Mononucleosis

It's been confirmed....Andrew has mono. Since it's a virus, medicine isn't an option. It's just one of those things that has to run its course. He's been sleepy for days and has an on-again/off-again fever. We kept him out of school for two days but the doctor said it takes about four weeks for the virus to leave your system. Fortunately, he can still go to school and church as long as he doesn't kiss or lick anyone.

Looks like I've caught the mono bug from Andrew (probably from kissing him or sharing a drink). This isn't fun but now you know why I won't be blogging much this week.

Man up!

Are you serious?!?!?!
This is actually approved?

Tagged by the "Scrapbooking Queen"

I have a friend who is the best darn scrapbooker I've ever seen, met, or known. She is also a fine photographer and photo editor (I have much to learn from her). She is the craziest DISNEY fan I've ever come across and she has been my main source of DISNEY information in preparation for our trip to Orlando in June.

Anywhooooo, she tagged me: Pull the 6th picture from the 6th folder. I'm no photo editor but I think my sweet son and his cousin make the picture far cuter than any software program could. Thanks, Amanda!

RedBox Code today only

Today's Redbox code, good til midnight.

89ZQJ3

Make sure you return your free rental by 9:00 p.m. tomorrow!

Lights on, lights off

This is so cool!

Ritz Pix $.06 prints every Tues/Wed. (WOLF Camera)

Did you know you can upload your digital pictures to Ritx Pix and pick them up at the store for only $.06 on Tuesday and Wednesday of each week? This is a deal! You pay no shipping charges (duh) since they are developed "in-house". I only paid $3 for 50 prints last week. I think that's a deal...unless you got a better one you want to share with me. Please do!

Our local RitzPix dealer is WOLF Camera over in The Landings.

Don't leave the boys out

Oh no...the boys will not be left out. They each had a special friend to come and play with them, too. Funny thing is, all my kids' friends are girls! We have got to have some more boys born or brought to our church, people!

Luke and A.C. enjoying some pretzels while sitting outside in the breeze.


Andrew helps K.M. (AKA "Piglet") take a few steps around the house.

Buddies

I'll miss you when you move to St. Louis, Mackerdoodle! Glad you came over so we could play in the dirt together. Please come again....next week sound good?

Love,
Abigail

Losing my head...(my sanity)

I've noticed lately that I've done several things that cause me to wonder, "what's going on in this brain of mine?":

1. I started the washing machine, poured the liquid detergent in and walked away to get the dirty laundry. Somewhere along the path to the laundry, I guess I got distracted because an hour later I glanced in the laundry room and saw a full washer just waiting on some clothes to churn. At least there was no water a-wasting.

2. Last night for dinner, while rinsing beef in the sink, I poked my head outside to let the family know the food would be ready in ten minutes. I guess I got distracted and ended up walking outside to help one of my children get on their bike. This led to helping another child balance on their skateboard, and then helping my husband get our OTHER child out of the rear riding bike seat. When I walked back in four or five minutes later, the water was still running, rinsing the beef. All I could think about was the water bill.

3. I put the milk in the cabinet this morning.

4. I put a shoe in the fridge this afternoon.

5. There are many more I could write about but I'm too embarrassed to mention them now.

The Red River swells

Check out these pictures from The Big Picture:

The Red River is approaching record flood levels, likely to break century-old records this weekend. Flowing north toward Manitoba along the Minnesota-North Dakota border, the river is jammed up by ice and is being fed by rain, snow and meltwater. The National Weather Service has issued projections of a crest of 43 feet near Fargo, North Dakota, 24 feet above flood stage. Volunteers and national guardsmen are out in force, building levees, rescuing and evacuating those that need to get to higher ground. Cold temperatures are hampering efforts, freezing damp sandbags and making the job that much more strenuous for volunteers. 800 more National Guard troops and 150 Red Cross personnel are arriving in the area this weekend.

RedBox Code today only

Loving March.....it means two free rentals a week!

The RedBox promo code for today is:
MMM325

If you aren't sure what RedBox is or how it works, click here.

