Been pondering....

This morning God woke me up.  Yep!  Really early too!  Couldn't go back to sleep. I tried, and that is how I know God woke me up, cause I was still really tired.  But I have been struggling with feeling overwhelmed.  Overwhelmed by what all needs to be done in a done and how it is going to be done.  So with my glass of water (Important point, cause there is no Pepsi in the house.  Kind of like coffee for the one who doesn't like coffee. Which is a good thing, cause if I had made a pot of coffee, then the whole house would have started to wake.  Did I say it was really early.).. 
So with my glass of water, I curled up to read my Bible and pray.  God didn't have a magic answer to how it was all going to get done.  He just told me to "just do it".  There was no, huh??  head scratching, trying to figure out what He meant.  Cause we have been down this road before.  One foot it front of the other, just go to the next thing when the first is done.  You see, I like to plan.  I homeschool.  I have a large family, to some at least...not like the Duggars.  I like to create beautiful schedules.  But guess what, my kids don't get it.  THEY JUST DON"T GET IT!!!  My husband doesn't either.  Not that he should.  Cause he is the head of the home, and I shouldn't be telling him what to do.  Maybe asking him about a possible honey do project...(a whole other topic..)
But really they just don't get it.  They don't have the same sense of accomplishment of a long list with tick marks next to each item.  They just do not get it ! Besides my beautifully created charts just aren't fun to apply.  Fun to create, but not to apply.  So I have been pondering on how to organize my year, months and days.  Not an easy task when I know my crew won't follow my schedule.  I have managed to learn life throws us curve balls on a regular basis.  So how Lord do we get it all done?
He reminds me, One foot in front of the other.
He didn't ask me to get it all done.  He asked me to seek HIM first, then to just go to the next thing, one foot in front of the other.   So I don't have all my plans figured out, but I have my mission/theme for the year. 
Seek the Lord first and then "Just do it!"

Simple Summer Joys!

Cake Boss I am not, but I did get it done...

So I come home one night to discover that Fun Mom and her friend had designed the birthday cake for Fun Mom. The first words out of my mouth were, "Who do you think I am, Cake Boss?"

To which they laughed.

The cake they designed even had a wire feature that would require being covered in fondant.

The dear friend, that she is, offered to be there to help me. She would make the wire feature and would even cover it fondant.
Guess what, she wasn't able to come over after all...she was with her dad.
Not that the wire feature would have happened. :)
On the other hand, her mom and little sister were there helping to roll out fondant shapes. To taste the fondant and offer comedy and support as I attempt this mammoth cake. 4 cake mixes, lots of frosting and fondant. ONE BIG HUG and Happy daughter. She is so not allowed to make her next cake this complicated. And I need to take a fondant class and learn to make marshmallow fondant.

Feathers...they just get this momma in trouble

So just a little while ago, my oldest turned 15. What did she want for her birthday? A feather in her hair! What did I say in return, "Will you call it macaroni?" Fun Mom, didn't think I was too funny. Why do you want a feather? Cause some of my friends have them and they are cool. I couldn't help myself, "Cause birds of feather flock together?"

So in spite of the constant laughter on my part, I decided we could do this. The one liners, I must admit just kept coming. That first night, I laughed so much, that even dear hubby told me I had to get a grip and stop laughing. But it only got worse, cause.....

I was going to make it happen and fortunately for my sweet daughter, her cousin, my niece posted these instructions on how to adorn one's mane with feathers. We can do this ourselves, I told her. Of course, her cousin is one cool cousin and that was okay. We texted her in Colorado. We found the tools and devices. But feathers??? They were hard to find. Texted my niece...checked out the stores she recommended.

Guess what?? Fly fishing is not as big in Kansas as in some other places. But, we were referred to a fly fishing store. We went, the guy knew we were coming... I should have known something was up. He greeted me at the door and said, "don't have any." HUH???? Don't have any what??? "What you are looking for?" But I haven't asked for anything. "I know what you are here for." You do???? Someone from the day before tipped him off that I was coming. But I didn't understand, left my name and number and left. But the birthday is now days away. I had no idea feathers would be difficult to come by. So I call my Gander Mountain loving friend. Well actually, she loves the man in her life who loves Gander Mountain in Wisconsin and sent her an SOS text. I, also, send a similar SOS to my sis in Colorado Springs. I am, meanwhile, on the computer looking up fly fishing stores in Colorado. My friend is in Wisconsin talking to her husband asking for feathers and he is like what??? Have I mentioned how much everyone adores FUN MOM! ! So my sis finds them in Colorado and priority mails them to us and they arrive within hours of party time.

YEAH ! !

Fun Mom, meanwhile, is not very impressed. This is far more of an ordeal than she bargained for and she doesn't understand why the salon is out of the question. AND she is very frustrated, her mother starts laughing hysterically at the mere thought of a feather, bird or anything fowl. Why??? might you ask. Well, in the course of searching fly fishing shops in Colorado, I came across a few online articles about these feathers....

This led to a little research about where these feathers come from....

