Thursday, September 29, 2005

My dh is a cyber-entrepreneur!

Dh has just started a new website that allows users to sell their garage sale stuff locally and online!  No more shipping, you can see it before you buy it, and you can post items for free.  So please check back to see his progress!  Over time, it should look a lot like a local one that we frequent in our area.  And if y'all know anyone who lives in Wilmington NC, Fort Worth TX or Denton TX, please spread the word-- our dear friends would appreciate it!


 


I'm so proud of him! He is so smart, funny, handsome, as well as a fabulous husband and amazing daddy-- I am so glad he is MINE!!! 

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Still rejoicing over the treasure I found yesterday!

I never realized how much of a bread-y I am...you know, addicted to bread, muffins, cakes, etc. But my oh my-- hurricane Rita has emptied the shelves at the grocery store of many things-- milk, water, batteries, soda, chips, hamburger meat and BREAD!!!  This includes any type of bun, tortilla or pita. 


 


I have not seen any in the stores since LAST WEDNESDAY!  That's an entire week...until yesterday when joy of joys!  I was able to get 2 loaves of Mrs. Baird's white bread at Sam's Club.  They had 2 whole palletes at the front of the store.  If I was a smart woman, I would've bought more to give to all of my friends...but alas, by the time I checked out they were all gone!  I ended up keeping one for myself and gave one to my best friend.  So I have bread...but forgot the lunchmeat...which is also unavailable in most stores.  *sigh*  Oh well, at least I still have electricity which is still nonexistent in many places that are just a mile or so away from my house.


 


Off to hunt for some ham and some bread for my friends!  Oh and it almost got me to bake my own...momma2themax has posted a recipe that I may try...one day...


 


~Marsha


 


PS Take a look at today's verse of the day:


 


And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.


~John 1:14


 


Isn't that amazing--that God loves us SO MUCH, He sent His only son to this lowly world...just to save us?!!!

Monday, September 26, 2005

Our sorta normal day

Well, I guess it's time to get on with our normal life...so long as we don't look out the window at all the stuff in the driveway and yard!


 


We resumed our lessons today and it went very well.  While I am pleased with Sonlight overall, it was a rocky beginning talking about the cave people and such in The Usborne Children's Encyclopedia.  Today, however, it was very interesting as we talked about ancient Egypt.  I also came across this great website for kids on Egypt-- we had lots of fun with the hieroglyphics name converter at the bottom of the site.    The boys thought it was quite silly for the children to run around naked when it was hot-- something they didn't want to do since others would make fun of them.  And also thought it was icky for the women AND men to wear make-up...they did, however, long to sleep on the roof of the house whenever it's hot!  I think they'll remember at least a little bit of this for quite a while.

Sunday, September 25, 2005

We're home!!!

Thank y'all so much for your prayers!  We made it home last night and took the same easy route we took when we left-- no problems and no traffic...no gas either but we still made it home with 1/4 tank to spare.


 


Our house is just fine...just littered with pine needles, leaves and branches.  The roof and yard are going to take quite a while to clean up, especially with the 103 degree heat outside.    I'm not angry about it but the heat is so intense that you do feel like you're going to burn up!


 


Dh's parents made it to our house today...just in time for us to tell them that we were able to talk to someone at the sheriff's department who's daughter had been by their house earlier today (they leave just east of Jasper and just north of Beaumont).  It is still standing with no major damage...just a loss of a gigantic tree that fell to the side of the house and fence damage.  They are anticipating no water and electricity out there for at least a week so we will have some company for a while (pleasant company at least!).   They left our house after lunch today to see how their home fared and will be back tonight.


 


God is sooo good!  I just can't say it enough!  We certainly don't deserve all of these blessings and His guidance, but He give us more than we could ever hope for or dream of.  I really need to stop being amazed when He graciously answers our prayers...He's never failed us so why am I continually amazed?  We asked for safe and quick travel and He gave it to us...only 5 hours on the road, which is 30 minutes longer than it normally takes us.  We asked for Him to protect our home...and He did.  We asked for our friends to stay safe as they rode out the storm...every single one of them are fine and even have electricity!


 


I guess all I can say is THANK YOU, LORD for all of your blessings!


 


~Marsha

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Hurricane report from our neighbor

One of our neighbors decided to stay put for the storm.  She called us this morning to let us know that she had 2 trees down in her yard, lots of debris, but no significant damage to her home or to ours (that she could tell).  What a wonderful blessing!  We currently still have electricity and there is NO flooding!  We at least expected flooding-- so yippeee!!!  Things aren't quite over yet, but they sure are looking good!   God is SO GOOD to us-- so much more than we deserve!