Snack Attack

Ok, I've never seen so many freebies listed in one place. Thanks to Mommy Snacks, you can now keep your mailbox full and your postman busy. Have fun.

From a Dad's perspetive

I've already linked to two articles written by the sister/mother quartet at GirlTalk regarding motherhood.

Now, read these words from a "stay-at-home" dad's perspective. And, let me just say that his words are from a humorous point of view so don't go looking for some deep spiritual truth in what he says.

Mothers: What is your priority?

More wise words from GirlTalk regarding motherhood and all the distractions that it encounters:

Here's the post in its entirety:

So how do we walk carefully through the season of mothering young children? How do we know if we’re distracted or focused on the right things?

We need to determine biblical priorities for our season, and then consistently evaluate whether or not we are living according to those priorities.

For moms with young kids, it’s pretty simple. Three non-negotiables top the list:

1. The gospel
2. Your husband
3. Your children

Ask yourself: Am I preserving these biblical priorities as my top priorities?

Then consider other activities—from your daily Internet or cell phone habits or hobbies or pleasures like reading or television or hanging out with friends—to significant endeavors such as a home business or serving opportunity.

Ask yourself:

Does my time spent on ________ cut into my time for consistent practice of the spiritual disciplines?

Does _________ hinder me from putting my husband’s needs first?

Does my investment in ________ distract me from the teaching, training, discipline, care and encouragement of my children?

Does my level of involvement in_______ cause me to be rushed, hurried, distracted or anxious in caring for my family and training my children?

If we’re consistent at checking our facebook wall but not in prayer, or if we’re attentive to our etsy site or blog but not our children, then we need to make a change.

HT: GirlTalk

Giveaways with no strings attached

Want to enter for some free stuff? You know I love posting about this stuff. Money Saving Mom has another "Galore of Giveaways" going on. Hurry up and visit her site now!

Peculiar People like grub

At church tonight, we hosted the amazing duo theatrical group, Peculiar People. I think this was my fifth time seeing them in action and I must say that I never bore of their talent. More than their gift of words and action, there's one more thing about the duo (Charlie and Ruth) that impresses me even more - their decision to move from their quiet country home in Tennessee, where they had lived for MANY years, to an apartment in the downtown area of a town in North Carolina. Why? Because they have a desire to enrich the community, learn from other artists, and follow Christ as He leads them in the Arts & Entertainment. They answered God's call to make a physical move from their comfort of home, church, and friends to a place where they knew no one.

One method the Jones' are using to accomplish this task is that of Supper Club, also known as Greensboro Grub. It's a monthly dinner night at the Jones' home where they invite 50 people to come and eat Charlie's cookin' as they all gather around one lengthy table. After dinner, they move to the living room where everyone is encouraged to use their talents and perform. Go here to see pictures and read more about Grub Night. What community. A true picture of how valuable relationships really are!

Below is a clip of Charlie welcoming Believers and Non-Believers to his home for grub time.

Mothers, pay attention

I NEEDED to read this article today. Carolyn, at GirlTalk, reminds mothers of their wonderful duty of mothering, to take great delight in it, and to be careful along the way.

Here's a snippet:

...if there’s one concern I have for this generation of mothers, it is the potential for distraction.

Blogs, facebook, twitter and texting allow moms at home to stay connected with the outside world like never before; the Internet makes it possible for women to contribute skills and gifts to the church and the marketplace, while at home with their children. These are all tremendous blessings, and when used wisely, can bless and serve our families and glorify God.

But we must be watchful that these “other things” don’t distract us from our primary task of mothering. We must walk carefully through this season, with all its opportunities, and make the best use of our time with our children

If we are distracted by projects or pleasure, we may miss valuable teaching moments, opportunities to encourage, disobedience that requires discipline, or a chance to show affection. These moments, once lost, are gone forever....

HT: Carolyn Mahaney

Spring: Around the Northern Hemisphere

Spring has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere. Enjoy these pictures!

RedBox Code today only

Go out and get you a free rental tonight.

