to my youngest child.....but...well..it's NOT. After fretting, and momentarily slipping off into Lecture Land, I just shrugged and said "c'mon". And somehow, this child worked it into his "coolness" factor, and all was well.***

The boys played baseball all evening, and I got plenty of nice compliments on what great "athletes" they are, (seriously, that's what they said...) and on how they just made themselves right at home and joined in. (Ahem, as well as a serious offer to have the oldest join the baseball team at the private classical school.......as a home schooler). Savannah, has made fast friends with one of the girls who.."(gasp), has read Redwall, and all the Warriors books, and she likes to climb trees!!!!!" Eegads! Anyway, all night long, there was a pack of girls running around playing, laughing and talking, with....what's this???? two BOYS following them around????? ACK!

And I enjoyed myself as well. SO, here I sit with a half finished lesson plan, and a long night in front of me. I did get several loads of laundry done, while I caught up with Races' mom on the phone. It's always so great to talk with her. As soon as I get my lesson completed for tomorrow, I am hitting the sack. I am BEAT!

Have a great day tomorrow!
Melissa

Honestly, we have had a lot of things going on this week. there was a lot that I wanted to write about. But every evening has found me outside around a campfire with the kids, instead of inside blogging! Austin taught us all how to start a fire. I thought that I knew how.....but, his way works much faster!

The boys had a Kick-a-Thon today for the Project Action charity. They collected pledges, and then had to do as many Thai round kicks as they could in 3 minutes. Austin did 213, and Jack did 190! Together they raised about $150. Yay! Good job guys!

Savannah did some really cool stuff to my computer today, and the graphics are so neat, I just love it! And she made an amazing picture that she called "Alaska". I will put it up tomorrow.

The kids each have to take turns doing K.P.(kitchen patrol) every night. I can't believe how well they have learned to clean the kitchen!! I mean seriously, Jack had KP tonight, and the kitchen looks great! All I keep thinking is what an idiot I have been for not doing this sooner!! And you know, they actually take pride in it. Who knew???? I'm a slow learner...

We are all missing Race. I am finding myself increasingly thinking that I am tired of being a "me" and am ready to be an "us" again. We are all doing fine, but we do miss him. (Jess, I need to go back and remind myself of all the stuff that I put into that email!!!)

Sunday school, church, and then lesson plans for the week. And I guess I am going to have to do that laundry that is threatening to swallow me. Other than that...should be a quiet Sunday.

G'night,
Melissa

Mam-ma and Pap-pa came today and took us out to lunch! We met Aunt Thomasina there too. The visit was all too brief, but we are always so happy to spend some time with them. AND my Mom and DAd heard my cry for a "way to haul stuff", and gave us one of their "spare" pick-ups to keep here, and use. Now, this little pick-up deserves a blog all it's own, complete with pictures, so I'll give you all that later. Suffice it to say the truck has "character" and we have already named it.
Mom and Dad are so good to us.

Hey! We had a campfire tonight. And Hey! everything is WET, and therefore REALLY, REALLY hard to burn. But, we got it going, and it was great. Indeed you CAN burn wet wood, if you can get your fire hot enough (Just ask Austin, he did it). Oh, and Dy, please let James know that within 10 minutes, I had grabbed the burnt end of a stick and burnt my finger. Yeah, that hurts. Anyway, we had such a nice time sitting out there tonight, that we have invited Thomasina out tomorrow night, after lessons, to eat with us and sit by the fire. She has graciously agreed to bring some of her delicious homemade fried apple turnovers!! Weeee! My youngest son, who happens to be a complete firebug, actually said, "Hey mom, let's see if we can make a bad smell with the fire!" Ahhhhhh....the joys of boys and the fire circle. After he walked away, Savannah looked at me and said, "Why does he do that?" (shrug)

Lot's to do tomorrow. Austin and I are staying up to watch a movie on Queen Elizabeth. He has a project due at the end of the week on the Tower of London, so there should be some good stuff in there.

Missing Race like crazy, and it seems like time has begun to stand still. This is definitely a LONG haul.

Here is the link for the cabin: Log Cabin Go check it out, it is beautiful!

G'night
Melissa

.

.

All is well..

Thomasina fixed us an amazing venison stew tonight for dinner. Man, did that hit the spot! Have I ever mentioned what an excellent cook my sister is? No kidding, in the kitchen......she rocks! I mean, how many women do you know that can hunt, kill, and dress a deer, AND know how to make part of that into a meal that will knock your socks off!!! (O.K., besides Dy, how many do you know?) ***Oh, Oh, and just FYI, the venison in THIS stew came from the freezer, from LAST years deer. Don't go emailin' me about hunting laws.

Savannah had a great art lesson, and I would like to post some of her finished work (However my computer skills are at about the same level as your average orangutan, so it may take me awhile.) The boys martial arts classes were good, with Austin having a particularly successful night on the matt in Jiu Jitsu. He can't wait to tell Race all about it.

I had the best conversation with Dy tonight. So many exciting things happening in their family. I have been so blessed by getting to know them. Dy is truly a great friend. And I look forward to watching their family grow and seeing how they tackle lifes hurdles. They are truly an amazing family.

Today we saw several deer behind the house (hear that Race?). They have their winter coats now and are no longer the tawny brown that they were in spring, but are a silvery grey, to blend in perfectly with the trees as they drop their leaves. The *moment* that they enter the woods, they are invisible. And these are BIG deer, not those little dog sized ones that you see in Florida. Hunting is big around here, and along with common sense hunting laws and practices, this always insures large healthy deer, and plenty of them!! Deer and turkey are EVERYWHERE around here. Our family enjoys hunting, we enjoy eating, and we enjoy the peaceful tranquility of watching these animals. It always makes me so glad to live where we do. Crickets chirp loudly, owls hoot, on a clear night you can spend hours picking out constellations, and we even get whippor-wills in the spring time. Yes, it's good. For us, it's really good.

