Fireworks, Not Cigarette Butts!

Today I stomped around in the burnt spots in the field and found the remnant of a burnt firework. Later, my father-in-law found more. Our neighbors up the road had been setting them off on Sunday, so that's what started our fires! Yikes! Since our neighbors are close friends of Mark's parents, my father-in-law is going to talk with them about what happened. Hopefully they'll be more careful and learn a lesson from this! :-) Whew, I think that I have!

Fire is Scary

Well, we had a strange experience today. Mark just happened to look out the front window to see smoke drifting past. Then we were in shock to see the little field beside us on fire! It had about five places that were burning. We just stood there a few seconds in shock because it just didn't make sense at first. This was especially odd because there is still some snow on the ground here and there. This was on Mark's fathers' property, so he and Mark ran out there to put it out because it was beginning to spread and two little fires joined. I called the fire department, but Mark and my father-in-law had just got the last fire put out when they arrived. They were worn out from running around throwing snow on the fire and stamping it. The firemen wet the whole area to make sure that it didn't flare back up. We don't really know how it started... something that especially bothers me! We suspect that someone flicked a cigarette out onto the field driving past or something. I was going to take a picture, but decided to try and forget about it instead. I'm glad that my hubby and father-in-law didn't get hurt! I know that this was a much milder incident, but now I appreciate how horrible it must be for people who experience the huge wildfires out in California. It is scary to see fire that close.

Time to Destress AGAIN

That's one reason I haven't been able to write much lately. I just feel too stressed out. Time to take a deep breath, relax and destress AGAIN. Sigh................

Thank Goodness for Butt Paste!

I'm finally getting time to post. My MG has had this awful stomach virus that has left her poor little bottom so sore that she wailed in pain most of the day. It was just horrible. I couldn't go out with the kids all day since she was too sick to go out, so MM went out after work and got Butt Paste. I ran out of diaper rash cream a long time ago and never had to use it much to begin with. I was so frazzled early today trying to search through stuff hoping to find some hidden away somewhere, but I could only find the baby powder. This only provided temporary relief. Well, the Butt Paste is great...it immediately did the trick and MG is finally sleeping. Whew...what an awful day. I know that kids get sick, but we have been sick practically every two weeks since Fall. This comes after having a terribly stressful day at work yesterday. Do you ever just want to go out in an open field somewhere where hopefully no one can hear and just scream? I guess I need to do something like that because I just hold everything in. Ah well, this is just part of life and being a mother. Everybody tells me that when Kindergarten rolls around, the kids will have their immunities built up and won't get sick as often since they've been exposed to it in preschool. I hope that it's true!!

I'm having a Southern identity crisis. I know this sounds silly, but I have always seen myself as a Tennessee girl from the South. When I went South to visit, it was not a pleasant experience. It just wasn't, and I'm not entirely sure why. Part of it was my depression. It was so unpleasant that I haven't even wanted to think about it and haven't written on my Southern blog in a LOOOOOOOOONG time. Sometimes I feel that I never want to go back. Maybe that will change.

Sorry my post is all over the place. I can't write about the thing that's been bothering me the most. (has do do with work) That I have to pray about. I am reading a really great book right now... Wide Open Spaces: Beyond Paint-by-Number Christianity by Jim Palmer. Barbara had talked about it on her blog, so I placed a hold on it at my library. I just started reading it and really like it so far. I have been struggling with the issue of going to church and how I feel about my beliefs. This book seems to deal with these issues or things related, so I really am excited about reading it.

I keep wanting to write, but about nothing in particular... just because this is precious time to myself where I can get out some thoughts. Interruption......Oh well...now I have to tend to someone :) Maybe I'll get some time later.....

The Church Thing Revisited

I got to thinking about this issue again...especially since a well-meaning family member keeps after us about this. I have decided what to do. I am going to have a "home school" Sunday school class for my kids every Sunday morning. I can do that! I already started last Sunday and it went well. I have this wonderful pre-school bible that really makes each story simple and easy for the kids to understand. I'm also going to read my bible and meditate each night. It really made me feel better last night to do that. Sometimes nights seem to be hard for me. That's when I worry about things. I think that this would be the best thing for us to do right now rather than jumping right into going to church. I want to go, but this might help it to be less of a shock when the kids first start. I also think that it would be good to have this be part of our every day life. I haven't been teaching the kids or telling them enough about God and my beliefs, so I think that this is a good way for us to start. Then, in a few months, who knows? We might feel ready to try church.

