I AM Sorry!

I was working away on our United Order when I heard Stacia utter the most terrifying words in our household during this season, "I AM sorry! I am". I grabbed the camera.

She has discovered puffed brown rice......and it was all over the floor....


I headed for the broom.....When I came back she had a big white bowl, milk, and a spoon ..... and was singing, I LOVE YOU MOM! ::Snort:: She took care of clean up herself.


I ordered a case of puffed brown rice as it is to late to split with anyone. LOL

Oh the Things That Happen When Mom is Away!

Our darling dog, Beatrix Jamima Puddleduck G, is aging. She's a sweet dog. We love her dearly. We rescued her when Jared was a baby - 14 years ago. Josiah picked her out. She was 3 - 4 years old when we rescued her and had been an abused dog - broken leg etc. OK - I need to stop or I will write pages about our dog.

Bottom line is that the birds here in TX TORMENT our dog. She's not quite up to chasing any longer, which previously was her favorite past time....and they seem to know it. Evil birds. They've taken to eating her food....and squawking at her as she lazily observes.....

Mike and the children tackled this problem over the weekend, while I was gone.

Mike put the dogs dish in her kennel. Then attached string to the door.....and wound it through the patio, and into our library. The children crouch by the hours in the library and wait for a bird to attack the dish. They drop the door....the bird is caught. They mark the bird and release it....and they are charting to see if any of the birds are dumb enough to repeat their offense and how fast word will spread to LEAVE THE BEAGLE/AUSTRAILIAN SHEPHERD'S FOOD ALONE!

Surprisingly the grackles seem to have learned. Several doves were snared yesterday. This beauty was caught in the act. I really wanted to get out Bre's old dove cage and keep her in the house.....

That said...no birds have been harmed...and I wrestle with the whole thing, but they have been harassing our dear pet.

Gym Rat!

I'm blogging at the gym. Now THIS is a workout I could get into. ::snort::

I've lived at this gym today. I worked out this a.m. - a nice, long cardio workout.

We did school. I'm so thankful how our TOG studies are tying in to the study PWOC is doing on Judges. At this point I have to MUCH info and am not sure what I'll talk about tomorrow night.

We ran to speech.

I began to finalize our group's United order.

Julie and chidlren dropped by to return our canoes. The yongest two were very sad they didn't stay longer.

I made Granola/Oey Goey Bars....got a meatloaf and roasted veggies ready to pop into the oven.

Jared and I came to the gym, while dinner cooked. I met with the personal trainer and he lifted weights. I now have my own work out and weight routine written down to try. We shall see. Maybe more thoughts on that later.

We ran home and had dinner.

I am back at the gym. Jamin is lifting weights and I just finished writing the assignment for next week. I think we need another month to study Deborah, Barak, Jael and such.

::snort:: Doctor next to me just got a call from a panicked mother whose child has swallowed a penny...sort of nice to sit her and be on the other end of the drama. ::snort::

Ah, Jamin is done. Time to go home. It's been a long day and I'll be back here tomorrow....now that the boys know how things work around here, they'll be able to come alone.

Pastor's Kids


Do you see him? Can you see his precious little head above the oran?

The little ones wanted to sit in the balcony last night. I thought we might be less of a distraction to the students up there and so agreed. Zander headed for the organ. Mr. Ivan said, "don't worry, no one can turn it on." I looked skeptical. Mr. Ivan said, "He won't be able to turn it on."

I le Zander "play" along with the praise team...imagine my SHOCK when loud, rolling, chords began to come from the organ.....oh my WORD.

Mr. Ivan was shocked. He had Zander show him how he maked it work - involved several buttons and such....

It really was fairly funny....and some folks didn't even realize there had been extra sounds. ::snort:: Doing our bit to "lower the mark" for pastor's kids everywhere. ::snort::

This was as funny as when another chaplain's child - NOT OURS - was hiding in the altar during service and the cross began to move.....poor chaplain. ::snort::

"Why Isn't Mom Updating the Blog?"


This question was heard in my house!!!! On Saturday evening.....by one of my older young men who will remain nameless....::snort:: Yep, he asked why Mom hadn't upated the blog Friday night or Saturday.....and his brothers gleeful response..... "She's NOT HERE!" ::snort:: Too funny. His life is so busy he'd not even noticed I was gone - except the blog hadn't been updated. ::Snort::

Where was I?

Women's Ministry in the Military is called, are you ready for the catchy title? Protestant Women of the Chapel or Catholic Women of the Chapel (or close to that). P-WOC. Sounds like something from a space movie, doesn't it? A friend and I used to joke quite a bit about the "planet P.... WOC". By any name, PWOC is a dynamic, growing, vital ministry that God has prepared and put in place to minister to females associated with the military (active duty, spouse, retiree, civilian worker, chapel attendee, civilian church attendee). Weekly stats show that in an average week there are over 4,000 women meeting in PWOC studies across the world (on any military base).

PWOC is international. It adjusts to fit God's plan for each base. Yet, we operate under common themes and such....so no matter where in the world God and military send you - you can find something familiar....a group of sisters who understand your needs, your joys, your concerns and unspoken fears. If you are a military spouse et al and have not checked into PWOC, you really should....even if you attend church off base.

