RANDOMNESS #1 - A leftover pic from Pepper Place...
I have so many problems taking care of "real" plants, can you imagine if I had a breakable flower in my yard?
Not good.
Not good at all.
RANDOMNESS #2 - A leftover pic from Josh's Birthday Celebration...
Fun fact for you... Josh is a huge fan of the Group Hug, but only if he is in the mood and he instigates it.
He was in the mood last Sunday.
RANDOMNESS #3 - The week of Homecoming/Brad and Stephanie's Wedding was just a little busy... so how I found time to get a mani-pedi is baffling to me.
That being said, I didn't NEED a mani-pedi for any of the Homecoming stuff, but I kinda really needed one for Brad and Stephanie's Wedding because other than the Bride, the Mother of the Bride and the Mother of the Groom, everyone knows the Aunt of the Groom is like the most important Chick present!
Am I right?
All that to say, I needed to be well-groomed.
So on Thursday evening before Friday (Homecoming) and Saturday (Wedding), I slipped into the mani-pedi place and sat in one of the big massage chairs while a woman I don't know very well at all rubbed my feet.
And it felt delightful, I tell you.
But I must have been a little stressed, because when we headed over to the nail station, the woman asked me, "Are you okay?"
I didn't realize, but during my time in the massage chair, I never unclenched my fists.
"Oh, yeah. Well, I'm the Mother of a chick in the Homecoming Court AND the Aunt of the Groom in a wedding, and I just have a lot on my mind."
"You need to look good," she stated.
"Well, as good as a 53 year-old woman with a daughter in the Homecoming Court and a nephew getting married can possibly look," I replied. "I usually just try to be really, really clean, but this week calls for that little bit of extra... You know?"
And she did know. She nodded her head up and down several times before speaking again.
"If you will come in tomorrow morning, I'll slip you in and fix your eyebrows," she said without looking up.
My eyebrows? My eyebrows?
What the heck was wrong with my eyebrows?
"It doesn't do any good to have your toes and fingernails done if your eyebrows look like that?" she said.
I'll be honest with you.
I tend to have a problem with anyone who totally dismisses me as a human being worth looking at because of my eyebrows.
I really do.
And I'm not talking Brooke Shields eyebrows.
I have pretty normal, everyday eyebrows... not too big and not too little.
Not too dark and not too light.
And I'm not going to have them ripped off my forehead with hot wax.
That just isn't me.
So, I let the woman finish my nails, paid her and slipped out the door with my head looking down because I didn't want to offend (or worse yet, SCARE) anyone because of my hideous eyebrows.
Mikie gave me a little reassurance when I told him the story.
"I've never even noticed your eyebrows. I tend to be a leg man myself," he stated proudly.
"Is there anything wrong with my legs?" I asked.
"Nope. Not a thing," he so wisely replied.
For the record, I'm not getting my eyebrows done for Austin and Melia's wedding either...
And my legs are going to look great!
Quotable Quotes
"The grass isn't greener on the other side. It's green where you water it." Anonymous
Blog Linkage - Go to www.missionalmotherhood.com and read the recent posts beginning with #MomLifeUnfiltered. Great, great posts.
Way Back When...
These two items were first posted in October of 2009.
Josh's Birth Day Story - Part Three
Bringing Joshua home from the hospital was much less traumatic than Austin's trip home. For one thing, we only had to drive to Gardendale rather than Cullman. For another, we were experienced parents now, having successfully raised an almost three year-old little boy. We knew what we were doing!
The addition of Joshua to our family went pretty smoothly. Austin was attentive and protective, and Joshua thought Austin was the most entertaining person around.
Until Roxie arrived, the first three years of Josh's life consisted of liking and doing anything and everything his older brother liked and did. "What's your favorite color, Josh?"
"Orange," he would reply... Austin's favorite color.
"What's your favorite food, Josh?"
"Pizza," he would reply... Austin's favorite food.
"What's your favorite animal, Josh?"
"Tiger," he would reply... Austin's favorite animal.
"This kid is never going to have a personality of his own," I complained to Mike one evening. "I don't know of one thing he likes that is different from Austin."
For some reason the closer it came for Roxie's arrival, Josh decided to become his own person. I watched him as he and Austin colored one day, both holding an orange crayon in their hands. Josh stopped coloring, and put the orange crayon down. He picked up a black one and slowly started coloring.
"What are you doing?" Austin asked, amazed.
"I like black," Josh replied without looking up. And as the week wore on, we discovered he liked macaroni and cheese better than pizza; and his favorite animal was a dinosaur and not a tiger; and his favorite superhero was Spiderman and not Batman. Once he got started, he definitely had a mind of his own. He still does.
I've never really thought of him as a "middle child." We've always told him how fortunate he is to be both a little brother AND a big brother. Roxie and Austin will never get to experience both. And he has the privilege of having a brother AND a sister. Roxie will never be able to say that!
As I said last week, Austin was my total obsession and Roxie was my heart's desire. But Josh... Josh is my heart. He always has been. I understand him and he understands me. It doesn't mean I love him more because I don't. It's just part of God's wonderful plan. You may have one child or you may have 20 children... They all bring something different to the table.
And Josh brought a black crayon, a dinosaur and mac and cheese.
Happy Fall, Y'all Party
This is a party for fall lovers, young and old. It includes old-fashioned fun, relays and great food.
Invite up to ten people (teenagers or adults) and have the following activities. This party is definitely an outside party, so check the weather often and have a Plan B if you have to move it inside at the last minute.