 

We are anxious to get back in town and will probably head towards home later today, weather permitting.  Dh is off of work until Monday but has talked about going to work tomorrow-- so if someone else has damage to their homes, he can work for them and they can stay home to straighten things out.

 

The hurricane is currently right over Jasper with 100mph winds.  Jasper is the next big town from my father-in-law's house...it is about 15 miles away.  At least if things are bad there, his folks can stay at our place in the meantime.

 

Thanks for your prayers and we'll keep y'all posted!  For our friends who stayed, I hope y'all are doing well and that you'll keep us posted on your situations.

 

God bless you,

Marsha

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Update on our whereabouts

We are safe and sound further away than we had originally planned.  We left our home at 1:30am and arrived at my parents' house in Fort Worth at 6:30am this morning (Thursday).  That's only 5 hours of driving!!!  Praise the Lord!  He is so good to us!


 


Our original plan was to go to my in-laws in Newton (just 2 hours away).  At the last minute their air conditioner went out and with temps of 100 degrees, staying at their place was now NOT an option.  So we mapped out some back roads to Fort Worth and made it so quickly with virtually no traffic!  This was definitely not the case for the majority of evacuees who chose to take I-45 or even Hwy 59 north.


 


What a blessing for their a/c to have been out-- although at the time we were very very disappointed!  Dh's parents were planning to stay at their home, after all it's over 3 hours away from Galveston.  They changed their mind when the sheriff drove around town with his bullhorn urging all residents to leave.  The southern part of their county had a mandatory evacuation, but their's was voluntary...so they took no chances.  If God had not broken their a/c when He did, we would've traveled all the way to their house and then would've had to go the complete opposite direction for a second evacuation!  This would have undoubtedly tripled our drive time and gotten us caught up in some terrible traffic.


 


Instead, my gracious Lord allowed us to have a straight shot with no traffic and allowed the baby and my big boys to sleep the entire drive!!!  No fussing, fighting, or whining...just a quiet, peaceful drive with my dh.


 


Please continue to pray for my many friends who remain in Houston to ride out the storm.  They are all so dear to my heart!


 


God bless you and thank you all for your prayers-- God does listen!


 


Marsha

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

How do you fit your entire life in your minivan?

As we're loading up the van and boarding up our very old, weak windows, I began thinking about my life.  What really matters.  So how do YOU pack your entire life into your minivan?


 


Husband- check.


Kids- check.


Pictures- check.


Clothes, diapers, formula, snacks & water for the road, important documents- check.


Family Bible- check.


 


Very creepy. Especially going to the grocery store and seeing shelves empty.  Seeing gas stations closed because they've already run out of gas.  And Rita isn't even here yet!


 


I am so thankful that I have a MIGHTY God who shows His power and strength!  I am thankful that that's not all He shows-- He also shows His grace, provision, and mercy.


 


Okay, back to loading things up.


 

Hurricane Rita headed our way

Right now, Hurricane Rita is expected to make landfall near Houston/Galveston late Friday evening.  It is currently a Category 4 storm with winds at over 140mph.  Back in 1983, Hurricane Alicia was a Category 3 storm that packed winds of 125mph and spawned 23 tornadoes.  This is going to be even worse!


 


I'm now waiting for dh to get home from work so I can run to the store and get things ready for us to leave.  We will be heading to his parents' house which is 2 hours northeast of us.  Before that we have to clear the yard of any possible projectiles, bring tables and chairs in, and raise some stuff up in the garage for fear of flooding.  Many parts of Houston are very susceptible to flooding due to the bayous which run all over.


 


Please keep us in your prayers for safe travel and for the many people who will either choose to or are forced to stay behind.  In our area, there are thousands of families living in trailers and mobile homes-- they will be completely devastated by this!


 


Also, there are many oil refineries near the coast in Texas City and League City.   I am hoping that these refineries stay intact and operational as all of us are suffering from the already high price of fuel.


 


God bless y'all!


Marsha


 


PS Amy Beth has a great story on her blog you just have to read!

Monday, September 19, 2005

First Soccer Game

Here are a couple of pictures from Dash's first soccer game.  It's funny how it is an Under 6 game, which is non-competetive (they don't keep score).  But everyone knows that all of the dad's were keeping score in their heads!  This being the case, our little man's team The Jets won their first game 7-4.  Although Dash didn't score any goals, he played great defense, ran really fast, got some good kicks in, had the best attitude and was the only kid cheering for his whole team.  We couldn't be more proud of our little super-star!



 



 


And here's the bonus pic of the day. 