Once a year the International Board sends out Traveling Trainers. What a joy these days are for local boards. Ours was this weekend in San Antonio. It was a FAST trip. Forgive me, friends, who live in SA. Debbie, incoming VP/Programs, and I drove down Friday night.

We got in late and checked into our rooms. I HAD to take Debbie for a walk through memory lane. I showed her where the kids learned to roller blade, where we rode bikes, the fields we played in, and our HOME.

Friday night I had an awesome personal retreat with God. I needed some solitude and God provided it, at a time that I expected would be busy.

All of Saturday was spent at the Lackland chapel in training. We discussed hearing from God, discerning God's plans, obedience, sitting at his feet.....and it was just the stuff that God had led me to the evening before. Cool.

Drives to and from San Antonio (7 hours total) provided opportunity to get to know Debbie better, to plan for the summer, and begin to brainstorm for next year's calendar.

Sundays are always busy. And now we're into a new week..... Consider the blog updated!

Weekly Fitness Goals (click button for more info)

Weekly Goal - 240 Minutes (40 minutes most days)
Total Weekly Minutes - 365 minutes
Annual Goal - 11,700 minutes (2900 by end of March)
Minutes to Date - 4,167 minutes

*I did work out last week...but I never got to the computer to post the entry. NOW blogger has "scheduled posts" so I can write this tonight (1 May) and schedule it to post all on it's own for Monday a.m.. ::snort::

This week I continued using free passes from local gyms. This allowed me to save gas $, continue solid cardio workouts, and try out local gyms to see which one may work best for our needs. I HAVE lots of workout videos....I cannot do them daily as I begin to have trouble with my ankles and knees after a couple of weeks...and besides I sweat way more on the elliptical so I've convinced myself it's a better workout for me. ::snort:: I had hoped the Leslie Sansone were hard enough and yet gentle enough that I could do them at home....but after the 10 day challenge I was hurting for sure....actually by day 6. I have to face the fact that I have middle aged joints. ::snort::

This was a GREAT week - I surpassed the 240 minute goal and it was SPREAD OUT over "most days of the week". The scale still isn't budging...but I'm content. Surely, the cardio is lowering cholesterol numbers and building heart health!

Monday - 80 Minutes Shannon Women's Health Club(45 min elliptical, 20 min bike, 15 min weights)

Tuesday - 80 minutes Shannon Women's - repeat from above

Wed - MIGRAINE REIGNED - I hate that but I simply couldn't work out.

Thursday - 75 minutes Community Health Club (45 min elliptical, 20 min bike, 10 min nautilus - just trying it out to see if the machines will work for me)

Friday - 65 minutes Community Health Club - joined (35 elliptical, 30 bike)

Saturday - 30 minutes - real walk

Sunday - 35 minutes - real walk

To read accounts from more participants - click here. To join us, click the icon above.....

Getting it all Done!

I've been pondering a question I hear often, "How do you do it all"?

For years my standard comeback to that question has been, "I don't do it all!" And that is a true statement. God has clearly taught me to carefully select those things to which I will commit. It must fit in with my mission statement (see profile), it must not take away from my prime ministry and responsibility at home, and Mike needs to support whatever it is that I'm doing......so I don't do it all. I don't do daytime Bible studies, I haven't spoken at a retreat in 3 years, I don't do homeschool co-ops, I do very few big field trips, we don't do a lot of sports......

However, increasingly I'm being given a list of what I do accomplish after giving my standard, "I don't do it all" answer......so apparently I do get quite a bit done...how?

Years ago Mike shared an illustration with me from a class he was taking. It came from the 7 habits man - is that Steven Covey? Take a cup.....fill it with water, pebbles, and big rocks...it will overlow .....take the same cup, same water and such....put the big rocks in FIRST, then the small pebbles, and then the water....it FITS.

I've learned to prayerfully define my BIG rocks....and to put them in the cup (my life) FIRST....then the little rocks and water fit in around the Big Rocks....though some of those little rocks do seem to try to grow into middle sized and big rocks if you don't keep track of them. ::snort::

I've shared my homeschool advice "do first things first"....so true in all of life. Those big rocks, first things.....must come first.....for me those are Bible study, Workout, School, Meals, Chapel things.....and then the little things fit....the problem comes when I try to make all the rocks Big Rocks...or when I fill up the a.m. with computer time, reading, phone conversations, etc and forget to put the Big Rocks in first. If I only remember to put the Big Rocks in first, on days when NOTHING else gets done...the BIG ROCKS, the FIRST THINGS are done! I can relax and try again tomorrow.

Seriously - blogging our daily life is nearing Big Rock proportion as it's a way to continue the relationships that are so important to us, our family and far off friends....but its still sort of a little/middle rock. The memes, book reviews, profound thoughts on gyms are little rocks....and this whole thing may make no sense when I read it without a migraine! ::snort::

Give it a try - keeping the illustration in mind has helped ME. And of course ANY THING I get done well is only by the GRACE OF GOD....who EQUIPS and ENABLES us to do what He CALLS us to do!