Smore Small Group

Our small group is starting to come together. I look forward to it every week - I hope everyone else feels that way too. We capped off last night, which was a perfect night outside, with roasting marshmallows on the back porch and making smores and watching the kids hunt for each other with flashlights. The evening went so smoothly and it couldn't get any better than that.

When will we get to the point when we feel settled and connected? Not sure yet. We are heading into month 5 and feel good about how we have come along. There is still a way to go, but things are going well.

I Bleed a Different Shade of Red

Being a Sooner fan in Georgia is a little bit sad and lonely. You can never see a game, except for maybe one per season. You are completely surrounded by rabid Georgia Bulldog fans. And when they lose, like they did last night, you can only enjoy the OU victory in private watching online highlights. I need a satellite Sooner nation out here...

It's the End of the Wallpaper As We Know It

Today I began my campaign to remove all tacky wallpaper in my bathroom. The only good report so far is that the walls appear to have been painted before the wallpaper was applied. This is a good sign. Unfortunately for me, having been a glasses girl for about six weeks now, the steamer is preventing me from accomplishing anything. So I broke down and inserted my personal pain instruments, aka contacts. I am crossing my fingers that my eyes can sustain them again. We'll see. As a side note, I asked the optometrist about Sarah Palin's glasses. There has been such a huge response to them that ordering her exact pair would put you on a three year waiting list. Interesting...

When Aliens Attack: An Art Piece

Roxy's imagination is a boundless, nebulous thing. Where it goes and why is a mystery, as seen in her latest art piece. Just watch out for when aliens attack with lasers and hammers...

One Down - How Many More to Go?

I hosted my ladies' book club group last night at my house. On the good side, my soups turned out great, everyone had a place to sit, and my girls stayed upstairs while I led the group. I think the discussion was good, too. I know how challenging it is to get a group to connect, to encourage them to talk, to create an open, accepting environment. I hope I am up to this task. I am a stranger to all these people, so acceptance has to go both ways.

I don't have to lead again until next month, so I hope until then that more people will read the chapters and fill in the prayer and study guide. And I get to reheat my Tomato Basil soup for dinner tonight - that was the favorite of the evening. Thank you La Madeline for a great recipe.

The Poser

Roxy is perfecting the art of the silly face. She is also thinking of new ways to pose for pictures, which sometimes is disturbing. I have taught my daughter that if you see a statue or lawn ornament or anything somewhat lifesize, you should immediately go stand by it and pose for a pic. I learned this from some of my clever Davis cousins, and now Roxy is running with it. At the zoo, she became a naked mole rat, much to my delight. And if there is no statue to pose with, she makes up her own. See photo...

Nothing is Cuter

I love pandas. Who doesn't? These pandas are so adorable. The dad, shown in the hammock, is a performer who likes attention. He would scratch his rear in public all day long. The mom, Lun Lun, had a baby three weeks ago and was shown via PandaCam nestling the one-pound infant. I want to go back and see them again. Love, love, love the zoo - perfect day with the fam.

I Found a Happy Place

I find some grocery stores to be very entertaining. Yes, I have no life. But anyway, I love finding weird things at stores. Here in Georgia you can go to a run of the mill grocery store and buy every single part of a pig, cut up and individually wrapped in plastic, for who knows what kind of cooking. My trip today to Harry's was so fun. It is basically Whole Foods, somewhat smaller, but very interesting. The produce is fun if not bizarre, the seafood section is to die for, and they have huge selections of international foods.

I was excited about the peanut butter bar. Fresh made peanut butters, about 12 kinds with no preservatives, and you buy only as much as you like. The finished product does not look like something you would eat, though. My husband was so grossed out he did not want to look at it in the cart, especially the chocolate almond butter I made. He is definitely skittish about certain gastronomic events...

Speaking of gastronomic events, everything on the food from England and Scotland aisle sounds like old man stomach issues. I refrained from buying "digestives", but we did buy something Fantastic on Flapjacks. We have no idea what it is yet. We just read every item and laughed - that aisle made eating sound so punishing.

I bought red oranges (which would technically make them vermillion, but oh well), a pomegranite for the girls, honey roasted peanut butter and chocolate almond butter, fresh clams and fettuccine for our dinner, plus bread and honey and marmalade and a couple of treats shown here. Dinner was very good - I will cook clams again soon. I loved them.

The Vocabulary Queen

My Darby is embracing the English language. She has this new thing where she actually learns and uses exceptional vocabulary words. I am learning from her today. She was talking about her music class and her melifluous voice - at least I think that this is what she said. And while I was reading my Newsweek, I found her word "quotidian". And it wasn't even in the George Will article, which should always be read with a dictionary in hand.

Do other 10 year olds try to use difficult words? Hmmm...I'm thinking not. It looks like Scott and I are creating an articulate monster.

