sisters in the fall

I just couldn't love my girls any more than I do. I adore them. They are wonderful friends but they are as different as night and day. I love it that way.




#2 is trying to get the cat to wave. Poor cat, she puts up with a lot from both of the girls.

wow, just what I need

Got this idea from Aussie Teeny. You use Google and look up "(your name) Needs" and you post about your first 10 results. Here are mine.

1. Angela needs one more final surgery to remove the large tumor

2. Angela needs to be in the school for the disabled

3. Angela needs a crew of volunteers

4. Angela needs to find her way to the gate

5. Angela needs a b_tchslap, she's too defiant.

6. Angela needs to constantly "feel" the presence of God

7. Angela needs help and John is the only one who can give it

8. Angela needs the same strong parental support to help her deal with her cognitive delays and other developmental disabilities

9. Angela needs to complete a psychological evaluation

Didn't know I was so messed up, HA HA! But the last one, #10, is Definitely TRUE!

10. Angela needs her husband

2 princesses and a luke

Star Wars in an ever popular theme around our house. #1 finds creative ways to suck the girls into his sci fi play. This morning I came around the corner into the living and I am suddenly reminded I am in deep outer space. The girls are in a Star Wars princess space ship and their brother Luke is flying the x-wing fighter. They crack me up.

coffee cat

"Mommy, she is coffeeing me"

"STOP coffeeing ME!"

These are the words of my #3. Some how she when she heard the word copy it registered to her as coffee. Funny thing is the other two used to say the same thing. They now say copy correctly, I need to correct her but it just sounds so cute when she says it.

Both of the girls have been sick since Friday. Today I feel it creeping into my chest, ugh!

my little artists

Today, I was working with the girls about drawing a "complete" person with ears, finger, etc. This is the picture #2 created. It is my grandmother : )
She looks pretty "hip" for a lady in her 70's!

My sweet #3 did a picture of me. She said this is what I looked like as a little girl.

shopping adventure

This morning we had our monthly homeschoolers Lego Club. The group is really growing. We had planned to have it at someone's house. I am so glad we changed the location to a local church, because we had at least 20 kids show up. It was kinda crazy since we did not prepare for so many, but the kids had a blast.

After that we had lunch with my mom and dad. Yummy, Buffalos!

Then it was off to T.J. Maxx to find some jeans for my youngins and a birthday gift for a friend. My kids exhaust me when we shop. The instant we walk in a store it becomes a "fantasy land". They either play secret spies, hiding under every clothing rack we are with in 2 feet of (and if there is carpet on the ground I often find them doing an army crawl from one rack to the next), don't step on the cracks or you'll end up melting in hot lava, lets make bunk beds on the store shelves, or lets see how many things we can put of little fingers all over. At least they were so engrossed in their play I was able to slip a few Christmas gifts in the buggy without them even noticing. After the Maxx, I couldn't help but to run next door to Hobby Lobby. It is my favorite. After knocking 2 different items over, even after I said- touch with only ONE finger-I made the rule that they MUST keep their hands stuffed deep down into their pockets. Next thing you know, #1 blurted out the idea that his feet could be laser blasters. Then all three were kicking their feet around shooting all kinds of items and even people. #2 got a little too excited and knocked a candle stick over and of course it broke. Thankfully those great people at Hobby Lobby said it was okay. As we left the store, #1 said, "Man, I really like shopping in those stores." My mental reply, "Really, I didn't notice?!"

girl frog, boy frog

A close member of the family passed along some ceramic frogs that were passed to her from a relative and I think that relative got them from someone else. Anyways, they had been stored in a little jewelry box wrapped in white tissue paper. They were given to the girls to paint. Last week #3 & #2 asked to get out their paints and I thought it would unwrap the frogs. Just as I was laying them on the tissue paper in front of the girls who had brushes ready in hand, I happened to turn them over. Wow, what a surprise. They girls never noticed it and I never brought it to their attention. I was dying laughing inside. Now the happy froggy couple are being stored in the top of the craft closet. Not sure if they'll ever make it back out.

Colorful tree frogs blending into their natural habitat. (Sun, grass, trees, etc.)

Turn them over and you get a sex-ed point of view.

they're gone

I have been grumpy free for two days!

a grump

Oh ... yesterday I had a terrible case of the grumpies. I felt completely suffocated by everyone and every thing. Frustration from the tiniest of things fueled it even more. Thankfully my man encouraged me to get out last night with a friend. He was so loving and patient with me yesterday it really helped me to see things more clearly and just calm down. He is amazing. I just can't even put it in words right now just how much I love him.

