My kids made my day, and it's about time!

Several things blew my mind recently. In the USA Weekend insert in Sunday's paper, there was an article talking about Neighbors Make a Difference Day in October. Where it tells you how to join the action, it says, "If Saturday is your Sabbath, please volunteer Sunday, Oct. 29." Can you believe it!!?? I hooted with disbelief and amazement!! Someone mentioning the Sabbath in print!! And acknowledging that there are Saturday campers and Sunday campers!

And the other mind-blowers occurred at the dinner table tonight (simmered beef short rib, a Korean recipe, short grain rice, and Korean bean sprout salad--delicious. If you want me to share recipe, let me know). Zach was telling me there was this short black 6th grader who was being obnoxious and kinda making himself troublesome--punching Zach in the arm semi-seriously and what not. He asked Zach at one point if he was a Christian, and when Zach said yeah, the boy seemed to show fear and respect and said he was a Christian, too, and wouldn't mess with Zach anymore. It seems to me that some kids get obnoxious with Zach out of jealousy, honestly. But can you believe that?!! And then Jessie proceeds to tell me that LAST YEAR this mean, neglected kid who bugged her asked her if she was a Christian. She said she was, and they discussed some spiritual matters. I guess this kid didn't feel like God cared and seemed to want salvation but was dragging his feet. (Why didn't she tell me this at the time?!) Jessie, bless her heart, said that she tried to talk to him positively about God and the Bible, and even said she searched the Bible for things to say!!! My kids do not know how much they blessed me with these confessions/testimonies/tales. You never know how your kid is going to be about sharing their faith. It's very hard for me to talk about spiritual matters close and deep to my heart with ANYONE, even family, much less basic things with acquaintances. Out of the mouths of babes....an example and inspiration for Mom....and some reward for many years of effort and time and prayer put in! PTL!!

Here's a combination and a half I saw on a guy at work tonight. He was wearing white socks with black shoes and too short black pants so you could see the socks. Classic geek, right? Well, I guess maybe he was trying to offset it, cuz he had a hoop in his left ear. Incongruous, indeed!! Was that his costume for Halloween and normally he dresses "cool"?

You know it's time to change your name when.....your names are Mr. and Mrs. Boob. I am not kidding--there are some unfortunate people out there with those names. I saw it with my own eyes on yesterday!!

Tick tock tick tock...football clock's keeping me company here at 11:50 p.m. while I try to keep my eyes open in this quiet house of sleepers. I did a lot of laundry and house work today. Put up a cute fallish decoration by front door outside. Didn't spend all day on the go!! Yay!! Played a little with neighbor's adorable new pitbull puppy. Painted a mirror black--one that is supposed to go above the couch. It's been down for half a year since we painted.

Strong opinion ahead

"Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion." Proverbs 11:22
What made me think of this harsh? proverb was this beautiful, classy 40-something checker at the grocery store....she had a guy's barbed wire type tattoo on her ample(I didn't say muscular) bicep. Why?!?!?! Gold ring, pig's snout...tattoo, lady's bicep. Made me want to snort and make oinking sounds!!

How many chiropractors does it take to screw in a light bulb?

Just one, but it takes 9 visits!! Har har!!

No MP3, no cry

Chris had to return the gizmo cuz the cds he transferred seemed to not want to play. So I bought some much needed fall clothes, and he got an alarm clock that includes sea sounds and frog pond sounds! It played the radio ok, and I used it once...it was nice while it lasted. He said the knockoff we got was a ripoff compared to how you can pay a bit more and get TONS more room(megabites??) with the actual Ipod, if I'm not mistaken. Oh well. I love my clothes, I loved his gesture.

And then?

Howdy, folks!! It is 11:32 on Saturday morning. Jessie is coloring at the table, Zoe is upstairs with William playing Game Cube, and Zach is oot and aboot with his buddy. Chris had to go in to work. We will have some friends over tonight for dessert and what have you. Chris suggested pecan pies, so that's what I'll make. I'm waking up pretty slow, cuz I got home at 3:00!!

Wow, fall!! Like, overnight, it's not capri pants and flip flops weather, anymore. Just when my summer wardrobe seems adequate, I need to start buying for fall!

I've been going to the chiropractor frequently. It turns out I have a protruding disc in my lower back which is pressing the nerve. I probably mentioned that I have pain down the back of my right leg which causes me to hobble and wince and feel old. It just wasn't going away. I had an MRI, which showed it clearly. He says it could take quite a few weeks for the disc to go back in. He's into the latest effective treatments--not surgery--and is treating me with laser, adjustments, exercises, stretches, and his DEVASTATING good looks. (Did I say that out loud?) Think of that chap in the Jane Eyre movie, is it Timothy Dalton? ANYWAY!!!! I am walking the dog and icing and stretching and taking 4 Advils in the evening, and just started improving a few days ago, thank God!!