Today's Redbox code is:

HG7W56

He's about to be five

I can't believe how fast he is growing. I always rolled my eyes when people told me to "enjoy their childhood years because it goes by so fast"....but my eyes are now full of tears at the truth to that saying. I feel time slipping away and all I want to do is hold him. He'll be five years old in two weeks and he's getting awfully heavy and lanky. But you better believe I'm gonna hold him as long as he wants me to and as long as he'll let me.

Just hanging out

She will grab a stick, bar, or a ledge just so she can pick her feet up and hang.

Wanna come over & play?

To our cousins, E & E:
Please come over again soon. We had so much fun climbing trees with you, playing tennis, pulling the wagon, and decorating cookies. Tell your mommy and daddy to go out of town again so you can stay at our house and hunt for frogs, play dodgeball, and eat worms. Yummy!

Wax on, wax off

There were three little anxious people begging to help wash the car this afternoon. They got the car good and wet as well as their clothes. Welcome, spring!

Teleprompter LIVE

I'm just gonna copy Erick.

Someone is posing as Obama's teleprompter. And they are blogging.

Natasha Richardson, 1963-2009

I'm not one to keep up with celebrity news but I read about the accidental death of Natasha Richardson . She was so young and died so suddenly. I'm in shock.

Luke-Duke

Photographing Luke is so easy. Not to mention he's a handsome little man whom I love to see through the lens of my camera.

Time together

Just one more old pic

Thanks, Amy, for posting these pictures. Wow, this one is 13 years old, taken on "Country Western Night" during CO Beach Project. What fun! Those were the days.....I kind of miss college. Well, let me rephrase that. I miss the relationships and conversations from those four years. I don't miss the education building or the fluency, language, and voice disorder classes. Do those sound exciting to you?

How's that for a lot of links?

1995 or 1974?

A friend of mine managed to locate (and scan!) a few pictures of ourselves from our Campus Outreach beach project days in Daytona from the summer of 1995. As a group of college students, we had various themes for Friday night "free time". This just so happened to be a picture taken on Disco/1970's night. Can you pick me out of the crowd?

I can't really explain my outfit. I guess it was all I could find at GOODWILL on our shopping trip.

Scenes from the recession

These scenes from the recession are both scary and sad.

HT: The Big Picture

Pluto in space?

Andrew: Mom, did you know that Pluto is no longer in gravity?

Me: Really? I thought it just lost its planet status.

Andrew: Well, all I know is that it got lost in space.

I just giggled a bit to myself. What do I know?

RedBox Wednesday TODAY

Go on down to that beautiful RedBox machine and get you some luvin'.

Today's free promo code is:

GTL456

Editing in PhotoShop

How's that for editing?
Thanks, Holly.

S & K, Click on the images for a larger view of your fine lookin' selves.

The Secret Life of Bees

I just finished watching the movie, The Secret Life of Bees. So good! I cried much throughout the movie. The characters in the story were in such need of the gospel! There were so many moments when I wanted to reach into the TV and tell them that their solution could only be found in Christ.

The storyline is engaging and the acting is superb. I've always been a fan of Queen Latifah. This may be her best role yet. Well, now....there was Beauty Shop, Mad Money, Barber Shop, Chicago, and The Bone Collector. Hmmmm.....

Bind us together

Did the title make you wanna sing the old hymn? Oh, memories.....

I promise I didn't ask them to hold hands for this picture. It happened naturally. It didn't last long but I managed to snap the picture just before they dropped their grips. See the guinea hens in the background? That's what the kids were headed for....on their tip toes, walking slowly in silence. That didn't last long either....the slow silence, that is.

I love this picture.

Caught red-handed

I traveled north a few weekends ago to spend a Saturday afternoon with my brother and sister-in-law-to-be. The directions to his house were easy but I managed to take the business route instead of the bypass once I got into his city (this city shall go unnamed, but let's just it's only a few miles south of Atlanta, off I-75). Gosh, darn...wish I hadn't done that. I got a letter in the mail today notifying me of a traffic violation. You know those traffic cameras posted on the top of light poles, stop lights, etc? Yeah, one of those things caught me breaking the law. Seems I ran a red light and they are requiring me to pay up. I can't even dispute it....along with the fine notice, the kind police department sent me not one, but three pictures of me committing the "crime". Honestly, I giggled for a bit when I opened the letter....only after lifting my jaw.

