A Valentines Rock Out!

Upon my arrival home from work at about 8am on valentines day I was greeted in the street by my daughter's music. Not unusual. Avril Lavigne's "Hey, Hey, you, you, I don't like your girlfriend" was being belted out in the way only distorted computer speakers could manage on their way to being blasted to smitherines. It was one of those belly laughing, doubled over moments when Ben greeted me at the door with a shout: "Taylor is listening to this song..... and it's not very VALENTINESY!" Who would've thought that a four year old could be so astute, all day we were tutored about our actions having them labled as valentinesey or not valentinesy. At least we have one day in our house when the kindness police are on our side, it's usually such a lonely task... THANKS BEN!

Notes from Nehemiah

Don'tcha' Love, Love, Love mornings when it's still dark outside, everyone else is still sleeping, the coffee is hot and a new day is about to begin. I love the thought of fresh starts, new beginnings, and morning is my favorite time of day... when I can get my sorry fat butt out of the sack! Anyhow, morning it is and another day is upon us. Last night at Bible Study (we are studying Nehemiah), we were talking about what makes an influential person. The question was posed... Think of someone in your life who has a positive influence on you... why? what characteristics do they have that make them influential. Of course the group was pretty quiet, those are some pretty heavy questions, but I am intrieged by the different responses.. and so I put it out to the blogsphere... What qualities make someone influential in your life? I came up with consistency (fleeting friendships come easy... are you in it for the long haul... even when it gets tough???), honesty - they tell it like it is (usually without being hurtfull, although sometimes the truth hurts a bit), kindness, and compassion, they see your needs and come along side, and also vulnerability - the flip side, they allow me to be there for them, being honest about where they need me as well ... a gal always needs to be needed right??? Anyhow, it was really an interesting study, we then discussed how we can be influential in other people's lives putting into practice prayer AND action. How often do we say "if there is anything i can do....." or "i'll pray for you....". These are some thoughts to ponder for all of you out there, how do you influence people???? Hmmmm... I'm pretty sure I drive them to drink, but... I'm workin' on that :-) Hope your day is as full of promise as mine appears to be, I'm off to shower... always good to start the day clean :-) Don't forget to weigh in..

Birthday Party Shinanigans

Our littlest man attended his very first birthday party yesterday sans mommies. It's like a rite of passage. A little hard, we had tears over the present that was to GIVE away. He woke with the words "I just can't get up mommy, I'm too jelous of Isaac!", these moments morphed into excited rantings over the activities to be, which then morphed into tears that it wasn't time to go, by noon I was ready to go insane, madly rooting around in my head for any parenting technique I may have learned over my 14 year journey... nada. I finally relied on distraction. It worked. In the end, he had a fantastic time, Isaac enjoyed his presents, Isaac's mom says that our son did not throw a fit... I'm not so sure I believe her, but nonetheless, it was an enjoyable afternoon for all!

Healthy Choices

O.K, so EVERYONE in our house has "resloved" to eat healthier (well, maybe not Ben, we're thinking of enlisitng him in a five step program for sugar addicts! :-). Jamie and I want to set a good example for the kids, and the kids are in on the madness, we've seen a transformation, kids are reaching for salad and vegetables, after a couple weeks of holidays the kids have emptied all the cupboards, including the produce drawer... so far so good. We've been eating lots of produce, brown rice, whole grains, lots of fibre, but it's tricky. I still haven't figured out how to master the sodium factor... well, that being said, I'm running out of plans... already, and lasagna is sounding like a viable option for dinner, Pizza pops a tempting snack option. We've done salmon, we've done stir frys but we need MORE variety to keep us on track, so, I'm looking for your best HEALTHY recipie. I figured this would be a good place to start collecting, well... on that note I'm off to finish my oatmeal and apple! Take care and PLEASE, leave us a comment or a link to your favorite HEALTHY treat!