Zach has exceeded my expectations so far for going to a new public middle school after being home schooled. He had been nervous, and I had, too. I forced him to sign up for intramural track, cuz he's just absolutely built for it. He was NOT happy about it. But 3 days into track, the soreness from new exercise is going away, his team creamed the other team in the baton relay, and he was bummed there was no practice on Friday!! He said the teachers and kids are nice to him, and he's getting some good respect, thanks be to God. He is full of confidence, and I don't miss the strain we had doing home school together. Maybe there's something to this honoring your husband's wishes thing. They haven't really gotten into the books much yet. Probably I'll wring my hands in 2 months over something to do with him, but for now, yay!!

Last Saturday, Chris surprised my socks off by planning, by himself, to take me to Seattle, and even arranging babysitting with the fam!! He suggested Pike's Place Market. He is pretty familiar with the city cuz of jobs he's had up there, and he showed me some of them. We didn't have an agenda, and that turned out to be really cool, cuz you don't have expectations, you can just do what sounds good. So we went to this pizza place, Pagliachi's, where I had scalding hot sausage and onion pizza and free pop for knowing the trivia question of what the four children's names were in Narnia (Really had to strain my brain there--not). Then we wandered out, and there was a record store 2 doors down. I'd been thinking how fun it would be as a date to go to a record store with my honey and spend hours browsing. I recently bought a record player for 10.00 at Goodwill and some records, also. I thought Chris would look down his nose at this retro, low-tech interest of mine, but not so. He loves new technology, but also music, and we did go in the record store and spent quite a bit of time browsing. We got like 6 records for 15.00!! That was fun!! Then we went to Pike's Place Market, which was wonderful. There were so many enticing smells---a bakery, fresh seafood, incense, produce, flowers. Seattle has an amazing energy. I pretty much dig it. And on top of this cool date, he surprised me with an Mp3 player later that night!! (We're still trying to get it loaded, WITH titles.) Talk about brownie points gained!! As opposed to cool points lost, as the record player clerk joked to me as I tripped tremendously and embarrassingly cuz I forgot/didn't see this 12 inch step up I needed to take!!! It scared me really bad, and I was so stunningly clutzy it's really surprising I didn't land on my face. I tried to hide the fact that it didn't do too much for my disc situation, either.

How many Irish people does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Fifteen. One to hold the light bulb and 14 to drink whiskey till the room spins.

How many dull people does it take to screw in a light bulb?
One.

How many lawyers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
One, but when he's done, it's really screwed!!

How many women with PMS does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Six.
Why?
IT JUST DOES, OKAY!!!!!!!!!

How many narcissists does it take to screw in a light bulb?
One. He holds the light bulb while the world revolves around him.

How many dyslexics does it change to take a lightbulb?

Did you hear what happened to the fly on the toilet seat?
He got pissed off.

Did you hear about the man who went into a bar with a frog on his head? The bartender looked at him and said, "Say, that's pretty neat, where'd you find him?" The frog answered, " Well, he started out as this bump on my butt....."

SNIPS AND SNAILS AND PUPPY DOG TAILS

I thought it would be interesting to let you know the contents of Zach's pants pockets as I went to do the wash. He is notorious about having his pockets stuffed and not removing them before throwing them in the hamper. There was a chain leash for the dog, a knife, $6.00, a black plastic tube, and 2 plastic cockroaches. That sounds so typically boyish that you would think I made it up, but I didn't!!

In other news, the crocodile hunter, Steve Irwin is dead!!! Wah!!! Stingray sting to the heart.

I have a pinched nerve in one of my discs in lower back which has been causing me a lot of sciatic pain. I'm supposed to wear a heel lift, but how do you wear a heel lift with flip flops? I actually lost mine the first day cuz I was unsmart enough to try! Chiropractor will hopefully get me out of pain soon.

School starts tomorrow. Zach will be going to the local middle school rather than home schooling. Tonight will be a long one at work cuz of it being after the holiday, and then I have to get Zach to the school by 8:00 and the girls to their school at 8:50. A new chapter indeed.

Yesterday, we went to 5 mile Lake near our church with some church folks. It was a beautiful day, and the kids swam, there was volleyball, bbq, bocce, badminton, good fellowship. For a treat, I brought coke in bottles and Jones soda in bottles. Farewell, summer, you were wonderful, as always.