Saying thanks

Well, it is official. The craft room really does have carpet and it is the same color as the carpet in the rest of the house. I am still not finished and I have a list of needed containers a mile long. Small ones for crafty projects. Earlier this week someone did something very special for Alexa and I was telling her she needed to send a "Thank you" note. So, this morning we got out paper, pencil and a thank you card (yes, I really do own some). She dictated to me what she wanted to say and I wrote it down on the blank paper for her to copy into the card. I was sitting at the table with her as she wrote. When she was about half way down the card she realized that dictating was MUCH easier than writing so she started trying to alter some of the things she had previously said - making it much shorter. I told her how important is was to properly thank someone for the kindness they had shown. She replied, "well, after every birthday you tell me I have to write thank you notes and you always forget and never make me - why can't we just do that?" Ouch, she's right. Every year we BUY the themed thank you notes only never to send them. To add further insult to injury, this afternoon I found the thank you notes from Ian's birthday (LAST SEPTEMBER). The worst part of it was we had written his - only never mailed. Disgusted, I threw them away. I doubt his friends much less family even remember what they gave him nearly a year ago. They would think I was crazy! I did make an announcement that "Thank you" notes were getting moved a little higher on the list. I know the giver is not looking for a proper "thanks" but don't we all like a little " I appreciate all your effort" notice every once in a while?! So, if you have ever done something wonderful, given us a wonderful gift, and never received a thanks, I humbly apologize and sincerely say "THANKS!"

Busy as usual

Twice now I have sat down to blog only to find myself in a negative mood. I named my blog "A Day at the Office" not "Eve's place to whine, complain, gripe, etc." So, in an effort to be more upbeat, I am only going to list my blessings rather than my grievances. Here have been my accomplishments: pretty much my whole house (except the attic) is clutter free. I have one project and the overpowering craft room left and I am free. I have developed a pretty good system of how (hopefully) we will be able to keep it up. Most rooms have been good for a few weeks and we haven't been doing too bad. However, once school starts its a whole other ball game. Speaking of school, I officially have (or have ordered) all of my materials, curriculum, etc through Christmas. I spent hours last night pouring over a zillion lists and hopefully I got what everybody needed. So, tonight the last thing on my list for today was a new blog entry. When I read people's blogs I get so disappointed when they hadn't written anything for a while; sort of like "I cannot believe they did not have anything to share with me." When the truth of the matter is a day can turn into a week which turns into a month which turns into a year! So, house clean and clutter free, school books ordered, new blog entry - check, check, check - now I can go to bed with a clear conscious and sleep like a baby leaving all of tomorrow for tomorrow. Yeah right, I guess I'm already dreaming! :)

Superwoman

Okay, I know it is hard for some of you to believe, but I do really want to be superwoman! I want a spotless house; a wonderfully well-educated, well-groomed, well-fed, thankful family; useful hobbies, beautiful scrapbooks, etc, etc, etc. I can hear what some of you are saying it is either "Yeah, I want those things too" or "You're standards are too high." I know that most of you want those things too. However, I bet you don't get in a foul "don't talk to me because things aren't going my way" mood whenever the "I am" gets overpowered by the "I want to be." Okay, my latest breakdown happened yesterday. I decided a week ago (actually a week and a day) that our house was entirely too cluttered. I do not like clutter; I cannot think, work, process in clutter. Anyway, so I decided to go from room to room decluttering. I gave myself one week. Does anyone see the problem in my dilemma? I SCOURED my bathroom (I mean I cleaned out the drawers, cabinets, everything) I washed everything! Ryan asked were we planning on having supper on the bathroom floor (that was after he realized I used his toothbrush to scrub up a stain - in my defense, I thought it was an old one.) Then, I went on to my closet, then my bedroom (I mean junk drawers, under the bed, EVERYTHING). That was four days, three bags of trash and two and a half yard sale bins later. Next, I moved on to the office. Now the office had never been completely clean since the get-go. So, I decided to rearrange, then I decided it really could use some paint but I couldn't decide what color to paint until I bought curtains and since I couldn't find any pre-made ones, I found fabric I liked "how long could it take to whip up three valances!?" So, last night I began to have a melt down because I still have the TV room, the schoolroom and the craft room(which is the WORST one of all AND the one that has the sewing machine I need to whip up those previously mentioned valances). I still have the kids rooms too but I did theirs on my last tirade so theirs won't be bad. However, last night my meltdown occurred once I realized that it is was going to be July 1st and I had not done ANY school planning. School will start in 7 weeks and I have done nothing! So, I begin to rant and rave that this school year is going to be a complete bust. I might as well throw in the towel and cut my losses now rather than later! I began brewing around 3:00pm yesterday(about the time I discovered Food Lion was out of the majority of the things on my list) and by 10:30 last night Ryan was so tired of my stomping around he began to follow me around with the WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM! attitude. Once I rattled off my list; that I wanted to cook nutritious meals all three meals everyday, that my newly scrubbed bathroom was already in need of another cleaning, that our children were going to have to wander aimlessly through their curriculum this whole school year, I have gone one week without excerising, no one makes decent pre-made curtains, Food Lion was out of the soup I needed for that nutritional meal I cooked no one wanted to eat, etc, etc; He laughed. I mean, a he- couldn't- keep -it -in- any-longer belly laugh. HOW RUDE! Eventually, I had to laugh too, I mean after all, I do have SEVEN weeks! :)

