scavenger hunt

Our church has the most awesome youth ministry.  Summer has really grown spiritually in the last two years under their leadership.  And our family has done some pretty fun stuff with them, too.  This Sunday we had a scavenger hunt.  It’s meant to be a fun time as a family, working together, laughing together, and building memories.  Oh, I have some memories on this one… Hubby and I yelling at each other and me thinking we should quit after the first clue, losing the clue sheet, TOO MUCH running and hyperventilating, getting creative with the clues when other teams were kicked out of Barnes & Noble, and praying my camera didn’t fall into a moat. 

We didn’t do the 7th clue which was going to Wal-Mart and dressing in all black, but we did get our whole team on a slide, went to the Children’s Museum, found the Bonfire Memorial, took a picture with The Last Song at Barnes & Noble, went to the Amphitheater, and the oldest high school in CS.  All that, and we made it back at 8:00 on the dot… and we took second place… a gift card to Cracker Barrel, one of our favorites! 

All in all it was a very fun evening.  Except for the yelling… and the running… and the exercise induced asthma!

RAoK wrap-up

So Monday was my friend, Sweet Blessings, birthday.  It was a big one.  And all she wanted was for all of her friends to perform a Random Act of Kindness in her honor.  It was fun to watch Facebook that day as people posted what they had done.  Sweet Blessings did 40!  The girls and I chose to do four, one for each decade of Sweet Blessings life.  I know her idea was for many people to be blessed that day, and I can’t help but wonder if she knew that she was going to bless each of us as well…

Our first RAoK was taking some treats to a local firehouse.  We chose the one that our neighbor is stationed at.  He didn’t work that day (and I hope his fellow firemen saved him a treat) but his wife told me that they had worked a pretty bad accident that morning and getting a nice treat was just what those guys needed.  We pulled the treats out of the oven and took them right over.  The fireman that met us seemed a little shocked at what we were doing.  But he was willing to take a picture!

After leaving the firehouse, we headed over to Jimmy John’s for a little lunch.  I love me some Jimmy John’s!  We couldn’t decide exactly what to do next… Buy someone’s lunch?  Give someone a gift card?  While we were eating, it hit us… we bought the other four diners cookies!  It was fun watching their faces as I explained why we were giving them dessert.  They thought it was really nice, said to tell my friend happy birthday, and seemed genuinely surprised. 

From there, we went to Albertson’s to say hello to my dad.  I love popping in on him over there.  He’s always so happy and genuinely surprised.  I always wonder what people think when they see the dairy man kissing a bunch of girls in the aisles of Albertsons!  Albertsons had Gatorade on sale so we gathered up a bunch and headed out to commit RAoK number three.

There is a nice little “beautification project” going on near our house.  These guys are doing a great job and though it’s not that warm yet, they always look like they could use a cold drink.  I was afraid we were going to get the guys in trouble as their boss started to come over to where we were and when he saw my little sign (and I offered him a Gatorade) he smiled and sent over another worker.  This one was fun. 

The last act was a little tricky.  The girls and I had to do a bit of sneaking around but we took care of a little chore for a friend who had just had a lot of company and no working dryer.  Being a laundry fairy for someone else sure is fun… why is my laundry such a chore?

So there you have it.  $20 and a couple of hours and we blessed at least 15 people.  Not bad for a day’s work.  But you know what?  The day blessed MY socks off.  We laughed, we smiled, and felt great all day.   And yesterday?  We were looking for ways to bless people… just for fun!     

              

much rejoicing

March 11, after weeks of asking, talking, and praying, SuperGirl asked Jesus into her heart.  You’d think that after going through this with our other girls that it would be old hat and easy.  But like most things, SuperGirl doesn’t do things the way her sisters did.  And I love that about her.  We learned later, after meeting with Brother Chris, that she’d been thinking about this since Pickles asked Jesus into her heart almost two years ago.  I had no idea.  The first that she mentioned it to me was 2/18.  She’d been watching her school videos when she came to me and said, “Mom, can I ask you something?”

Now, she asks me this same question about 48 times a day.  And usually I tell her “just a minute” or “in a little bit” or “no” because it is usually a stall tactic.  She’s a crafty one.  This time I said yes and what came out of her mouth floored me. 