Lynette, I MUST get a picture of those costumes. Maddies' skunk costume is possibly THE cutest thing that I have ever heard!! How adorable! Can you believe it? Austin will only be walking the other two around this year. ACK! My first kid has outgrown trick-or-treating!!!

NO SCHOOL tomorrow! Mam-ma and Pap-pa are coming to visit!

HAve a good night,
Melissa

Guess What I woke up to?

Oh, never mind, just quit guessin' cause you're never gonna get it. I kept the windows up last night because it was so cool. Cool air and a down comforter...now there's some good sleepin', KWIM? Anyway, this morning, bright and early BEFORE my alarm went off I was jolted from a deep slumber by the gut wrenching, overwhelming stench of .....a skunk! A pole cat! Welllll Good Mornin' to me! Thankfully, he was just passing by in the woods and hadn't actually sprayed anything in our vicinity. But the nice cool breeze blew his aroma straight into my bedroom which faces the back of the house.

We had a good day today. We knocked out all of our lessons by 2, and then we met Thom at the health food store in town to stock up on vitamins and other goodies. Then the kids and I went to Barnes and Noble, got coffee and drinks and perused all of the cool Narnia stuff thats out right now.

Savannah had her modern class tonight, so I took a few books to keep me busy while she danced. I have just started "Atlas Shrugged",by Ayn Rand, but I'm not far enough along to have any opinion of it yet. I AM hooked, though. And at night we are reading King Arthur aloud. I have a study guide for the book, that I got from Veritas Press, which I am keeping one eye on. But honestly, sometimes there is nothing like a study guide to ruin an otherwise enjoyable book! And we ALL love King Arthur.

Austin's birthday is on Halloween. He surprised me this year by wanting to go to an old cabin up in the mountains that we went to years ago with him. We were fortunate enough to secure a night up there at this time of the year. It is a beautiful, and rare two story cabin, that is completely secluded(no phone, no tv). I will post the link when I get the chance. We are really looking forward to it, although it will be strange sleeping in that quiet log cabin, with only wood stove heat, without Race.

So, have y'all gotten your carving pumpkins yet?

G'night?
Melissa

It has been rainy and overcast for the last several days. I think that I had forgotten what rainy days were like! It has been unseasonably warm as well, but today the high was only 65. Feels a bit more like fall today, and that was nice!

Yesterday we each had chores to do. There was baseball to watch. And the legos stayed out all day until bed time. We made some homemade chewy buttered pretzels, and we ate spaghetti. I accomplished quite a bit yesterday, although I never really got up to full steam.

We made it to Sunday school this morning, and found all the kids' classes. They had such a wonderful time, and everyone made new friends today. I have to say that it was so refreshing to see a Sunday School program that was about LEARNING. (No teams, no races,no candy prizes, no bands...etc.) You remember..... discipleship. Learning to be a better servant of God, learning more about the character of God and God's word. And each of the kids classes were led by such caring and kind people, it was just great. It also helped that the kids all knew at least one person in each of their small classes. They can't wait to go back. Oh, and BTW, I really loved the new members class as well. Although, as always, I am completely intimidated to have to go by myself, when everyone else is a "couple". Ugh. But I went. And I was totally blessed. The pastor must have known that I was coming today, because his sermon, I am sure, was given especially for me. ;-) And though I went in this morning, feeling a little beaten and battered, I came out knowing that I had been blessed, and that God is with me and with joy in my heart. (You know, I typed that last phrase several times looking for different words, but "joy" is the right word.) After church I had a wonderful lunch out with my kids.They were bubbling over with stories from their classes. It was fun to sit and listen, and hear their opinions. And just hang out with them without any "reason".

So, for the rest of the day I have some work to finish up on, but thankfully, I got most of it done yesterday.;-) So, nothing too daunting. I plan to spend some time outside on my porch this evening, soaking in the smell of fall, and just being thankful.

Have a wonderful Sunday,
Melissa

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT BELLE!!!!!!!!

Hope that you had a wonderful day!

What a day! We are all exhausted. As I look around me and survey the day, I am not even sure why. We did have a lot of errands to do today. We got them all done in the pouring down rain, (which we are very thankful for). The boys had Martial Art graduation tonight, and each of them got their new belt level. I must say that I am extremely impressed with the amazing skill levels that they have been able to achieve. They received a lot of compliments tonight. Next week they will be doing a Kick-a-thon for charity, and they are really looking forward to that. Savannah is really enjoying ballet and Modern classes this year, and her skills have improved by leaps and bounds, as well her self esteem. Her talent for art, I simply cannot put into words. She seems to cover new ground each week. It is an amazing evolution to see her pictures of just a year ago, and compare them with her artwork today.

The boys had to clean AND vacuum their room. In doing so, Jacks Shell Supply Store had to be disassembled. SO this evening, he manufactured and packaged a nice hand soap that he has been peddling around to each family member. (sigh) He has quite a sales pitch.

He is also really missing Race, and last night he broke down about it. Absolutely heart wrenching. We prayed and talked about everything, and he fell asleep pretty soundly (in our bed). Tough though.

I have to get all my ducks back in a row this weekend, so that I don't just slide off into "survival mode", which is no good for anyone. Gotta take a few deep breaths and get back at it.

Planning on starting the New Members class this Sunday at church, and I am really looking forward to it.

Have a wonderful weekend,
Melissa

Do you REALIZE what life will be like in my house if the Yankees and Red Sox go to the World Series again? Come on Angels! Go White Sox!!

scattered morning thoughts..

Today will be a busy one, and it looks like the rain that is falling outside is going to settle in and stay for awhile. (One can only hope, as the ground is so dry here, that I do believe that I hear a sucking noise as it soaks in the rain).

Took a long walk with Jack yesterday. We wnt down to the creek, and walked all around the property. He LOVES this. He talked happily, and CONSTANTLY the whole time.

We have martial arts classes and ballet class today, and I will have a ton of errands to complete, while going back and forth.

Talked to Race this morning. We sure are missing him!

Have an awesome day!
Melissa

I fixed the kinks in the links below. Be sure to check em' out. You won't be sorry! Be back later!

You don't want to miss these!

