Me Time

For the first time in a very, very long time, I've had a vacation on my own. And it's been wonderful. My SIL, Pam, called me a couple of weeks ago and told me that she and Andy's mom, Bet, were going to Arkansas....and would I like to tag along? Of course!



So I've been at Mom and William's since last Wednesday night and am leaving this morning to head back to Indiana. Five whole days of having my parents to myself! What more could a person ask for?



Here's a rundown of our time together.....



Thursday....to Toad Suck and Conway for some shopping. I picked up a really cool stuffed Snoopy and 2 Snoopy coffee mugs (one for me, one for Smells) in Toad Suck. Then we ate lunch at Logan's....pretty good, I must say...followed a stop at Target, where I purchased a sweater jacket and a pair of superbly cute shoes....I later realized that Ashley has the same ones! lol



Friday....Mom and I did some shopping in Russellville. I absolutely love their JC Penney...much bigger than ours in Indiana and tons of clothes. I got 4 skirts, a purse and 2 pairs of sunglasses...one black, one brown. In Cato's I got a really cute pink shirt and a denim skirt. Then we went to Belk's where I got another sweater/jacket. Friday evening we went to Western Sizzlin' for Mom's former boss' retirement party.



Saturday.....we went to Hot Springs. I hadn't been there in years. We strolled around a bit, took a tour of one of the bath houses, drove around for a while and then came home, realizing that we hadn't bought a thing! We did stop at a little shop along the road and I bought Colin some "treasures" for his treasure box....a shark's tooth, a dinosaur made out of soapstone and some marbles. When we got back to Russellville, we ate at Stoby's...one of my all-time favorite places to eat.



Sunday....I spent Sunday lying around the house, watching home improvement shows while Mom and William went to church. Mom and I did run to town so that she could get some bread. Saw an old friend, Helen, at Wal-Mart! I had lost contact with her so it was wonderful to see her again.



Monday....Mom and I went into town so that I could pick up some things to take home to the grandbabies. I got the boys Arkansas t-shirts and got Bradie an Arkansas cheerleader doll. We went to Bath & Body Works and I picked up a few things for myself. Then we went back to Stoby's for lunch, came home and just spent the evening together.



Oh, and we were able to Skype with Bailey a few times during my visit, which was super nice for Mom and William.



Anyway...all good things must come to an end and I am leaving in a couple of hours to head back to Indiana.....to a husband and 2 dogs who, I am sure, have seriously missed me! I would include the cat and kittens in that, but I doubt if they missed me much. lol

Moms in Touch

Over the years, I've been very active in my church. I've taught Sunday School, Kids POWer Hour, directed multiple children's plays (Christmas, Easter), directed Vacation Bible School....as you can see, I've been very involved in children's ministry.

I've recently felt a shift in my "ministry". A couple of years ago I was asked to oversee our Moms in Touch program, in which the ladies of our church focus prayer on our school. Over the last few months, I can say that I have truly developed a burden for this ministry. We are certainly living in a different day and age.....my experience of working in our public schools allows me to see things from an interesting point of view. It's not the same as when I was in school over....ahem.....25+ years ago.

Perhaps the problems of today are similar to those of yesteryear, but I think they are also more magnified. We are seeing more and more children who are being raised by grandparents. As parents are forced to work longer hours, we see more children left to their own devices.

I feel there is truly a calling for Moms to be "in touch" with God....much prayer is needed for our schools....not only for the children, but also for the teachers, administrators, and staff. From the bus routes to the classrooms to the board meetings.....we need God to protect and direct.

I can tell you from my point of view as the secretary of a high school office....we often deal with children who it would be easier for us if they didn't attend our school. And yes, I have sometimes been guilty of wishing they would just transfer "somewhere else". They are difficult, they are angry, sometimes they are scarey......yet they are only a product of their environment. They are living what they have learned....who really knows what these children go home to every night?

My prayer is "Lord, let me see them through Your eyes". I want to see them as God sees them, for He doesn't seem them as problem children...He sees them as His creation....He loves them unconditionally. I want to have more compassion....I want to reach these children and have a positive impact on their lives. If they only see one smile a day....let it be from me. If they only receive one word of encourage a day...let it be from me.

Oh Where, Oh Where, has my little Kat gone?

I can't get into KitKat's blog anymore because it says "invited readers" only. Blech. Kitty Katty....where are you? I can get into your food blog, but not yours or the doggies.

Ethan David

I thought I would do a little blog about our youngest grandson, Ethan.

Ethan is just the happiest baby. He is 7 months old now and always just happy to be invited to the party. All you have to do it look at him and you get a quick grin in return.

He is about to master crawling. I love to watch him get up on those little hands and knees......and then fall over! But he will soon be crawling for real and then watch out.....poor Sidda! He is already obsessed with her...and she seems to be quite taken with him, too. She likes to be right next to him when he's at the house and doesn't seem to mind at all when he yanks on her ears. She just turns and gives him a lick in the face.

By the way.....Ethan looks like mine and Bailey's baby pictures. Yay!

Coot

When we were going through the "house switch" process, Kim, the lady we bought our house from, told me that her grandfather had a old beagle who would come down every day and eat whatever food scraps Kim would put out. I told her that was fine, since I'm definitely a dog lover.

Sure enough, shortly after moving in, this old beagle showed up. Covered in ticks....absolutely no energy at all. I would scratch him on the top of the head.....the only tickless area on his body....and give him a snack. I asked Kim what the dog's name was and she didn't know.....so we began calling him "Coot" because he just looked like an ol' coot! LOL

I decided I couldn't deal with the ticks, so I got a dose of FrontLine from my vet and put it on Coot. In a couple of the days all of the ticks were gone and he, literally, is a new dog. Full of energy, very loving and plays with Daisy and Sidda (before he would lay around and just watch them).

We then found out that Kim's grandfather had a stroke. After leaving the hospital, he has been placed in a nursing home. One evening Kim's mother stopped by our house. She asked if the beagle had been coming over and she told us to let her know if he were bothering us. She said they were going to try to find Coot a new home. Andy jumped at the chance and said "We'll take him!"

So we now have another new dog.....and he is completely adorable!

Heeeeeeere's Daisy!

Here she is....our newest family member. She is simply the sweetest dog....well, she and Sidda run a close race! :-) She stays right by the house, never leaves the yard. She and Sidda have become friends after a rough start. Sidda wasn't too sure about having another dog around

Daisy goes back to the vet this Saturday for her last puppy shot and for a rabies vaccination. We are also going to set a date to have her spayed....as cute as she, I still don't want a bunch of miniatures running around! LOL

Flowers galore.....

I've been busy planting lots of flowers in my new humongous yard! So far I have....

a bed of red, white and purple wave petunias

a bed of marigolds, lavendar, Mexican heather and daisies, but our new dog, Daisy, has pretty much destroyed those marigolds

a bed of white and pink impatiens....which I noticed this morning Daisy has made a bed in

a bed of marigolds around a purple clematis

4 large pots of red and white geraniums

and from seeds which aren't blooming yet: sunflowers, wild flowers, more lavendar, daisies, morning glories, zinnias, alyssum, etc....I'm sure I'm forgetting something

We also sit and watch a deer most evenings come out from the woods to get a drink from the pond. We have lots of finches and birds at our feeders, although only a few hummingbirds. I've seen two coyotes and "heard" what I'm told was probably a wild boar.

I am absolutely loving living in the country. We should have done this years ago!