Monday, February 28, 2011

Puff the Magic Dragon and other sad songs

Princess has started listening to Puff the Magic Dragon.  And when I say "listen", I mean put it in her CD player on repeat and listen to it over and over and over.....you get my drift.  She listens to it going to sleep at night and it is still playing when I wake her up in the morning. 

That gives me plenty of time to hear it.  The other day I started really thinking about the words.  OK....big mistake.  Have you ever thought about the words?  It's basically about a little boy who plays with his magic dragon friend.  Then one day the little boy outgrows the magic and the pretend play.  Puff the Dragon is so sad and goes into his cave never to be heard from again.

Now I don't know about you, but as a mother of a little boy that is about to turn 10 and growing up way too fast, this song is incredibly sad!  It makes me think of all the things that R man has loved but has now outgrown.

It started out with his little red car.
He loved being pushed around in this.  He also liked to watch the wheels turn and fell out on his noggin a time or two. 

The next phase was "The Wiggles".  He could watch this show for hours and pretended to be Captain Feathersword.  I had to pretend to blow and he would fall down.  Oh to be able to play that game again!

Next came Thomas the Tank Engine.  He had a train set that got us through potty training.  I used it as "incentive" (read--a bribe).  This was the train table and boxes of trains that used to be in the dining room.

He has also loved Hot Wheels, "Dukes of Hazzard", "Star Wars", and "Indiana Jones".  And Legos, we can't forget the love affair he still has with the Legos! 

All of these little boys things are passing much too quickly for me.  And try as I might to seize the moment, I find myself bogged down with worrying about cleaning or errands or twenty million other things that need to be done.  I only hope that I will take the time to treasure these moments before they are gone!  The laundry, the dirt, the errands will still be here when he's gone...

I love you!  Mom.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Book Review: Heaven is for Real

I was first told of this book at the beauty shop of all places.  The description piqued my interest so I picked it up at Walmart.  I'm so glad I did! 

This non-fiction book tells the story of Colton Burpo, the son of a Wesleyan pastor and his wife.  At the age of 3, he had a ruptured appendix that the doctors did not diagnose.  For five days, he grew sicker and sicker.  He truly was at death's door.  Finally, he was correctly diagnosed and emergency surgery was done.

Fortunately, he recovered.  However, the real story begins there.  For the next two or three years, Colton began talking about Heaven to his parents.  He talked about things that he couldn't have known, such as seeing his father alone praying for him during surgery and his mother on the phone praying for him.  Another thing he talked about was meeting his "other" sister.  His mother had a miscarriage before he was born and he told of meeting this sister in Heaven.  He had no idea that his mother had miscarried. 

This book really made me think about what I believe.  I often talk about what I believe, talking about Heaven and Jesus, but do I really believe?  Do I really live my life to reflect that belief?  Do I share Jesus with others?  Do I have that passion? 

This is a great read and will change the way you think about Jesus and Heaven.  It will also leave you wanting more.  I definitely recommend it!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Welcome to the new site

Welcome to my new site everyone!  I hope if you were following on the old site, you will follow on this one (all five of you--ha!).  The url is the only thing that changed.  Everything else is the same.  Thanks for visiting!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Girls weekend

This weekend was a great one!  I had ordered tickets for Princess and I to see "Beauty and the Beast" at the Civic Center in January.  A couple of weeks ago, we decided to make an overnight trip out of it.  Friday evening, we met up with Princess's bestie AJ, AJ's mom and two older sisters.  We ate at Cheesecake Factory (yummy!), went to Build-A-Bear (of course), and drove to Bricktown to see Gnomeo and Juliet.  The girls all had such a great time and were so excited to be together in Oklahoma City!

After finally calming them down for the evening, we sacked out.  Their mom had warned me that her girls woke up early and she was right!  About 7:00, the younger girls were up and needed everyone else to get up as well.  I was greeted with the hearty "cock-a-doodle doo!" in my ear before she herded them out of the room for breakfast downstairs. 

We met up with more friends for lunch and then were off to see "Beauty and the Beast".  Princess really enjoyed it.  It's so fun to watch her at the shows.  She claps, cheers, and laughs.  The sweetest part of this show was her reaching out to hold my hand during the show.  The whole time I kept thinking, "Hold on to this moment."  I know one day way too soon she will be too old to want to cuddle and hold my hand during the show.  She won't be as interested in hanging out with dear old mom like she is now. 

So I cuddled and held hands and loved every single minute of it.  The weekend was very special to me.  I got to hang out with my great friend Shelly and her beautiful daughters.  But the best part was spending time with Princess and being a part of her bonding with her friends.  I love you Princess--  I'm so glad you're mine!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Read this book!

OK, OK, I know I'm several years late with this post.  I had heard about the buzz for A Thousand Splendid Suns but I have to be honest.  I thought, "Who wants to read a book about Afghanistan?"  But after not being able to find anything that really grabbed me at the local library, I decided to give it a go.

Now I'm wondering just what took me so long.  This book sucked me right in and made me want to do nothing but sit and read!  If you haven't read the book, it follows the story of two Afghan women---Mariam and Laila--over a 40 year period as their lives intertwined.  And even though it was a work of fiction, it served as somewhat of a history lesson for me.  It covered the regime changes Afghanistan had made throughout that 40 year period.

