Merry Christmas!

Wow, it's been a very full couple days! We did our Christmas here at home with the kids, then we went to Mike's mom Patty's for a couple days, then Patty and I went with a big group of her friends into Seattle to have dinner and see a huge, wonderful production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. It was amazing!!! I mean the whole Christmas was wonderful, but this musical was outstanding and I'm still sort of on a high from it. LOL It's hard to believe there's people in the world...right here in my own area, in fact...with that much talent in that many different disciplines. They were all singers, dancers, and actors at a very high level.

Anyway! Where was I? Oh, Christmas! So Baylee got a MUCH desired, MUCH talked about for the last several months pet of her very own. We got her all the things she'd need for a hamster, but then when Mike took her to the pet store she fell in love with a gerbil, so that's what she has now. There's no real difference in the cage or anything that it needs so it was fine, and I have to admit that little guy is adorable. It's tiny and friendly as can be. Zach got the latest Tomb Raider game and Drew got his own waffle iron. That's what he wanted! It's one of those professional waffle makers that's up on a thing that looks like a spit and you turn it halfway through. The kids got other stuff, too, but those were their "big" gifts. Then we got to spend such a fun, nice time with Patty. We're blessed to have her in so many different ways.

Now I seriously need to get back on my diet!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Sue

Winter Wonderland II

Winter Wonderland

Christmas with Grandpa

Today we braved the weather and drove to Mike's dad Danny's house for a great Christmas dinner and gift exchange. We only had to back down one hill because the car couldn't make it to the top. Well, not including Danny's very long, hilly driveway, that is. I suggested to Mike that perhaps we should park at the bottom of the driveway because the car wasn't going to make it up that either, but Mike told me that OF COURSE it would make it up. In fact, it was as he was saying, "Trust me. I can get this car up this driveway no problem..." that we totally bogged down and got hopelessly stuck.

At first everyone in the car was completely quiet, then I started to say in a very small voice, "I told you..." when Mike held up his finger. "Shh! Don't even say it! Everyone out! Get out and walk up the driveway! Out! Out! Out! I have to focus!" Yup. He totally kicked us to the curb and made us walk the rest of the way so he could focus.

Finally with Danny's help the car was all squared away and the rest of the day was so nice. And bonus! Danny got a foozball table! I LOVE foozball. I mean, I can't even fully describe how much I adore that game. It all started when I went to Bible college for four years and there wasn't always a whole lot to do on campus. Several of us would play, even having organized tournaments and stuff. Wow. I was such a geek. Typing that sentence about foozball tournaments really brought it home in a unique and powerful way.

Anyway, all that to say, we enjoyed our day with Danny very much!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Sue

Baylee lost a mitten, so today I sent her out to play in the snow with a pair of Mike's wool socks on her arms. The phrase "white trash" comes to mind.

In other news, I joined Weight Watchers again. I know I said I wasn't going to do WW anymore because I'm sick of the whole points counting thing, but what can I say. I changed my mind. Besides, they have a new program called Momentum. Anyhow, I went to the meeting and mentioned to the woman at the desk that I'm a lifetime member but I didn't have any paperwork or anything to prove it, and she told me that was no problem. All I had to do was call the corporation at some point during the week to get the information needed, then come back to the next meeting with it.

I called the number yesterday and talked to a nice woman who informed me that they have no record of me in their system, but that all was not lost. All I had to do was answer a few simple questions. "Oh, okay," I thought, "she's going to ask me stuff like what's your full name, how long ago were you member, and what was your address back then." No, that's not what happened at all. Nope, it sure wasn't.