Saturday, September 17, 2005

Tinkertoys and death to Hot Wheels

We went to Sam's Club tonight and lo and behold the gigantic canister of Tinkertoys!  David and I told the kids that maybe they can have something like that for Christmas.  Since that is an eternity away, the kids begged please, please, please can we have that?  Although dh and I were glad that they had good taste in toys, we were not going to buy them this gift.  So the boys had a huddle and decided that they think they have $40 at home in their piggy banks and wallets...we relented in the hopes that we would not have to return this purchase due to a lack of funds on their part.


 


Now, it is a little odd for my 4yo and 6yo to have more money in their wallets than I do in mine!  But I guess that's what happens when I make them put most of their gift money away and then they forget about it.  We raced home and I was very relieved to find that they did have the money (and some to spare!).  I'm also pleased to report that they've been creating and inventing in their rooms all night. 


 


You know, they have spent hours and hours playing and creating with cardboard building blocks, their wooden train set, and now these Tinkertoys.  All the battery operated toys, however, get very little play time and usually sit at the bottom of the toy box or carelessly tossed under the bed...remote controlled toys, little robot dog, and my nemesis-- hot wheels race tracks! 


 


I hate those things!  They have actually been banned as gifts in our home...and yet the grandparents or aunts just can't seem to pass them up for b-days or Christmas.  I will pay my sisters back one day.  Their future children will be receiving lots of battery-life-draining tracks with 6 page instruction books and track that doesn't quite snap tightly together enough...and where the entire set is completely useless if you lose or break a single part of it.  Watch, they'll probably have girls who aren't interested at all in this kind of stuff.  And I'll probably be nice and forgiving and give those cool National Geographic toys instead...*sigh*  It's not easy being me...

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Family Picture (slightly dated)

Dh has mentioned that there is not a picture of him on my blog...so lest he thinks that I'm trying to portray the image of a single mom...here ya go, baby!  What a handsome man!  Too bad I have the come-on-and-get-this-pic-over-with plastered smile on my face...or is it the my-arms-are-tired-and-babies-are-lots-of-work plastered smile?....


 


 


And since I'm posting a pic, thought I'd throw in another fav...

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Please take this poll-- I really need an answer!

I have really been bothered lately about my use of this word.  I instinctively type it one way, but the rules of grammar (or is it spelling) dictate that I do it a different way.  I've noticed this word used both ways on several blog's here...at least on those who are from the south.  So please help me settle this once and for all!   And feel free to leave any thoughts/comments.  Oh and be HONEST on how you usually spell it!


<form method=post action=http://poll.pollhost.com/vote.cgi>
<table border=0 width=275 bgcolor=#FFFF00 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2>
<tr><td colspan=2><font face="Arial" size=-1 color="#008888"><b>Do you ever use the word ya'll/y'all?  If so, do you prefer y'all or ya'll?</b></font></td></tr>
<tr><td width=10><input type=radio name=answer value=1></td><td><font face="Arial" size=-1 color="#008888">No.</font></td></tr>
<tr><td width=10><input type=radio name=answer value=2></td><td><font face="Arial" size=-1 color="#008888">Yes, and the correct way to spell it is Y'ALL!</font></td></tr>
<tr><td width=10><input type=radio name=answer value=3></td><td><font face="Arial" size=-1 color="#008888">Yes, and the correct way to spell it is YA'LL!</font></td></tr>


<tr><td width=10><input type=radio name=answer value=4></td><td><font face="Arial" size=-1 color="#008888">Absolutely not!  I refuse to butcher the English language.</font></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan=2>
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</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor=#FFFFFF colspan=2 align=right><font face="Arial" size=-2 color="#000000"><a href=http://www.pollhost.com/><font color=#000099>Free polls from Pollhost.com</font></a></font></td></tr>
</table></form>


Monday, September 12, 2005

Our first day of school (finally!)

Better late than never, right?


 


Well, after Tank's doctor's appointment we started our first day of school.  The baby went down for a nap (he was really over-tired) and we marched downstairs to our schoolroom like good little soldiers.  This year Dash is in the first grade and Tank is just listening in and doing age appropriate activities (coloring, cutting, pasting, tracing).   We started with the usual recitation of the date and Pledge of Allegiance, as well as prayer asking for God's blessings on our school year.  Then we started our first read-aloud-- The Boxcar Children.  Dash was SO interested in the story and paid attention the entire time!   He didn't even get upset when we talked about the children's parents being dead and the definition of orphan.