Wheelbarrow Races - You will need two wheelbarrows, a little hay and two blankets for this race. After you have "padded" each wheelbarrow with hay and a blanket, divide the guests into two teams. Once the teams are divided equally, one person will ride in the wheelbarrow while another person pushes them to a designated tree or bale of hay at the other end of the yard. Each team will have to push the wheelbarrow around the tree or hay and make it back to their team. Depending on numbers, make sure everyone gets at least one turn pushing OR riding. For the relay to be fun, there should be at least THREE runs per team.
Pumpkin Chunkin' - This is hard for a pumpkin lover like myself, but it is fun, too. Again, supply as many medium-sized pumpkins as there are people. If there are too many people, ask each team to pick two of their strongest players to chunk a pumpkin. (You will only need two pumpkins per team.) Standing behind a line, let the two members of each team take turns chunkin' their pumpkin as far as they can. Measure the distance to see who wins this game.
Scarecrow Relay - Give each team the following items:
1 pair of overalls
1 flannel shirt
1/2 bale of hay
1 farmer's hat
1 pumpkin (for the head)
1 Sharpie marker (to decorate the face)
1 lawn chair (to let the scarecrow sit when finished)
When you begin the relay, the team who finishes their scarecrow first wins. The scarecrow has to be able to sit independently in the chair (head and all) for it to be considered totally finished.
Pumpkin Pie Throwing Contest - You do NOT have to make a dozen pumpkin pies to be wasted. Use food coloring to make an inexpensive brand of whipped cream orange. Tape three or four quarters to the bottom of the pie tin before adding the whipped cream. Then divide into teams and have them take turns trying to hit the target. (The target could be the scarecrows you just finished making.) Adding the quarters will give the pie tin a little weight and allow them to throw it farther. The team who hits the target the most times will win.
Searching For a Penny in a Haystack - Make two piles of loose hay (fairly large piles). Drop 10 to 20 pennies in each pile in different spots. Give each team a time limit (1 to 2 minutes) to go through their pile of hay and find as many pennies as possible. The team with the most pennies is the winner.
You can finish off the evening with an old-fashioned hayride around the neighborhood. If you are taking teenagers and you don't have a trailer to pull them, you can use loose hay in the back of a truck with them sitting DOWN and SAFELY ride around a large neighborhood in the crisp, fall air.
ADDITIONS - If you begin this party before dark, you can let the kids or adults play horseshoes or bob for apples.
TODAY is the day to plan this party for family and friends. I've had three of them, and they are always a lot of fun!
Here are a few pictures from last year's get-together...
We call these "game faces."
Are you ready for some football?
Wheelbarrow races.
Flag football.
Apple bobbin' at it's best!
And the final pic for the day... The Silly Group Photo!
Devotions from a Pumpkin Patch
Thumbtack Pumpkin
You will need the following:
Three Pumpkins (to stack)
Decorative Thumbtacks
Devotion - “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:14-15
Joshua was faithful to the Lord, and as long as he lived, Israel followed the Lord wholeheartedly.
However, after Joshua died, the men of Israel began marrying women from other places who worshiped other gods.
The Bible says, “I am the LORD, and there is no one else, there is no God beside me.” Isaiah 45:5
Slowly, but surely, the more Israel worshiped other gods, they were unable to follow the one true God on their own.
Like the Israelites, we are incapable of serving the Lord on our own. Even though God is faithful, we are constantly unfaithful and practice idolatry. We may not worship other gods, but we sometimes put other things in front of God... like sports, or spending time with our friends or wanting to stay home on Sunday morning to do other things instead of going to church to worship God.
Before Joshua died, he said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!”
God should always, always comes first.
Our first pumpkin has a big “G” on the front. Let’s put thumbtacks on the big “G.”
The second pumpkin has a big “O” on the front. Let’s put thumbtacks on the big “O.”
The third pumpkin has a big “D” on the front. Let’s put thumbtacks on the big “D.”
Let’s put this together in a way pleasing to God.
“D” goes on the bottom.
“O” goes on top of “D.”
“G” goes on top of “O.”
That spells “GOD.”
When someone comes to your house and they see your stacked pumpkins, they might ask you why it spells “GOD,” and you can tell them...
“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
End in prayer.
Weekend Happenings
1. We have another super-busy October weekend ahead of us. Tonight, Roxie and a friend are heading to Mississippi for the Auburn game tomorrow. They are meeting other friends there, and she's going to experience being on campus during an SEC football showdown.
2. Austin will be working the Donoho game and Josh will be watching a movie with a friend.
3. That leaves me and Mikie.
Can you keep a secret?
I don't think I'm cooking tonight.
I may be wrong, but I'm definitely leaning in that direction!
4. Mike and I are heading to Lauren's 3rd Birthday Celebration tomorrow. (Remember? Lauren is our great niece.)
I have an excellent gift for her. She is going to love me SO much!
5. Austin will be producing the Auburn game at the radio station, and Mike and Josh will be watching the game from the comfort of our den.
6. Some of us are heading to Bev's after the game for a get-together honoring Miss Katie who just finished all of her classes and is now a Dental Assistant. Very, very proud of this Chick!
7. I'm pretty sure Sunday will be full of all kinds of catching up and getting ready for the upcoming week...
But after we all go to church!
Have an awesome October weekend. I'll be back Tuesday with pics from a family cookout, some beagle pics, Wedding News and much, much more.
Take care, and I'll talk to you next week.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
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