The sometimes wonderful Land of Hand-me-downs

I just had the rare treat of walking into a living room that looked like a tornado ravaged Value Village. Purses, belts, clothes of all varieties... Oh my word! I didn't know ANYONE posessed this many clothes, and now we do... thus we call them hand-me-downs from a cousin in Medicine Hat. Sometime in the hours that I was at work some loving relative innocently deposited many garbage bags of these fun treats in the centre of our home. Therefore, when I arrived home I had one girl sleeping with the sheer exhaustion of overturning the entire living room and making it appear asv though it were carpeted in womens wear... I kid you not, there are winter garments, undergarments, over garments, sporty garments, dressy garments, and even some garments that I can not figure out. OH, yes and the other daughter sat amid the chaos with eyes glassed over and murmered somthing about sizes and piles. Well, well, well, another fun filled day at the epicentre of fun. Now I really need to go and find some room for my new finds, I should also lead Tannis toward the light and towards her closet as well, all this sorting has made me kind of tired!

Are these yours mam?

It is not every day that you get to spend the wee hours of the morning idenitifying your feminine hygene products to the local constabulory. Last week In this order I embarassed myself by opening the door and anouncing "I surrender" in my pajamas to a perfect stranger policeman... who for the record was not the police man neighbor I thought I saw outside, and then was also treated to the grand adventure of identifying the contents of my purse which had been strewn down our sidewalk in some fiends mad rampage for cash. Really all that resulted was the loss of a few minor things a bit of cash (not enough to ruin Christmas) and the gain of a good story to tell. Word on the street is that they caught the theif after he terrorized the comunity with about 46 vehicles being rummaged through. All in all, I'm glad, and I've learned some lessons, which I will happily pass along to you...
1. Lock your vehicle
2. Don't leave your purse or feminine hygine in the vehicle... well, that one is debateable, due to this hilarious post I read a long time ago....
3. Always be polite, never atempt funny, when answering your door.
4. Never make assumptions
5. When the police want you to come out to their car they mean the back... however cool that may seem, it still makes one feel a little criminal.
6. Did I say lock your vehicle????
Anyhow, little Christmas lessons learned.

The Day After....

Today settles in the ahhh.... all of the chaos is over. Kids are still treating their new treasures gingerly, the house is still relatively assembled, and family is still all together. New toys are a novelty, as is a peacefull morning enjoying the quiet. As with any other holiday this one had it's Lampoon moments... some that arent funny until after.... well after... actually I'm still waiting :-). Nevertheless, settling into the peace and quiet of a morning at home... feeling acute pains for the poor sods who have to trek to work at the mall, it truley seems like a peaceful world. We have yet another Christmas to reminisce upon, gifts exchanged, food eaten, kids one year older, it astounds me when we come upon this seasonal hubub how fast the years go by. Just when did I graduate from buying tiny little socks and baby toys for stockings to blowing the budget on cell phones and motorized scooters? Just when did an Christmas afternoon of Turkey dinner followed by naps and colicky babys turn into a fun afternoon of games and puzzles. Each season has it's own charm and like anyone else there are moments when I dream of a Christmas by the beach or a quiet moment alone with my significant other (of the Rescue Hero variety :-) by once again I am drawn to the theme for this entire space... savor the moment! Therefore, I have come up with a new list... shocker, I know Here they are ... the top ten Unconventional things that I am thankful for this Christmas... these things may seem whacko to you, but to me... they are part of the moment!

10. The worlds most hideously decorated tree... sparse lights, a few scattered ornaments, needles everywhere.
9. The really LOUD moments.. ear drum splitting, floor pounding, kid squealing noise!
8. A wicked case of indigestion and bloating. - We really are a gluttenous society!
7. Garbage, Garbage and more garbage - wrapping, stuffing, bows, boxes etc.!
6. Stinky kids that haven't spared a moment from family time to .... SHOWER!!! - today is the day!
5. The brown mud outside that is evidence of the chinook that brought us some unseasonally warm weather.
4. Caffine induced halucinations that are a symptom of too much coffee in the morning.
3. Hyperactive bouncy, silly, giggly menaces to society, we call children on an extreme overdose of sugar.
2. Crumbs... and lots of them inbetween the couch cushions.
1. Early thoughts of broken new years resolutions... I really must be crazy, there is just something appealing about that whole fresh start, blank page thing that makes me want to.... start afresh, only to screw up I'm sure, but still, there is always hope :-)

So, there they are in no particular order, the crazy nutty, unconventional things that I am thankful for, now, off to laundry and in-laws... whew, good thing I had those few uplifing moments first :-) Cheers!