Looking back, I'm just thankful I didn't cause an accident or worse.

RedBox Code today only

Today's RedBox code, good 'til midnight.

2GR4N8

Eric Carle, author/illustrator

Did you know that Eric Carle has a blog?

He's the author and/or illustrator of several children's books, including:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (1967)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar (1969)
Pancakes, Pancakes! (1970)
Do You Want to Be My Friend? (1971)
Walter the Baker (1972)
Why Noah Chose the Dove (1974)
The Mixed-Up Chameleon (1975)
Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me (1986)
A House for Hermit Crab (1987)
The Lamb and the Butterfly (1988)
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? (1991)
My Apron (1994)
From Head to Toe (1997)
“Slowly, Slowly, Slowly,” said the Sloth (2002)
10 Little Rubber Ducks (2005)

There are many more I didn't include in this list!

Mountain top experience

I really did learn a lot of stuff at the conference I just attended...I promise! But, I think that the one thing that I most took away from my time there was connecting with friends and making new ones. I'm always about conversation and relationships!



Gail, it was so fun to be around you and hear all about dairy farming. I REALLY am going to bring the family up to north Alabama and visit the Rankin farm....and spend some time with Rayann, too!

Michele, you were a hoot. I won't forget spotting you in the dark at the bus-stop at Covenant College. You were so cold but you were laughing your booty off at us crazy gals. The literal trip down the mountain was something I'll never forget. So glad we met!

Sheila, girl....I'm so thankful I'm gonna get to spend a lot more time with you. It makes me smile to know that God placed us in the same presbytery so we can get together often.

I miss you all!

City-Wide consignment sale

If you are in my area, don't forget the city-wide children's consignment sale begins next week. It will take place in the Kmart shopping center on Macon Road, in the space that houses the huge Halloween store each fall.

Here's the public shopping schedule for all of next week:

Tuesday, March 17 - 4 pm -8 pm
Wednesday, March 18 - 10 am - 6 pm
Thursday, March 19 - 10 am - 6 pm
Friday, March 20 -10 am - 6 pm (25% OFF DAY)
Saturday, March 21 - 7 pm - 9 pm
Sunday, March 22 - 9 am - 5 pm (50% OFF DAY)

Visa, MasterCard, cash and checks (with 2 forms of ID) are accepted. All sales are final.

You can find Tommy Hilfiger, Lilly Pulitzer, Strasburg , Carter's, Old Navy, GAP, Kelly's Kids, Wish Upon a Star, PolliLops, House of Hatten and many more department and boutique store names. As well as toys, baby and toddler beds, changing tables, outdoor toys and much more!

Another artist pick: Phil Wickham

Easter will soon be upon us. Let's celebrate. Another of my favorite artists, Phil Wickham, sings about the death & resurrection of Christ in the song, True Love.

Soli Deo Gloria!




Come close listen to the story
About a love more faithful than the morning
The Father gave his only Son just to save us

The earth was shaking in the dark
All creation felt the Father's broken heart
Tears were filling heaven's eyes
The day that true love died, the day that true love died
When blood and water hit the ground
Walls we couldn't move came crashing down
We were free and made alive
The day that true love died, The day that true love died

Search your hearts you know you can't deny it
Lose your life just so you can find it
The Father gave his only son just to save us

Jesus is alive
He rose again


Phil's newest album, Singalong, is available for a free download in its entirety by clicking here. You won't be disappointed in this live acoustic version of some of his great songs. Enjoy and spread the love!

NOTE: If Firefox gives you trouble, try Explorer.

Parachute play

The boys enjoy playing under the HUGE parachute from time to time. Mitch and I lifted it as high as we could and then I snapped this picture quickly before the parachute came down on top of them. Gosh, they are handsome.

Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!
Psalm 31:19

Blossom captured

Tiny, but beautiful.

I snapped this picture about 2:00 in the afternoon while walking with my children on our church property, enjoying the spring weather. I took it with my kit lens!

Look at it fly, Mama!