This woman proceeded to give me what amounted to a Weight Watchers Final Exam. The questions started out fairly simple: What are the benefits of lifetime membership? What are the obligations? Then they got a little more complicated: What award do people receive when they finally reach lifetime? That might seem easy, but this was six years ago for me and they give out a lot of little trinkets and do-dads along the way. Visions of bookmarks and stickers and keychains were dancing through my head, and I started to feel a little warm. "A charm, like a star or something, for the keychain?" I replied. Luckily I got it right and I was on to round three: What was the color of your weight record booklet once you reached your goal? Holy cow, seriously??? The color??? Now I wasn't just warm, I was hot and prickly and I could feel sweat trickling down my chest. ".........White?" Yes, another one right! It was crazy I tell you. I practically needed to change my clothes by the time it was all said and done. In the end, though, I did pass and now....drum roll...I don't have to pay the joining fee. Woo hoo!

Huh. Actually, that was sort of a white trash story, too, wasn't it.

Sue

When It Snows Here...

Life is seriously disrupted. This past Sunday there was a dusting of snow on the ground and the church was half empty. The people who did manage to brave the weather could hardly talk of anything else. It was like a Sir Edmund Hillary Convention. On Wednesday there was only the threat of more snow, it hadn't actually snowed yet, and schools were shut down. It did end up snowing, though: A whole inch. Now schools are closed for the second day in a row, because the idea of driving around on an inch of snow is just crazy talk.

To be fair, though, there are no plows...at all. At least I don't think there are. I've never seen a plow or a plowed road. Neither are there any trucks laying down salt or sand. Drivers are just on their own until the snow and ice melt, and it can get a little hairy. Last night I was trying to drive to the store and I came to a street with a stop sign at the top of a hill. I got up the hill fine, but I could not for the life of me get the car going again from a stopped position. I just couldn't make it over the last hump and out onto the next street, and finally I had to back down the hill and go around the block a different way. Good thing there was nobody behind me! This is a hilly area, and sometimes entire streets are closed off with blockades during snowy or icy weather. Once I even saw a police car stationed at the bottom of an especially steep road to keep fools off. So there is reason for some of the extreme timidity.

Whatever. I'm just really enjoying it. It's pretty.

Sue

Happiness Is...

Good friends, fast sleds, and getting to stay out 'til dusk.

Sue

Cooper's Tribute to William Carlos Williams

so much depends

upon

a patch of bright
sunlight



warming a stair
step



beneath the striped
kitten

Sue

PS: "The Red Wheelbarrow"

It Snowed!

The Comedy of Errors That Has Been My Last Few Days

So. Tons of Christmas stuff happened this week and with every different thing something has gone wrong. First of all we had a Christmas party with our Thursday night Bible study group. In attendance was our normal group, plus we invited a couple more families, so the total was around 23 or 24 people. A few of us regulars provided the food and I was told to bring a vegetable tray and a jello salad. Now I'm not even going to speculate on why I was only trusted with the cold, doesn't-even-involve-an-oven, any-fool-could-succeed-with foods. No, I'm only going to talk about how even though we were all sent an email SPECIFICALLY detailing what we were to bring, one of the women in the group brought a vegetable tray and a big bowl of jello. I was like, "Wha?! You were supposed to bring an appetizer and a dessert!" She was very nonchalant about it, though. She just said, "I was? Hahaha. Oh, that's funny. I never really read the email!" So since I came after her my LEGITMATE crudites and jello-related food item looked like overkill.

Secondly, I told you how Baylee and I went to the ballet, right? And actually, seriously, that was the best thing I've ever, ever seen on a stage. I loved every second of that performance. HOWEVER, I had to park three blocks away, which is still fine, but I'm too stupid to do things like keep an umbrella in my car or even wear a coat. And it was pouring out AND there was a line at the door. By the time I got in there I looked like a drowned rat. Of course, this has to be the day the beautiful missionary woman whom I vaguely know from ties to college and our church in Michigan sits right next to me and decides we're going to catch up on old times. I could hardly form a coherent sentence for wondering what my hair looked like.

Thirdly, this morning Mike fell out of bed. This has nothing whatsoever to do with me; I just think it's hilarious. Baylee had a bad dream last night and crawled in with us, and she ended up taking up about half the bed, leaving me with most of the other half and poor Mike with a sliver on the edge. Remember when she was five years old and wrote this letter?

