Sunday, August 30, 2009

Dollhouse

**warning this blog contains nostalgic material.
you will either become weapy or nauseous.**
  • My grandfather built my dollhouse, my grandmother painted and wallpapered it, and my dad did all of the electrical wiring. Hours of imaginative play then followed.
  • My daughter has a dollhouse now too. For the past ten months the family that came with it has lived there. But now likes lots of other Americans they have been evicted from their house. I don't know why because it is paid for, but they now live in a shopping bag on my daughter's shelf.
  • The new family that moved in, is well, a bit weirdly eclectic.
  • Cinderella is the mother. She has the best wardrobe and accessories of anyone in the home. Sid and Diego from Ice Age are her oldest boys. A teenage girl with long blond hair is the sister. She really was a Happy Meal prize in 2008 (a mini-Barbie fashion doll with a London T-shirt). And the baby of the family is a green haired little troll doll.
  • If that isn't strange enough- they have a lot of pets! And all of the pets (i.e. the stuffed animals in my daughter's room) are having their babies in this home. Caterpillars, dogs, birds, chickens, cats, ostrichs, and bears, oh my! I don't know where they get the money for all the pet food.
  • And then there is the pinta-like Christmas tree that hangs in the living room. (which really is a green star with shiny beads wrapped around it as lights/ornaments). It seems that in this home it is always almost Christmas.
I've heard of creative imaginations but this stuff is off the charts! I hope you are finding creative play in your life... it is good for all of us, kids at heart.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Garden Harvest

Our daughter's garden has offered it's produce. We reaped 8 corn cobs. Half of each cob fully developed kernels. So really we have 4 corn on the cobs to share at dinner tonight!

All three sunflowers have now bloomed. Tallest one reached the tip of the roof line before it drooped with weight.

Hot peppers are still producing because we keep yelling at them.

Cherry tomato plants have overrun everything. Both neighbors on either side of us- no such luck with tomatoes this year!

And well- we got out our shovels and dug up some carrots because... well, we like to dig! And they are the coolest ever!

Now we get to eat them!

Friday, August 21, 2009

An Interesting yet, little known fact...

Did you know that besides NFL players, NCAA college logos and Spongebob Squarepants that you can purchase a life size Fathead of Barak Obama to put on any wall of your home? Yep- tis true.

While cruising the Fathead. com website for Steelers stuff- my husband and I found a lifesize Fathead of President Obama. This Presidental peel and stick decal is only $99.99.

No other political figures are available. Not even dead presidents. Only cartoon superheros, NASCAR drivers etc.

I laughed so hard I cried. (I am sure now someone will send this blog to the White House. And I shall end up on some list...)

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Summer's Conclusion

The one good thing about summer coming to a conclusion is that- we know it will be back next year! :) I just don't believe that climate change will affect the seasons in this part of the hemisphere. Don't buy it.

I do have lots of things to finish buying stuff. I've got my To Do List of items to complete before my daughter starts preschool next week. Slowly, we are marking things off and getting things done. Because once school begins, ministry gets more hectic for me too.

I must confess as much as I'll miss summer- autumn is an awesome season. Cool, yet warm. Gorgeous fall foilage. Football starts. (Go Steelers!) Two of my favorite people were born in autumn (so we have birthdays to celebrate) and my wedding anniversary is in fall. Great season- it really is.

And the added bonus for you Financial Peace University/Dave Ramsey's fans- is that next month we will be calling Dave's live show on a Friday. And you know what that means- yep our debt free call is next month. Oh, man it is so exciting being this close. I can almost taste it. I've been practicing my call to Dave for the past 9 months. (But I'll probably pee my pants with excitement so I'll have to write some notes down to tell him.)

Yep- we are reaping a lovely harvest in our summer garden (will add some more photos next time) and we will reap a harvest of hard work/effort/gazelle-ness too. Both are sweet end-of-the-summer treats!