“I think I want to ask Jesus into my heart.”  Whoa. I wasn’t expecting that.  So I asked her about it and she was very vague about her reasons.  I asked her if we could talk to her dad later and she said sure.  A little while later, she came to me again and said, “Mom, Jesus is knocking on my heart and wants to come in.”  Whoa. Where did that come from?  So I asked her and she explained that her teacher (video school) was talking to the class that morning about becoming a Christian and how Jesus wants to come into our hearts… he’s knocking on the door of the heart!

We talked a little bit that night and asked her if she’d like to go see Brother Chris.  She was willing, which told me she was serious.  So a few weeks later, we had our appointment with the pastor and she was given an assignment… to learn the Wordless Book and come back in a week to teach it to Brother Chris.  SuperGirl and I worked on it all week, telling it to each other, her sisters, the pets, her dolls, anyone who would listen.  And the following week we all went back to the church to talk. 

Brother Chris really felt she had all the concepts down and knew exactly what she was asking to do.  He told us to wait until she brought it up again and go ahead.  The very next night, she came to us and asked if she could ask Jesus into her heart.  She wanted ALL of us there so we brought Pickles and Summer into the room, too.  We prayed, and for the first time, she got emotional about it.  She knew the reasons and the importance of her decision and that was what we were looking for. 

The next morning, she woke up and said to me, “I feel so happy today!”  Jesus had cleaned up that little heart of hers and made her a new creation.  I told her that she wasn’t the only happy one… that her Heavenly Father and his angels were pretty excited, too!

Luke 15:10 ~ “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

The very next Sunday, she went before the church to tell them about her decision and to officially join the church.  Her baptism was scheduled and today we celebrated with her as she was baptized.  That girl was excited.  While we were waiting to go in, she was very quiet, which is very unlike her.  I really wonder what was going on in that little head of hers!  As soon as we came out to go into the church, SuperGirl was greeted by these very sweet girls who grabbed her and hugged her and shared a truckload of excitement and love over her decision.  We are so, so very blessed that we have such a wonderful family, and church family, too.  My heart was full… what a very special day it has been! 

Happy Birthday to the other Shannon!

As I mentioned a few days ago, we should all be nicer to each other and that I had a friend who is getting us all to do something nice... in her honor.

This sweet friend has a very unselfish 40th birthday wish. (Her birthday is Monday, March 29!)There are a ton of us participating in her honor. I think it's the least we could do after we surprised her with a party last week!

I love her ideas... and I love that instead of thinking about herself on her birthday, she is choosing to put others first. Maybe you'd like to join in too! I'm still working on my idea... can't wait to share what I come up with!

where did these young ladies come from?

When Summer left the house the today, she was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, a pair of converse tennis shoes, and her hair in a pony tail.  The next time I saw her she looked like this.  My heart can’t take the growing up.  But, oh, how I’m loving this stage!  I think her daddy better start working on that “how to scare boys away” plan… 

20 is my new favorite number…

What a week it has been around here!  Summer spent the week going to drill team tryout clinics all week preparing for tryouts on Friday.  She had such a good week meeting new people, dancing, and learning some new things.  We bought her outfit, ribbons, and RED lipstick for the big day and she practiced a lot (but not on demand, silly girl).  She stretched, got her splits down great, and kicked, kicked, kicked.  Summer was cool as a cucumber all week, confident in her ability but her mother was a nervous wreck.  Don’t get me wrong… it’s not that I doubted her ability… it’s just a mom’s JOB to worry.  So I told her that I would do all the worrying needed for the two of us until we had the “official results.”

Yesterday came and we spent part of the day shopping and relaxing, keeping her mind off the tryouts.  She wanted to be early to get all stretched, so I took her to the high school where we ran into her dad!  He came by to wish her good luck (or break a leg) and I thought that was the sweetest thing!  I left him and promptly went out for a little retail therapy… Target was never so glad to see me!  Pickles and I wasted some time there and then ran a few more errands before coming home.  Pickles and SuperGirl were nervous, too… they wanted her not to just do good, but GREAT! 