I am just too tired to blog.

We had the greatest dinner over at Thomasina's house tonight. She fixed an amazing roasted dove and quail, with an apple relish, scalloped potatoes,fried green tomatoes w/ gravy, and french rolls. Not only was it delicious, but it was all presented so beautifuly. The kids and I had a wonderful time.

I am exhausted. Way too tired to try to put together anything the slightest bit coherent.It has been a Looooong day. Add to this the fact that I got 2 emails from Race tonight, both of which were about $$$$ stuff, and the fact that my youngest decided to playfully headbutt me in the face while I was tucking him in tonight.

Luckily other people in blog world have much more intelligent, and funny things for you to read than I could ever produce, even on my best day. So, First you MUST go and read Dy's Blog because, well, she has just, like, laid out the key to all happiness....so that's worth a look, right? Then, head over to The Crib Chick's Place because she has given some EXCELLENT parenting advice that parents actually never hear anymore. So, you don't want to miss that, right? Then, prepare yourself, because THIS is so funny that you could actually harm yourself. Seriously, it's that funny.

I am off to bed. And Dy and Jill, I think that reading your blogs this morning are the only things that got me through the day without "blowing it". Thanks

G'night all
Melissa

On my blog, I have often lamented the creep-o men that I run into on occassion. Tonight I would like to give a big shout out to the knights in armor. I would like to send waves of gratitude to the man who helped me out today.I had made it through Lowes, gotten what I needed, apologized to the perturbed cashier for knocking down a few of the buckets of spackling on my way out, and made it to my car. I was struggling mightily to put numerous sheets of 12 ft vinyl lattice into my suburban,along with a 6 x 12 piece of treated lumber(found out my suburban will only haul a 10 footer with the back window CLOSED).That vinyl lattice is SO hard to work with! The sheets are HUGE, and it is sooo flexible, that you don't know which way it's going! Anyway, this guy, without even laughing, came over and asked if I needed help. THANK-YOU ,THANK YOU Mr. Nice Guy! No creepiness,nothing awkward, just helped me out, and I was on my way. I am grateful! ( BTW, someone is coming to fix our porch tomorrow, so that's the deal with the lattice.)

I would also like to thank the "oil changer guys" who were totally polite, got the job done in record time, and didn't creep me out one bit. Thanks, y'all.

Today had it's ups and downs, but all in all turned out really well.

Hey, when was the last time that you did a cartwheel? Turns out, that Savannah needed me to do a LOT of them this morning in our front yard. (I can hear your hysterical laughter...don't think I can't hear that!) She asked.....so I figured that I'd give it a go. Oh yeah, I still got it. (We'll see if I still "have it" in the morning). She has been working on cartwheels, and by-golly, by the end of the day, she HAD IT! Too funny.

I think that my running MIGHT be starting to pay off. I THINK that I am noticing a TINY bit of improvement...(excited squeal). I'm up to almost 2 miles now, so I'm making progress.

ANyhoo, that's about it for the happenings around here. We are looking forward to eating over at Thomasina's tomorrow night. She invited us to eat with her after Savannah's art class, so we are really looking forward to it.

Here's hoping for a good nights sleep, I'm kinda lacking in that area right now..

G'night!
Melissa

I got to have the nicest chat with Dy on Saturday. I always keep her on the phone until her phone dies. But I just always love catching up with her and her family.

Jack and I went out Saturday morning, and got some things to decorate outside a bit for fall. We bought some cheap pumpkins, indian corn, and of course, loads of huge mums. I pulled up the dried corn stalks from the garden, and decorated down by the mail box, as well as the front porch. I like the way it turned out.

I've been concerned about Race a lot lately. You know, I really have NO IDEA what his day is like at all, and when I talk to him, he sounds so exhausted, but never at ease. He says that all is going really well, but you know, as a wife....you're always reading between the lines. Of course it doesn't help at all that everything that we say is "coded". I am aware of the "type" of work that he does, and any idiot can look at the training that goes on and make some sort of conclusion. Anyway, worry and fear have been trying to creep up in me. In my devotional, I was met with this prayer, "Teach me to treat all that comes to me with peace of soul and with firm conviction that YOUR will governs all." His will GOVERNS all. In a wrong filled world we suffer and cause many a wrong. God is there to heal, and comfort and forgive. Love looks to God for his grace and help.

So this week I will cling to Psalm 119:32 (NEB) "I will run the course set out in thy commandments,/ for they gladden my heart." It isn't my job to worry, it's my job to run the course. And I strive to make it continually my delight.

Church yesterday was such a blessing. The kids and I grabbed a bite of lunch afterwards, and then went to the mall to get the boys haircut. When we came home, we made a pumpkin pie, and just sort of lounged around the rest of the day outside, enjoying the weather. I got to catch up with my mom and my sisters on the phone in the afternoon, which is always nice. Poor W. has chicken pox, so we will be thinking of him today.

We have another full week ahead of us, and I am a bit behind this morning, so I'd better shove off.

Cheers!
Melissa

What we're eatin' and the slow, slow death of Old Woody

Well, this is nice. My connection speed is the same as always, but everything is loading Sooooooooo much slower than normal. (I've got dial-up. It's always slow, but this is ridiculous!) There has been some sort of strange connection problem, ever since geographically-challenged-cable-guy was here. Ugh.

So, what did y'all have for supper last night? Like I mentioned below, I have started using Saving Dinner.com again. We had parmesan chicken, (which, I discovered is different than chicken parmesan..) mashed potatoes, steamed kale,(yes, they eat that) and whole wheat rolls. I actually got everything ready and in the oven, then went for my run, (Which Race has informed me is too short to get what I am wanting out of it...grrrrr...He torments me from the other side of the earth!), when I got back, chicken was almost done, potatoes were ready for mashin', and the kale was ready to steam! Worked out well, and there were lots of cleaned plates...so- so far so good.