Pictures of the Wedding

Well, there were a few disposable cameras around that got developed from the wedding. There was another very good one of Ian "eating chicken." The entire dance floor was full and the poor boy (who had not been fed nearly all day) helped himself to the chicken wings. I will try to scan it in later. We have been very busy. We had the Father/Daughter dance then Sports camp. I will post pictures soon. They are still in the camera - which is in my purse downstairs and I am too lazy to go get it. Maybe tomorrow...:)

Here is a picture of Amanda coming down the aisle. It doesn't look like many people were there but there were. Notice the blue skies? Remember, it was "supposed" to rain.

This is a picture of Owen and Alexa, doesn't Owen look very handsome! You could never tell it was 90 degrees. Of course, Alexa always looks fabulous.

This is a picture of my mom in her dress. Remember, the one she fussed over the straps. She NEVER took off the jacket! Who knew pink was her color; she looked great, straps and all.

The Wedding

First of all, let me apologize for not having ANY pictures. I had my camera with me the whole time: rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, stuffing donuts, getting nails done, getting ready, the wedding, the reception, the trashing of the car and I have NO pictures. I didn't take any not one. I didn't really realize this until we were coming home Sunday morning. I was SICK! Owen was afraid I was going to make them go back to my mom's, put on all their garb, and take pictures. I entertained the thought for a fraction of a second and moved on. Oh well,
Like I said, the wedding was beautiful. There was the threat of rain the entire time and as we were about to leave the house, my "optimistic" grandmother called to inform us (Emily answered the phone) that there was a tornado warning in effect for our immediate area. We (Emily and I) decided to keep that information to ourselves for a while. It did start to sprinkle just a little at the beginning and there were enough thunder bursts to make an atheist pray. I think my mom went through the whole ceremony in a meditative state. I'm not sure if she actually saw any of it. In case you didn't know, it was an outdoor wedding. Emily has decided that she would like an INDOOR, air-conditioned, bug-free type environment. I asked for it in writing. I think it was my sister's dream wedding come true. It was a lot of fun. I wish you could have all been there. I wish I could show you the pictures in my mind. Thanks to all of you who have been praying through this whole engagement and for those who prayed that it wouldn't rain. We found out the next day that it was actually raining (quite hard) all around us the entire time. Several people didn't come because they were certain it was going to rain. Yea of little faith - they missed a great time! The couple is on their honeymoon in Bermuda.

