Closed Eyes and Closed Heart

I just heard this said "I just closed my eyes and my heart and I just did it." 'It' can represent a multitude of things. For this particular person, it was something that they were not proud they did. That phrase is such a perfect one - I just closed my eyes and my heart and I just did it. I don't know about you but there have been times in my life that I've just closed my eyes and my heart and did something on my "I would never" list. It can be as simple as hurting someone you care about or as big as the worst moments are in our individual lives. It even occurs when we choose not to forgive an offense. It is a slippery slope we find ourselves on when we close our eyes and heart.

As is the case with any sort of neglect, self inflicted or otherwise, there are consequences. I know the after effects that immediately followed for me can vary from self hatred to much wondering of what was I thinking. What causes us to come to the point of willingly closing our eyes and our heart to do the things we never want to do? Thankfully I've not found myself in this place very often and I hope I continue to guard against the urge to close my eyes and heart again; but I thought this phrase so well describes the process we may go through when we do shut down.

Our heart and eyes cannot bear the information so they must be intentionally closed down in an effort to preserve self. Willingly closing our heart can cause us to become hard hearted if we are not careful. Have you ever willingly closed your eyes and heart to something or someone? Have you gone to the next step of willingly opening your eyes and heart to those areas now? It is not the easiest step to take but a necessary one. Without willingly opening your eyes and heart in that area again - you are building a wall that will only harm you when all is said and done. It is smart to take some time to carefully walk through the process of properly healing before opening up again; but in the end it is the most vital step toward a healthier you.

Celebrity Look-alikes

I followed Just Mom as she copied Momma Roar as she copied and on and on it goes.... I think it is fun to see what celebrity I 'look' like. Out of all the celebs I've been told I 'look' like .... NONE of these have ever been mentioned. I don't see it clearly myself but... this was fun.


Let me know if you try this too - so fun!

A Tuesday We Will Remember!

A look back at my Election Day. Tuesday began with my getting ready to take JB to his music class. I hoped to vote before the class so I tried to hustle in my morning routine. I was making good progress when my little man walked into the bathroom with his mouth tightly closed and with a slight grin... as if to say 'wook at me'.... I thought he had a mouthful of water and blew my hairdryer towards him to get him to laugh. No laughing and he walked away. He kept showing HC his peculiarly shut mouth and I became curious. I said "JB... show me what's in your mouth." He opened up and I saw coinS. I had him spit them out and he had at least 10 coins in his mouth.
My first instinct... "EWWWWWW..... the germs alone could be deadly!" Then my mommy brain kicked in and I fussed profusely explaining how he could die if he swallowed these coins. His heart was broken and he cried profusely. I felt badly and consoled him. Telling him how dangerous this was and to NEVER do this again. He agreed ... went to brush his teeth and then came back to report that his 'bewully hurt' (belly hurt). I asked him why and he said "Because I ate the money." I said "You are ok. You didn't eat the money... you just swallowed the yucky juice." (I had to use language he would understand - EWWWW!) He said "No mommy I eat the money.. I eat 10 moneys." I quizzed him like an interrogation lawyer and he finally confessed to eating 4 pennies. He said "I sorry Mommy. I no want to die!" I told him he would be fine but to NEVER do that again - it is VERY dangerous.

I called the pediatrician and they said as long as he eats, drinks and swallows without trouble... all is well and the coins will find their natural exit. :) We left and headed off to hopefully vote early!

No such luck. Time was too short - we went to JB's music class and returned to vote to find an eternal line. (Oh... when we got into the van HC asked where we were going and I said we were going to vote for the President. She said "OH YAY! Now we can listen to music again and not the news!! Right Mommy?" Sad fact is my kids were tormented with my news addiction during the last 6 months!) Timing was not mine Tuesday! We waited to vote and my kids were STELLAR in their behavior! I was so proud of them! When it was our turn to vote HC asked "Where's the President Mommy? How will we vote for him?" I explained he wasn't there but we were voting for him. :) After our 1.5 hour wait we had lunch and got ice cream! We returned home to see the votes unfold and the rest is history! It was a busy day of ups and downs! Glad Tuesday is over! Whew!

Voting Rocks!