Dear Mom and DaD

I am sore for Getin in to yowr beD evre Dae. I shod stae in my own beD. I Love you and I dont wont DaD to fol off.

Baylee

Well, it finally happened.

And lastly, tonight we went to a progressive dinner and had such a good time. We laughed a ton and the food was wonderful, but on the way home Mike was stopped by a policeman for not signaling to change lanes.

But you know what? Despite all that, this has really been a great Christmas season filled with friendship and fun. And truth be told, I'm feeling more and more like this is my home now.

Sue

Christmas Continued

There's no real point to this post except to show you a picture of my baby by the Christmas tree. Isn't she cute?

Well, and to say that Baylee and I just got home from watching a performance of The Nutcracker, because our friends Candace and Kevin have a couple kids in it. Oh my gosh, it was amazing! I've never been to a ballet before and I was totally spellbound. I even teared up at the end when so many of the dancers were on the stage and they were doing their grand finale. I was just so proud of all of them! LOL I'm such a dork. You'd think they were my kids or something.

It's been a marathon of Christmas events here lately. Yesterday we had the party with our Bible study which involved lots of people, lots of good food, and white elephant gifts. I'm now the proud owner of a package of swimming diapers for babies. Tomorrow we're going to a "progressive dinner" with our peer group at church. You know what that is, right? Or is that just a thing with our denomination? It's when you go to several people's houses for different courses of a dinner. I think it'll be a good time. Unfortunately I feel a cold coming on...scratchy throat, tickly nose, a little aching in the joints...but I'm powering on at this point.

Sue

Zach the Showman

Zach did two funny things recently that I had to capture on film. The first is this levitating bit. He can arrange his legs in that "Om" pose, and then sit his bony little butt on the very, very edge of a chair so that it looks like he's floating.

And the second is an impression he does of my mom. Now don't get me wrong, we all love my mom to pieces. She's a truly wonderful mom and grandma. The thing is, my mom has the world's strongest Michigan accent. I mean, I listen to myself on these videos and think, "Dang. I had no idea my Midwestern twang is so pronounced and nasally!" It's embarrassing! As bad as I am, though, my mom's accent puts mine to shame, people, and it's especially noticeable to us now that we live in a different part of the country. See, here's the difference between living in Michigan and living in Washington:

The vehicle you travel around in:
Michigan: cahr
Washington: cawr

Your mother:
Michigan: mahm
Washington: mawm

See the difference? It's subtle, but let me tell you. The first time I was here in Washington and a bunch of people in church were talking about how we needed to pray for some guy named Dawn, I was a little taken aback. It took me a good solid five minutes to figure out they meant Don.

Anyway, here's the video of Zach's impression of my mom and her wonderful accent. (Don't tell her, okay?)

Our Budding Guitar Player

Here's our 10 year old guy after three months of guitar lessons. I'm pretty proud of his determination! He and Zach just finished their last group class tonight, and we already decided to go forward with learning using an award-winning program called eMedia Guitar Method. I think Drew especially is really going to love it!

PS: This is the song Drew's trying to play. It's called Day Tripper and it's sung by The Beatles.

I was totally robbed.

Yesterday Mike lost his keychain with the keys to his truck and his office. He was slightly panicked to say the least as he searched the house for a good half hour, all the while muttering about "people" who are always squirreling things away when "other people" want them left exactly where they put them. Which, I mean, okay. I admit I do have a reputation among, well, every one of my family members and that includes extended family, for being a little obsessive about the whole "place for everything and everything in its place" philosophy. Is that such a crime? Some folks think neatness is a virtue. Anyway, I didn't have anything to do with it this time and told Mike so in no uncertain terms. That's when he decided to force all of us to start looking. In fact, he offered a $5.00 reward to whomever found the booty. Still, nothing turned up all evening.