Tis' the season

Life is full... no other words to describe it. As I sit here, on a very pretty wintery Sunday morning, I can hear Ben in the tub singing at the top of his lungs "It's the most wonderful time of the year....." and I'm thinking "If we could only bottle that enthusiasm, or even channel it!" I, on the other hand am coming off of another 14 1/2 hour day at work . Yesterday I worked from 4am (making sure everyone had their cake, pastry, sugar fix for the day ) till 6:30 when we delivered turkey dinner for 200 people to the MB church. After that it was home for an incredibly fast superhero type change of clothes and then on to the Firehall Christmas banquet.. to atempt to be polite about eating a turkey dinner, and trays of pastries that I'm sure were fabulous. Nevertheless, I have spent the last two weeks feeling like I've been hit by a mac truck, and now these feelings have manifested themselves in a mystery illness. I know whiny bloggers blabbing on about their health... it's just that... I'm sure I have tuberculosis... well, o.k, fine maybe it's just a really bad flu/cold, but for 3 or for days now I have been sick, my family enjoys the silence of my vocal cords on strike, but I'm pretty sure I just coughed up a lung. Even my coffee and muffin are not cheering me to the prospect of a guilt fueled trip to church today to get everyone to their christmas program practises and act like all is fine and dandy in the land of the "slowly colapsing as a result of christmas chaos" . Fact is I'm just bagged and need some time to re-fuel. I am probably more ahead of schedule than most years, I think I need to take care of presents for just a few more people, and there are a couple other things I'd like to bake, of course, a few decorations left to set out, and 10 thousand more dinners to cater... argh! If I see another Turkey, I think I'll cry. O.K, my tirade is over. I know, stop whining, make a list and get those kids out the door and put your smile on for cryin' out loud! O.k, here I go off to wash Ben's hair for the second time! Of all times for the four year old to go OCD on me! Wow, did I mention that my muffin is cranberry orange (one of my favorites)?... I think I need more coffee, and an attitude adjustment... maybe church will help.... I really do have an exciting post for the next time. I can't believe I haven't even mentioned it yet... hopefully this afternoon or tomorrow, I'll tell you the really great news!... oops, gotta go... disinfect/degerm my keyboard/monitor, and other stuff :-)

My Knight in Shinning Armor

Space Ranger BennieJ

O.K, so my Knight in Shinning armor declares himself a space ranger, has a paper towel "mask", carries a flipper slash sword, and swears he won't defend me - even if the alien forces are closing in (heck, he won't even open his eyes!)... I think he's really dashing, and at least he's having fun... outside! Yes this is the kid who just a few weeks ago announced that "actually mom, I am allergic to fresh air" geepers, what a goof! Man I love that guy! Even if he won't protect me... I was responsible for reducing his weapon choices from sword slash killing implement to well.... a flipper. But what if the alien forces had eggs????

He's resourcfull... and funny

After 20 years of faithfull service to the Coaldale and District Fire Department a volunteer can expect to be honored with a very special statue. A new prototype of this statue was recently delivered to the the firehall for approval, and an estimate given as to the cost of casting this bronze statue....wow, the price was out of this world! Here is a picture of the Beautiful statue awaiting aproval, ready to be cast into bronze.

My dear husband being the frugal, practical man that he is, noting the price of the statue was shocked. Suddenly his artisic abilities, and creativity kicked in. Noting the deficiency of family funds being aloted to his "EMR School fund", he devised an plan, and created a way to save the firehall thousands of dollars, thus allowing them to attribute these monies to his ever so noble cause. Let me now introduce to you.....