We also filled the cookie jar with oatmeal-raisin cookies from the recipe that we LOVE that we got from Em. It uses whole wheat flour, and I sneak in a bit of wheat germ, so I really don't cringe when the kids scarf em' down. It's been awhile since we made cookies........I had to FIND the cookie jar. ;-)

Oh, Thom, where you thinking that Old Woody was GONE? Oh no, he's not gone. Nor, was he ever in danger of falling apart....EVER. The man who built Old Woody, really knew what he was doing. Considering that we bought Old Woody second hand, and he had already seen other children through their "climbing years", and that he has been with us for about...8 or 9 years, this thing was built tighter than a bomb shelter. Old Woody lays on his side in my back yard (tearing up here...*sniff*). All of the bolts have now been removed, thanks to, Jack, the WD-40 king.(There were about 30 5" bolts). As an aside, here is a parenting tip for you: Kids driving ya crazy? Give em' a can of WD-40. I tell you that everything within a 1 mile radius of our home, that could EVER cause the slightest bit of friction, has been well oiled. They even cleaned out the tracks of our sliding glass door in the basement, and (of course) wd-40'd it. When I opened it, I just about sent it crashing through the wall!
Anyway, back to Old Woody. All that is holding him together now, is nails......lots of nails. At this point, I am considering gasoline and a match.

Have a great weekend!
Melissa
P.S. I could actually see my breath last night, it was so cool outside!

Wal Mart

O.K., Dy, you are a genius! A bumper buddy is just what I need!

Waving wildly to Karen. SO good to hear from you. You've got mail.

Dy and Lynette, thanks for the nice comments. I envisioned well meaning ladies everywhere reading about our backyard adventures, and gasping, while uttering a barely audible "Good God", right before clicking quickly to another blog.

In further efforts to get things under control a bit here at home, I have started using Saving Dinner This is the only thing that I have been able to successfully use to keep us eating fairly healthy, and AT HOME. With all of the running around that we do in the late afternoons, it is just too easy to stop and grab something.
So, with my list in hand, I headed to Wal-Mart. I used to shop at Wal- Mart all the time. I HAD to shop at Wal-Mart all the time. Saving $$$ was like breathing. Since then, convenience has taken the place of saving $$$, so I haven’t been to the old Wal-Mart in awhile. I went today. Things have changed. All of the employees that I interacted with today (while they were speeding away from me in their “May I help you?” vests) were all but comatose. Well, except for the nasty, disgusting, freezer-putter-awayer-guy, who STILL remembers me from when we used to come in, and is still in luuuuuuuvvv. Sick. This guy totally creeps me out. And as KathyJo says over at Barefoot Meandering this guy better never approach me on the “dark side” of my suburban in the parking lot, or he is getting a hard kick to the crotch.
Oh, and also, the bitter woman whom I was fortunate enough to have as my cashier. I don’t know if y’all know this or not, but they “don’t have enough room to stand” behind there, and sometimes,(use your gravest victim voice here) “people come through here, not payin’one bit of attention to what they’re doin” and they just spin the cart, and it catches me right HERE….happens every day” (O.K., I admit, I had to stifle a little laugh here). While scanning my boys’ baseball cards, she informs me that she would LOVE to have “them horse cards” but apparently Jerry Falwell has crushed THAT dream for her. (???!!!) This had something to do with off track horse betting, but I really couldn’t follow. Why, oh WHY didn’t I use the self check-out?

Hey, and how about that guy out by the garden center door. Man. I’d like to have his job. He sits in a chair holding a yellow marker. When you go through, with your arms full of mums……..he …….MARKS it. He also remarked that the sound of my shoes (I wore flip-flops) woke him up. But, hey, he never dropped that marker! No sirreee, he never dropped that marker.

So, anyway, I ain’t goin’ back. Not because I’m on that whole “Boycott Wal-Mart” bandwagon,(sometimes I get claustrophobic on those wagons) but because I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit. The old Food Dog ( meaning Food Lion, but the picture on the sign actually looks like a dog, so that’s what WE call it), will have to be good enough for me. Sure wish we would get a Ukrops! Man, they still take your groceries to your car!

Over heard today:
Jack (Loudly,from the backseat of the car): "Oh, MAN!!! THAT WAS SOooo SCARY!!! There was this HUuuuuge guy, with no shirt, and he was allll smoooothe, and he was on his mower! Oh, sick! Did y'all see that?"

(sigh)Where DO they get it from?? (*blink*blink*)

Cheers!
Melissa

Yesterday was busy, but good. We did not have any outside classes or lessons, so that means that we had the whole day at our disposal, to schedule (or not) as we pleased. We hit all the basics of our school lessons-(indeed, the world will not come crashing down if you miss a day of grammar.) We got some outside yard work done, and Jack helped me put my flowers in the ground.

When your husband is home so rarely, and you have NO PICK-UP TRUCK,( And I suppose that last point is really the big one) you use imaginative ways to haul off your junk. In trying to reclaim our backyard, we pulled down "Old Woody". This is what my kids have affectionately named the monstous, (old) jungle gym in our back yard. It had come time (No, it was past time) for "Old Woody" to go, to make way for new plans. Now, this is not your run o' the mill jungle gym from Lowes. This sucker is HUGE. I have pictures of the kids camping out in it! Anyway, all that was remaining was the tall, tower-like part. The boys engineered the ropes in such a way that it required very little effort on my part, (O.K. Mom...PUSH!) they pulled with all their might on the ropes....and down it came! There was a hush. And then, like wild chimps, they descended upon the felled jungle gym with hammers and began wildly hammering and tugging, and kicking. Throwing boards off to the side as they went. I was really pleased with all of this effort, because "Old Woody" has been in my sights for awhile now. But, alas, they soon tired. The sound of hammering became more sporadic, and then ceased all together. So, now there is a mutilated jungle gym laying in the backyard. The work shall continue. But I am guessing, with less enthusiasm than I witnessed yesterday. But soon it will be in pieces that we can actually haul AWAY.(shrug) I am guessing that not everyone does it this way....

