RANDOMNESS #1 - Since Airwalk was closed Sunday and the family couldn't jump on trampolines with Roxie, she called Airwalk to check on their Thursday evening hours. The next best thing than having your family jump on trampolines with you on a Sunday would have to be having some of your friends jump on trampolines with you on a Thursday night.
And that's what they did.
Warning... All of the pictures are a little blurry.
Sorry about that.
Alyssa, Allyson, Ragan and Roxie.
Did I mention Roxie wanted to use Airwalk as her background for asking Hunter to Homecoming next weekend?
Did I?
Did I also mention he agreed to go with her?
I don't know if they are looking at the pics of the invitation or texting friends.
Probably both.
The sign says, "I would JUMP for JOY if you would go to Homecoming with me!"
And then she jumped on the trampoline in front of him while holding the sign.
It all made perfect sense.
More Airwalk.
The foam pit.
You know you are in a class establishment when they have not ONE, but TWO, giant foam pits!
Hunter and Roxie.
Mason and Ragan.
Personally, I loved Airwalk.
I know it can be very dangerous, but on a Thursday night it was not crowded at all. The Staff was always present to make sure rules were being followed. After about a minute of watching, I wasn't concerned about the safety issue with Roxie and friends (and if you have known me five minutes, you know I am ALWAYS concerned about the safety issue.)
DISCLAIMER - That being said, I wouldn't necessarily take a large group of 12 year-old boys on a crowded Saturday to this place. I can't imagine the outcome of that trip being very good at all.
Mike and I just stayed a few minutes to visit and quench my curiosity about a building filled with trampolines.
And Mike thoroughly enjoyed listening to me whine, "Why didn't they have that when the kids were small?" all the way home.
LOVED IT, I tell you!
RANDOMNESS #2 - Wedding News - Yes. As October 25 draws near, there will always be Wedding News.
Melia has a Bridal Tea this Sunday afternoon, and we are pumped up, I tell you.
Nothing makes an approaching wedding seem more real than parties and writing Thank You Notes.
I also have Wedding News regarding Brad and Stephanie's impending nuptials. As of today... ONLY NINE MORE DAYS!
Single digits.
Difficulty breathing... again.
Quotable Quotes
Never trust your tongue when your heart is bitter.
Pinterest Stuff
I'll be honest... I haven't tried these two recipes yet. They are on my Fall To-Do List.
But just in case they don't get done, I didn't want you to not have the info!
Fall Popcorn
You will need the following:
Two bags of popped popcorn
Bag of candy corn
1 package (16 ounces) white almond bark
Halloween sprinkles
1. Put two bags of popped popcorn and a bag of candy corn in a large bowl.
2. Drizzle white almond bark over the popcorn and candy corn.
3. Spread out on to wax paper.
4. Sprinkle with Halloween sprinkles and let cool 15 to 30 minutes.
5. Then break it up and enjoy!
Fall Potpourri
You will need the following:
Peel of 1 orange
1 apple (cut up)
1 tablespoon cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon almond extract
1 1/2 cup water
Simmer and enjoy.
Way Back When...
These three items were first posted in September of 2009.
The Importance of Planning
I wanted to post an excerpt from an Emilie Barnes' book. I love all of her books... her devotionals, her books for children, etc., but what she says in this book really hits the nail on the head (to me).
"You don't need money to create memories; you just need a desire. As adults, many of our memories are from our childhood or from when we were first married. Looking back to our early married life, Bob and I had very little money, but we have many fond memories. Now we have much more financial independence, but our early memories are still very vivid. Someone shared with me once, 'Successful people do what unsuccessful people aren't willing to do.' That statement had a real impact on my life. From that day on, I began to identify what those things were. One that was brought to mind was that successful people planned their lives. I wasn't planning my life very well at the time. Since then, I have learned to create treasured memories."
Of course, being a planner doesn't always work either. I found that out the hard way. So the last few years have found me trying to be a "flexible planner." Plan, plan, plan, but if things do not work out as you plan, do NOT be upset. Flexibility is probably the hardest thing I've ever had to learn... and I'm still not very good at it! It's not a natural skill for me. (Surprise to all those who have known me for more than one minute!)
But when plans fall apart or just totally disappear, I trust in God's Word. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
And since I know He has plans for me, it gives me the desire to try again.
How many days just melt away, and we look back at the week that has just passed and wonder where the time went? Did we have dinner together as a family? Did we spend one-on-one time with one or more of the kids? Did we plan something special to do with our husband as a couple? But more importantly, did we go somewhere to "be still" and spend time with God? If I'm honest here, I would have to answer "no" to several of those questions on a weekly basis. But if I can say "yes" to even one... or two... or three, then that's a good week because it means I'm planning. I'm trying. And as I have said before, that's what A Simple Life is all about... striving.
The Bible Alphabet
Again, we're going to use this family devotion under the Party/Event section. This is no little devotion. This goes on for 26 weeks. Wait, wait, wait. Don't stop reading. It is an EASY 26 weeks. Read on, please.
To do this activity/event/devotion, choose a special day of the week that will suit your family.
Have each member of the family choose a Bible verse that begins with the letter "A." The verse that is chosen must be a complete sentence.
At a certain time of day (breakfast, supper, bedtime, or whatever time the family chooses) have each person share their verse.