"Billy Blazes in Bronze" - by JC Edition #12, Series #1

And who said I didn't marry a creative genius.. this well thought out, brilliantly creative work of art will save our fair town thousands of dollars! It is worth noting Billy's glorious sheen, handy movable limbs, full bronze gear and rounded hand for inserting various possibly seasonal paraphanalia. I ask you... frugal genius.... or scheming nutcase... well, maybe a bit of both, but gosh darn, that's why I love that guy!

A last glimpse at the competition... side by side !

So, although I am on the fly and don't have much time I just had to tell you about these strange new creatures that have invaded my house. On a particularily warm September afternoon, just around 3:30 after a quiet day where the house remained strangely still, four smiling, bouncing, energetic creatures came through my door, I have taken to affectionatley dubbing them "the backtoschooligans". Let me take a moment and describe each of them to you, as their traits are unique to each individual beast.
backtoschooligan #1 seems to be the leader of the pack, she claims to have spent the day at a place called High School, I beilieve that must be a place that demands a little more maturity than low school, yet induces some minute bit of humility as well, perhaps because as she tells me, she is one of the youngest peers at this place a position wich is looked down upon by the elder students. She comes in the door regaling us with tales of 80 minute classes, trying to stifle a smile around her awkwardly braced teeth. She has embraced her new culture with a vengence, staying organized, keeping a positive attitude and all the while twirling around the house in various strech positions, and dance moves while listening to Miley Syrus videos on YouTube.... Strange indeed!
backtoschooligan #2 Talks non stop, it must be an aquired skill quite usefull as most elder of her Middle school. At times her prose flies by so quickly it would take a super-hero listening device to determine the exact structure and message of the verbal flyby. She is animated, noisy, smiley, and compasionate as she often has sought out others less blessed by the social "butterflieness" she possesses. I'm not sure if any work actually happens at this place she calls middle school as most of the verbal excitement (that I can understand) includes stories of friends, teachers lives, plans for socializing, clothes, plans for clothes and back to friends again... these subjects repeat with great frequency and varied volume throughout the afternoon and evening until she finally colapses into her bed at night.
backtoschooligan #3 Is a little more subdued although he also regales us with tales of the middle school. He is quite enamored with this woman he calls "teacher" perhaps it is a bit of a crush. "Our class is getting a bird", "she raises dogs", "she has a chart on the board", "she lives next door to Carson", are phrases that repeat over and over with a slight sly grin. He is energetic, and enjoying his time at this place called middle school also telling us about cross country teams, and intramurals, oportunities to build friendships, enhance skills, and bleed money out of us like stuck pigs, but we love it. Often backtoschoolagin #3 disapears for hours on end to bike, hang out at friend's houses, get slurpees, and play ball in the drive way, nevertheless he always returns in time to torment backtoschooligan #1 to some degree.
backtoschooligan #4 Is a little more tempermental, he enjoys his new playschool, the beginning of this school journey as long as his mother is within arms reach. If she disapears from his line of vision he responds with whining, crying, gnashing of teeth, yelling, kicking and more heart wrenching tears. I watch this scene as little as possible as tears blur my vision. Tears still fresh from leaving backtoschooligan #1 at a place where the boys aka. men have facial hair and drive themselves to school. These transitions are fun, but they are tough!!! Once home backtoschooligan #4 is hesitant to show the picture he painted or admit the fun he had doing puzzles, playing in the water table, the dool house, the play house, drawing pictures etc. although I am aware that he has done these things with great enthusiasm when not too many were paying attention.

All in all these are quite enjoyable creatures and I think I'll keep them. Their feeding is relatively simple, their care is enjoyable, and they give FANTASTIC hugs, I just hope they don't sprout wings toooooo fast, because I don't know if the gutters can handle my tears, super proud, yet nostalgic! Hope you're all enjoying this new phase as much as I. Now, I'm late for work, no time for spell check... SORRY ! and tomorrow is VEGAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Secret Shame - and I'm blaming "fly lady"