Supposedly fly fishermen are angry. They can't find the feathers they need for their hobby. Why?? because they are walking all over the world not on fishing hooks but on the heads of human race. And yet there is a tremendous irony to this little fact. Which sends me rolling on the floor in hysterics, much to Fun Mom's displeasure. You see these feathers come from roosters. In particular, rooster's behinds. They are tail feathers ! ! !! Roosters are the males of their species. Male birds are all pretty colors and fancy to attract their more duller in appearance female counterparts. Think on this a bit. What particular part of the human race are attracted to these feathers..... the females. They are wearing tale feathers on their heads. They aren't attracting the males of the human race. They are annoying them. This irony sends me over the top. However, when you are 15 or almost 15, these ironies are not appreciated, nor is the uncontrolled laughter of the mother.

Alas, I get myself under control. Voila, my daughters and the friends have feathers. One day, the neices will have feathers too.

Aren't they beautiful???

and now they can "go shake their tale feathers! "

WOW !! It has been a while....

I knew I had withdrawn from various social networking devices, but I didn't realize how long it has been since I had posted.
Pictures I have taken. Thoughts of posts that could be posted have been dreamed up...but then there is life. I must say the last few months I have been making conscious decisions away from social networking. Good, bad, will I regret the lack of "journaling", I don't know. But I do know that life is a bit more relaxed for me as a result of letting go of this "one" thing.
Kids have healed up. I have been visiting family here and there. We celebrated a 15th, 43rd, 60th, 42nd and 62nd birthday in the last month. Father's Day times four. A wedding. Managed to sneak the pool in a couple of times.
I was on steroids over the last month, so I got lots done at home. Crazed momma syndrome.
My oldest went to Colorado for a week.
The kids and hubby all were at VBS for a week. Nope, I didn't go this year. I worked on projects at home. LOTS of projects.
I have been lesson planning for the next year. 5 in school next year. I bought a GBC Pro-Click Binding system and been busy making up books. OH what fun that is! !! So going to like these books more than 3 prong folders, staples and 3 ring binders.
Listing stuff on E-Bay so I don't have to have a garage sale. :)
Garage - Sale Shopping ! ! !
Laundry, feeding children (why they find this necessary, I have no idea), more laundry, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning...did I mention I was on steroids this last month and the kids were duly frightened of mass cleaning spree. :)
And listening....
I find myself listening to the children in summer thrills.
Running down the street to the ice cream truck and ecstatic they have nut free treats !!!
Playing in the sprinkler with Gus the dog.
"Secret" discussions on how they can reinact a MacGyver stunt.
The mystery of how my oil and water boys have found they have common ground....laughing and plotting in great delight about how to annoy their older sister.
Summer Siestas! ! Oh, how I love these.
Summer nights, still warm but with the sun low in the west, it just doesn't feel as hot and it is perfect for a walk or hanging out on the porch.
My favorite is sneaking away to the lake and getting on my dad's boat. Completely disconnected from the world and responsibilities. No thoughts about laundry, paying bills, dishes, tomorrow's appointments. Just fun, hanging with the kids, feet dangling off the dock in the water, worms on a hook, tossing kiddos into the lake and hearing them holler at the suprise. Completely disconnected from our hectic life. So completely disconnected, I don't notice it till we were are headed home and the closer we get, the more my to do list and calendar starts running through my mind. Hubby agrees, more time at the lake is in the works. Nice for this momma to so completely disconnect. Who knows, maybe I will get some pictures taken and posted. :)

Guess what I did today??

I vacuumed our dog! Yep! Sure did.
He was shedding, hair was getting everywhere. We would brush and the hair would fly off him. Kept thinking, would be kind a cool if we could use the vacuum and keep the hair from going all over.
So I tried it.
He let me do it! Okay, someone held onto his collar. Hence, he knew he was caught and didn't struggle. BUT..he did not growl. He did not try to get away. He did not nip at me or the vacuum or the person holding his collar at the time. He just sat there.
I used the vacuum this morning.
Then this afternoon, he stunk. Like barn stink. yech! So we gave him a bath. As the water hit him in the shower, chunks of hair started to fall off of him. I was flabbergasted. I scrubbed and rinsed. Before a few minutes passed, I was covered in hair. I had no idea a bath would cause his hair to just fall off of him.
So we got the brush (defur-inator) and more chunks of hair. Needless to say, Little Princess had the job of keeping the drain clean and free from the hair. Dried him and let him loose. Still lots of hair on the hand after petting him.
We got the vacuum out again. He looks 10 pounds lighter. He wasn't obese. He was HAIRY! He is really calm tonight. No bouncing around or trying to get on the table. Thinking we might need to keep the vacuum out all the time.

Summer Reading comes Early ! !

I love Reading Programs and their REWARDS! So when my friend, Susan, emailed me this link I had to check it out! Scholastic and Kumon join together to offer free books for completing math and reading activities. I can't wait to include these activities into the kids' school work. They will enjoy picking their books out and getting their own package in the mail!