 


I've been a bit nervous about starting since we switched to a new curriculum this year--from Five in a Row to Sonlight (Core K w/Advanced Readers).   I loved FIAR and the great books that it used.  However, *I* really needed more structure for my peace of mind.  I am so glad that God brought me to Sonlight!  I love the literature based approach and that it covers all subjects almost every day.  Plus, it is SO EASY with a 4-day or 5-day schedule already planned out for 36 weeks of lessons.  Subjects covered are History, Geography, Science (Usborne), Read-Aloud's, Language Arts (including spelling), Bible.  Handwriting and Math are on my own (Italic Handwriting and Math-U-See).


 


It sounds extremely busy but in reality it only took us two hours (not counting math).  Dash did really well! I was surprised that he had absolutely no problems with spelling and science.  In science we learned about the water cycle and rainbows...which was quite a lot of info for a single day.   We practiced spelling on the white board and left it up for daddy to see when he got home from work. 


 


We also read "The Crow and the Pitcher" and did our own little study.  We filled a glass with water and tried to see if the kids could drink it without using their hands (which they couldn't).  Then I had them add one pebble (marbles in our case) at a time.  They watched the water level slowly rise with each addition.  Finally, the water was at the rim and they could take a sip.  They learned that it really did take that crow a long time to drop all of those pebbles into the pitcher in order to get a drink-- good thing he didn't give up too soon!  And that patience and perserverence have great rewards.


 


I'm really looking forward to tomorrow and how much easier it should be...although we all know how that goes.  Things ended up a little hairy today trying to keep the baby entertained (since his nap was only an hour long). 


 


Good night, ya'll!!!


 


Finally starting school today and my scatterbrain...

...I guess I'm lucky just to have any brains at all!


 


Why, oh why, did I schedule my son's 4 year well-check at 10:30am when I knew that I had to start school today!!! 


 


So we will have a very wonky first day of school that will probably start after lunch.  So much for getting started on a much needed R-O-U-T-I-N-E...  Who am I kidding, anyway?  My family and life is far from routine!  I guess that's the joy of homeschooling, right?


 


Geeze...you'd think I was pregnant with how duh! I've been lately (and no, I am not prego and no offense to those who are-- but you have to admit that being prego makes you  in the head).


 


Yikes!  I just realized that I have been around some prego friends lately...do you think that their prego-virus has spread to me?!

Friday, September 9, 2005

I am now a soccer mom (yikes!)

Dash had his first soccer practice last night.  I am so glad that dh was there so I didn't have to stay for the whole thing, especially with a wiggly, drowsy baby (who was in a particularly good mood considering what he went through yesterday morning).


 


Dash's soccer team is recreational (as opposed to competetive) and comprised of 6yo's.  We will have practice only once a week (praise the Lord!) and a game every Saturday for 10 weeks, the first game being on September 17th. 


 


My dh is very excited!  He played soccer since he was 4 years old and then all the way through college.  His dad was his coach for the majority of those years.  I, on the other hand, am happy to see my big boy in his adorable soccer uniform...but not quite looking forward to carting the kids back and forth to practice and games, especially with baby in tow (who can't walk yet...just crawl on the grass, dirt and ants) and dh probably working.  But I don't want to be a complainer so that's my one vent for the day! 


 


SO I guess that makes me a soccer mom!!!  Am I that old already?  To have a child who is big enough to play an organized sport?  Does that mean I need a cardigan sweater and a strand of pearls?  At least I have the requisite minivan.  Anything else I need?  I don't want to break any rules of etiquette here. 

Thursday, September 8, 2005

We're back from the hospital...

...and everything went well this morning.  We woke up my little chunky-monkey a little before 5am this morning, gave him some white grape juice and headed out the door.  The nurses and doctors at Texas Children's Hospital were fabulous!  They were efficient, kept us informed, were friendly, and took very good care of us.  Definitely no complaints!


 


The opthamologist was finished in just a few minutes.  The pediatric urologist said that it was a bit more complicated than he thought it would be...so my baby didn't get to post-op recovery until over an hour later.  He's had a few sips of juice since then, but has pretty much been zonked out the entire time.  They put him under, then did a regional block (like an epidural) and gave him some morphine.  He is so beautiful to just hold and stare at!  It was a rare treat for us to be able to hold him while he was sleeping.  Normally, he cries when he is tired unless you set him in his bed, give him his blankie, and then leave him alone!  It was a nice feeling to hold my big, blue-eyed bundle with his sleepy, angelic little face...


 


Thank you so much for your prayers-- God was listening!


 


~Marsha

Wednesday, September 7, 2005

Please pray for my baby's surgery in the morning

My littlest man is scheduled for outpatient surgery tomorrow morning (Wednesday) at 7:30am.  Could y'all please pray for him and for God to guide the surgeon's hands?  He is 10 months old and will be having his circumcision corrected as well as a tube put in his tear duct.  It's a rather routine procedure but will take at least half an hour (which seems sooo long when you're talking about my baby!).  We are thankful to have a very good children's hospital less than an hour away and know that they will take great care of him (and us!). 