So, as most of you know, I have totally bought into the "Fly Lady" cult. I absolutely love it, and it is a sytem that (for now :-) is really working for me! One of the favorite things that I have learned is the importance of a shiny sink. I know, that sounds pretty ridiculous, but with 6 of us in our little house, it does'nt take any time for the dishes to pile up, just one or two cups on the counter make the entire kitchen look messy. Therefore the "fly lady" suggests that a gal get a bin under the sink in wich to store some of these unmentionables before they pile up. Works like a charm! So, being me, I was very proud of this new system and eager to show people how great it is, after all, my house is now 9 times out of 10 company ready. Show off time came when my mom and dad came over for dinner:
"Tada!" I exclaimed

There before us was my shiny sink and bare counter top. She was visibly impressed. (insert oohs and ahhs here.) Then came my moment of shame. I proudly flung open my cupboard door to show this stroke of genius, the bin below where we now keep our secret cache of dirty dishes before the time comes to cleanse them from their vile filth :-)

Judging by the look on my mother's face you would think that I had just let her take a glimpse of our secret stash of porn, or stood in the middle of the street and mooned the pastor! She covered very well once she realized that this was a system that was working for us and that I was actually "proud" of this ridiculous debacle. Her face underwent an extreme transformation from shock and horror to ... well somthing else, in two point five seconds flat... impressive. She smiled, nodded, and feighned interest in my crazy scheme. "Well," I thought "I might be able to impress some, and it might work for me.... but I guess I haven't quite arrived". So, there you have it dishes and shame from the fly lady cult. Really, it's all quite enjoyable, and a clean, de-cluttered house is working for us.... for now :-)

You're it!

A friend of mine over at Rambling On tagged me for a meme, I am really new to this, but I'll try anything once!
Here are the rules....
THE RULES OF THIS TAG ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Each person posts the rules before their list, then list 8 things about themselves. At the end of the post, that person tags and links to 8 other people. Then that person visits those people's spaces and leaves them comments, letting them know that they have been tagged, and to come and read the post so they know what they have to do.
So, here goes:
8 Things you might not know about Bonnie:
1. I really, really, really want to be a Godly Woman. I may flop misserably sometimes, but this is my #1 goal in life!!
2. The most important job I have is Mother and Wife. 4 fantastic Children, and One fabulous Man (some days I may call them other things, but just ignore me, I don't mean it :-)Also, daughter, sister, auntie, to the most fabulous set of people EVER!!!
3. I am the self-appointed, official, full-time, officer in cheif of Tasting at the Coaldale Bakery (it is a great thing that they give us stretchy pants for our bakery suits!!) - this is a very difficult, demanding job, nevertheless, I feel that with my training, and expertiece in the eating feild I will enjoy the challenge of using my tasting talents each and every day!!! TEE HEE! (Actually my official title is Catering Coordinator, that is what it says on my buisness card... all lies :-).. Oh, yeah, and I'm going to VEGAS for a Bakery Exposition in exactly 2 WEEKS!!!!!
4. I'm a sucker for pretty MATCHING underwear!!!
5. I'm a little addicted to blogging (like you didn't know that) I love learning about new people... tell
me about you... whoever you are :-)
6. I love to sing, in the shower, at church, at work... especially Grease songs!!!!!
7. I can be really obnoxious!! - see #6
8. I am not a details girl. I really try, but I'm a bit of a Dennis the Mennace...I love to feed people, but as for the mess.... not so much!

As you can see by all the excalmation marks, I am very excited about my life, I am a lucky, lucky girl!!!
Thanks for reminding me of this... Ms. Rambling On :-) That was fun ... O.K so there goes the narcicism again. So, this is who I am tagging.. Dale, Yvonne, Taylor, Carol , Denise, Kalie, Connor , Naphi

