Women of Faith

I attended the Women of Faith conference in St. Louis a couple of weeks ago - It was a phenomenal event - I was so happy I could attend. The last one I was at was 7 years ago. This year I was so excited because the music at the event was Mandisa and Stephen Curtis Chapman, the newest speakers for the year were Lisa Welchel (yes, I am a child of the 80's and wanted to live with the Facts of Life girls!) and the CEO of World Vision (I have a soft spot for orphans - If you couldn't tell). I had such a good time - even though I was forced to stay up well past my normal bedtime by my rowdy roomates - I would encourage all women to go if they have the opportunity - you will not regret it - and I guarantee you will learn something and be very entertained (except by the last speaker - where I fell asleep - because of the aforementioned rowdy roomates keeping me up past my bedtime!). I have included a little video clip for your viewing pleasure - sorry but I am not all that great with the camera - and I only had a 512 mb card and could not record the whole song!!!

"Don't Play With the Ketchup!"

On the way home from vacation we had lunch at a Chili's. Wesley immediately found the squeezy bottle of ketchup and started playing with it. I took it away from him - set it on the table and went back to my conversation. A couple minutes later I hear Wesley say "I shouldn't play with the ketchup." Then - Squirt - And as you can see, he managed to make a mess - even though he thought the lid was shut. A little comic relief is always welcome when you are driving home for 16 hours. We couldn't stop laughing - Thanks, Wesley for making a long day a little more fun!

Dollar Days

We are enjoying a week in Hilton Head, South Carolina. We are riding bikes everywhere and enjoying visiting with the alligators and other assorted wildlife. The kids love the ocean and Jessie is great at the boogey board (?sp). Today we took a boat to Daufuskie Island - we saw lots of Dolphins - and the kids found several sand dollars and a starfish on the beach. We are planning on going to Savannah and having more ocean time this week. We are also having a daily nap and getting some important novel reading done. As you can tell our vacations are full of excitement!!! The pictures today are in black and white - I don't know why - I am sure Claire has managed to adjust my camera settings.

MIA

Sorry - I have been MIA - Moving in has taken awhile and when I am home - I am just busy - with trying to put things away inside and work on the landscape and garden outside - I just don't sit down at home - Blogging requires some degree of sitting. I am now successfully sitting - although I should be working on the laundry. The photos of the week are from our churches Family Decathalon - We got 3rd place - (OK, so that means we tied with 2 other teams for last - but at least we placed, and Benjamin was thrilled with the little trophy). I think we most enjoyed the tug of war (We won - but I am sure it is not because we had more people in our family than anyone else) and taping Jessie to the wall - There is just something satisfying about taping your child with duck tape. I never realized how mush fun one could have with tape!

Moving In

The last few times I moved it was basically a one day thing. You load up all your stuff, completely clear out the house, and later that night you are sleeping in your new home surrounded by boxes. Since we now are the proud owners of 2 homes, we were in no rush to get everything moved. Because of the fact that we don't have any drawers or shelves in the new house, I can't put anything away anyway. So I fill up my van once or twice a day with stuff from the old house and move it to the new house. It is all very depressing! I think the one day moves are easier, since there is no left behind baggage. Anyway - tomorrow we are getting a load of sod. After this is down we will finish seeding the rest of the yard - It is very brown around here currently. Today I planted some more onions (I know it is late) and garlic (Does garlic grow here?). Yesterday I hosed out the festering, disgusting chicken/duck pen - Who would have thought those little babies could make such a horrible (I am not exaggerating) stinking mess - But I am sure it will be worth it so I can save a few buck on eggs (which if you figure in the price for feed, the price of the chicks, and the price of replacing them when they eventually start laying and then get eaten by a raccoon - doesn't really save you anything). Yet again, I digress - I will glad to be done moving - I will officially be done after I have a garage sale next week (feel free to come and buy a bunch of old junk!).

Happy Adoption Day (and Claire the stylist)

One year ago today (I think, but I am not big on celebrations) we adopted Benjamin. I attempted to take a Happy Adoption Day photo - but I could not get him away from his new Wii Lego Star Wars game - He still had time on his 45 minute daily allotment and could not be disturbed. He obviously looks like a typical American kid now - which is exactly what he is! Jessie and Claire went outside to cut some flowers this afternoon - unfortunately Claire thought she was supposed to cut her hair also - I thought that was her 3 year old phase - but apparently it continues for another year. I wouldn't care if she cut her own hair if she was actually good at it (everyone knows I like to save a buck when I can) but as you can see from the photo she better keep saving for college as I don't think she will pass beauty school. This is her most devastating hair cut as of date (I think it is hair cut number 3 or 4, but I am starting to lose count.). The house update as of now is - no we have not moved in - our very nice cabinet man is also very slow - I am sure that the cabinets will be awesome if they are ever finished. Today Claire and I mulched some of the fruit trees we have planted and after supper I am going to put some wildflower seed on the side of our driveway hill.

Another House Update

You know if my house was finished - I wouldn't have to give you house updates - I could give you landscaping updates - which is what really gets me excited. The house was supposed to be done on March first. As you can tell from the photos it is not. The good news is that someday the house will be done - I am just not sure when. The cabinet man was there yesterday and said that they had templated the kitchen counters. That is great - except that then he mentioned that it takes about 2 weeks to get the counters back. That is a long time - especially since gardening season is upon us - I am ready to get started with my yearly hole digging, vegetable planting and then killing ritual! Oh well!