I've been a little down lately. I'm thinking that it could be that I'm extra busy and tired. I feel sad when I don't have time to blog. It helps relieve some of that stress to talk about it here, so I'm feeling alot of relief right now. Poor Mark... I think that he wants to blog right now, but he's having a hard time getting MB to sleep. Nice of him to give me a break, though. We each put one of the kids to bed at night. My kid went right to sleep, lucky me! :)

Clothesline is Cheap

We've enjoyed the luxury of a clothes dryer for several years now, but our electric bill went up so ridiculously much recently that we're going back to the clothesline. This is not fun to do in the Winter, but we've luckily had a few days of unseasonably warm weather. I'm curious to find out if it will make a difference. We put a "temporary" clothesline outside. It really looks like a Ma and Pa Kettle clothesline attached to a tree and propped up in the middle by a huge branch. It's funny. It works perfectly well, though. When Spring comes we will put up something better. We have also put a clothesline across the entire length of our basement and a drying rack in the bathroom. It's very time consuming. The kids have fun helping me, which is nice. My sidebar drawing very much illustrates our life right now. :)

Happy Second Birthday!

Tomorrow is my little boy's second birthday! He shares his special day with his grandpa who he calls Pap Pap. :) We were so surprised that he arrived on this day... four weeks before his due date! I didn't get to see him for very long right after he was born. He had to go to the special care nursery and I had to visit him there during that first week. I remember the first time I walked in to the nursery and walked to the side of his crib. He stopped crying and turned his head and looked at me with those big beautiful eyes. It made me laugh out loud because he had the funniest little expression on his cute little face. He continues to be such a funny little guy that keeps me laughing.

Fast Food

My clothes felt a little loose, so I felt safe to get on the scales. I really avoid this normally, but was pleasantly surprised to have lost about 10 lbs. I haven't exercised, so this is entirely due to changing some things about the way I eat. Instead of having pancakes for breakfast, I've been eating a bowl of cereal or a granola bar. I have almost entirely quit eating out...except for today I splurged because I didn't have time to eat breakfast. I am also eating more salads and raw veggies for snacks. Those are the only things that I can figure have affected my weight. Also, I'm less depressed, so maybe I'm eating less? Now I just need to find time to exercise.

Fast Food Fix by Devin Alexander... Mark brought home this wonderful book from the library a few days ago. So far, we have tried the KFC popcorn chicken recipe and it was delicious...better than the real thing. I am so impressed with this book. The author has worked hard to duplicate the taste of many fast food favorites, but has improved upon the recipe by making it healthier. She never fries the foods! They are baked instead. Some of these foods are still high in calories, but they are a good alternative if you are craving the "bad" version of it. :)

Waking Up, Upside Down!

I'm still recovering from the holidays and trying to catch up on sleep. I'm not a pretty sight without my sleep! Ever since the kids got sick, they started getting up several times during the night. For some reason, MG has been extra clingy and still getting up in the night even though she is no longer sick. Then MB gets up in the wee morning hours to climb into my bed. There's not enough room, so I have been going out to the couch for a few hours and letting him have my spot. Last night I was just TOO TIRED to go to the couch. I woke up, upside down! I had climbed into the wrong end of the bed, so I was sleeping with my face next to someone's big size 13 feet! Yep, I was oh so tired.

I know that alot of people get sad during the holidays. I do too. I know why, too. It's just a time when I think about the people who I love and miss who have died in my family. I am glad to have good memories of those special people at Christmas, but it hurts to miss them and regret that they didn't get to live longer lives. I have a real difficult time to this day still feeling like my dad was taken away when he was too young, when my mom was too young and especially when my brothers and I were too young. I miss him. I especially remember that he LOVED Christmas and made a big deal out of it.

Having kids to surprise at Christmas has made it a happier time for me. Thinking about these things has made me start thinking about church again. I haven't had to worry about the church issue for a while because I obviously can't take the kids when they're sick. I want to give church a try soon. Experiencing it is the best way to decide if it's for us. And I want to kind of do it in secret...not make a big deal out of it.

Happy New Year everyone, and thanks for reading my blog! :)