Vigilante Taxi Stories

This... is why I am proud of my husband :-) As many of you know J is a Taxi driver by night and an EMR by day. But, did you know that he is a vigilante??? For J there is no grey. Sometimes he and I disagree, since I believe I am the more liberal and tolerant in our relationship, he may beg to differ. Nevertheless, J sees things as black and white, good and evil.. he is a defender of the right and the just and nothing makes him more angry than an injustice. So, about last night......
Imagine this. J driving his cab minding his own buisness when he overhears this conversation: (is it possible to eavesdrop and mind your own buisness simutaneously??? Whatever... continuing on...) "Yeah, buddy, I know that I still owe you five bucks I just need a bit more to get me by, listen, no I don't have any money, but I just picked up a food hamper from the food bank, there's like $80.00 worth of food in here.. seriously man, there's lots here.....(pause here supposedly for the other person to agree) O.k, I'll be right there, thanks man." Peculiar, I know. Knowing his customer base and being the observant type of person he is - in a minding your own buisness sort of way, J says to said customer "Am I hearing things or did you just trade your food hamper for Crack Cocaine" To which the passenger replied, "yes, what's it to ya'". J, a man never to be reckoned with on a good day, as I said, Mr. "defender of the right, good and just" pondered momentarily over the good people who donated food to the food bank assumably imagining hungry, struggling individuals grateful for the support they were recieving. The thought of this guy ripping off all of the good folks and using their generosity to support his habbit angered Jamie. He imediately stopped the car and told his passenger to get out. His passenger argued briefly, but his protestations were drowned out as J drove off with his "hamper" and returned it to the nearest supermarket "donation to the food bank bin". Oh, yeah and he left the guy with one closing comment... "what do you mean I can't kick you out of my cab and take your hamper?? Why don't you call the cops???"

No, I would never do this. Maybe because I'm too chicken, maybe because I consider the possibility that the person who is selling the drugs could use the food, maybe because I don't stand up for my principles like he does, but that is what I respect about J, right or wrong (mostly right I think :-) he stands up for what he believes in and does just that little bit every day in every way (however unusual or unorthodox) to make the world a better place. I think the veggie tales sang it best -- StandUp, for what you believe in, believe in, believe in God -- he will see you through! Anyhow, it's something to think about for today anyway -- Cheers! P.S. --- DOn't Do DRUgs :-)

Sometimes Sundays are like that!?!

So, after a 65 hour work week, I've had it. Thursday night we catered a roast beef dinner for 120 ppl. Friday Evening we delivered 456 mini pastries and picked up two very tired girls from Summer camp, only to deliver one of them to a birthday party in the country. Then Saturday, we catered a Birthday party for another 120 ppl. Sunday, I was sleeping in!!!! Not! My ever loving husband decided that we needed to spend time together, since he is finished work at about 5am he waited till 8 to wake me up.... oops. Well, anyone who knows me knows that I value my sleep, sometimes to a fault (well, o.k, all the time to a fault, but keep in mind, I'm severely sleep deprived at this point). I'm pretty sure at this point you could have set of the bell that they ring at the beginning of a fight, bcause the fight was on. Unfortunately I can be a little bit of a ... well, cover your eyes all you wholesome folks out there, bcause I was a full out bitch. Once again, putting work and sleep in front of my family. Will I ever get my priorities straight. Anyhow, that isn't even the point of my story, so continuing on... Poor J as I will affectionately call him from here on in :-) made some sort of comment about the state of our house. (true, yet hurtful) Really, we're all piggies- especially the four little ones! I took offense and took off on a mad cleaning rampage. I spent 8 hours and I didn't make it past my kitchen!! I've got clean cupboards and drawers, and shinny surfaces (well, I did have.. you know how it goes) Nevertheless, there are still things, like my oven that I didn't get done. By 6pm I was less mad, and by 8:30 dinner was over, the kids were watching Harry Potter (we started the book on holidays and are now officially on the bandwagon... yes, I know, a different entry.... focus Bonnie!) Anyhow, J and I went for a walk and I felt better because I had accomplished much, today we made some good progress in the bedroom (cleaning I mean :-) ... teehee) and now it's on to the bathroom... I am armed and ready! Mom and Dad are coming for dinner and I will have prevailed!
Having said all of this, I am looking for help!!! A friend of mine used to subscribe to an internet site that had an actual schedule of how to keep up on the cleaning, every day gave her a small task and before you knew it you had worked your way through all the little things that get overlooked. I looked for it a bit yesterday, but to no avail, I can't remember what it was called and I don't know if she would even remember even if I did try to contact her, and after so many years, that might just be weird... anyhow, if you know of anything like this... PLEASE pass it on!
So, Cheers, I'm off to procrastinate my bathroom some more, anyone want to insult me to get me motivated :-).... AH, you're not as daring as he is are you????