This morning I had to get something out of my purse and lo and behold there were the keys! It seems I distractedly put them in there sometime yesterday morning, thinking they were mine. Who knew, right? So I told Mike that it was his lucky day because I found his keys in...ahem...my purse, then I asked when he planned on paying me the reward money. And here's the thing: He said he's not paying! Can you believe that?

The nerve of some people.

Sue

Two Completely Random Things

The other day Mike was thinking out loud. "I wonder why He-Man always yelled, 'By the power of Greyskull, I have the power!' It makes no sense. It's like saying the same thing twice in a row. First he says he has power that originates from Greyskull, then he turns right around and says he has power again. It's lame."

Which is true and something I've never considered. However, He-Man also had a pageboy haircut. I think that explains a lot.

On a completely unrelated note, this was the sunset here recently.

Sue

Going to See Santa

Tonight we went out with two other families to Seattle to see Santa in Nordstrom. He was so great! He played the part perfectly, making sure to spend quality time with each child who came up to talk with him. After that we went for a ride on an outdoor carousel, then out for dinner, and finally to a cool gingerbread house display. It was all fun, especially for kids, and especially for Baylee who still very much wants to believe in Santa.

Sue

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Hooray!

I had the single weirdest experience of my life today. I swear I felt like there had to be a hidden camera somewhere. In fact, I'm still not convinced there wasn't. I was on my way to the clinic with the kids and as usual I stopped at Starbuck's to get coffee. This was the conversation I had with the woman manning the drive-through:

Crazy Lady: Hi!!! What yummy thing can I get for you today?!

Me: Umm. I'll have a grande caramel macchiato, please.

Crazy Lady: Yummy! Okay! That'll be $3.49. Hooray!

By this time all the kids and I were staring at each other, trying as hard as we could not to laugh while she could still hear us over the two-way speaker. I had to pull the car up to the window as slowly as possible to give us all a chance to stop DYING and regain our composure before meeting this woman face-to-face.

Crazy Lady: Do you want a receipt with that?"

Me: No, I'm good, thanks.

Crazy Lady: Hooray! Let me go make that yummy coffee for you!

Which she did. And when she handed it to me she fit in one last yummy, another hooray, and for good measure she called me "my fair lady." I'm dead serious. As we drove away Zach, Drew, and I all tried to figure out what her deal was. I thought perhaps too much caffeine. Zach surmised that she's being paid ten cents for each "hooray" and "yummy." Drew offered that she's in the middle of anger management classes. Maybe I was right in the first place, though. Maybe one of these days we'll find ourselves on Ellen.

Sue

You Know the Twilight Series?

There's a reason why it was set in Washington. Stephanie Meyer was not kidding nor was she exaggerating when she described the weather here in our lovely state. It really is that cloudy, foggy, and rainy. Any vampire would be proud to call it home. And why stop with vampire books? A lot of writers could capitalize on the weather here. For instance, Marion Zimmer Bradley could do a sequel: The Mists of Lynnwood. I'm sure it would be fascinating. I'd read it.

I miss snow.

Sue

All I Want For Christmas Is...

There's a First Time for Everything

For the first time in our fifteen years of marriage Mike and I got our tree up in a timely fashion. One year, no lie, we waited until three days before Christmas, and so by the time we finally got to a tree lot it looked like a scene from a Charlie Brown Special. We ended up with a crooked, misshapen thing with a hump. We couldn't even put our angel on it. It was too precarious for her.

This year, however, we got our tree up on the day after Thanksgiving! I can hardly believe it. We're like those really wacky people who put their tree up on the day after Thanksgiving. The truth is we bought a pre-lit Christmas tree after January 1st last year, got an amazing deal on one we wouldn't otherwise be able to afford, and I simply couldn't wait any longer to check it out in all its glory. And it didn't disappoint! It's tall and beautiful.