People in front of us (not counting the 100's within the building ahead of us - literally) People behind us.... thank God we were ahead of all of them (although we stood in line when it was THAT long)..
How do you get two kids to behave in a voting line for 1.5 hours while you wait to vote? Promise them ice cream of course!! Mommy said "If you do NOT complain and do NOT argue and if you ARE great listeners.... then..... ICE CREAM!" They really impressed me, we were in line from 10:24 and finally cast our vote at 12:04pm..! That is when we officially walked out of the door - I was THRILLED we made it without a meltdown or without needing a bathroom break! :) I have tried to bribe them before in key situations where I NEEDED their cooperation before and this has not worked! Thanks be to GOD alone that this time the bribe worked! See the reward of voting (this was after making a bee line to have lunch first, of course)! Clearly voting has it's privileges!
YUMMY YUMMY
TO MY TUMMY!!

HAPPY VOTING EVERYONE!

Gasoline Panic

I took the kids to our Homeschool park day today and received a text message from my husband telling me to fill up my tank. Usually my sweet husband fills up my tank for me (and he isn't one prone to unnecessary panic) and so I wasn't sure why I needed to take on this task but... I figured he had a good reason. I knew Ike was lurking in the Gulf and figured it had something to do with that.

Before I knew it there were multiple pockets of parents discussing their journey to the park. They noticed gas prices go from $3.54 to $3.99 as they passed station after station. The lines were long and the demand was surging. I began thinking - we are not in danger or anything. I am used to this sort of panic in Louisiana when hurricanes are on their way. We are usually preparing for the worst case scenario - in case the power stays out long term and we need to get to safety or something. This experience isn't new to me but the fact that we are not in danger and the panic is surrounding us is new. We are not in imminent danger but we are experiencing the panic here! Kind of crazy.

I finally waited through the line at a gas station after passing two stations that were totally OUT of gas!! I found a place where it was $3.68 and I decided to wait in line. The kids were wiped out from our day at the park and taking a nap so I quietly waited my turn. I was three people deep in line, and every pump was with at least 3 waiting behind the one pumping gas, and it was finally my turn. I then see this sign as the pump S..LOW..LY pumped fuel into my van. I had a half tank but... I was hearing rumors of soaring prices. After I filled up I heard from a friend who saw prices at $4.19 per gallon.
As I drove by another local gas station (because the one I was at was difficult for me to photograph) I snapped a shot of the lines in/out. This is so crazy to me! But I guess what happens in the gulf DOES affect all of us! I pray Ike is not the monster they are predicting!
We are praying for you all - friends in the Gulf area!!!

No More Hurricanes!

Praying for all our friends and family on the coast! Gustav was pretty dreadful on all our family and friends in Baton Rouge - I hope Ike does NOT hold the punch it appears it may!

Never Forgotten

Today always brings an eery stillness to me. I can remember the exact place I was when I first heard. I remember the fear the worry the wondering of who would dare do such a thing on purpose!

The stillness is here again and I am remembering. I am thankful that God has spared us from further attacks. I pray God continues to guard over America!

My heart aches for the families who lost dear loved ones 7 years ago today. My heart is also filled with thanks for the military, who continue to sacrifice so we remain safe.

The vultures are circling!

I do not like confrontation and I do not enjoy disagreeing with others. I usually keep my blog on the light side but today I am so frustrated. It appears the vultures are circling one single lady and I am tired of watching the sick display.

Governor Sarah Palin is running for Vice President not her daughter. Governor Palin is being pulled apart so violently and so angrily that it is beyond disturbing. As far as I can tell the only issues that matter is how did she run the governments she was responsible for! I am so frustrated with all the media displays. They are showing themselves to NOT be reporters but vultures circling hoping the solo female will crumble soon so that they can finish her off.

I hope all of you out there - whether you are Democrat, Independent or Republican will take off your political hat for a moment and look at the obscene display of the media. They stole her social security number. How invasive!!!!!!!!!!! Pray for Governor Palin and for her family. That is the least we can do with all the attacks that she and her family are currently under.

I welcome your thoughts but will not give room for arguing. I will not give way to my blog becoming a place of division. I only see a fellow American being pounced unfairly and cannot stand to watch silently anymore.

The ants come marching in.... again.

Yesterday we had an army of ants come marching in. They were in full force and seriously - they were not there and then they were there in abundance! JB dropped some ice and I bent down to pick it up from under the table - no ants. I sat down with HC to do schoolwork and felt an itch. I bent down to scratch and saw a line of ants.

Last year the ants marched in and we were under a serious drought so I bought the story of the locals. They told us, from the first year we moved in, that the local ants do invade to find water. Nope! Not true! These ants could not POSSIBLY be looking for water since it has rained for 3 days or more - and I do mean RAINed!

