Things I miss about my kids while I'm away:

Sassafras
1. How helpful/loyal/kind/generous she is.
2. The rich dark color of her hair and eyes. How pretty Sass is takes my breath away.
3. Her laugh when something is unexpectedly funny.
4. Her ideas about life.
5. Discussing books with her.

Pickles
1. His curious curious questions.
2. His round cheeks.
3. His hug-a-minute ness
4. How even when he smells like 3-day old overcooked bellybutton, I know where his still smelling good spots are.
5. How sweet he is with the Hamster

Bud
1. His freckles. Oh! His freckles!
2. You know how some kids are snuggle-bears or snuggle-bunnies? Bud is a snuggle-porcupine. The kid is all elbows and knees. And I miss that.
3. He understands and uses puns. He's 5!
4. His quest for justice for all, even though it's usually slanted a little his way. (he is 5 after all)
5. How much he loves me. I've never gotten so many I-love-you notes from anyone.

the Hamster
1. His blue eyes. I could lose an hour or so in them, if he'd let me.
2. The baby that's still in his chubby elbows, thighs, nibblelicious neck, shallow dimples, and raspberry-worthy belly.
3. How much he loves fruit. The kid could put away half a watermelon alone... and he has!
4. Watching him morph from a baby to a big boy. It's painful, beautiful, and amazing.
5. His devotion to Sassafras, his mini-mom.

and so many other things...

I've told you before (if you don't remember, or I didn't really tell you before, then just go along with it) that I'm a teacher at church for the 4-yr olds turning 5. It's called CTR 5. CTR = Choose the Right. Anyhoo, each Sunday, we ask the children how their week was. Did they do anything special? Did they go anywhere fun? James, who team-teaches with me, always asks what they had for breakfast...

So the last few Sundays have been particularly entertaining.

me: How was your week E?

E: It was good. (interrupting herself) I'M A ROCKSTAAAAAARRRRRR!!!! So anywaaaaaaaay, my sistooh and me took a shower and we peed on each other. Oh, we also went to Chuck-E-Cheese last week, but I already told you about that.

James inexplicably had a coughing fit at this point.

me: You know, E, that's probably not a good idea. I don't think your mom would like that if she knew.

E: Oh, she doesn't know. Also, when are you gonna get a new boy? Bud is totally annoying. Are you pregnant now?

me: Uh, no. OK, who's next?


Chach: ME, ME, ME, ME, ME, ME!

me: Ok, Chach, what did you do this week?

Chach: We went to Chuck-E-Cheese too!

me: You did? That's awesome! What for?

Chach: Dad said that if M went potty training, then we could go. She did, so we went. I got 20 tokens!

E: You did not.

Chach: I did too! You weren't there.

me: She went, E. Girls, that's enough. Who's next? Y? You want to go next?


Y: no.

me: Not anything?

Y: no.


me: J? How bout you, buddy?

J: I have a baby now.

me: You do? What's his name? (J's new little brother is several months old now, but he's still excited about it.)

J: E-why. And then he said something that sounded like a story about monkeys invading his house.


me: Really! That's great. J'dan? How bout you honey?

J'dan: We had some friends come over. And they made a mess. And my mom said they're not very good-picker-uppers but that every family has different rules and that we like them anyway.

I'm sharing these with you so that as a parent, you can be aware that your kid is soaking up and sharing all kinds of interesting tidbits with their teachers, and probably any other adult who will take half a minute and listen. And then that adult will blog about it.

Just so you know!

P.S. E and her sister do not really pee on each other. I shared E's story with her mom and they had a LONG talk!

I've been chastised for taking so long between posting. I suppose I could post rather than facebook, but since fb is like TV for me (I don't watch TV btw), I don't need my brain. I can zone out and read my news, catch up with people, etc, without having to think up any commentary on stuff. But since you are here, you must be interested at least a little, and some of you a lottle, by the thinks I think.

So here's a few things that have been niggling my brain.

I'm taking a physics survey course. And as much fun as trying to remember trig functions is, sometimes it's a bit boring. *gasp!* I know. But my teacher said something poetic the other day, which added to the marbles rolling around in my noggin.

Picking a flower could move a star.

Due to the effects of gravity, everything has some impact on everything else. This is not a new thought to me. You can't sit on top of a mountain and not have this thought. But it's been awhile since I've either thought this, or sat atop a mountain.

My teacher for one of my business classes also added to the marble pile by reminding us to sit still for about 10 minutes everyday.

I don't think I've done enough of that lately.

And when I don't sit still with myself enough, I find myself questioning things from an outside perspective rather than from within. Which is where I should start my thinks. My ideas and decisions, when born from silence and reverence, have a divine origin. When the silence is drowned by the noises from school, other people, the kids' Wii/movies, loud music, and...well...you get the picture, then I lose that peaceful facet.