The best books are those that make you think and reflect.  This one certainly did.  I think we as Americans and in the west in general tend to take our freedoms and privileges for granted.  As a woman, I'm free to make my own choices, go where I choose, wear what I choose, attend the school I choose.  These two women did not have that freedom and were at the mercy of their husband.  They were more property than partner in their marriages.  As an American, it also makes me thankful for all the freedoms we enjoy in our society. 
 
The book also left me with the impression that since 9/11, things are improving for the people of Afghanistan.  I hope this is so.  Sometimes when I think about Afghanistan, I only picture those who wish to harm us.  I forget about all the regular people who just want a normal life, a safe environment for their children, enough food on the table.  I sincerely hope life has improved for all of those people. 

I know my review/endorsement has probably not done the book justice.  Suffice it say, however, that in all my years of reading (and they are really adding up!) only three books have caused me to shed tears.  This was one of them. 

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Frustration!

Today I am very frustrated.  After owning my camera exactly 14 months, it is starting to have issues.  It still works but the readout in the viewfinder that tells me what the aperture, exposure, and iso are has stopped working.  It does still work on the LCD screen, however.  I called Canon (and a huge shout out to Canon because I talked to a very helpful American) and they said I should send it in.  They would look at it and tell me if it could be fixed, usually for the standard fee of $200.  Hmmm, $200 to repair my current camera or just buy a new one for $600.

  I had just about decided to use the camera until it totally messed up and wouldn't take pictures anymore.  However, my good friend Angie said, "What if it messes up while you're on vacation this summer?"  Oh great!  Now I don't know what to do.  I guess I have another few months to decide.  Too bad I'm not independently wealthy--I could just buy another one! 

I'll keep you posted on the big decision!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Snow Days

This week, we got more snow--eight to fifteen inches, depending on what source you listened to.  We have had 2 snow days.  Wednesday, R man went to his friend's house to play so Princess had her friend AJ over.  They had a lot of fun playing in the snow!




Today, mean old mom made them clean their rooms, then it was outside for more snow fun.  I told R man he needed to shovel the driveway behind the van so we could get out this afternoon (a woman can only live without Sonic so long).  He asked if I would pay him.  I replied, "Yes, with a roof over your head, a warm bed to sleep in, and clothes to wear."  Not the answer he was looking for but he shoveled that part of the drive!






 R man spent the morning building a Lego Pirate Ship.  This picture is of his crew giving each other rabbit ears.  Only him!



Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Super Bowl Sunday

Ah, Super Bowl Sunday.  One of my favorite days of the year.  A good football game (usually), clever commercials, and lots of great friends to share it all with.  Our Sunday School class decided to have a party so we could hang out and watch the game together.

First off, we have to talk about all the great food. We had so much food there, I didn't even get to try everything! It was all yummy and I was stuffed. 

Strawberry-banana smores


Ham and cheese sliders
 Little smokies
Some of us were really into the game.  Hubby and I were rooting for Green Bay.  I was also glad it was a good game.  The game is so hyped that it's a big disappointment if it's not  a close game.  I like the Steelers as well and wouldn't have been too upset if they had won (unlike last year--I'm not really a big Saints fan).

We all enjoyed the halftime show (well, some of us enjoyed it, some of us enjoyed making fun of it.) Some of us had been making the "what is she doing?" face at Fergie but changed before I snapped the photo.


We also haven't talked about the commercials yet.  The Darth Vader Volkswagen ad was probably my favorite.  Hard to argue against something that cute!  The Doritos "urn" and Doritos pug commercials were close seconds.  All good ads. 

The kids all had a ball playing together.  This guy was really hamming it up for the camera.

 




The best thing about this party though were the friends. The people in our Sunday School class have become some of my closest friends. I love hanging out with them and spending time with them. When we started the class four years ago (wow, has it really been that long?) I never really thought about forming all these new friendships. That has been the best thing about the class though--not necessarily what we do on Sundays (although that's terrific) but the relationships we have outside of the church. I love all of you guys!








Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Snow day!

Ah, there is nothing better when you are a child than a snow day.  Getting to stay home, play, watch TV, etc. when you're really supposed to be at home working--it's terrific (not too bad when you're an adult either!)

R man woke me up at 8:15 and said, "What's wrong?" I told him he didn't have to go to school and he pumped his fists and said, "Awesome!" I made pancakes for brunch while the kids hauled out all of their toys.



They have spent the day playing with toys and the Wii and watching TV.  And yes, it's almost 3:00 and they are both still in their pj's! 

I have done laundry, made a chocolate cake and hung out with the kids.
And before you start feeling sorry for Hubby, he's had a ball driving around town in his Jeep!  He spent over an hour "running errands". 




Sometimes beauty is in the most unlikely places.  I passed my front door and saw the most gorgeous pattern all over it!  It looked like an artisan had spent hours brushing this pattern on my door.  However, it was the handiwork of the greatest Artist of all.  Amazing to me how people can questions God's existence or attribute all the wonders around us to chance.  He's there, every day in the beauty of nature if we will just take the time to stop and see.

  Have a great time enjoying the snow everyone!