Sticker Mania

Today, finally, I am doing something house wifey. I have been cutting out stickers for my Wednesday night Bible class all week and I think I may go crazy if I have to cut out any more of them. Getting my new class curriculum going has been a real challenge. I am glad to have something to plan, something to nuture, but cutting out thousands of hand-made stickers has made me crazy.

And, unfortunately for me, more and more children keep enrolling in my Wednesday night class. I have more than I can keep up with - 30 at last count. I am thrilled that we are seeing a surge in participation. We are doing something worth everyone's time and efforts, but I was not counting on such a huge turnout.

I enjoy teaching, though. I like the kids this age (5-7) and I like what we get to do. It is nice to have a place to create my own lessons, too.

My Rock Star

Roxy, or Rock Star as she has been named, is really growing up these days. She has a lot of her father in her because she wakes up ready to get things done. Before I am out of bed (which is 6:30) she has dressed herself, practiced piano, complained about waiting for breakfast, worked on her math homework packet, and fired up the Wii. And she has neatly lined up all her Webkinz on the floor so they can watch her play Mario Cart. She gets home from school and is immediately bored, desperately needing something, anything like a job to keep her going. As soon as she finishes dinner, Roxy is running through her piano songs then she moves to the back deck to work on jumping rope. She wants to jump rope so much, but has still not perfected it (in flip-flops that is.) And last night, filling in her phonics homework, she signed her name "Roxanne". My Rockstar grew up overnight...

Stupid Pet Tricks

Friday - My Happy Place

Something interesting has happened to Scott and me - we are actually spending time together on Fridays. Amazing, isn't it? For years we have never taken advantage of the hours where our girls are in school. That time was meant for getting our errands done - separately, not together. But lately the winds have shifted and we are going places together. REI, Lowe's, the bakery. I'm starting to think Scott kinda likes me...

That Girl Can Sing

A special thing happened for Darby today. Darby tried out for the Cobb County school district Honor Chorus and was one of the four Due West Elementary girls selected for it. She was so excited. And, to make it even better, one of her friends from school was a selected girl, too. Darby will get to miss school one day in October to practice songs for a vocal concert. I'm thrilled she tried out. Her last singing opportunity at the 4th grade program was tricky because she caught a cold and had practically no voice. But this time, we will not let a weakened immune system stop us!

Thinking about this reminds me of a very Darby, very poignant moment (most of them were deep, being a drama queen and all) when Darby received a Disney Karaoke system for her sixth birthday. She would dress as her favorite princess, Belle, and she would sing in a very sweet, deeply emotional voice. Her favorite song was Reflection, from Mulan. "Who is that girl I see/Staring staight back at me/When will my relection show/Who I am inside?" Darby could make me tear up with that song, especially since she was six and so full of ideas and dreams. You go girl - Congratulations on Honor Chorus!

The Power of a Rookie Preacher's Wife

I dove in to a new role last night - Women's Book Club leader. Because of the kind encouragement of a new friend from church, I agreed to lead a book club group on Tuesday nights, twice a month. I haven't led an adult group in years. I was active in Women's ministry when I lived in Texas and really enjoyed it - I even enjoyed doing the leading. The time I spent in Oklahoma was one of disconnection - never knew how to get into that network, I guess. But here, everything seemed to open up.

So, the group of eight that I expected grew to 13 at the last minute. And I will say that they are going to be so fun, so encouraging, so dynamic, so diverse. I am the baby of this group, but that feels pretty good to me. I just hope that I don't look like a total idiot! We are reading The Power of a Praying Wife, and I do really appreciate that book. I haven't read it in eight years, but I have prayed for my husband during that time. I am already looking forward to our next meeting.

Just a Touch of Drama

The aftermath of missing the family reunion continues. I missed it and wished I was there but the ridiculous price of plane tickets made me face reality - just too much money for a trip so short and far away. Darby expressed regret that weekend, but kept it together for the most part. But the storm finally hit on yesterday. I think if you combine the increased 5th grade workload, the change associated with hitting double digits, plus the distance from home, a girl like Darby is due for a dramatic reaction to all of the above.

The good thing, which is such a relief, is that Roxy senses everything that Darby is feeling and manages to become a comedian. She really does have incredible timing. The moment she knew that Darby was down, Roxy immediately thought about getting her big sis a lollipop that she would like and then worked all evening on keeping up her sister's spirits. What a gal...we sure did need a nuturer like her in this house.

"I Had My Lice Tested Today!"

That was a sentence I was hoping to NEVER hear. Roxy was actually saying that she was checked for lice today because a child in her class was found to have lice this weekend. I happened to visit with Roxy's teacher today and she said that in 18 years of teaching at Due West this is the first time her class has had to go through a nit check. The poor little kids did not know any better. They had their hearing tested, their vision tested, and their lice tested consecutively.