Doing the best we can

I have spent so much time in the last few days thinking/praying/meditating on the tragedy of the Chapman family. I have a friend that attended the memorial service over the weekend. (Emily is not up to show me how to link you to my friend's blog.) This evening, after reading my friend's blog and listening to Steven Curtis Chapman sing a beautiful song he had written for a friend that had expectantly lost a child and watching news clips and video tributes to his daughter I was struck by the huge responsibility we have as parents. The Chapman's have to grieve under a microscope - the world waiting for them to fail; waiting for them to blame Christ; waiting for them to blame each other. How often do we wait for others to fail? Maybe not intentionally but how often do we question or judge or turn our noses up at things that are different. I do not mean wrong - I mean different. This past weekend, Ryan and I went to the Homeschool convention. This was our 9th year going - out of homeschooling ten years. I have to be vain a minute and confess that I agonize (usually even buy a new outfit) over what I am going to wear. I don't want to look too old, too young, too conservative, too liberal, etc. I don't want to fit the homeschool mom "model." Yet, that is who I am. I watched what seemed like zillions of people buy curriculum after curriculum. I went to conference after conference listening to topics like mentoring my daughter, raising world leaders, how to disciple/structure my family. And even though the mechanics of how we do things differ; we all (the vast majority) have the same goal in mind; We all want the very best for our children. I cannot imagine that there is a single parent; whether they wear jean dresses, only dresses, bonnets on their heads - whether they use Bob Jones, Sonlight, or Tapestry - that doesn't want their child to succeed. We want our children to succeed to be the very best God designed them to be. I want my children to grow up and first love the Lord my God with all their heart, soul and mind; second, I want them to love life and all it encompasses - the good and the bad. I want to encourage others around me to not take the things of this life for granted; to not get caught up in comparing our selves to others, to lift others up when they fall, to be a true friend, to be transparent so that others may see our weaknesses, to laugh with one another, to give one another true praise, to know that we are not alone on this journey.

Getting ready

Well, there is less than 3 days left until the big event. My sister will be getting married on Saturday evening at six pm. I am not sure who is more ready - my sister or my mom. My mom is fretting terribly over her dress and the weather. First, she has a beautiful pink formal dress to wear. At first, she didn't like the straps (or lack there of) so she had straps added (luckily we are all short and there was PLENTY left after the hemming). Then, she decided it was too loose in the bust so, she had it taken in. Well now, three trips to the dress shop later - she has a heine crack down the middle of her back. The problem with all of this is that the dress has a JACKET. So, you would not see whether it had straps or not and my mother is a very petite lady - so you would never guess she had a back crack under the jacket. Oh well,.... The next problem is the weather; at first, it was sunny skies and mild temperature. Then it changed to 90 degree thundershowers. I am more worried about the 90 degrees than the thundershowers. You want to watch somebody melt - imagine the sight of my two Popsicle/water dependent boys baking in a full, three piece tux! (while trying to be cute, kind, respectful, polite, etc.) Irregardless of the weather, my mom's dress, my boy's temperature issues, and all the other things that will be a challenge / go wrong - next to the day they prayed to receive Christ, this will be the most important day of their lives. So, for the next three days those of us that love them dearly will sacrifice our blood, sweat and tears to make their dream day a reality; so that Sunday morning and every other morning for the rest of their lives they will wake up "Mr. & Mrs."

Mother's Day

This year for Mother's Day we did something a little different. On Friday, the kids and I went to Rocky Mount to take care of some wedding details (my sister's wedding) and Ryan went down after work to visit his mom for Mother's Day and do some things for her. Then, Saturday, we all got up and went over to my grandparent's house for a "paint the house party." My grandparents have five children (four still living) and three of the four families were represented in the efforts. My grandfather was a carpenter by trade and built this house nearly fifty years ago. Most of my extended family (aunt, uncles and cousins) are quite the tradesmen. They are electricians, cabinet makers, jack-of-all trade kinds of people. However, my mother has two teachers, one train engineer , one person who draws blood and two that sit behind a desk and four smaller versions just along for the ride! :) Anyway, we got out there and worked our behinds off. We scraped, caulked, primed, painted, whatever needed to be done. I was pleased with our family effort. My aunt, the "foreman" still had some cleaning up to do and some touch up places and my uncle still had some rotten wood to replace on some windows but for the most part, we finished. My grandfather has dementia and is not able to keep up with the house repairs as he would like to. My grandmother fixed a big 'ole lunch - ham, sweet potatoes, squash casserole, crowder peas. It was yummy. Of course, all my kids ate only the ham. They don't know what they are missing. Then, we left my grandmother's house and my brother, sister, and I, ordered out for my mom's Mother's Day supper. After showers, we all had a wonderful supper all together at nine o'clock! We got home about 11:15pm and I awoke to breakfast in bed and gifts and homemade cards. We went to church, came home and had lunch and I took a NAP! We ate homemade pizza for supper (I got a new bread machine for Mother's Day; my old one had seen better days.) and had family night. Overall, it was an Excellent Mother's Day.

