When God talks, listen.

I always love when God speaks to me. Sometimes it's so subtle that I really have to think about what He's trying to tell me. Other times, it seems that He's screaming at me.
I have been wanting to get The Elf on the Shelf for quite some time now, but just never did for some reason. With the kids getting older, I knew it had to start this year or they'd just be too old and think it was silly. We saw it Saturday when we were in Effingham, but I passed it up and regretted it. Today, I just HAD to have it. It could wait no longer. I called around to a few places in town and in Greenville, trying to save a 30 mile trip, but no one had it. So after lunch, I decided to make a flying trip to Effingham to get the set.

I should have taken the hint when nowhere in town had it. As I was going to leave town, I was behind a dump truck full of rocks and dirt when all of a sudden, a huge rock came flying out and hit my windshield. It left a nice, 1/2 inch crack. I hadn't even made it out of town at that point, and I seriously considered turning back home thinking that maybe I shouldn't be going. But I didn't listen. I second-guessed my choice all the way there. I got to the Hallmark store, got my Elf, and left. I got into the car and hadn't left the parking lot when my phone rang. It was Christopher. "I got an Elf on the Shelf at the gift shop. It was 30% off." WHAT?????? I'd driven 30 miles to get an Elf and he (and I didn't even know he knew I wanted one) had bought one? Seriously... I parked, returned my Elf and went home.

That rock hitting my windshield was no accident. God made that rock hit me to stop me from going, but I didn't listen. I was too focused on that Elf. He knew that Christopher was going to get that Elf and was trying to save me from wasting my time and gas. Now, I wish He hadn't sent a rock to crack the window, but we'll survive that. Tomorrow I have to take it to have it looked at to see if it needs replaced or can be repaired. If it can be repaired, insurance will cover it with no deductible. If it has to be replaced, we have to pay. Let's pray that it can be repaired since it's so small.
So with our Elf on a Shelf all put up, I sat down to read the book to the kids. They thought it was a cute story, although Preston keeps telling me it's just a doll and it can't tell Santa. He may not believe wholeheartedly, but I think they'll have fun finding him anyway. If you're not familiar with the story, when you bring the elf to your home, you have to name it. Ours is named Bobby Boy...
Rudolph was on channel 4 tonight so we all sat down and watched it. It's been my favorite since I was a girl, and I look forward to watching it each year. It's hard to pick a favorite character, and no, mine's not Rudolph. I quite like Clarice and the little doll on the Island of Misfit Toys! I can't wait for the other Christmas cartoons to come on!

Santa

I found Laurie's blog through Kelly's Korner and have enjoyed reading about her sweet girls. Her girls recently visited Santa and Sarah Kate was not thrilled to see him. I immediately thought of Preston, who has never cared for Santa, either. I'm sure you can tell by the look on his face from last Christmas that he would rather not be sitting with him. My sister-in-law's dad dressed up as Santa and stopped by while we were at Granny and Pa's on Christmas Eve and took Preston by surprise!

Up until last year, we only had one picture of Preston with Santa- he was 2 months old and couldn't put up much of a protest. But then Santa came to school and he kind of had to sit with him for a picture or else his friends would know his dislike for Santa. I was so proud of him when he brought the picture home. It went straight to the fridge!

My favorite Santa memory with Preston is certainly not his favorite. Two years ago we were sitting in the pick-up line at Kate's school. We'd gotten there early to get a good spot in line, and Santa happened to be leaving the school as we sat. I told Preston to look at Santa, and rolled the window down so he could see better since the windows are tinted. Lo and behold, Santa saw him sitting in his seat and started walking toward the car. Preston was frantic, screaming, "ROLL THE WINDOW UP! ROLL THE WINDOW UP!" It was too late by this time as Santa was just a few feet from the car (and unless he was hard of hearing, had to have heard Preston screaming). Santa talked to Preston, but he refused to talk. I'm sure he was terrified and the poor kid was buckled into his carseat and couldn't get away. Santa gave him a candy cane, which he was less than thrilled with, and left. Preston was not a happy camper after that.

Miss Kate, though, has been quite enamored with Santa from the start. She got a stuffed Santa for her 2nd Christmas, which she named Hoho, and she carried that thing around everywhere for well over a year. Hoho slept in her crib every night. Now we're able to pack Hoho away with the Christmas decorations, but every year when we unpack them, Hoho goes straight up to her room. He's currently on her bed with her. My 11 year old daughter and her stuffed Santa.

Long time, no post

It's been a while since I last updated. I just didn't have much that seemed blog-worthy up until this weekend. It's been a long, but fun 5 days with everyone home.