You know what else is awesome? Having kids who are old enough to basically do all the decorating by themselves and who want it that way. Between the tree already having lights and the kids hanging every last ornament, all I had to do was put the tree skirt under it and call it good.

Sue

Happy Thanksgiving!

This has been such a nice day. There was a wonderful dinner, a fire in the fireplace, some great movies on TV, and just a peaceful, happy time with each other. I'm thankful for my family.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Sue

Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving

When all through the house...

• The kids have all had a shower. Check.
• The house is squeaky clean. Check.
• The food is prepared as much as possible. Check.

Whew! This turned out to be kind of a long day, but I got a lot done. The house is totally dusted and the hardwood floors mopped, my two least favorite jobs. In fact, the only time they get done is when we're having guests over and often not even then. It smells faintly like Murphy's Oil Soap in here.

Our menu for tomorrow is as follows: Prime rib which Mike is going to make (I love being married to a man who can cook!), stuffed mushrooms, mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh steamed green beans, squash, cranberry cream salad, rolls, wine, and sparkling apple cider. Afterward there's pumpkin pie, apple pie, and ice cream, which are being brought by Patty. It's not a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but it's what Mike wanted this year and it sounds wonderful.

So! The mashed potatoes are all but done (I used this recipe because it can be made ahead.), the cranberry cream salad is mostly done (Some parts you have to do right before you serve it.), and the rolls are rising (Never mind, they're done now and filling the house with a delicious smell!). With all that out of the way tomorrow should be a relaxing day with family. I can't wait.

Sue

Hi, my name is Sue and I'm a surprise spoiler.

I can't help myself. If I have a gift or special fun secret for someone, I tell them straight up. I try very hard not to, but the excitement of it bubbles up and bursts out. Sort of like vomit.

Today I called my mom and we made small talk about Thanksgiving for a few minutes, then I said, "Mom, I got your Christmas present. You're going to love it! You wanna know what it is?" And since my mom isn't the greatest with the whole delayed gratification thing either, she replied, "Sure!" I let her know I made them a photo album of their trip to Washington. Not a scrapbook, but the kind that's put together online and ends up looking like a coffee table book. It turned out so nice!!! I'm really happy with it and my mom's totally happy, too. Or she will be. When she gets it.

Oh well. I get another chance to surprise her with something on Mother's Day. Of course, last Mother's Day didn't work out the greatest. I called her in the morning with, "Did you get your flowers?! Do you love them?!" just as the delivery man appeared at their door.

Columbus Day then. I'm really going to rock her world next Columbus Day.

Sue

Bless You, Sudafed

I know you're hard to get now, what with having to show my license and sign my soul away in blood, but you're worth it. There's nothing quite as wonderful as the feeling of a sinus headache that's fading away into nothing. I think that's sort of what Heaven must be like.

Sue

No Turban, No Service

The other day I was reading blogs when I came upon an entry by a woman who wrote that she went out to eat with her husband and the dress code was “casual sheik.” It made me chuckle. In fact, I chuckled every time I thought of it for days afterward. I think it’s delightful when people are writing along, taking themselves very seriously, and all the while they’re actually doing things like cluelessly telling us about fine Arabian dining in which a turban is required but a tie is optional.

Happiness is often found in the little things.


Sue

Welcome!

I moved! Which I guess you know if you're reading this. Hope you like the new place. It might take a little time for me to get used to where things are and how to do stuff, but I'm glad to be here. I've been contemplating moving to Blogger for ages simply because it offers a few more options, but I didn't do it because I'd built such a huge archive of posts at Our Little Corner the First. I love that blog. I poured a huge amount of the last couple years into those fifteen pages, to the point where it's become a kind of living scrapbook to me. But then I got to thinking about it, and I realized that moving doesn't mean I have to delete the old one. I'll just keep it there, unchanged, and hopefully figure out how to link to it in the sidebar of this one. Maybe no one will ever go back to look, but just knowing it's still around will make me feel good.

So...welcome!