He Put a Song in My Heart!

I heard a new song last nite, Tim (our pastor) had mentioned that we were going to be singing it on Sunday when he asked if I wanted to sing on the "worship team" (funny phrase I'll address some other time!), anyhow, I looked it up so that I would know it.... I love it! Wow, what fantastic lyrics! Here is the link if you want to listen to it:

http://www.espew.com/cgi-bin/play.cgi/1281865

and, here are the fantastic lyrics that I speak of:

Indescribable - Chris Tomlin
From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea

Creation's revealing Your majesty

From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring

Every creature unique in the song that it sings

All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.You are amazing God

All powerful, untamable,Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim

You are amazing God

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go

Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow

Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light

Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night

None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable,You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name

You are amazing God

All powerful, untamable,Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim

You are amazing God

You are amazing God

So... here I am trying to focus again in the midst of chaos. God is the centre, where I want to be, even when chaos reigns supreme and my house looks like the scene of a ... get ready for it DALE......a cataclysmic apocalypse! Isn't that a great phrase, Dale writes about heavy smart people stuff in his blog...http://dcaffeinatedpickler.blogspot.com/ Mostly I just use him and his knowledge for the big words :-) Just joking, he actually writes all sorts of fantastic stuff, sometimes even stuff that I can understand :-) Regardless, that one just got me, I'm going to say it all the time for anyone who cares! Anyhow, speaking of focus.... I need to deal with life.... the house is quiet...scary...I have 3 kids at home... where are they??? Searching for the missing week old kitten... how does a family loose a baby kitten??? We have company coming tonite for the bonfire that is not really a bonfire because of the fire ban... disappointing. Regardless, I am sure if they came to our house in it's current state they would be disgusted. I believe I just wiped pb off of my computer tower...ewwww, there are three different puzzles on my kitchen floor and an unidentified substance in my sink.... therefore, I must go... clean, cook, mother, and perform other such wifey duties... (whatever those might be???) Jamie is finally home for two days... hooray! Two parents in one home... why is that such an anomaly around here?? So, before I get distracted once again.....(oh look.... shiny:-))I shall bid my computer adieu.
P.S. anyone have any ideas on where to find a missing kitten??.... I'm not even kidding!!! Really, suggestions would be welcome! We can't find him anywhere!!!!

The Eyes, Who I want to be, and a Funny Story!

The Eyes!

So, the one thing I didn't expect from this weekend was the "eyes". Everywhere we went, and everyone that we met was wonderful. Let me just get that out of the way, and say that really we had a fantastic time. Nevertheless, I couldn't get it out of my mind that everywhere we went, people were curious. Who was I? How had I turned out? How did I measure up? Did I bear any family resemblance? I too was looking at them and wondering some of the same things, and when I wasn't wondering about them, I was wondering what they were wondering about me:-) That part was emotionally draining and has caused me to do some heavy duty thinking about who I am, where I have come from, and what I want people to see when they see me and my family. Therefore in true Bonnie fashion I have devised a list. This is not a complete list, but it is a beginning.... So, for this Tuesday, that is all I have to say about that. Feel free to hold me accountable when my actions don't measure up to my goals, but go easy on me... I don't take criticism well:-)

Who I want to Be: part one - the first 5 off the top of my head.

1. Godly - I want to teach my kids to put others first and love God and others above all else. whew... that's a big one.
2. Priorities - I want my family to know that they are my priority.
3. Time conscious - clearly, this is not my strength, here i sit blogging when I should be snuggling, so... moving on....
4. A good friend! One who listens, and cares!
5. Healthy. I want to be the kind of person who grabs an apple, I want to teach my kids to love the good food God gave us and to take care of their bodies. Therefore, tonite, I made salmon... first time for everything... it was actually pretty good, healthy even....

So... Off to make bedtime snuggles a priority..... Sleep Tight!!

WAIT... FUNNY albeit gross story first!