Christopher's great uncle passed away Monday morning, so Christopher took off work Wednesday for the funeral, so he's been home for 5 days. That's almost unheard of. It was a nasty, rainy day Wednesday. We're talking, it poured HARD the entire day and everything was flooded. When I picked Preston up from school, the run from the school to the car, that took maybe 30 seconds, left us completely soaked. His backpack was so wet that his paper pilgrim inside fell apart. Ugh! And why did we not have an umbrella you ask? It picked that day to decide that it would no longer open... The kids got to decorate their tree downstairs and it looks really nice. We tied it to the dehumidifier to keep the cat from knocking it down this year.

Thursday was a busy day. We had lunch at Granny and Pa's and had a good time enjoying the wonderful food. Granny's potatoes were the best she's ever made! I left feeling like a little piggie! After that, we had to go to Keith and Dee's and right after we got there, it started snowing and kept up for almost half an hour. It accumulated some, too, so it was nice to see, although I'm NOT ready for winter! We stuffed ourselves again, then headed home for some family Wii time.

The day after Thanksgiving, you will not find me in the stores (at least not early). I did venture to Wal-Mart around 9:00, got my Legos and left. We then loaded up and went to get our real tree for upstairs. I love it! Christopher thought it would be too small, but it's perfect! We had an issue with the lights and had to go back to Wal-Mart for more. We decided that along with the 3 strands of white, we'd do some colored ones and it looks so nice! It really reflects the colors on the antique balls. I don't think we've used colored lights for 10 years, so it's a nice change.

Saturday was lunch and Grandma Lou and Grandpa Ed's. It's always a favorite for the kids since we don't make it down there often enough. They love playing in their garage more than anything else, and that's the first thing they did after lunch. Christopher and I went to Effingham afterward to do a little Christmas shopping and got quite a few people checked off. Christopher's cousin Aaron was in town and stopped by for a while last night to show us a rock he'd found. It was a weird purple color that had dark green crystals inside of it, and it was magnetic. They looked online to see what it was and didn't come up with much.

Today was a day to unwind. We spent the day up at Granny and Pa's just relaxing and recovering from the weekend. Tomorrow is back to normal.

Average

For once, I wish I was average.

The clothing world was not made for people like me.

The one comment I hate more than anything else, is, "You're so tiny!"- like it's a good thing.

If you had to go shopping with my sizes, you'd rethink that comment.

I wear 00 petite pants. I wear XXS petite tops. I wear a size 5 shoe. I wear a 32 AA bra (that's smaller than an A cup).

Average stores don't carry those sizes. The only place I can buy clothes that I know will fit is Ann Taylor Loft. Victoria's Secret is the only place that sells bras that small (that aren't little girls). And shoes... finding a cute, grown up shoes in a 5 is a rarity, which is why I wear the same shoes all the time, for years on end until they fall apart- even if they don't entirely match my outfit.

Today, I went to Effingham. I had a few stops to make for Christmas gifts, and wanted to stop at Kohl's because I had a gift card and they'd sent me a $10 cash card in the mail. I'm down to 2 pair of jeans that I rotate every other day because my other pair ripped from being worn so much. For starters, I hate Kohls. Nothing fits me except some of their t-shirts (but not all of them). I thought I might find a pair of jeans. I looked through every pair they had. I found some zero's, tried them on, and they were all too long. I found some short zero's and tried them on- they just flat out didn't fit and made my butt look like a big bag. I was so mad, so frustrated, that I left. I made the 2 stops I absolutely had to make, and went home. I left at 10:15 and was back at 12:30- that's with an hour of driving.

Just one time I'd like to buy something in a normal store. I'd like to go shopping and not rely on going to one single store and buying what they have. And if you shop at Loft, you know it's not cheap. Just once. Just once I'd like to be average.

Thrown a curveball

As if being sick with multiple colds back to back wasn't bad enough, throw in a stomach bug to the mix and it's sure to bring even the best down.

Around 12:30 Wednesday morning, I hear footsteps running down the stairs and I could tell it was Preston (I'd fallen asleep on the couch watching tv). "I think I'm going to puke!" "RUN to the sink!" No longer than I had said that, had it all been lost on the floor of the hall and kitchen. What a nice thing to wake up to. I got Preston cleaned up and settled back in bed with the Prairie Farms bucket, braced for a long night, then set to the task of cleaning up. I'll spare details, but it took wiping up, the steam mop, and lots of Lysol. I went to bed, prayed for Preston to be OK and for an easy night. Preston being OK was answered as he never got sick again. An easy night was not found as I could not fall back asleep, and when I did, the smoke detector in the sunroom was beeping and my night was through- a total of about 3 hours of sleep.