I am hoping today will be dramatically different. If it is not, well that is okay.

life after this

"I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing, I went... " These are the words to a popular country song that I like. I can really relate to the song: fulfilling your wildest dreams before your life comes to an end. Honestly it's not a bad desire, but for me, those dreams that I wish could come true were shallow.

Recently at church our pastor did a series directed at myths people have about God. The first week he addressed heaven and eternity. As I sat and listened, I recalled some of my first thoughts on heaven. I remembered in second grade someone asking me what did I hope it would be like. I replied, "I hope I can eat tacos everyday, whenever I want." Deep down inside I dreaded the thought of dying. I kept thinking what if it's just like a big fat church service you have to sit through and listen to people talk about God. Sure that would be better than hell, but please say it isn't so. Then in my teenage years as I grew to understand more about the second coming of Christ and hearing people threaten it could be any day, I begged Jesus not to come until I had at least experienced my wedding night. Just thinking back to that makes me chuckle. The thing is, heaven is NOT where we spend eternity. Our minds just stop there. We fail to read on. God tells us that after Christ returns, He will create a NEW earth, a perfect earth. (Revelation 21) Now if God can create a ka-gillion stars, breath taking sea scapes and keep our little planet in perfect alignment with the sun, my eternity with my heavenly Father will blow my freakin mind! Life here is not the best that it gets. If I miss skydiving, which is something I want to do, I won't be sitting in eternity regretting it. If I died not ever seeing Ireland, so what. I am sure the new earth's beauty will be unmatched and I will have all of eternity to explore it.

So anyways, bottom line: For me it was an excellent reminder on what I need to be focused on everyday. That is, what will make a difference to eternity, not what I selfishly want to do before I get there.

almost a whole day on my own

It's been an unusual day. All of us went to church, which is normal for Sundays. I sold Married Life Tickets at the first service, this happens quarterly. But then my family left to go home and I stayed behind to volunteer for ticket sales for the next two services, normally I only work one. Since I heard the sermon once before, I walked across to a BBQ place and had lunch by myself. As I sat alone in the restaurant booth, I felt anxious. I had NOTHING to do, no book, no one to talk too, I couldn't think of anything to sit and ponder about. I never run out of things to think about. It was weird. After about 10 minutes I spotted a stack of newspapers, yeah, something to read. I finished my lunch and headed back to church. I was having ZERO interest in the Married life event and I was noticing the flood of singles pouring into the doors. I kept looking for wedding bands and it was like one out of 10 to 15 people possessed one. Groups huddled together chatting, flirting, etc. I realized it was like I was surrounded by some foreign culture that I could not relate to. I got married right out of college, I barely remember the whole dating scene thing. Lots of people stopped by my table hoping I was giving out tickets to a "singles mingle" type thing, when they heard it was for married's I got the same responses, been there, just got over one, oh - that's not me. It got to be pretty humorous. All in all, I really enjoyed working the ticket booth. Standing there for several hours I got caught up on the latest fashions. I am in desperate need of fall clothing. All those single midtown women had it going on, so I took note of what I liked.

After church my man encouraged me to extend my "alone" time and do something for myself. I had credit at an upscale type of TJ MAXX so I headed there. It takes FOREVER to sort through all the clothes to find something you really like. I made promises to myself to not buy summer clothing and try to find an outfit, (not to buy misc. pieces). I broke them all. I suck at shopping. Summer stuff was on clearance so I just could not help myself and I just can't seem to bite the bullet and fork out the money to spend on an entire outfit. Oh well.

Something kinda crazy did happen while I was shopping. See, when you shop in downtown Atlanta, it is not that uncommon to spot a crossdresser. I met one in the juniors department. I totally had to fight the urge to stare. He was so close to me. I should have acted like I was talking on my cell phone and taken a picture since I just couldn't resist the urge to look. Some how I managed to control myself. I'm not necessarily making fun of him, it's just so odd, you want to keep looking. It makes you feel all out of place shopping for girls clothing near a man who is shopping there for himself as well. You keep thinking, "dude don't you know you still look like a man?"

As I got in the car to head home I realized it was nice to be by myself, but I sure missed home.