About 2 hours into the tryouts, I got really, really nervous so I called a fellow tryout mom and met her at the school.  We sat in my car for the next hour and a half waiting and talking.  She did a great job of keeping me distracted… until she’d get all excited about something about the drill team and then my mind would start thinking again, “Oh, I hope hope hope she makes it!” 

Finally, around 8:00 pm the girls came filing out of the gym.  Summer said she felt good about the tryout.  REALLY good.  I was still nervous. She informed me that we wouldn’t know the results until 9:15 pm.  And yes, the next hour and fifteen minutes were absolute TORTURE!!  We came home, ate, packed to go to a friend’s house, watched TV, played Words with Friends, and hung out… waiting.

9:15 pm came… and no email from the school.  My phone buzzed with a text from my mom-friend. “WooHoo!!!” It said.  WHAT???? And then, “Did you get the email?”  NO!!!!!  So being the sweet friend she is, she forwarded me hers and I started looking for that magic number… 20.  I read down the list to make sure my friend had read it right and there it was… 20!!!

Summer and I posted the results on Facebook, texted the results to friends, and called a few folks.  It was so fun to see Summer so excited!  Our phones went crazy for the next couple of hours with well wishes from the sweetest friends.  We’d been getting messages all day of friends praying for Summer (and me) and it was so fun to share the excitement with all of them, too. 

I am so, so, so very proud of my sweet Summer.  Even though when I told her so she said, “You’re not going to cry are you?”  Little turkey.  My precious, beautiful, little dancing turkey.  Oh, how I love that girl!  This is the best way to start off her public school experience.  Now we just need to get her enrolled!! 

Congratulations, Sweet Summer Girl, one of the newest members of the 3rd Line of the RangeRettes, 2010-2011 school year!

 

what moms and dads do when the kids are gone...

SuperGirl and Pickles were trying real hard to get to go spend the night at Grammy's house this weekend. They had all kinds of reasons for us to go... there's a 4H dance this weekend and Hubby and I could go dancing... we could get a good night's sleep because SuperGirl wouldn't be able to crawl in bed with us... and my favorite, "Moms and Dads just need to be alone sometimes."

I was curious how they knew so much about Moms and Dads so I questioned them further. I asked, "WHY do Moms and Dads need to be alone, without the kids around?" They just kept saying, "Because," and, "Well, because it's good for you to be together without us around." I still wasn't satisfied with that and pressed further...

"Why do you REALLY think Mom and Dad need to be alone, all night, without you kids around? What will we do that we can't do when you guys are here?"

And sweet, silly SuperGirl replied, "You can watch cop shows!"

can you spare a square?

Funny how Seinfeld imitates real life...

Last weekend, after driving two hours home from Houston, we had to make a stop at Target for some science project supplies. Summer went in while I waited in the car and while I was waiting, the two hour drive and the large Sonic drink caught up with me. So... I hopped out of the car and headed in to use the ladies room, leaving my purse in the car.

After sitting down, I looked over and don't you know it, there was no paper on the roll. Realizing I had no purse and tissues, I looked down and noticed that there were people using the stalls on either side of me. I politely said, "Excuse, me, but I seem to be out of toilet paper... do either of you have extra?"

And the lady on my left very quickly replied, "No."

It was at this point that I thought... "Ew. She didn't have any and now she just told me that she didn't have any!" And I started to ask the lady on my right if she had any when I heard toilet paper being pulled out of the roll holder to my left.

So obviously, the crazy person to my left DID have paper, but was unwilling to share it. It's Target's toilet paper! What was it going to hurt her to share? I was sitting there, thinking about what to say next when her hand appeared from under the partition with a handful of toilet paper.

Now tell me, what kind of person is unwilling to share in a situation like that? Well, I was curious, so I finished up quickly, realizing that both women left the bathroom without washing their hands so I washed up as fast as I could to get out and catch a peek...

It was two grown women; I think it was mother and daughter. So the one lied and said she didn't have any and the other remained silent the whole time. Wow. It's a sign of the times I guess... so just remember, when you have a chance to do something nice for someone, do it. Even if it's as small as sharing toilet paper with a stranger, or giving up your seat on the bus, or letting someone ahead of you in line... We should all be nicer to each other!

