It's Her Birthday Too!

I mean, it WAS her birthday. Lauren is second from the right and was 15 years old yesterday. Happy Birthday, Lauren!!

You Say it's Your Birthday?

Well, it's Leigh's birthday too! She and Quinn are at camp for the next couple days. I don't imagine there will be any ballroom dance lessons there. Happy 12th birthday, Leigh!!

Bargains

I found nine items at JCPenney that I didn't even know I needed! I spent $54.41 but saved $258.11. You read it right! My sister, Jamie, says I should consider offering a personal shopping service. Just give me a call at 867-5309.

Multi-tasking

Here's Quinn kickin' back with two television remotes, two drinks and a plethora of popsicles. He's thinking about packing for camp which begins in about four hours.

He and Rachel are taking a rest following a successful pig show at the county fair. They both pulled down ribbons and Quinn secured a plaque for champion market gilt.

Perhaps when my multi-tasking telephone coughs up the pictures I took at the fair, I will be able to share them with you.

Rabbit Show

Check out the class winners and best in show and junior showmanship champion. Rachel should have shown up with a little broom on her belt loop, because she swept away the competition! Quinn left satisfied that his beloved rabbit, Lily, won a blue ribbon. Pig show is tomorrow.

100 Days Until We Vote

As David Brooks said in today's New York Times, "When John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan went to Berlin, their rhetoric soared, but their optimism was grounded in the reality of politics, conflict, and hard choices... Reagan didn't call for a kumbaya moment... Obama has benefited from a week of good images. But substantively, optimism without reality isn't eloquence. It's just Disney."

The problem, of course, is that a lot of Americans live in a Disney world.

No Excuse

Rachel is at her volunteer job today. Quinn went to work with Mr. Rellim. I have the house to myself, so I made a delicious-looking bagel sandwich. Only one sandwich to make. No one complaining they don't like lettuce. No one asking for an extra helping of potato chips (I could eat them all).

Unfortunately, it was a very disappointing sandwich experience. I thought the lettuce was extremely chewy or else the bagel was stale. It wasn't until I was about half-way through the sandwich that I noticed I had forgotten to take the between-the-cheese-slices paper off my slice of cheese.

It's lonely to laugh about a sandwich malfunction all by yourself.

Two Sets of Joneses

A friendly, inebriated man who spoke broken English (maybe it was just drunken English) interrupted my walk this afternoon. He asked me to call his wife so he could get a ride home. I called, but his wife did not come pick him up. The man thanked me kindly, shook my hand, kissed it, then stumbled on his way. I called the police station to report a gentleman in need of assistance.

At least I wasn't frightened - like the time in a taxi cab in Chicago when the driver asked if I was married. Then he said, "Oh, that eez OK. I keell heem for you. Then we get married." Perhaps that was a compliment in whatever country he came from!

Good Samaritan

When playing the part of the injured man in the story of the Good Samaritan at vacation Bible School, don't go overboard. My daughter has very good acting skills, but I had to remind her that saying, "help me, help me!" is great, but crying, pleading and moaning has to be curtailed. I hope we don't lose any kids tonight due to post-traumatic stress.

All for a Good Book

I've been waiting for a certain book from interlibrary loan since May. The delay is unusual, especially since there are SIX COPIES of the same book sitting on the shelf (according to the website). Finally, I called the interlibrary loan office to inquire about my request. After much discussion on the other end of the line, I was informed that the specific book I want is at a school library and they don't lend books when school is not in session.

Makes sense to me. Teachers don't read in the summer, do they?

Hydrangeas

Yes, these are real. The hydrangeas must like the wet weather we've had this year.

Sunday Afternoon

Mr. Rellim told me he was going to do some reading this afternoon. At least the book is with him.

BMW Dreamin'

Yeah, this is Rachel and my dad standing near an awesome vehicle in a mall parking lot. I guess this is what my dad wants for his 60th birthday in December. He did get to drive it because it was a LOANER vehicle from a dealership.

The last loaner vehicle I drove had ceiling peeling from the interior and one headlight!

Parade Time

Rachel marched in another parade, wearing her 1845 pioneer best. Quinn called for candy, but she reminded him that they would probably have only had rock candy back then. Rock candy? Hmmm . . . not so strange considering the loot we did receive from the parade: tootsie rolls and suckers (sure), but also dog treats, cat food, popsicles, bagels, frisbees, nerf balls, t-shirts, invitations to join karate class, advertisements for Avon and Tupperware ladies and coupons for various local restaurants. Rock candy would carry the element of danger due to possible bystander injury, but it may be something to consider for next year.