25 things I hate about FACEBOOK

Tim Hawkins - ChickFilA

Love me some ChickFilA!

American Eagle free

Girls: Click here for a free item from American Eagle. It's legit!

A sure sign of spring

I know it's spring when my children are so busy playing outside that they beg to stay longer. They were outside for three hours on Monday afternoon....busy digging, playing with the dog, peeking, exploring, and laughing. Capturing my children enjoying God's creation is truly a blessing.

Delight in dinner

Thanks to BLOGGER IN DRAFT, I'm gonna "post" while I'm away.

While Mitch was at a session meeting all evening, I decided to make use of our back porch table. Sandwiches, pretzels, banana, and cheese bites were on the menu, much to the delight of my three hungry hippos. It was an easy meal and the kids couldn't have been happier.


If was fun to see their joy in something so simple as covering the dirty table with a bed sheet, a potted plant, and some paper plates. I think we'll do this more often when Daddy's at his monthly meeting.

FLOAM

FLOAM. Ever seen this stuff? It's really cool. It's not like playdough because it's very light in weight. It's not sticky either, making it easy to mold. I bought a small container of the off-brand at the Dollar Tree and it was well worth it!

Trial

UPDATE: Luke did extremely well without an afternoon nap! I think it's just gonna take some planning on my part in keeping him busy. We spent three hours outside yesterday afternoon because the weather was so beautiful. He played so hard! Bedtime was a snap!


Today is the first day I've purposefully allowed Luke to skip his afternoon nap.

I'll let you know via this blog if I do it again tomorrow.

I should have a definite answer to that sometime this evening around 6:30 p.m.

Of course I had to pick today to do this......Mitch has a session meeting tonight and won't come home until around 10:00 p.m. or later.

Sporadic

I'll be out of town for the next three days and, since I don't own a laptop, I'm not sure what my computer time will look like. Sporadic?

If I don't blog, Mom, it's only because the hotel where I'll be staying doesn't have a business center for me to use. Doesn't matter to you, anyway....all you're interested in are the pictures of your grand-babies, and I won't have them with me.

Homophones

Four a friend.....ewe know hoo ewe are.

HOMOPHONES video by Veggie Tales.
It wouldn't post the video directly to my blog so I'm sending you to the URL.


LYRICS:
Whether, whether, whether, whether
Whether you like it or not
Weather, weather, weather, weather
Weather is cold, warm and hot.

Two, two, two, two
Two of my favorite toys
I'm bringing to, to, to, to
A place the first one enjoys…
and I like it, too!

Homophones! Homophones!
Where the crews come cruising down the plane!
Homophones! Homophones!
I need my kneaded biscuits plain!

I know a pear, pear, pear, pear
With a pair of really soft shoes.
He wears them to pare, pare, pare, pare
Bushes that easily bruise.

I planted rows, rows, rows, rows
of a horribly bad smelling rose
Now no one knows, knows, knows, knows
If the scent will be leaving my nose!
But most likely no.

Oh!
Homophones! Homophones!
Where the toads are towed out on the plane!
Homophones! Homophones!
I need my kneaded biscuits plain!

Whether, whether, whether, whether,
Whether you like it or not
Weather, weather, weather, weather
Weather is cold, warm and hot.

RedBox code today only

TODAY's RedBox code, good til midnight.

F3T9L6

My favorite pastors

These are my favorite pastors. Three of these fellas are my friends ("duh" on the first guy) but I've never met the other three - although I would like to one day. I like to listen to these guys when I'm riding in my car, cooking dinner, or sitting at the computer. Yeah, right....like I do any of those things without kids screaming all around me.

Mitch McGinnis

Burt Boykin

Mark Driscoll

Bob Flayhart

Steve Brown

John Piper

Kristi & Stuart

My brother is getting married to a wonderful girl so I was thrilled when they asked me to take their engagement pictures. We spent about six hours together yesterday and had a grand time. It was nice to watch them interact and joke around with each other and it made my heart happy to see my brother in love.

I haven't had time to edit these pictures but here are a few of my favorites (I can't wait to see how these turn out once they're edited...help, Holly!).