The next week, learn verses beginning with "B," and the following week learn verses beginning with "C," and so on.
Continue this activity until everyone can complete the alphabet. The REAL fun begins with letters like "X" and "Z."
Examples:
A - All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
B - Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. (Acts 16:31)
C - Choose ye this day whom ye will serve. (Joshua 24:15)
D - Delight thyself also in the Lord. (Psalm 37:4)
Hopefully, you will not have many duplicate verses. This will be a weekly "event" which will also serve as a tool for children to learn to use their Bibles more easily.
Again, this idea comes from Let's Make a Memory. Great book!
Roxie's Birth Day Story - Part One
It was the day of our eighth anniversary. I was at Mom and Dad's dropping the boys off, and Mike and I were going out to eat and spend the night at Embassy Suites as was our tradition. I was visiting with Mom for a few minutes when her phone rang. It was Mikie. The doctor hadn't been able to reach me, and had called him. They needed to talk to me right away.
Hmmm. That didn't sound good. I had been to the doctor earlier in the week for my annual doctor's appointment. I hung up with Mike (who told me he was on the way to Mom's), and dialed the number. A nurse answered the phone, and when I told her who I was she immediately put me through to the doctor. Hmmm. That didn't sound good, either.
"Mrs. Faulkner?" the doctor verified.
"Yes," I responded a little louder than normal.
"Well, we have good news and bad news," she went on. That's it. She didn't ask me which one I wanted to hear first. She didn't ask me if I wanted to hear any of it at all. She just kept on talking. (If you've known me for more than a minute, you know when given the choice, I will hear the good news and totally disregard the bad news. It's a defense mechanism, I am sure.)
"You are pregnant," she said. I was surprised because even though we were planning on trying for a third child, I hadn't thought I was actually pregnant. Before that could sink in and I could be thrilled, she gave me the bad news. "However, your numbers are not good, and you will probably miscarry this baby."
The only thing I heard was the "pregnant" part. I didn't understand the "numbers" part. I didn't comprehend the "miscarriage" part.
"Well, okay then. That's wonderful," I answered. She paused, then repeated the other stuff until she was sure I had grasped what she was talking about.
"Call the office over the weekend if anything happens. Otherwise, I'll see you in my office next Wednesday for some more tests." And that's how the call ended. Mike arrived, and I told him what was going on. Anniversary plans were now very irrelevant compared to the news we had just received. However, two little boys had made plans to spend the night with Grandmother and Granddaddy, and that was NOT going to change.
Mike and I left with heavy hearts and made it through the weekend. We then made it through Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Wednesday afternoon found us at the doctor's office having more blood tests. Friday morning we received a telephone call saying we were not out of the woods, but the numbers were better. (To this day, I don't know what numbers they were talking about... nor did I ask.)
Two weeks later, we received an "all clear" on the baby. We were expecting baby number three. The numbers were good, and the due date was the first week of October. Mike and I were both very excited.
Everything went well (extremely well) until the middle of April when I received yet another call from the doctor. A blood test I had given permission for them to take indicated our baby was at high risk of being a Downs' baby. I knew which blood test they were talking about, and I knew I had NOT signed the permission slip. Several of my friends had false/positives from this same test, and I had not wanted it... EVER. I told them I had not signed the permission slip, but it didn't change the fact the test had indeed been given, and the results were not good. They wanted me to come in for another test, and if the results were better, they would disregard the first test. I agreed on that condition.
I went in for the test, and a few days later received a call from the doctor (again, a very bad sign). If anything, the results were worse. Much worse. While I tried to absorb this new information, they made an appointment for me and Mikie to come to UAB for a special ultrasound test which would help determine if the baby was Downs'. They also wanted to know if I wanted amniocentesis, but I immediately declined. If God was giving us a Downs' baby, we would absolutely welcome him/her into our family and love him/her and take care of him/her just as we had our boys. Nothing would change that... ever.
After all, we were talking about the baby which would one day make us the Faulkner Five. This baby was always going to be special... no matter what.
Tune in for Part Two next Tuesday (September 23). It gets a little more complicated!
Weekend Happenings
1. Mike and I have a date tonight... AGAIN! That is TWO WEEKS IN A ROW! It is in the process of being planned, so I'll have to let you know the what, when, how, where, etc. next Tuesday.
2. Mike and I have a date tonight BECAUSE Austin is working at Donoho, Josh is working at Zaxby's and Roxie has a date of her own.
3. On Saturday afternoon, Roxie and I are going to be searching for and GETTING a gown for Homecoming. She was honored as one of the Senior representatives yesterday, and while we immediately went shopping when she came home from school, we still have a store or two to visit.
The good news... She tried on a really, really pretty gown yesterday, and if we do not have any luck tomorrow, we're getting THAT one!
4. Josh has plans with a friend all day Saturday.
5. Austin has up-in-the-air plans.
6. Mike has a to-do list.
We are going to be scattered, to say the least.
7. After church Sunday, we are going to be doing the Wedding Tea "thing." I may or may not have mentioned that earlier in the blog!
I hope you and yours have a great weekend. I'll be back Tuesday with Weekend Wrap-Up, Tea pics, Roxie's Birth Story - Part Two, and so much more.
Take care, and I'll talk to you next week.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
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