I am itching just typing all of this up. Roxy then told me about the kids in her class that said they had lice one time and I told her that she could never touch her head to them, much less put her hands on their heads or share jackets with them, etc. I cannot imagine having to comb nits out of all of this:

Sunday is a Funday

And the fun is about to begin with the small group meeting here at my house tonight. I am writing this right now as a meditation for tonight. Tonight, Roxy will not get her feelings hurt if someone doesn't play with her. Tonight, Darby will let go of a couple of hangups and will join in with everyone. Tonight, Darby's American Girl stuff will go untouched and she will breathe calmly IF someone enters her room. And, tonight everyone will come with a sweet spirit and will share a meal with us and will be blessed by this meeting. I estimate that we will get 12 kids and 12 adults. Anybody else out there think I can hit that mark? We will see...

Roxy the Guest Blogger

I want to tell you about my day today. First we were looking all over in the car for the lake. Dad was very angry. Then we finally found it - Lake Allatuna. Next then we over to the mountain and there was a giant cave made out of trees. Then we went on a few other trails. One of my not-favorite trails was the one that had all the stairs. Next we went to the beach and I got sea shells and rocks. We did one more trail then we went back to our car. Next, Daddy got lost. He was angry at the GPS. While we were driving I wished we were not sweating so much. It was a good trip for all. Thank you and good night.

Building Up My Eye Muscles

I have been unable to wear my contacts for a while now. Irritation of my right eyelid makes me want to rip it off. Isn't that pleasant...

My doctor has now prescribed steroid drops to be put in four times a day. The course of my regimen will last me an entire month. And if you want to know what these drops feel like, the name says it quite well: Flarex. Imagine dropping a flare into your eye. These drops sting.

I miss my contacts. I am hopeful that one day I will wear them again. At least I have Tina Fey and Sarah Palin bringing glasses back into popularity, for now.

I'm Even More Beautiful One-Dimensional

Darby got a makeover set for her birthday that gives you tips on hair, makeup and colors, and the technique to put it on. The pretty pallette pad allows you to create makeover looks on paper using real materials like eye shadow and wands, blush and brushes, etc. It has been fun to see her create some very interesting new looks. This one is my new look - I better hit the salon quick, because my true dark hair is showing more gray, and I don't need Darby to start adding a silver colored pencil to her designs ...

Run and Fun - Do They Go Together?

I can say that yes, run and fun do go together. Today at my daughter's school was the first ever Fun Run, a great idea that allows you to fund raise without selling wrapping paper and cookie dough. You could tell that both my girls were really liking it, including the one who is like me and thinks running is for people with masochistic issues.

The Funrun.com company comes in, sets up a stage and massive sound system, sets up a track out on the playground lawn, plants all sorts of colorful banners and decorations and canopies for water and popsicles, and an exciting announcer pumps all the kids up with fun exercises and music. It cracked me up because they only played about 30 seconds of every song ever played on Radio Disney - like ADD Radio. They run different kinds of laps, walking laps, limbo laps where the parents hold out those inflatable spirit sticks like they give out at NBA games, they do the swim on a lap, they do the shopping cart on a lap, they gallop like ponies on a lap. They even have an inflatable tunnel for the kids to run through as they enter the field and all the parents clap for them.

It feels just like a sports event for kids and it is very exciting. It was impressive and obviously a hit with the kids. I tell you all of this because stupid mom forgot the camera. Just haven't learned how to do it all yet...

Stop Me Before I Volunteer Again

I have been coasting on my good looks and charm for a while, but the honeymoon is over. It's time to get cracking. It seemed that when I signed up for all my new activities I was being judicious. But alas, I am hosting two dinners at my house this week, my husband is GONE every night this week until Friday (he told me about this morning), I have meetings at Due West Elementary every morning this week, not to mention the kick-off of small group on Sunday night and my new Bible study on Tuesday night next week and my new Kindergarten thru 2nd class on Wednesday night. What went wrong? I think I'll be running on my good looks, charm, and a lot of caffeine for the next 10 days.

A Fun Day

We enjoyed the long weekend with a trip to Chattanooga. Rock City is a favorite of ours, and the whole city of Chattanooga is a great place that we love. We want to go back soon. We managed to go up both mountains and hit the apple orchard on our way out. We got fresh picked Honey Crisp apples and Ginger Golds, which we put into pies Saturday night. Pretty fun day and I did not focus on missing the Davis family reunion. Thank you Scott for such a good day.

The 70 foot Thrill Ride

I hope this movie works - I am hit and miss with movies on my blog...

Here They Are - My Dressed Windows

I am happy with the finished product. It makes a big difference in this room - it needed to soften up.