Savannah and I made brownies yesterday, and then Jack and I went for a walk down to the creek. He was in true Jeff Corwin mode. In the space of less than 45 min. (W/staff in hand, and faithful dog, "Scout" by his side) he found crawdads, salamanders, minnows and turkey feathers. We saw lots of turkey and deer sign. It was a good walk. When you live in the mountains, everything is either, "Just at the bottom of that steep hill", or "Right up at the top of that steep hill".

To Race:
I am still trying to run each day. I am only running a mile, so it's really not that much.( Here's where you cheerily say,"No, hon, that's great, keep up the good work!") But, I AM getting it done each day so far. I have actually begun to look forward to it....kinda.

So, anyway, it was a good day. I finished "Jane Eyre" again last night....I LOVE that book! And I worked on my Spanish lessons (kids are way ahead of me on this. Don't know HOW that happened!).

HAve a great day!
Melissa

Thanks for the prayers, everyone. They are so appreciated.

Well, of course, I COULDN'T write any more last night. Because LAST night was an important one. But you already knew that, right? LAST night was the first episode of the Amazing Race. (Not a show about my husband...But I did think about that..) We had to watch it last night, because I hadn't learned how to get along with my new friend, TIVO yet. But, WOW. TIVO is the stuff! TIVO,TIVO,TIVO!! I am now, comfortably in the drivers seat of what comes outta that box! I LOVE it! (BTW, Amazing race did not disappoint either..) Please remember that this gushing comes from a family who lived WITHOUT ANY TV for about 4-5 years, and could quite happily to return to that state. Take control: GET TIVO.

I *think* that fall is here. No, seriously. I like to go out on the front porch in the mornings before anyone else is up, and read my Bible and drink my coffee. This morning, I promptly came BACK inside, and grabbed a sweatshirt! Oh, the thrill!! (I was also quickly reminded that I need to go and buy socks....For everyone.) This morning was especially nice, because as I stepped back inside, Race called, so I got to have coffee with Race this morning, while sitting on the porch and enjoying the beautiful weather.

We had a lot of running to do yesterday, and so far we have crossed off Modern dance, Martial Arts, Jiu Jitsu, and Art. The rest of our errand running for this week has been lightened considerably, because the boys Martial Arts classes for the rest of the week have been cancelled. So that only leaves Ballet to go! I am hoping to be able to catch up on a lot of outside stuff, and put these young energetic beings to work a bit.

We are missing Race, like crazy. Jack wants me to help him make a "chain of days", so that he can tell when dad is going to be home. SO, I guess that we will do that today. It's just a paper chain that has the exact amount of days till dad gets back. Each night, Jack tears off one link of the chain before he goes to bed. It helps him to visibly see the time getting shorter till dad will be back with us.

Our school lessons have been going well, and everyone has really been putting forth a genuine effort. Oh, doesn't that make the teaching SOooo much more rewarding!

O.K.- before I go- a little reminder as to why I take great pains in my child's education....And WHY they are not in our local public school. Yesterday, a young 20 something guy comes to install TIVO, and fix some wiring that was bad. Nice guy. Really chatty. In his conversation, he had revealed to me that he was "local" and had graduated from the local highschool. (Not sure why he kept up this conversation, but he seemed to be intrigued about the whole home schooling thing that was going on around him as he worked.) Anyway, when he was all finished, he needed to use the phone, so he came into our kitchen, where we have a large world map on the wall. He is chit chatting w/ me and staring at the map, while holding the phone to his ear and waiting for someone to answer. All of a sudden he breaks away in mid sentence and says," WOAH!, I had no idea that Asia was-like- so much bigger than everything else!"

Now THAT, my friends is a teaching example for your wide-eyed children. THAT will make a connection in their wee minds...

Cheers!
Melissa

Too sad..

We got some sad news, from a member of our family last night. It's one of those things where you feel so helpless. I would ask anyone who would, please pray for this person, who is so special to us, that God would be his comforter in his time of grief.
I will write more tonight. I am thinking that Popeye probably doesn't fit well into the frame of Classical education...
Melissa

WE MISS YOU RACE!!!!!!!!!! WE LOVE YOU!! (Is it just me.....or do we all look like we are in the nude?....E.I is a family beach...I swear it!)

HERE"S US!! (Though our tans aren't showing, here.)

Jack has set up another store in his room. This one sells all manner of seashore items and is called "Jackson's Shell Supply Store". I bought myself a beautiful shell there this afternoon for a mere .50 cents. I was informed by the store owner that the same shell will cost you a buck down at Emerald Isle. Can't pass up a bargain.

While watching some mind numbing tv tonight, we were unsuspecting victims of a commercial announcing the new 'Barbie Pegasus" movie. All three kids were equally mortified by this display. "Why do they keep MAKING those?!" they said. Austin pipes in with scorn and says, "That's not even Pegasus! Pegasus is WHITE...not PINK!" So, trying to even the boy-girl balance which is frequently tilted to the boy side in our home, I replied, "Well, maybe Barbie has a pink one.....You don't know....I mean Barbie has everything." Jack sits up and quickly retorts, "Barbie doesn't have a SHOTGUN!" " Touche'! But if she did, it would be pink!" So, how about that for an idea: NRA Barbie! You KNOW it would sell! Heck, Dy would buy about 1000 NRA Barbies just to pas out on her own! (BTW, Austin went on to explain, with some noted shame, that there was only ONE Pegasus in Greek myths.....that's WHY he was Pegasus....."Oh".)

Savannah spent part of the day putting finishing touches on the book cover that she has created on the computer, for the story that she has been writing. It is REALLY good! The back cover was done with the picture in the background, and then a synopsis of the book typed in over it in the foreground. Quite impressive!

I met Thomasina this morning at our little local nursery, called The Patch. We both got some new flowers, and then we cleaned out all of the marked down perennials at Lowes. Planting, planting, planting!

I am reading Jane Eyre (again) By Charlotte Bronte, and Middlemarch( again), by George Eliot. I LOVE both of these books, but this time through, I am noting so much more humor in Middlemarch that I didn't catch the first time through. I thoroughly enjoy both books!