Monday, August 17, 2009

August Vacation


This is a priceless work of art- our daughter's depiction of happiness and joy made with sand and driftwood! She made it on the beach in the last couple of days as we relaxed at my aunt's lake house. It is a perfect portrayal of how my entire family responds to the lake water, fishing, boating, swimming, trees and hills. Big Smiles!
We came back renewed and refreshed as well as sunburnt! Thanks, Auntie!
One more week and two-thirds of our family resumes our normal schedule. No more summer laid back schedule. So, we'll try to squeeze in a few more good times before the busyness begins.
But for now- we'll just smile!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

My Dislike for Cancer

For a while now I've been fussing and fuming over cancer. I've seen way too much and pain and suffering to ignore this menance. And presided over too many funerals.

Last week I was muttering and whining to my husband about cancer: why it exists, why does it seem more prevalent; when will it end etc. Well, his response back stopped me in my tracks (and got me to shut up) when he said, "Michelle, you realize we are all born with cancer. Dysfunctional cells are always dormant in our bodies and it is just a matter of something activating them."

That got me to thinking. Thinking theologically that is. Cancer is a part of the human condition just as sin, death and disease are. It came into our lives somewhere during Chapter 3 of Genesis. Because that is when it entered this fallen world... it is waiting to be redeemed by the final victory of Jesus.

And I guess, even though I am not sure the BIG END is tomorrow, I have new hope that cancer will have an end because God's ending to time will finish if off better than chemo treatments and radiation therapy. I just wish it was in the lifetimes of those who I love and care about... because they deserve more than the suffering they experience.... and yet God never promised our lives would be void of suffering, only that God would not leave us alone in our suffering.

We Did It!

Our summer seading challenge ended yesterday. And we beat our previous record. The bar is now high for next summer. 180 books read! Wow!

Whew- I can tell you a lot about children's literature now...

Family Reunions

Everybody has them. (I hope.) We all have our favorite stories from these freak events in our lives when relatives you barely send Christmas cards to descend upon a park, restaurant or someone's home for hours of talking, talking, and more talking.

My family had one today. Our preschooler survived three hours of relatives in a dimply lit BBQ restaurant... then she had to go!! (Don't blame her- there wasn't much for her to get out of the experience and no playground to play on.)

We were 6 months old, Quinn, to 89 years & 11 months old, Wayne. There were four generations of us. And only three left from the oldest generation- the greatest generation. These precious ones were as honored as the littlest one who was passed around and around and around.

We represent the families and descendents of four brothers who came from a God fearing, earth toiling Hoosier couple. Their farm is here in Hendricks County. And now we are spread across at least four states.

I've been attending this reunion for my entire life and I am still baffled. Why do we get together? What is the point? Only my portion of this family do I see more often than this once-a-year-event. Long ago I thought I would understand this event when I got older. Now I am older and I still don't get it. What am I missing?

The whole thing remains a mystery to me and yet I continue to go... why? Somebody tell me why?

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Excited-squared!

It is in the mail. The big IT has to be in the mail now by December 1, 2009. And so the clock has begun to tick...

The 'BIG It' I am referring to is the book that Todd (the mustache-less man of mayhem) and I are co writing. (the little it was the book contract.)

Yes- I am the one he referred to several blogs back. He convinced me to sign on to a book proposal and now- well- we are writing buddies or co-authors or something. Can't help myself. I have always wanted to venture into writing and publishing. This is another item on my bucket list after all- writing a book or two and getting them published.

Alphabetically- my name should go first on the cover, don't you think? hee hee.

Ya'll will be hearing more about the joys and woes of writing and deadlines soon enough, but for this moment in time, as the contract is off in the mail and the deadline seems light years away, - let's PARTY! Woo hoo! I am so excited!

Thanks be to God for all things especially a publisher who said, "Yes." (and thanks for the dude down the hall for helping out a rookie writer!)

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Denial about the End of Summer Vacation

It cannot be August already! Where did the summer go? I haven't accomplished all of my to-do list. We've barely had any heat/humid/hot weather. ACK!

My daughter and I have beat last year's goal of picture book reading. We're at 167 books read as of today (contest ends on Friday). I didn't do so well in my adult reading- only about 800 or so pages this summer (I couldn't count all those magazine articles).

So, I am putting my family on notice that we are going to 'hurry up and have more fun' before the fall hectic schedule begins for myself and our daughter. So watch out- we'll be making our way through town!