When I thought about it, the ants came indoors this time last year too. It made me wonder if it were just a seasonal thing. Maybe they sense winter is near and they, like the squirrels, are storing up goods for the winter. Well, we will be studying ants later this year and I will let you know what discoveries we make then. For now - our handy dandy leftover ant poison did the trick again! It literally had them all gone within 8 or more hours. The kids had fun watching the ants march in and then march out. We even saw a few piggy back ants. It is clear to me that our Ants lesson in several months will be a huge hit!

Distractions **updated**

Today I am trying to sew... but I am doing so with MUCH distraction. I have the TV in the background and for the 1000th time I hear the 'Might Putty' infomercial. Earlier they played the 'Caulk' deal thingy. I want both! They are so cool! Will I use them?? Will they work 'as seen on TV'? Maybe but I want to see if the Mighty Putty works! Even though there is no real tile in our shower - you never know when you will need to caulk something and smoothly finish the job with those flexible scraper things.

Seee? Distractions abound for me!

What about the water globe?? I have over watered plants before. I have under watered plants. I have watered a plant that was sitting on one of those trays and it overflowed onto my table/carpet. Currently - I have no indoor plant but... maybe I'll get another plant someday and I will need a magical watering globe.

The gopher tool - the one that helps you reach things up high. I can't tell you the number of times I have been inconvenienced by having to reach for things. So totally inconvenient.

What about the sweeper that swivels!!?? Only to find that you can get 2 for the price of 1~!!! WHAT A DEAL! Umm.. I actually almost bought this one.... you paid like $45 in shipping. That isn't BOGO to me. That is your shipping is the price of 2 and the extra is the price of being dumb enough to believe you were getting a deal.

But I want the infomercial gadgets! I want them ALL I tell you! These are the things distracting me today as I try to sew. Back to the grind....

***How could I forget to mention ShamWOW!!???***

Fancy Nancy Party Fun

Last weekend HC and I had a fancy day planned! Our friend C had her birthday party and we ALL had to be fancy! Here is HC and C listening to C's mom give advice on coloring their Fancy Nancy color pages. Mrs. R later read the Fancy Nancy book to all the girls.
Then there was nail painting. Definitely fancy!
HC's finished fancy paint!
All fancy girls need a crown! HC was working so hard to make her crown just right!
I think she did just that!

And last - a fashion show! The girls loved it!!!!
All the Fancy darlings...
And then... a parfait in a fancy cup with a fancy spoon! Totally fancy party!

Goodbye....Hello

HC and JB are having to say goodbye to a special friend. Something they've found to be a perk in their world. They took their last ride in the black beast beauty and said goodbye! Dad's car. A ride in Dad's car has been a huge thrill for HC and JB. They LOVEd the sunroof!!!! They 'heart' it!! I am thrilled to say goodbye! It just isn't practical for all of us to ride together in it and it has a manual shift. Not a big deal except when you drive the hilly roads that we frequently drive! Not fun.
From the fun 2 door (that is not kid friendly) to the newer 4 door model. Trading 198,992 miles for 47,000 miles! Momma is happy, HC and JB love that they have a window and Daddy loves that Momma is happy! {smile}

We gladly welcome our newest set of wheels into the family! It is nice to have a back-up practical car vs. the sports model! We are loving life!

Now for the funny story that followed this transaction! We have been happy with the black not-so beauty but it lacked a few perks. Hubby drives quite a bit for his job and the beauty didn't have cruise control - needless to say Hubby has had a permanent cramp that we hope he loses. The radio and CD player worked fine - but at only one volume level. Fairly loud or off! We put the car on craigs list and received several calls. The beauty does get FABULOUS gas mileage and gas is gold these days! Hubby showed the car and the guy was interested. (I forgot to mention that the headliner has come down and the drivers window has a glitch - which we've found is a common glitch in older Honda's). OK. So - we disclosed every icky detail because we didn't want to be bothered unless someone really wanted it! The guy loved it and we met him last Friday to make the transaction final.

We drove up and the kids were playing in the van while we waited. I was still leery that someone would want it (since I hated having it as a 2nd family car) and I hoped this would be the day we could bid farewell to the beauty! The family drove up and I turned to unbuckle my seat belt, while Hubby greeted them. I turn to open the door and saw MY GOOD FRIEND NANCY!!!! We laughed so hard at the randomness of this happening. I had no idea that they were looking for a gas efficient car (they were spending $100's on gas for her husband's truck) and I was glad to know the people who bought it were buying it with open eyes. They were truly only looking at the economics of the car and not thinking it would be some luxury. (I remember my first car and how disappointed I was after owning it and finding the little inconveniences that I didn't notice at first.) Steve and I left them with our 'not so black beauty' and hoped it would bless our friends as it did us. It was not our dream car, by any means, but it did the job and did it well. It was dependable and loved by some in our home! Farewell black not so beauty... from what we hear - you are on your way to shining once again!