" Sane people did what their neighbors did, so that if any lunatics were at large, one might know, and avoid them."
From "Middlemarch"

Goodnight!
Melissa

And now, dear readers the moment has come. This is a sad time for me, but it must be said. Due to Race being away, and only able to communicate through internet, I regret to inform you of the following:
For the next few months, this blog will be a chronicle of our hum-drum, every day, boring lives. Shocking. I know. Those of you who depend upon my daily insights for the sharpening of your intellectual faculties........well.......I'm deeply sorry.

(O.K. *snort*, I am so full of crap....... no real change, other than Race will actually be READING this once in awhile! Oh- and if there were anything ever written on this blog that was even slightly intellectual, I can assure you that it was purely by accident.)

But before I tell you about my boring day of cleaning, let me share some of my best memories from the beach!
First of all....the critters that the kids CAUGHT, but RELEASED before we left for home included: sand crabs, 2 kittens, several anoles, a possum, clams, and a little green tree frog. Glad to say that NONE of these came home with us.
Some of the meals that the fam prepared for us (you knew that this was coming): Prime Rib, steamed shrimp, seafood bisque(I would like to request now, my fathers seafood bisque upon my death bed), seafood bouillabaisse, and Thom's memorable mexican seafood meal that was made utopia by her own outta this world marguerita's!
The kids all had such a GREAT time on the beach. And when they weren't in the sand, they were in the pool, or the hot tub! Our beach vacation is never complete with out one of Thom's now famous treasure hunts. She makes messages and maps and leads the kids all over on a (sorta) scary hunt for the "treasure" which is always a big Pile O' Candy. She dresses up and goes to great lengths to "scare" the kids, and they LOVE it!!!!!!!!! One of her most common costumes is that of an old sea hag, whom they have to go down to the beach at night and talk to for thier next clue. It is a riot, and the kids look forward to it every year. Em's boys will be coming along soon, for a diluted version!
There were a ton of beautiful shells found (thanks to the hurricane), and over all 9 sharks teeth were found this year! Fun stuff.

We are still not unpacked completely, but the kitchen and the dining room are spotless now, so that helps. And the house has lost that funny smell it gets when all the windows and doors have been closed for awhile, and it smells clean again. Austin got the yard mowed today, and Jack and Savannah did the jobs that they were assigned as well. I plan to stick close to home the rest of the weekend, to catch up on the rest, so that Monday will find us back to "normal".

I have SO much blog reading to catch up on! Thanks for the comments below, I appreciate them very much. The one thing that's gonna be lacking around here for the next few months will be adult conversation. (I would like to talk to Austin, but after a few minutes, he begins to speak over my head, so that's no good.)

Have a good night!
Melissa
(Who is returning to her natural, fish-belly white skin tone very rapidly.)

Just got home!

Just got home. From the beach. Computer fixed. Bestdogsitterintheworld did NOT scrub my house clean.(She did,however, take EXCELLENT care of the pets!) Suburban filled with backpacks, snack trash, shells, pillows, sharks teeth, sand, and various other treasures. Can't-see-over-the-pile-of-mail. Race is gone. Very little phone contact possible. Heart rate is definitely UP. Will write more calmly later. But..........I'm BACK!.........and I'm TAN!!!!!!!!

Where AM I???*blink* blink*

We have been on the road so much, that I don't know if I am coming or going! A small recap:

We were evacuated from E.I,on Tues. due to hurricane Ophelia. While the rest of the fam, headed for hotels off the island...(which is a hilarious story the telling of which I shall leave to it's participants...but it involves a motel called The Buccaneer *snicker*), Race, the kids and I had to head for home. We did not leave E.I. until around 5 pm, so we headed to Raleigh, and grabbed a couple of rooms at the Hampton.

We arrived at home the next day. Race and I had a TON to do, and a VERY short time to get it all done. I'll spare you all the boring details, but a new computer was purchased, old computer taken to be repaired, unpacked, then RE packed, etc, etc,. Thursday was more of the same, along with the kids lessons, and errands, making for a long day.

This morning at 5 am, we were back on the road heading north. Race dropped us off and is wrapping up some things at his office before he takes off tomorrow. The kids and I are here at Mom and Dads (they are still at the beach, remember?)

Tomorrow, we take Race to the airport, and then the kids and I are heading BACK DOWN to E.I for a few days, to see if maybe we can actually catch a few rays of sunshine after all. It turns out that the beach house that we rented faired well, and only had some minor damage. The pool and hot tub are filled with debris, and the fence surrounding the pool collapsed. Other than that, it's fine. Austin was particularly worried about that game room on the bottom floor being flooded!

Much to the kids disapointment, I was able to grab some school books while we were at home!

We have spent a LOT of time in the car. Mid-trip, Race turned around and asked Jack what he was doing:
J: "Just counting all my scars."
R: "Oh?"
J: "Yeah. I am circling them with a pen, and then I'm going to count them.Hang on...I'm almost done."(counting silently)
J: (proudly) I have 43!
R: (turning to me), "Got any wet wipes? We we're gonna be stopping for lunch in a minute."
Me: "Uhh...no."
So, we took ouk our small boy into 5 Guys with 43 circles drawn in pen all over his body. The burgers were good.

We pray for God's protection for Race, on what will be a very dangerous trip. We miss him already.
Melissa

Watching Ophelia at the Beach!

Hey, y'all! We are having a wonderful time at the beach in spite of Ophelia threatening to give us a good drenching. We have an absolutely gorgeous house this year! BIL was kind enough to let me use his lap top, as ours was wounded just before we left. May have a new computer purchase in the near future.
We are enjoying the family time even more, because we found out on Sat. that Race will have to leave Saturday for the M.E. for the next several months.
Anyway, just checking in really quick!

He cooks!

He mows!

He Mighty Samurai....

He is SAMURAI JACK!

Learning to say "No kidding" in Korean, is something that I feel that I should DEFINITLY know. Thanks Cribchick! And after hearing Gem's story......well, I believe the price of a pedicure for me, just went up! I'm guesin' it's pricier salon ped.'s from here on out.