I need to go again. There are things I must take care and then I think I will go find a quiet corner to myself for awhile. If you have a comment, feel free to leave it. If you have any particular way that you renew yourself, I'd love to read it.

a slight departure from usual Wednesday fare:

Weird Pictures Wednesday

Electrified plants. It's...well...electrifying.

Just in case that bad joke didn't tingle your fancy, a photo of a lightning bolt hitting a boat. It's shocking!

wait! Don't go. I promise no more terrible puns.

this may be photoshopped, but if it's not, it will complete the triumvirate of cool electricity photos.

y'all be good, come back now, and and watch for deer!

I have bloggers' block. I want to keep y'all update, rahlly I do, but I sit here to type and all I can think about is how stressed I am. I don't even have time to do the de-stressing things I do like painting/walking/hanging out with friends.

I have a beautiful old attic in our new house that I want to turn into a studio. Converting it really just means putting drafting tables and easels and supplies up there and sitting down to paint.

Are you new here? I'm an artist. I like to play around with all mediums, but what I have a burning desire to do is paint in oils. Specifically with paint knives. I like to smear the paint on like it's icing. I usually use a very rich palette full of deep blues, crimsons, and yellow ochres. I tend to go towards a more impressionist style with a dreamy quality. I like to express how something made me feel, rather than recreate a scene. Are we all together now?

Moving on.

Anyway, I can't seem to remember anything funny my kids have said lately. Either I can't seem to keep it in my brain, or I just haven't seen them enough lately. Prolly both. I am planning on taking Sassafras to see the new Harry Potter movie. She made it a goal to reread the series this summer and finished last week, little genius that she is. She read them all last summer, but didn't finish till August.

I haven't been keeping up with politics lately either. I'd love to write a witty reply to Sotomayer's wise Latina remark, but I've only skimmed articles and read headlines.

I feel as though I'm losing my pithiness. Or it's just being replaced with Chemistry and Physics.

I did get to unpack all my herbs and spices. The smell when I opened the boxes in the new kitchen almost made me cry.

There's lots to do at the new house. Unpacking first, but small repairs here and there. It's 109 years old, so there's ongoing upkeep. It's beautiful though.

I have to go. I have class again in a few. Sorry if this post is so disjointed...

The interesting situation I find myself in:

I'm paying rent for the month of July for a house I'm not living in.

I don't officially own the house we are living in until next Friday.

Money hasn't been this tight in a long time.

We met one of our new neighbors, who immediately threatened to call the cops on us if we let our dog bark all night again. Which we don't. A plate of cookies would have been a WAY nicer welcome.

Someones tried to get into my truck the first night it was parked out front. My 285K mile, battered, nicest thing in it is Hamster's car seat, Suburban. So, luckily we have a garage out back that we will definitely be parking in from now on.

We had a swarm of people from church come and help us move. We have NEVER had this many church members help us move. When we get settled, y'all all need to come over for some fried chicken - yee haw!

I got a new pair of running shoes, but haven't been able to try them out for the last 3 days. grr.

I have a great new attic with 100 year old wooden floors to use as a studio. I'm itching to paint just thinking about it.

Good friends moved away, and I miss them.

I'm on a 2 hour break from classes right now, before I have to go back.

which is why...

I've been reading and enjoying everyones' blogs, even if I haven't been commenting or posting my own. Don't worry, I'm still here.

Quick update

We close on the house tomorrow at 1pm

I start a brutal school schedule next Tuesday that will have some days that start at 8am, take a break at 2pm, start back at 345pm and end at 945pm. I have already made a giant cardboard cutout of myself so the kids don't miss me. Then I recorded myself saying things like "Go clean your room!", and "Get off the roof!" They won't miss me at all.

Mom and Shannon came for Pickles' baptism on the Fourth of July. Cool date, no? But we miss them. We also missed our other family members who couldn't make it.

I got some running shoes. I like walking/running, it's just difficult to get out and do it. But I am 15 lb lighter than I was last summer, so it's progress. My small goal is to be a size smaller by the end of summer. Just one size. My pants now are already a lot looser, so I'm on track.

I'm thinking about planning a road trip to ATL at the end of October to pick up all the house type things we left in GA when we moved here: washing machine, corner cabinet, lawn mower, etc.. So if you feel like driving to GA and back with me the last week of October, let me know. I don't listen to country and I don't take many bathroom breaks, so that weeds a few of y'all out already.

That's about it for now.

An email my mother sent me. Thanks, anonymous author!


Excerpts from a Dog's Diary......

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk Bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!



Excerpts from a Cat's Diary...

Day 983 of my captivity...My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am. Bastards.There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs..I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now...