Sue

We is homeskoolers!

(Baylee has a loose tooth.  Can you tell?)

Ahhhh....Friday

Random highlights from the week:

~  The kids and I were driving somewhere in the car and Baylee was telling us all about how God created Adam out of clay and then breathed the breath of life into him.  Zach replied in the driest possible voice, "Oh.  So he was like Gumby then."

~  A little while ago Drew said, and I quote, "That Billy Gates and his big ideas!  Creating something that connects computers all around the world!"  I mean, I have no idea if Bill Gates actually created the internet, but that's beside the point.  The real question is:  Who the heck's grandmother did Drew just channel and why???

~  A couple days ago Zach noticed a little boy huddled on the neighbor's porch in the rain and growing dusk.  We kind of know him because our neighbor babysits him occasionally, but he's not one of the kids my kids hang out with on a regular basis.  Apparently on that particular day the neighbor forgot all about the commitment she had and wasn't home.  The poor kid walked to her house from school only to find it locked and empty.  He had no phone and no idea what to do.  I told Zach to run over and bring him home to our house, and I watched him for a couple hours until his mom showed up from work.  There's just something very scary about that whole picture.

~  "Watching TV with swimming goggles on, of course.  Why do you ask?"

~  He's starting to look so tall and grown up to me suddenly.  He's not my baby anymore.  Wait.  Yes, he is.  He'll always be that little guy with the bright blonde hair that stuck up like a mohawk and the blueberry eyes.

~  Baylee reading to her "children," as she says.  I love that she loves her dolls.  I never liked dolls all that much when I was a little girl, so it's fun to see her so into them.

~  The Game of Life, some assembly required.  *Cat sold separately.

Sue

Figures.

The one time something exciting happens in church and I miss it because I'm in a different part of the building helping with the children's choir.  Mike told me there was a woodpecker outside on the roof today, pecking at something metal on and off through the entire service.  The congregation would sing, then ting ting ting ting ting!  Ting ting ting! The guest missionary speaker would pray, "Dear Lord..."  Ting ting ting!  "...we ask you today..." Ting ting ting ting ting ting!

I so wish I could've been there.  The missionary did say, though, that he's from Africa and if we think a little thing like a woodpecker is going to make him lose his concentration, we'd better think again.  And sure enough he did go fifteen minutes over.

Sue

You Guys Will Never Believe This

You know that mushroom I was happily snapping pictures of?  I got curious tonight and googled "orange mushroom white spots."  It led me to a website about poisonous mushrooms, with a huge picture of a mushroom just like my mushroom right on top as a banner!!!  Come to find out it's called an Amanita and its poison is one of the most deadly types found in nature.  In fact, the website says, " Amanitas are the reason why there are no old, bold mushroom hunters."  And this thing is growing in our front yard under the pine tree!  Not that I think anybody's going to pop it into their mouth, but still.  It's just really weird that we were all fascinated by it, not realizing how dangerous it is.  There's gotta be a Sunday School lesson in there somewhere.

Here's the website where I got my info:

Poisonous Mushrooms

Sue

Cute Little Girls and Ugly Fungi

Lately the cat sleeps with Baylee every night.  It's weird.  One day it couldn't stand her, the next it was sleeping with her.  What I think is cute, though, is the fact that she covers it with doll blankets.  Not only does the cat put up with this, but it'll actually spend the whole night there.

In other news, look at this disgusting mushroom that's growing in our front yard.

Sue

My Favorite Part of Having a New President

First of all I want to say thank you to everyone who responded to my last entry, both as comments here and privately.  You guys really encouraged me and gave me some stuff to consider.

Secondly, I just have to say that I'm really excited about our new president for one reason:  No more email forwards from my Democrat friends!  I cannot tell you how sick I am of getting "I hate Bush, pass it on" emails.  I mean, what's up with that?  Why do people think that I want to hear all their latest feelings on politics, especially when they know I'm a Republican?  Are they trying to use cheesy email forwards to convert me?  I actually had to flag someone I know as "spam" because it got so irritating.  Of course, that person had no idea I spammed him.  That would be rude.