Yesterday, we were taking down our pool, (yes, we have one of THOSE...don't laugh, we like it), and we were about to pull up the ground cloth that looks as if it has been fused to the earth beneath it. Jack comes over excitedly and says, "Oooohhhh, who knows what manner of mother natures adventures waits for us under there?" *bink blink* Where did this child come from? Later in the day, I was in the bathroom drying my hair, when I see this same little boy streaming down the (significant) hill by the window, perched cartoon-like, inside a wheelbarrow. I drop the hair dryer and rush to the window. Just before it crashes, he bails out, never hits the ground.....and then crouches down looking for bugs. His death-defying feats will surely make me age waaayyy before my time.

Today is packed full with lessons, martial arts, jiu jitsu, and ballet.I've gotta get going!

Have a great day!!!!!!
Melissa

Hey thanks for all the comments about Savannah’s art work. I may take Whiterabbit’s (I feel funny callin’ her that), advice and begin putting together a portfolio. And yes, Dy, all of the captions were hers. (so THIS is love……) Too cute!

We made it through lessons without much fanfare or fuss (meaning, it was good). After we took the boys to martial arts , Savannah and I met
Thom for a manicure/ pedicure. I simply cannot wait for her blog entry about this. Do y’all remember that episode of Seinfeld, where Elaine thinks that the Korean gals doing her manicure are talking badly about her (in Korean)? My sister has a knack for this sort of thing. Savannah and I were really having a fun time, and were really pleased with our manicure/pedicures. Thom however (who has had Waaaaayy more of these done than I ever have), found herself becoming increasingly irritated at the little Korean chic doing her nails. I’ll leave the details to her, but it WAS funny! Anyway, it was a fun time, and I don’t want Savannah to be a stranger to such things, ya know? (But I WILL add that there was LOTS of talent for my up and coming tv show, “Dumbass” at the nail salon (S. is not a stranger to THAT sort of thing either, she get’s it)). Funny stuff. Oh- and after the nails, we went and got coffee at B&N. Always good.


In the world of home school, I would like to assure all of you who believe that I am inflicting some sort of torture upon my 13 y.o. son, by making him read Eusebius, that this is simply not the case. After descending the stairs, from his hour of reading, he said in a truly deep and appreciating voice, “Man, this book is pretty cool.” (Ho! Ho! What’s this? What do my ears hear???) Trying to sound normal and avoiding eye contact I say, “Oh?…. Really?” Austin says, “Yeah, all that stuff about Herod getting eaten by worms…..that’s pretty……I mean……woah.” So there you have it my friends. Need I say more? In the eyes of a 13 yo boy, the grotesqueness associated with the early medieval times is totally worth wading through the heavier and more difficult text.

The gov.’t has decided to let Race have SOME of his vacation. I will be sending the kids down to the beach with Thom (thank-you), on the day that we were SUPPOSED to go, and I will wait and accompany Race down later. When he told me today, on the phone, I had to resist the urge to fall in the floor and kick and scream. Selfish, I know. But it seems as if we are fighting a pack of wild, hungry hyenas, just to have a day or two together . They’ve surrounded us. I am just trying to get in one good kick to the head, so that we can make a run for it. I suppose the bright side is that he will be trapped in the car with me for about 6 hours, forced to listen to all the crap that I’ll ramble on about on the way down. Well, there ya go...there IS a bright side! On that happy note, I’ll go and drag myself down to the basement for my workout.

Have a great night!
Melissa

Pictures n' stuff

The kids and I are plugging along this week, looking forward to our time at the beach.
Austin is currently reading Eusebius A Church History, for school. Lot’s of food for thought here, as this is the first written record that we have from the early church since Luke wrote the book of Acts. It is amazing to read the account of a man who had lived during the time of Roman persecutions. The questions from Omnibus are very thought provoking, and we have had some good discussions. Now. If I can just get the boy to read a little FASTER. We have taken some time away from Latin for a bit, while we try to get comfortable with Omnibus, which covers Medieval history, theology, and literature.

Jackson is doing really well in his lessons, even if the attention span is still like a flash of lightening: Blink……and you’ll miss it. Although he still hates to WRITE, he has turned out to be quite the little math whiz.

Savannah is my “perfect student” these days. She takes pride in her work and is quite the overachiever. Anything less than 100%, and she is holding back the tears. (Don’t know where she has gotten this from, because we have never really been big on keeping grades at all in our home school world…..if you didn’t get it, you just kept trying). She is our artist. She uses reams and reams of paper. We put a computer in her room this year, and she very quickly learned to use the paint program. For the first day or two she would just draw basic things, but after about three days, she was using that simple paint program to produce pictures like these. What do you think? These come straight from her imagination, and are not copied from anything. Anyone have any ideas about computer graphics?

Mean cat

Diggin'

Cheeeeeese......

.

So, THIS is love......

After school, everyone had some extra chores to do as we prepare to get ready to leave the house for a week. We are putting the garden “to bed” for the winter, draining/cleaning the pool, taking care of the yard, and just some general cleaning inside that needs to be done.
Jack spent the rest of the day burying “treasure” and making maps. He also traversed all over the property with a metal detector. Stuff like that can keep boys busy for hours!
Yesterday evening, Race and I went out to shoot for a while. He has improved my shooting SOOooo much. It is incredible the difference that proper stance and grip make in your accuracy! We went through about 10 magazines with his Sig. I really do like shooting, and it is really great fun to try and improve each time.

Race's shots are all nicely grouped together...mine are the ..."other" ones.

Mighty fine shootin'.

So, what’s up with y’all?
Oh, and a “Way to Go!” (high fives) to The Dude over at Me and the GuysFor an awesome run at the Rock n’Roll marathon over the weekend!

G’night everyone!
Melissa

One more thing......

Go and check out AnnieSue's blog to see a couple of little girls who are trying to make a difference in the Katrina disaster. One is Annie Sues daughter M.K, and the other is her cousin A. A is from New Orleans, and while her family has been able to ascertain that their home is still standing......well, that's about it. A. also had to leave her pet cat behind. The story and pictures will warm your heart. Go check it out at Anniesue.