Dealing with the Burdens of Life

My sweet friend Hope sent this list to me via an email and it immediately seemed blog worthy! I hope you enjoy this list as much as I did!

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:
1. Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
2. Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
3. Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
4. Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.
5. If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
6. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
7. It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
8. Never buy a car you can't push.
9. Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
10. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
11. Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
12. The second mouse gets the cheese.
13. When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
14. Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
15. You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
16. Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
17. We could learn a lot from crayons:
a. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull.
b. Some have weird names,
c. All are different colors,
d. but they all have to live in the same box.

Yum (and then some)!

Not too long ago, Ginger shared a family favorite for Sunday lunch! It sounded yum, but the before photo left a less than yum feel for the viewer (no matter how hard you try - raw chicken is not visually appealing!)! :) She later posted the recipe and I finally tried it for the first time!! It smelled DIVINE!! It looked DIVINE!! It was GREAT!!!! I think we needed to season it a little differently than we normally do. Now we know better for next time - but we will definitely be adding this meal to our Sunday rotation!! Thanks for sharing this yummy meal with us Ginger!! We really loved it!
On another note, I wanted to share a little specific example of savings with you! When I went to CVS the other day they had this razor on sale and I will share the deal I could not pass up! This razor was regularly priced at $11.99 but was on sale for $9.99. Then they were offering $3.oo Extra Bucks after purchase AND I had a $4.00 off coupon. So I paid $2.99 for this razor!! WOOHOO!!
Did I really need a new razor?? "No!" Then why did I buy it? "I am so glad you asked!!" {smile,wink} Since I have TONS of coupons for Venus razor blades and zero for the razor I normally use - now I can follow the deals a little better. If my razor has blades on sale and/or coupons - I will use that one. When the Venus is giving deals/coupons on their blades - I will use theirs! That is why it is good to be flexible on name brands!

The Ponderings of MorningSong

I was thinking.... why does the channel change so efficiently on the television but the computer cannot flow with the same ease? When I go from web page to web page - it takes seconds (sometimes minutes) to bring the page up. Why? It would seem to me (a mere internet user) that it should/could make the transition from web page to web page with less waiting.

I wish I paid closer attention in my computer programming class. ho hum All the things I could know about my computer! While taking the class, in college, I thought the class was useless. Why would I need to know how to 'communicate' with my computer. What could I possibly do with computer programming!?! To have that do-over again would be grand! (Although, I would like the professor to speak English clearly.) Maybe that was what stopped the class from being more fun. NO, it was all the 1001100 nonsense that was necessary in DOS. Those who DID learn something in that class - they were the smart ones!

My technological rant

Can someone PLEASE tell me EXACTLY what this means??? I've seen a story, for the past two days, on Yahoo news regarding blu-ray. It says Blu-Ray beats out HD DVD (is this really big news?). Are my DVD's obsolete?? What is a blu-ray anyway?? Are DVD's still available?? What about the DVD players? Didn't we JUST begin adjusting to DVD land? Am I the only one who wants them to stick with one thing for a little while? I still have VHS people!! I mean SEVERAL VHS, I was thinking which would I want to buy in DVD form first. My computer is about 5 years old and although it is great - there are times when it is so slow and so annoying!!!! I am amazed that I can be so behind the times with a 5 year old computer!! Didn't DVD burners (or whatever they are called) JUST become available. I still use a PAPER calendar, and if necessary I PRINT out my online calendar! I can't move ahead in this techno world. I want my DVD's. Is HD DVD different from DVD?? Am I clueless?? I think I am!