 


God bless you,


Marsha

Sunday, September 4, 2005

Yes, I am back from my trip to Korea!

With hurricane Katrina and the devastating aftermath, blogging about Korea seemed so frivolous.  Since I've been in a Katrina induced haze this past week (and not being able to sleep due to thinking about those poor people and the what-if-it-had-been-me's...after all, Houston is not that far away from where it hit), I thought I'd write a quick update about Korea to cheer myself up.


 


It was a true blessing to be able to visit my family in Busan, South Korea!  My mom's entire side of the family lives there and in Seoul.  It was my mom, one of my sisters (Leah) and I.  The trip started off well with an on-time departure out of Houston to Tokyo's Narita airport.  While it IS a long flight (14 hours or so) it went by quickly!  Well, the first class service did help-- I am so spoiled with the perks that come with being an airline employee's spouse!  Shhhh....don't tell anyone.  Ahem, and then we caught a connection to Busan  (2 hour flight).  And I must say that the Japanese people are so friendly, industrious and polite!  You would not believe the difference in the quality of service you get just from ticket and gate agents over there-- definite  in my book.


 


Korea is a beautiful country with rolling mountains and hills.  I was amazed at the number of pine trees in Busan.  Beautiful, elegantly crooked pine trees-- the crooked that you see in an asian painting.  It amazed me because Busan is a port city and had pine trees near the beaches...we have pine trees in our yard but we've never seen them near the beach in Galveston!


 


We did not do any tourist-y things...spent most of our time at my uncle's house visiting with family.  Well, we did go on the ferry (which was a little  for me).  We also visited the fish market, did a little shopping (cell phone charms were the souvenir/gifts of choice), and ate a ton of food.  My uncle's wife is the BEST cook-- she makes an unbelievable crab soup and the squid was d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!


 


Interestingly enough, I had not seen so many high-rise apartments in my life!  I did not expect for apartment living to be desired over a house.  But the apartments (or condos since you buy them--modest one being over $200K--ouch!) were newer and more modern than the small cramped houses that we saw.  As far as the eye could see, condo after condo after condo.  My sis said it reminded her of Brazil (she visited Rio last year).  Oh and air conditioning was a rare luxury!  Most places are not air conditioned over there and if they are, it is not a central a/c unit but a stand alone that you switch on when you are in the immediate vicinity.  I don't know if dh could survive the lack of a/c and the hard beds and/or sleeping on the floor...he's been dying to visit but I really don't know if he could hang.


 


No, I do not speak korean (except for a few phrases) but, thankfully, my cousins and a dear friend did!  I am ashamed and embarrassed that I don't speak the language.  I wish I did.  But living here in TX, I think it's much more practical to teach my kids Espanol, wouldn't you say?  We also attended my uncle's church for services on Sunday.  While they do things a bit differently (some good, some bad in my opinion), they can SING!  Koreans have such amazing singing voices and it was really neat to hear familiar church hymns in a different language and sung with such gusto.


 


Anyway, that's it for now on Korea.  I haven't gotten around to downloading/uploading (whichever it is) the pics from my digital camera.  I'll try to post those at a later date.


 


On another note, I've decided to delay the start of school for another week.  Just can't resist the invite to my friend's house for a cookout and swimming tomorrow.  Then there are science classes on Tuesday at the museum, Masters Club starts up on Wednesday (I'm teaching the 3yo class), and my baby has some outpatient surgery on Thursday-- please keep him in your prayers!    I can't believe I was even planning on starting school tomorrow! I must not have been thinking.


 


Well, thanks for hanging in there and reading this far!


 


God bless ya'll!


Marsha


 


Friday, September 2, 2005

God's Timeless Wisdom and Provision

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.


~Isaiah 43:2


 


But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. 


~Isaiah 40:31


 


Humble yourselves therefore unto the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:


Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 


~I Peter 5:6,7


 


Thursday, September 1, 2005

Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort

Salvation Army Serving Storm Refugees



The Salvation Army is currently providing services to storm victims and first responders in the Gulf Coast states.


 


A $100 donation to The Salvation Army will feed a family of four for two days, provide two cases of drinking water and one household clean-up kit, containing brooms, mops, buckets, and cleaning supplies.


 


Click here to make a donation.


 


Lori Seaborg has the latest updates on the effects of the hurricane in her area.  Please take a look at her site and pray for these families!


 


God bless you!