I look forward with hope to an emptier inbox.


Sue

Why is That? No, Really. I'm Asking.

Have any of you other women found that the older you get, the worse you're able to cope with PMS?  I'm really wondering and I'd love to hear your thoughts.  I'm 37, so I know I haven't started menopause...right?  Or perimenopause?  My mom didn't start all that until she was in her fifties, I think, so there's no history of being early.  But I feel stressed out and worn thin a lot of the time.  What's going on with me?  Is it PMS?  It does seem to get worse around that time.  Is it spiritual?  Or is it simply that I AM stressed out and worn thin?  I feel like lately I'm going through the motions in sort of a semi-detached way.  Like if I don't stay in "Do not bother me.  Do not stop me.  Just let me get my work done." mode, everything will all fall apart, including me.

Yesterday was such a bad day.  Right off the bat in the morning Zach started up.  He's got a terrible attitude about going to the clinic right now and Mondays are awful because of it.  He told me he wakes up and his first thought is, "Clinic day," and he spirals into the mood from hell.  And who do you think gets the brunt of that?  So I'm dealing with him, trying very hard to maintain my cool while I teach him about transitive and intransitive verbs, and the doorbell rings.  It's Puget Sound Energy wanting their money.  But here's the thing.  They made a mistake.  Our meter wasn't working quite right when we moved in here and, of course, not being meter readers we didn't know.  Who could know that?  Finally a year and a half later they figured it out and suddenly wanted all the money they failed to collect.  Right now.  Luckily we had it, but still, that's not a great day maker.

Then we went to the clinic and Zach had his session.  Afterward, as always, I went in for a short conference with his teacher, just the two of us.  Usually these talks take five minutes during which time we quickly discuss what they accomplished that day and how I can utilize it at home.  This time I was in there for twenty minutes, mostly discussing Zach's struggle right now with attitude.  I'm glad she has Kleenex on her desk, because I broke down and cried in there, which I've never done.  I guess Zach told her that he no longer has a disability, and when she asked him why he thinks that he said, "Because I don't want to have anything wrong with me, so I don't.  I decided."  He's in denial and is having a bad time of it, and because of that it's a thousand times harder to teach him.  I cried because sometimes it feels so hopeless...like I'm looking into a bottomless pit.  I feel like we'll never make enough of a difference for him to be able to leave home someday and live successfully.  The good thing is that his teacher understands and is able to offer support.  She let me cry and said nice things.  Then she decided that she, Zach, and I are going to have a meeting together next week to talk with him about his attitude and to kindly tell him some things he needs to hear, things that sometimes are more effective coming from someone who's not your mom.  And maybe he'll open up, too, and share where he's at.  It could be a really good thing.

And finally yesterday, to top it all off, I broke a wisdom tooth.  It already had a filling, so I guess the thing to do now is have it removed.  Ugh.  Just what I needed.

So.  What's going on with me?  Stress?  Sometimes I feel like I should be able to deal with things like this without it affecting me.  I wonder if I'm just more highly strung than other people.  I even started taking B Complex vitamins because I read on someone's blog (Thank you, Camille!) that it helps with mood.  So far all I've noticed is that it's turned my pee neon yellow.

Anyway.  Do you ever feel like this?  It would help me to know.

Sue

That Was So Much Fun

Today I was asked by Baylee and Drew's choir director if I'd consider coming to the practices and lending a hand with the musical this year.  Specifically she asked if I'd help kids with their acting.  I agreed happily and started right away this morning.  Oh my goodness, it was so much fun!  I LOVED it.  Honestly, though, I have no idea how the director discovered I have some acting experience or what she thinks I might've done in the past.  Today she told the kids, "This is Mrs. ----  and she's worked with kids in plays before, so she'll be helping us!"  Errr....I've never actually done that.  I've been in plays...with adults.  Lots of them.  I was in three college plays (I had the lead in one.) and then after I got married I joined Master Arts Theatre in Michigan.  Plus I've done lots of church drama.  But I've never helped other people and I've never worked with kids.