Christmas Quiz

I have received several emails from friends sharing their answers to these questions. I decided I would share my answers on my blog! So to ALL of you who emailed me... here you go! :)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I love watching the kids open wrapped gifts, but I usually give gifts to others in gift bags. I rarely have time to wrap gifts, other than at Christmas.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Real!!!!!!! I grew up with artificial trees and I hope to never repeat that tradition! :) There is nothing like the smell of a live tree!
3. When do you put up the tree? We used to put up our tree on the Friday after Thanksgiving, but that leaves a dead tree come Christmas. So our new deal is to get our tree on December 1st!!
4. When do you take the tree down? New Year's Day (or just before)
5. Do you like egg nog? Yummy Yummy!! Love it!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I cannot remember an absolute favorite but I distinctly remember receiving a Mickey Mouse playhouse. (It was made of cardboard but it was awesome!! It was decorated nicely. I remember that so vividly.)
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes! I would love a nicer one eventually. Mine is great, but definitely a starter one. I would also LOVE to own an outdoor nativity set!! I think those are great!
8. Hardest person to buy for? My In-laws. They have everything.
9. Easiest person to buy for? My sweet kids!
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail!! I have a hard time throwing away Christmas cards. It just feels wrong. I haven't come up with anything to do with them but... I still can't toss them! Especially if they have photos on them.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Nothing comes to mind. I remember the year I received my 1st stereo ever! It was back in the day of albums (tapes were in but albums were still big too). :) I asked for the Rick Springfield album and my parents bought Bruce Springstein by mistake. But it wasn't the most awful thing ever!
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Frosty, Polar Express, Twas the Night Before Christmas, Elf, White Christmas, I love them all!!!
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? In the past I waited for Thanksgiving, but since we've moved I try to do as much as possible before then. Our mall becomes living hell after Thanksgiving. I cannot take the chaos. Plus, if you have a specific gift in mind for the kids - it is imperative that you buy it BEFORE Thanksgiving or you may not find it!
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No. I don't think so.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Candy Canes? I can't think of anything special.
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? CLEAR!!!!!! I like colored lights on other trees but I cannot get away from clear lights on mine!
17. Favorite Christmas song? White Christmas, Sleigh Ride, Silent Night, Away in a Manger. I LOVE them all!! Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, Frosty, Rudolph. I could go on. Really I could! Joy to the World. I absolutely love them all!!
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home ? Both. Depends on the year.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Absolutely!
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? I love an Angel or a Star on the tree. It depends on the top of the tree. Whatever looks best that year. This year we have a choral girl on top because the star leaned to the side too much and the angel leaned too far back.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Hubby and I open 1 on Christmas Eve. Everything else is opened on Christmas morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Crowded malls.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I love the classic look. Red, White and Green. I love all of my ornaments. I cannot pick one favorite!!!
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Cornbread Dressing.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I don't know. I am a huge blanket-aholic. I love new throws. When all else fails my hubby can always buy me a blanket and I am thrilled.

I have found that my new favorite thing of all for Christmas is watching my kids open their gifts. Seeing them drink in Christmas this month has been such a dream come true. I am a big Christmas nut and so I am thrilled that they are finally old enough to enjoy it with me!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Um.. I really need to close the computer

OK! I am never on my blog and/or computer like I used to be these days. In fact, by this time of night I am usually asleep. Not tonight. I created a post, read a few email, watched a little TV and then I decided to eat a candy cane AND pour myself a mug of Egg Nog. (all of this after 10 pm too - I am living on the edge people!!!!!!!!) I know I will regret this decision tomorrow!! :) I am just indulging myself for now!!! Too bad a bubble bath would make too much noise!! I might wake my hubby! I just don't want the quiet to end!!!

And the best thing is no one is interrupting me and no one is asking for a bite of my candy cane and no one is wanting a sip of Egg Nog. No one!! Because all my sweet no ones are fast asleep!!

:)

My Apologies

I have not been visiting your blogs lately. I apologize for that. I am trying to come up with a better plan for my computer time. I try to post several posts at one time, so the posts are ready before I need them. This keeps me from constantly being on the computer while my kids say "Mom, Mom, Mom - do you hear me Mom?". I hate that!! I will try to work on a better visiting plan this week. I just want to make my time with the kids fun and I want them to have my full attention. My goal is to not be on the computer while they are awake. So excuse me while I work on my computer schedule. Blessings to you all!! I will make my way to your blogs asap. I enjoy my time in your world too and I do plan on finding a way to bring that fun back into my world. Thanks for your patience with me.

Enjoying the little things!

Here's what my little HC found while playing outside the other day!!!

She is now a fan of Lady Bugs.
HC wanted to keep it as her pet. We told her this Lady Bug may be sad to leave it's home.
It was crawling up her neck.

And flew away.
And we captured it again so HC could have a little more fun!
It was funny to watch her have such fun with this little creature. This reminded me of an incident that happened when HC was about 11 months old or so. (Way back when Mrs. Christina was her teacher.) Mrs. Christina told me some of the older kids brought in a lady bug they found. The lady bug was a hit but it got away from them for a minute. Before they knew it HC had the lady bug and it was in her mouth. She made the worst face and they all had a big laugh. We have come full circle now. HC enjoys lady bugs now for the pure fact that they are interesting and... cute! :) Like butterflies.