{Stay tuned... I have a friend who is all over this kind of thing... and you can get involved, too!}

smart boy!

Hanging out with this little guy is bucketloads of fun.  While playing at my house the other day, he discovered SuperGirl’s homework and decided he would help her.  We learned to read a thermometer, did a few addition facts, and poked some holes in the paper.  He loves pens and pencils.  LOVES them.  The only thing he loves more is writing with said instruments.  I guess it’s a good thing SuperGirl’s teacher didn’t mind receiving a finished paper that was full of holes! 

Project Dance

Our dance studio took part in a dance weekend called Project Dance.  It’s a weekend where  Christian dancers and dance companies come together in a public setting to dance and minister to those in a specific city.  Since we are close to Houston, that’s where we went.  The opening day of the weekend it was beautiful.  The sun was shining and it was warm and balmy.  The next morning, however, it was raining cats and dogs and the wind was from the north, cold and gusty.  To say we were miserable is an understatement.  There weren’t many people just hanging out in downtown Houston that day so the audience was mostly parents and siblings who were bundled up in coats, ponchos, blankets, and under umbrellas while the dancers moved about in their costumes (and ponchos and rain boots).  The first thing the dancers did was learn a “group dance” that they would perform every hour on the hour.  The song they danced to was called, “I am not Forgotten.”  It was the perfect song for this kind of thing… the words say, “I am not forgotten, God knows my name.”  And it’s catchy.  It was fun to see folks who were not “the dancers” join in the dancing. 

 

Even though it was bitter cold, the girls all seemed to enjoy themselves.  There were smiles everywhere (although teeth were chattering, too!).  Having a REASON for their dancing and dancing for their Lord and His glory made the day fun and a blessing to those who were there watching.

Summer’s dance group had many opportunities to dance throughout the day.  They did some lyrical, some hip-hop, but it was all fun to watch.  There were folks there from Dance Revolution, as well as others doing ballet, jazz, theater, contemporary, and worship dances.  There was something for everyone!  I only wish the weather had been nicer and more folks would have been out to enjoy the “entertainment” and ultimately be blessed by the hearts of all of these dancers.  I know I was blessed!  Cold, but blessed!

 

friendship

I don’t know how to explain the friendship between these kids.  They get to see each other about once a year for a day or so.  And yet they spend the other 364 days of the year planning to see each other again.  We planned to get down to see them and their parents over spring break.  We only had 24 hours with them, but boy did they cram a lot of stuff in.

The last time they were together, they made a movie.  And from the second the director said, “That’s a wrap!” they started planning the next one. This year’s movie proved to be a little disturbing. Personally, I think they all watch a little too much Law & Order or something. There’s just something about seeing your babies begging for their lives with guns waving and escaped convicts running loose. The acting, directing, and producing of this movie (Killer Al) was actually quite good, though.

So the next morning, they decided to make a music video. I’m still waiting for it to come out of production.  It’s a secret project, but I can tell you this much… there is karate… and a special appearance by two very “famous” people.

Their mom and I visited and talked a lot.  She made pizza for the kids but made a special trip to a local tea room for grown up, girly food.  And we sat in her beautiful dining room drinking sweet tea and eating cheese soup and cucumber sandwiches.  Oh, and did I mention that I got to hold and kiss on this sweet thing?

I sure do wish we lived closer to each other so our visits weren’t so few and far between.  I’m just so, so thankful for a friendship that picks up right where we left off and is so easy and comfortable.  It’s a God-given gift and fills my heart. 

make new friends… but keep the old…

 

Over spring break we left town to go visit old friends.  I think I just called P old.  Well, I’m old, so I guess that makes her old, too.  Goodness knows, having children the age we were when we became friends makes me feel old! 

And would you just look at that picture and see how much taller Summer is than me?  Wow, any denial I was in about her being taller than me is gone now… I’m old AND short!

You can only imagine how much chatting went on in this house in the 24 hours we were there.  Seven females and P’s poor hubby. Talk, talk, talk.  I swear my jaw hurt when I left. We covered everything from families to teenagers to high school friends. P went to her high school reunion a few months ago… and we stayed up until the AM hours looking at yearbooks and talking about people we knew.