This is the full view of my grandparents house and the "work crew."

This is my granddaddy (the one who built the house) "supervising" the kids painting the swing; for their first painting project - they did pretty good. They are very excited about having "painting clothes!" I wish I had gotten a picture of my grandmother too. Oh well, maybe next time...

Pictures of the 80s:

I did the post and pictures backwards. I should have put the pictures in and then the post. Sorry, remember I am new at this blogging thing and Emily is in the bed so I was on my own! :) Read the back to the 80s post first and the pictures will make much more sense.


Here are the pjs were were trying to match up. The first two were major ice breakers at the speculation "who sleeps in THAT!" and the middle was the empty bag. Nothing like jumping in with both feet getting to know people at the party. Everyone was a very good sport. I didn't get a picture but my mother has this hideous moo-moo she used to wear all the time so she wrapped it up and gave it to my sister as "lingerie." It was quite funny; she even put a tissue in the pocket! I wish I had gotten a picture of it.

Here are the toilet paper "brides"

Here are the girls from the party "brave" enough to dress. There were a few fuddy duddies who later wished they would have at least TRIED to come up with an 80s attire! (The hot pink parachute pants Alexa has on were mine from the 7th grade. I was the only one in my school with "hot pink" parachute pants!

Back to the 80s

Well, last weekend was my sister's bachelorette party. We did a combo shower/bachelorette. We did a lingerie shower from 2 -4 and then an 80's sleepover bachelorette. For the lingerie shower, I had asked everyone to bring their pajamas in a paper sack. We were going to attempt to match the pjs with the people. It was great fun and a wonderful "ice breaker." (I have to say, I was getting a little nervous about the quietness of the group at the beginning.) My sister had a great combination of old friends she had known forever, new friends from college, and family. Anyway, back to the pjs; it was harder than I thought it would be. Of course a few of us had to throw some things into the mix we would never sleep in and someone brought an empty bag! We had a great time speculating who slept in what in the privacy of their own home. Then, we played a few "who knows the bride the best" type games and of course my sister cried at all the bittersweet memories. While supper was cooking, I divided the group into "teams." (I tried to separate out all of the art majors so they would not have an unfair advantage.) I gave each team a package of toilet paper and tape. Each group had thirty minutes to create a wedding dress. Their designs got quite complex. Alexa and Olivia got to be the "official judges." They decided it was a tie! One "bride" had a headpiece they especially liked and the other "bride" had little buttons (balls of toilet paper) all down the back that equally impressed the judges. After supper, we transitioned into our 80s garb. What was funny is most of these girls were barely born in the 80s. My sister was born in 83. Anyway, most of us went for the Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna look. My mom says she never saw anyone dress like we did in the "80s". We decided we most likely would have had our mother's allowed it! Anyway, I know I was made for the 80s. I love the fishnet hose and high heels and big fluffy hair. I was running out of time before the "contest" and didn't have a lot of time to fix my hair; I turned my everyday hair upside down, added a clip and there you go! We posed for pictures and then danced the night away. We did the electric slide, the macarana, the chicken dance, m c hammer, the robot, even the hokey pokey. By this time it was midnight. I had rented lots of 80s movies: Top Gun, Risky Business, Pretty in Pink, Footloose, Sixteen Candles, Back to the Future. Unfortunately, we were all pooped and didn't watch any movies. (I had a private back to the 80s movie marathon the rest of the week.) We got up Sunday morning and my mom had made a breakfast casserole and had fruit and stuff left over from the night before. Most people left around noon. My mom, sister and sister-in-law stayed around a while longer to talk about how much fun the party was! Now, on to the next thing....