Westward Ho!

Most of us are leaving within 40 minutes for a loooooooooong drive to the Navajo reservation in New Mexico where we will have a Vacation Bible School for the children and help with service projects along with our youth group! Prayer for this great adventure would be so appreciated! Stay tuned for glimpses of our journey....

Duggar Papparazzi

My friend Patty, who could have a reality show of her own, introduced us to another one of my she-roes, Michelle Duggar and some of her children. Patty and her husband have many many children, some they've birthed and some they have adopted. Our I. once mistook them for the Duggars because their family is so large. In church this morning I had to shush him and stop him from staring at the family sitting behind Patty's. Again he said it was the Duggars. I impatiently chided him that not every large family is the Duggars and to pay attention to the sermon. Ooops. It really was the Duggars.

I thanked Michelle for her encouraging example as a mom and my friend Cynthia mentioned that Michelle's cheerful countenance never seems to change, regardless of the situation. Now THAT is worth emulating. I think I'll try it tomorrow and see if I can make it throught the morning cheerfully.

All A-Twitter

The other night at the Sanctus Real concert I was telling a couple of young friends who were so impressed with my backstage-accessing abilities that the photo would appear on my really lame blog as soon as I got a minute to upload it. It shocks some people of that generation that I have no desire to have a Facebook or get on Twitter. A few have even taken it as a personal challenge to bring me into those realities and it may just be a matter of time before they succeed.
Those young'uns really have no idea how unworthy of journaling much of my daily routine is. Here is a sample of the goings-on thus far this morning:

Sometime before 7AM:
Scratch The Banker's back
- reach for my glasses
-stumble to the laundry and toss a load in
-go to the third floor to search for The Banker's t-shirts which must have been delivered with someone else's laundry to the wrong room
- go down to the kitchen to set up tea water
-carry stuff downstairs on the way
-let Sadie the dog outside
-open the dishwasher to empty it
- realize that the dishwasher failed to run in the night and reset it
-let Sadie back in
-carry stuff on stairs up
- talk to the Banker about who should/should not go to camp this summer
-carry stuff on stairs down
-take out some breakfast
- visit with our paint guy for a few minutes and threaten to cry if some of the Pink Victorian's aging coat is not properly cared for
- the threat works and he will bring his guy around to discuss the matter
- notice the clogged powder room toilet
-stop on the way up to get the plunger to give an empassioned lecture on bicycle helmet safety to the 14 year old
- he concedes
-carry stuff upstairs
-get plunger
- carry stuff downstairs
-plunge toilet
-who DID this???
- wake up more people with sweet voice and back-scratching
- no response
- dire warnings to GET UP!!
- get my salad and iced tea and go to desk
- mental note to vaccuum soon
- quick prayer
- pullout the bills
- bring up the emails
-girlfriend engaged!!!
-Praise Be!
- determine not to get overwhelmed by all there is to get done
- Read the book of Judges chapter 5
- a couple of my favorite Bible chicks there
- Deborah and Jael
- gutsy mamas for God-
-Deborah was looking out for willing volunteers- Preach it Girl!
-Jael did the messy but necessary thing that only she could/would do
-mental note to disinfect the plunger
- Poor Sisera's mama
- Expecting great things of her boy-
-"March on my soul, be strong!"
- pray some more
- snuggle the half awake 4 year old who wields the guilts by asking "Remember Mommy when I was 3 and you made me pancakes EVERYDAY?"
- low blow
- pray some more
- off to find the pancake mix
- 8:18 AM.

Really Abby, does this have Twit potential?
Enjoy your wonderful beautiful everyday life! Wouldn't trade mine.

Destination Reservation

Click HERE to get to the blog which will follow the preparations for our planned trip to the Navajo reservation in New Mexico in August. So many details need to be worked out and some daunting obstacles must be overcome....all prayer is much appreciated.
We have been invited to bring a Vacation Bible School program to the children there as well as in a small town nearby. Imagine taking 40+ students to an unfamiliar place, to serve an undetermined number of children in an uncertain location with finances that are not quite in place yet. Sounds like a God Show in the making to me!

You Did What!!! Part 2

Once again I talked my way backstage to meet another of my kids' favorite bands, much to their chagrine/delight/embarrassment! This time a photo op with Sanctus Real. Oh how I needed to hear their song, "We Need Each Other" tonight.

And I. was happy to meet Josh Sundquist after the concert. Great guy...have to get reading his book, "A Leg Up".

Stay tuned to this space for a bunch of updates and some very good excuses for the 2 month bloggy lull. Off to bed! Monday's coming!

A quick trip to DC for a conference lead to an invitation to meet with Congressman Frank Lobiondo at his office and a staff-guided tour of the Capitol Building. That should serve as our history curriculum for this week, I'd say!

We were escorted through the security checkpoints and the tunnels that connect the offices and the Capitol itself. No sign of Jack Bauer, though. Once again the matching navy Land's End blazers proved to be an excellent wardrobe investment. We own them in a range of sizes and have pulled them out of the closet for short-notice special occasions with remarkable frequency.

Had to catch these great poses of the boys admiring the interior of the Capitol dome. We were definitely outnumbered by a flock of red-hatters in the rotunda. They are just adorable and are probably a political force in their own right!

Ta-Dah!!!!!

Finished!

Thank You!!

I am so grateful to EVERYONE who responded to the questions in the last post, either in "comments" or via email. Your thoughts were fascinating and articulated so clearly the heavy burdens placed on women in our culture...hmmm..or do we place them upon ourselves? It's all very complicated and I hope to share some of the similar themes that came through in a future post once I have digested it all.

Little Luddy is the winner of the book, "Feathers from My Nest" by Beth Moore. consolation prizes will be given to those who are at MOPS this Thursday! Here is a sneak preview...Birdie slaved over the ModPodge for hours helping me get them glued up before I take off for a little field trip with the wee men tomorrow. In case you were wondering how long it takes to decoupage 50 one-gallon paint cans: 9 hours. Ridiculous, but they are so adorable. I'll post a pic of the finished product once we add the mini pompom fringe and vintage Easter tags. Oh, and the vintage tinsel garland and grosgrain ribbons. Visually delicious. They are inspired by a little can I saw at Blissful Living Studio. (scroll back to the Phoenix posts)

Just a Few Minutes

Hi There Bloggy Friends- I need to enlist the help of as many of you and your friends as possible, if you don't mind....but even if you do mind, I need to ask anyway. I will be speaking to our local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group in a couple of weeks and in preparation I need to get inside the heads and hearts of as many women as possible...a survey of sorts.

So please take just a few minutes to leave your responses to these 3 easy questions in my "comments" and then take a few more minutes to beg all of your friends to do the same for A) The sake of scientific research into the female psyche, and B) for the chance of receiving a giveaway of Beth Moore's "Feathers From My Nest" . Hey, we all love to support scientific research, and you can't beat a free and very re-giftable book.

So here goes, choose one (realistically) or all (overachiever) of these 3 easy questions:

#1- In your opinion, what is the most difficult thing about being a woman?

#2- Please describe a way in which you have surprised yourself in regard to

what you are or do related to what you once were or did.

#3-What skill or attribute do you intend to develop in the next 5 years? Extra

credit if you can describe the plan you have to accomplish that.

Be as silly or as serious as you like, but please be real. In one week I will randomly draw one commentor's name and ship you your book and the box of tissues you will need to go with it.

Thank you bloggy friends! Pass It On!