The girls jumped right in to playing and hanging out with each other.  There was talking, playing, coloring, movie watching, stair sliding, and marshmallow shooting all day!  We went to dinner at the coolest place.  It was a hibachi grill.  The girls were wide-eyed and had a ball.  The food was great!  We are definitely going to have to try that again. 

Our visit was too short.  We just don’t get the opportunity to visit as much as I’d like, but I’m so glad we can just pop in on this family and get my fill of fellowship and friendship! 

happy 42nd birthday, hubs!

 

What could be more appropriate than a 42 party for a man who is turning 42?  A SURPRISE 42 party for a man who is turning 42.  Planning this was so much fun.  He had no idea.  NO.IDEA.  Do you know how hard it is to get something past this guy?  Funny thing is, SuperGirl was surprised, too.  Nope.  We didn’t tell her a thing.  So it was kind of like getting two for one on the surprise!

As you can see, the theme was 42, as in the domino game.  I spent the whole week looking for these cheap wooden black and white dominoes to decorate the cupcakes with only to find out my mother had a set the whole time.  She’s so handy to have around!  We even found black and white polka dotted napkins to go along!  (I know Hubby really appreciated the polka dotted napkins, haha.)

I invited our whole Sunday school class, our parents, and Hubby’s aunt and uncle to meet us at a local restaurant for burgers and dominoes.  Turns out, this place isn’t very busy on Sunday afternoons so we had the place pretty much to ourselves.  And that is a good thing because the “SURPRISE” they yelled would have scared everyone else away.  Hubby was stunned.  Speechless.  It was great! 

Everyone enjoyed burgers, cupcakes, fellowship, and some domino playing, which we haven’t done in 42 forevers.  I’m so thankful we have such sweet, fun friends and family who came out to celebrate the day with us.  Happy Birthday, Hubby!

    

houston livestock show and rodeo

Thanks to a very generous friend, we acquired four tickets to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo this year to see Tim McGraw.  She asked if anyone would be interested and I jumped on those tickets F*A*S*T!  Summer had dance class so the rest of us loaded up and headed down to H-town to see a little cowboy action and some smelly animals!  Thank goodness most everything is indoors because the wind and chill were crazy that day!  And also, thank goodness we brought our own photographer with us so we could have a family picture taken in front of Reliant Stadium!

We got there with just enough time to make a run through to see the steers, bunnies, chickens, and sheep.  SuperGirl really wanted to feed the animals in the petting zoo, so we did that, too, just before feeding ourselves on the food concourse.  OH MY GOODNESS.  Where to even start there?  I really wanted to stop in at the deep fried Twinkies, but we moved on to the taco hamburger and ginormous burrito smothered in cheese.  Of course, I saved a little room for a funnel cake.  And a sausage on a stick.  And a couple bottles of water.  Hey, I didn’t want to add calories with a Coke.  Don’t judge me.

One of my most favorite events of the rodeo evening is the calf scramble.  I’m such an emotional sap, cheering on kids I don’t even know and getting so excited when they pull their calf back into the middle.  This poor girl got dragged… and dragged… and she wrestled that calf into the halter.  Then the calf got dragged… and dragged… back toward the center.  The girl was exhausted.  And then, here’s what I love about the spirit of the rodeo, three of her competitors helped push, prod, and shove that calf in for her.  When the two of them crossed the line, this poor girl collapsed on the dirt, spent.  And I was up the stands, cheering like I was her own mother.  I need help.

After all the rodeo-ing was done, the broncs, the bulls, the chuck wagon races, the barrel racing, and the bull dogging, they brought out the stage and one very handsome singer came out.  I’ve always liked Tim McGraw.  He seemed very down to earth and humble.  And he even came off that stage and made his way around the perimeter of the entire floor of the Reliant Stadium, shaking hands, and waving at fans.  It was a great way to end the evening… even though he sang a George Strait song and forgot some of the words!  Hubby spent the whole concert waiting for Faith to make an appearance.  And SuperGirl, I think she’s a fan of concerts now.  She clapped and waved and screamed until her throat hurt.  It was so cute when she asked, “Do I have to keep screaming?” 

It was a great family evening.  Thank you so much for the night out, friend!  We sure enjoyed it!