Oh well!  I'm not even going to say anything.  I'm just going to pitch right in and do what I can.  Today I got to give input on a scene with several children and I found myself channeling Pris, my old director from Master Arts.  Her big thing was always that acting is every bit as much what you do what you're not speaking as what you do when you are.  You have to be in the moment.  Don't anticipate.  Listen as if it's the first time you're hearing it.  Speak as if the thoughts are forming in your mind.  Make the audience believe the lines are really yours.  I don't remember exactly how I put that to the kids, but they really picked up on it and suddenly that scene came alive. It was so great to watch!

This is going to be such a cool ministry.

Sue 

Halloween, 2008

Man, it seems like we did a ton of Halloween-oriented stuff these past few days.  On Wednesday the kids carved their pumpkins, then Mike's mom came over and we all went to our church's Harvest Festival for supper and a carnival.  I have to tell you the embarrassing thing that happened to me there, though.  We'd been there a couple hours and we were having a good time.  The kids played lots of games and I won a cake...well, actually a box of Cinnabons, which is even better...in a cake walk, but finally it was about time to go home.  I found Mike talking to some other guy and I started walking over to him to ask if he was ready to leave.  The only thing is that I was walking and talking to Mike's mom at the same time and so I wasn't paying really close attention to what I was doing.  I got to Mike and put my hands around his bicep and kinda cuddled up really close to him.  Then he looked at me and I looked closely at him...and oh my gosh it wasn't Mike.  It was the other guy!  I was like, "I thought you were Mike!  I'm so sorry!"  He was very nice and he and Mike both got quite a laugh out of it, but still.  Oh my gosh. 

Friday Drew realized that he didn't have a Halloween costume, even though I'd taken him to two different stores this past week and warned him he really should make some kind of choice.  The following is the result of leaving it to the last minute:

It says, "I went to the costume store and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."  He loved it.  He thinks it's the best costume he's ever had.  In fact, next year he plans to make another one that says, "This IS my costume.  Deal with it."

On Friday afternoon the neighbor boy, Jacob, came over as he does almost every day and he spent a couple hours playing, and somehow that turned into having supper over here and going trick-or-treating with us.  And then somehow that turned into just going ahead and spending the night.  The boys had a great time with him.  After trick-or-treating they all ate themselves sick on candy while watching Journey to the Center of the Earth, then they camped out in their room and "gambled" with their Halloween stash.  A good time was had by all...except Mike.  He's the one who got to stay up keeping an eye on things until the boys dropped off to sleep in the wee hours of the night.

Here's a few pictures.

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Halloween Treat

"Yearbook Yourself"

Have you guys seen this?  It's all over Facebook and I've seen it on various blogs.  It's a website called Yearbook Yourself where you can plug your face into different hairstyles going all the way back to the '50s.  Last night Mike's mom was here and we had a good laugh messing around with it.

Here's me in 1954, followed by my steady, Mike.  Don't we make a handsome pair?  The only trouble is I missed a couple pieces of hair when I rolled it that morning.

Here we are in 1960, still madly in love and on the cutting edge of fashion.

The rest of the '60s was rather a blur for me...too much hairspray I think.

1964


1966
(Oh my gosh, it's my mom's senior picture!)

Luckily I caught up with my man again in 1970, just in time to see him rocking the plaid suit coat and combover!

The '80s were a tough decade for me.  Here's me in 1982.  Need I say more?

And finally the '90s.  Here's where I decided that more than anything in the world I wanted to be my college dorm RD, Lisa.

And Mike decided...er...something else.

So go try it yourself!  It's fun!  Here's the website:  Yearbook Yourself

Sue