The Tale of Two Children

My friend Lisa just called (the one who was in my dream) and asked where I was yesterday morning. The phone call she had with Quinn went something like this:

Q: Hello?
L: Hi, Quinn. Can I talk to your mom?
Q: Well, let me see if I can find her. (walks around the house) Nope I can't find her. Let me see if there is a car here. (walks outside to the garage) Nope there's no car here. She must be gone.
L: Do you know where she is?
Q: Nope
L: Is your sister home?
Q: Well I don't think so. I didn't see her. She must be somewhere with Mom.
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You know, I'm happy that Quinn is secure and easy-going. He must get that from his father.
***********************************************************************************
Listen, I don't just leave my children alone. In fact, I had a specific conversation with my son only minutes before that went something like this:

M: Quinn, I'm leaving to take Rachel to (this certain place).
Q: Uh-huh
M: Look at me. I'm going to be gone for about 20 min. Will you be OK here by yourself?
Q: Yep.
M: Don't answer the door. Don't answer the phone unless it's me or Dad. Don't eat anything while I'm gone.
Q: Gotcha, Mom.
***********************************************************************************
Let's contrast that story with the time when Mike and I told Rachel we were going for a walk.
***********************************************************************************
M: Rachel, we are going out for a walk. You and Quinn stay in the house and don't answer the door or the phone unless it's us. OK
R: Where are you going? When will you be home? Turn on your cell phone. What should I do if the laundry beeps? How many minutes will you be gone? I'm going to call you if you aren't home in 20 minutes.
M: Calm down! I'll have my cell phone with me and we will be in the neighborhood.
R: (calling 19 and 1/2 minutes later) Where are you? I've been wondering when you'll be home. You said you'd be home in 20 minutes!

Speaking of Dreams

I woke this morning to the sound of my son giggling in his sleep. Made me smile. How sweet. At least I think it's sweet. Maybe I should ask what the dream was about - or not. I think I'll just imagine that the dream was about eating ice cream and playing with puppies.

Dear Freud

I dreamed that my friend and I were working in some covert operation. We were in a hotel near the coast (don't know which one). For whatever reason, the success of our mission rested on making sure this large line of children were properly bathed. We were sending them (stealthily) to our hotel room shower in groups of three so as to not be noticed. Before the last child was showered, a large helicopter swooped down to shoot at ships in the harbor, but it was hit by missiles before it could attack the ships.

I don't know who the bad guys were, but I was glad that the helicopter was shot down. Then I woke up to Chris Tomlin singing "Amazing Grace/My Chains are Gone."

Any dream interpreters out there?

Cranberry Juice

It is possible that a person might drink cranberry juice just because.

My son (apparently) is unaware of this, having only been given cranberry juice when he had a urinary tract infection (accompanied by a stinging/tingling sensation in his private area).

So, should I be surprised that he just loudly asked, "Why are you drinking cranberry juice, Mom? Is your (insert your favorite word for privates) tingling?"

What's your S.T.O.R.Y.?

This is an excellent book for anyone searching for her niche. Practical strategies to help unveil individual strengths and talents are backed up with encouragement that each of us is important and unique.

S = Strengths
T = Topic
O = Optimal conditions
R = Relationships
Y = Yes!

Where is your sweet spot? It's where your talents collide with God's will.

FYI

1. Never rub your eyes while chopping fresh jalapenos.
2. I think I may be allergic to avocados.
3. We accidentally destroyed our second paper shredder this year.

A Man in Michigan

A man in Michigan is suing a publisher of the Bible. Apparently, some passages caused him to feel bad about himself. I wonder why he isn't suing the author?

Found Another One

Rachel actually let Quinn sink her into the sand so they could be the same height. Pretty cute.

Went to a wedding

. . . and found the all-time winner for best guest party favor. Hilarious. Can anyone contribute to this post?

Thank you!

Uncle Terry and Aunt Gail are our vacation super heroes.

BTW, that is not a two-headed dog, but the picture is very funny. Their names are Molly and Roscoe. Quinn kept calling them Moley and Rascal.

Yes, Iowa.

It sounds kind of boring, but not really. Mike's Uncle and Aunt built a cottage on a lake and it was like our own private resort. Check out these pictures. The kids got to go tubing. Mike and I attempted to use a jet ski. One of us does not have a very good sense of balance, so that plan had to be scrapped (after I was DUMPED and nearly drowned!). We each had our own bedroom, so it took a lot longer for us to get on Rachel's nerves (ahhh, preteens).

Guess where we were?

No.

Quinn just asked, "Hey, Mom? Can you go outside and get me that lighter I found? I want to show Dad how I can light things up."

Fireworks

They were interesting. Started out with an old, old bomber flying loop-de-loops. The first five loops were pretty cool. The next fifteen loops got a little bit old. The pyrotechnics were nice. We probably should have gotten a little bit closer. Instead of driving to the parking lot and sitting in the lawn area with everyone else, we decided to back into a country ditch a couple miles away (so we could avoid traffic!). Well, we got stuck in the tall wet grass and Mr. Rellim was not there to push us out. Fortunately, some strong, nice drunk people were up to the task. Happy 232nd!

Happy Birthday, America!

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."

— Thomas Paine, author

Sunfall

I kinda like the word. According to Quinn, that is when fireworks will start tomorrow.

What Did You Say?!

Quinn and I were walking this morning and I had just reprimanded him for trying to burp or pass gas with every step, when he said to me, "Mom, you know, we should really think about the national debt."

"What about it?" I asked, certain that he had inadvertently used a phrase that he had no idea about.

Instead, I was floored with this response, "You know, the national debt is over 5 trillion dollars now and with every war, the debt continues to skyrocket. The only way we can pay off the debt is to raise taxes and I'm not really into paying for other people's poor spending choices."

"Uh . . yeah . . . I agree with you," I said.

Where did he get this information? SCHOOL HOUSE ROCK music cartoons!!!!!!!