The scene... B on a ride all by himself at Calaway!!! What a big boy ... we're so proud!!! The ride is finished and B is dismounting and.... wait for it.... chewing?!?x?! I rush towards him pandering him with questions.. "What are you eating?What are you eating?What are you eating?What are you eating?" to which he patiently responds.... "a cracker"! Seriously, can you get anymore gross than that??? So, to random kid who lost his cracker on the boat.... we found it :-)

We're Back!!!!

A wonderful trip was had by all... too many things to note at 10pm, the main thought I brought home from my trip was a reminder of who I want to be.... I will leave you with that scintilating thought, and the question, who do you want to be? If you were to be judged right here, right now, based on what you do, what you look like, how you react, how would you measure up to what you want to be?????

Hot Fun in the Summertime

Summertime and the livin' is easy!

Check it out People! Have you seen this stuff??? I believe it was invented in heaven!

I am in love with summer, I am in love with sun. I truely love the color that the sun brings to people's cheeks, the feeling of the warm rays on your skin, the way that my stretch marks and cellulite, just seem to fade a little bit while my skin morphs into it's warm, bronze hue. I am nevertheless in all my vantiy....willing to acknowledge that the sun can be dangerous, therefore I, like every other guilt driven, determined mother, face summer head on armed with my arsenal of goopy sunscreen, hats, waterbottles and various other beach-like paraphanalia ( as beachy as we get here on the praries that is :-) . Every year the scenario at my house gets a little bit uglier as I wrangle, wrestle, bribe, and threaghten all who dare to forget the Slip, Slap, Slop motto. Slip into a t-shirt, Slap on a hat, and slop on some sunscreen. Generally there is a great display of flexibility and determination at my house when it comes to the slop part, they don't enjoy the goop, I don't enjoy the goop. Honestly, the bigger they get, the harder I fall as I chase them down unmerciless in my rampage, avoiding the goop at all cost, pinning for my miracle cure that will eventually turn me into a weathered, leather skinned, wrinkly old lady. Now that I've set the stage we can let you in on the GREAT NEWS!!!!!

WE HAVE DISCOVERED AEROSOL SUNSCREEN!!!! Unbelievable! Why did no one tell me about this sooner??? NO MESS, NO GOOP, NO RUBBING IT IN, JUST SPRAY!!!! I AM NOW FREE TO ENJOY THE FINER THINGS OF SUMMER...without alerting the WWF first :-) So, In honor of this fantastic, wonderful, new to me invention here is my list of summer stuff!

An ice cube melting in your hand

Lemonade Stands

Fluffy clouds

Mr. Turtle Pools

Sprinklers

Swim Passes to the Local Pool

No School

Holidays

Flowers

BarBQ

Bare feet!!!

Roll Kuchen... that's got to be a post of it's own (coming soon!)

An ice cold beverage

Campfires

Fresh Fruit

Evening Walks/Runs

Late bedtimes

Late rising times:-)

Coffee and the Paper in the morning with sunbeams in my window!

SLURPEES!!!!

Ben has one more to add.... Playing with great friends!

Now it's time to head to bed so that I can enjoy that morning sun. Tomorrow we're going to the pool after church... shhh don't tell the kids, it's a surprise! I'm packing the sunscreen! Well,it's been a long hot day, but suddenly I don't feel quite so sticky and icky, just a little more sunshinny!

Proud Mama

Every now and then we have those moments with our children when we just sit back and smile! Today I was going to a movie with a friend and because of circumstances, T#1 was going to come along and enjoy the fun. I asked T#2 to babysit her brother (she had already been doing just that for the better part of the day), and in return I offered to take her to a movie with a friend on the weekend. She agreed without complaining and we had a really fun evening. Upon my return home T#2 asked me if it was alright if she invited her sister instead of a friend, because she knew that her sister was really dying to go see Nancy Drew. Can you believe that??? She wants to take her sister who already went to a movie!!! It's unbelievable no arguing, no... it's not fairing... just plain sharing and consideratness (is that a word???) Who knows. Anyhow, I am proud of her! Nice Job Bear! I think I'll pitch in for popcorn too!!!