Running.........

Well, thanks for all the birthday wishes! And how about that comment from Brandon (my cousin who is around Jack's age)? My NEW, FAVORITE cousin. LOL, Thanks Brandon!

At least I can say that I am in better shape at 36, than I was at 35, right?

Well, Race got to come home after working 24 hrs straight. So he slept a good part of the day. He has to go back up tomorrow, and we are just praying that we will still get to go to the beach together next week. This new work is related to the disaster, so things are a little shaky. Hope that it doesn't sound selfish, but we really need the family time. This afternoon, he wanted me to go for a run with him. I went. Like a lamb led to the slaughter. This was my first run since the spring (and I am NO runner), but I figured that with all the working out that I've been doing, it wouldn't be too bad, ya know. We live out in the sticks, and all of our roads are dirt/gravel, so you rarely ever see a car.But it was hot. Race put me on the run 5 min., walk 5 min, 5 times. Sounds easy, but it totally kicked my butt! It was around 3 miles, and we are in the mountains, so there are always hills! And what is it about a husband who is in tip-top shape, saying " Come on! Right here. You can do it! Push it hard! Just 30 seconds- c'mon Push it, you're doin great!" that makes you want to use your last drop of waning energy to leap upon his back and begin tearing at his hair? I didn't do that........couldn't. But the deep, low primate-like growl that ensued from my lips pretty much said what I was feeling. So anyway, here it is an hour or more later, and I am STILL red faced! Whew!

And, what? NO ONE has a comment about the swim suits, below? Um...y'all are scaring me. Have I gone terribly awry here? Will I be embarrassing myself and not be aware of it? Oh, man. I really hate that. Do you think that they are old lady-ish? Too teeny-bopper-ish? I had to order them online, because , of course , if you wait till Sept. to GET a swim suit in VA, you CAN'T. Well, let's just hope they hold up the top and suck in the middle...I'll be happy.

Well, I gotta get off of here. My posts are so boring, as of late. Sorry. This week is going to be so busy, and I have to plan out school lessons and errands and do SOMETHING about all that laundry. (How can we wear THAT many clothes????)

Have a great Sunday!
Melissa

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Today is my birthday. I turn 36 (shudder). SOooooo..what do I have to look forward to? Menopause? breaking a hip? Race was supposed to have a long weekend, and we were SO looking forward to it. But work called yesterday, and he had to leave today. So, all plans are off. We were so bummed yesterday, when he got the call. Then we were running the kids all over with their friends for different activities. So, when we got home it was 9 p.m. I still needed to do my PM workout, so I went to the basement for that, and he played/ talked with the kids. Soon after, everyone was in bed, and race and I were finishing up things that we each needed to do, tying up loose ends for the day. A little later, we end up in the kitchen, digging through the fridge. We ended up eating. Race pulled out a few pieces of hunks of gourmet cheese that I had left over, some good olives, crackers, and a bottle of champagne that had been in our fridge for about a year. *A gift from an Italian flight attendant on the way back from Rome. SHe had given us 2 bottles. We tried one, but didn't really care for it, but THIS one was incredible! * SO we sat and ate and talked......till it was my birthday. And you know it just helps me so much to talk (duh).

So I felt better, and today was O.K. after all. The kids made me the sweetest cards, and I got some birthday phone calls from friends and family, and of course my blog birthday wishers. Thanks! I ended up heading into our little small town, to the nursery that I love and picking up a few new perrennials. I got lambs ear, more summer phlox, and a pretty pink chrysanthimum. I am trying hard to create an english garden look around our little cape cod house. I LOVE to work outside, it is so relaxing to me. Oh- I also ordered my swimsuits for the beach Which you can see HERE
and HERE


I got periwinkle blue, and pink. I've still got the blonde thing going on, so I am hoping that these colors are good. Comments please. (Would you be caught dead in these?) And you know, of course, that now that you have seen these swim suits on the V.S. gals, you must NEVER actually see waht they look like on me...you know that, right?

I got the most encouraging email from Lynette this week. It was so great to touch base with them again. And, I got an email from Annette about how her inlaws are fairing after the hurricane. The kids (mostly Savannah) have put together a box for her niece that we will be getting out on Monday. Nothing special, but we hope that it brings a smile.

I'm still doing the 2 workouts a day, and it is cool enough to start running, but I just can't bring myself to run without Race here.

So, that's it. WHat's going on with y'all? I'm going to go check around the blog world a bit before I hit the old Fanny Lifter. And ladies.....take my advice. DO NOT let your fanny droop too far before doing something about it. This is the most excruciating thing to correct! And for as much pain as I have experienced in that area from these excercises....IT. SHOULD. BE. LIFTED by now! But alas, a backward glance in the mirror reveals to me that if it had been ignored much longer, my butt would have been hitting the back of my knees when I walked. So, once again, I shall climb the Fanny Lifter.....over, and over, and over. With clenched fist raised to the blackened sky, I shout, "As God as my witness, I SHALL lift my fanny!"

36.
ugh.

Thank-you, thank-you Laney, for getting what I meant about the "work sheet scholars". That's one of the things that I love about classical home schooling. No work sheets, no fill-in-the blanks, no multiple choice, no matching. Ya gotta write it out......... not copy it...write it out. Ya gotta discuss it. When you can write about it and discuss it.....it's YOURS. You learn to THINK. It is my opinion that the currently accepted U.S. educational method of fill the bucket, spit it back for the test, then forget it forever, is one of the greatest disservices that we push on students today. (Now, don't go emailing me, the kids HAVE done multiple choice before..)

Race had a Very Important Interview today. This something that we have been praying about for some time. It went very well. No idea what this will mean for us in the future, but it all looks positive.

We are looking forward to the weekend. Race got some time off! I'm not sure what we will do, if anything, but it will be great to be together for a bit. We were talking about camping, so maybe that will materialize. I MUST get some pictures!

That's it for me tonight. I'm beat.
Y'aal have a good weekend!
Melissa