I kept P home as per school rules and because I just knew he'd be sick again (he wasn't). He spent the day happily playing the Wii from the couch, while I laid in the chair, trying to keep my eyes open. Mid-morning, I started feeling "off". I prayed that I wasn't getting the bug, and figured there was no way since Preston had just thrown up- the timing wasn't right. By 2:30, I was sick. Luckily, Christopher was home, but unluckily for me, he was in the shower when Kate needed picked up from school, so I had to go get her. As soon as she got home, I went to bed. It was Grammy night, so I was thankful for Dee taking the kids for a while, and Christopher went out there to help hook up their new tv, so I was left with a quiet house. I took a nap. Bad move at 5:00... Between being sick off and on all evening, and not being able to sleep AGAIN, I was miserable. My head hurt, my body ached, my ears hurt, yet I couldn't take anything or else I'd be sick again. So I laid there. Finally, around 2:30 a.m., I got up and took a sip of water and ate half a Pixy Stick and the rest of the night was SO much better. I hadn't eaten or drank in almost 24 hours, so I think my blood sugar was bottomed out.

This morning was rough. Christopher didn't turn on Kate's alarm when he put them to bed, so we woke up late. I fixed a quick breakfast and had to lie down. I had to stop and lie down multiple times while trying to pack lunches. Thankfully, the kids were extra nice today and got all of their stuff done with pretty much no fighting or horseing around, which is awesome, so I just laid on the couch until 8:00, then got in the car exactly as I had gotten up. That alone was not like me since I won't go anywhere without my hair and makeup done. Christopher left work at noon to come help me because I was feeling so bad earlier, but by the time he got home at 1:30, I was fine. I'd eaten a pop tart and some soup and felt so much better. I'm still pretty worn out, but I'm so thankful that is behind me. Now, off to bed, sleepyhead.

What's up?

I've been MIA lately. Nothing really new to report. We've been busy delivering Girl Scout cookies, buying Christmas presents, and being sick again. I can thank Preston for bringing this cold home, which I also caught- which means I've been sick for 3 straight weeks with one cold or another. Ugh. Old Tyme Christmas is Friday, and they are using Pa's tree from his yard. It's set up downtown and decorated already, and looks nice. It certainly doesn't look like the same tree. I can't wait to see them light it Friday night.

Pasay Jack

We were watching tv tonight, and at one point, I wasn't watching the screen. Preston says, "That's Pasay Jack." I look up and no one is there. I ask who Pasay Jack is. "You know, the guy with the wheel." Still no clue. "He's on Game Lounge, too." Suddenly realizing who he's talking about, I chuckle. "You mean Pat Sajack?" "That's his name? I always thought it was Pasay Jack."

Gotta love my little man and what he hears.

Giveaway

Do you need a blog makeover? I know that I do! Head on over to Megan's blog where she's having a giveaway for a blog makeover! You can have up to 3 chances to win. Good luck!

The case of people v mouse...

CLOSED!

There's no more mouse in this house!

Monday

Today is miscellany Monday at Lowercase Letters. Because today is just so random, I had to jump in.

1. Kate had her dentist appointment today and all went really well. They did some new x-rays and it was like that old game of how many people can you fit into a VW bug, but only, how many teeth can you cram into Kate's mouth. It was seriously that bad. She still has 6 more baby teeth to lose. Her regular dentist was out today, so we didn't have her braces consult. The dentist that saw her said it would be at least another year before we headed down that road. They want her to lose her baby teeth on her own. I'm OK with it completely. It gives her mouth some more time to grow.

2. While driving down the road today, on my way to pick up Preston's fries and meet him for lunch, I saw a man lying on the sidewalk. It struck me as odd, and I thought about stopping, but I was in a hurry, and another car had stopped, so I went on. I had an extra minute after I stopped at BK, so I swung back by to make sure that someone had indeed stopped to check on him, and an ambulance was there. I pray that he was OK. I feel guilty, though, for not stopping the first time.

3. Preston had his perfect speller lunch at McDonalds today with the other perfect spellers in his class. I stayed and ate with him, and it was fun. It was SO incredibly loud in the playplace with all of those children running and screaming! I felt sorry for the poor lady that had chosen that spot to set up her laptop and work! I'm so proud of Preston for how well he's doing in school. He's really blown me away!

4. How on Earth is it possible that I am sick... AGAIN? Two weeks ago on Tuesday I started getting a cold, and I had just gotten pretty much over it aside from a lingering cough that really didn't bother me. Now today, I awoke to a nasty sore throat again, snotty nose and my ears are all wacko. Where is the justice?

5. We have a critter in the house. Nonnie (the cat) had been going crazy since last night, running and jumping on top of every piece of furniture in the basement. We though he was chasing a bug. When Christopher got home tonight, Nonnie was still going nuts, but Christopher could hear something- a critter- scrambling around above the drop ceiling in the basement. This is our first incident of a critter, with the exception of the groundhog that burrowed under the foundation in our old house and set up a nest. We have no clue wether it is a mouse or a chipmunk, which run around like crazy here. We live in a very wooded area, so it's surprising that we've not had a critter before today. We got above the ceiling and set some traps in hopes that we can catch whatever menace is up there. Christopher suggested we set the cat loose up there, but Nonnie is such a wimp that he'd get stuck way back there and we'd really be in trouble then! Wednesday is set to be a nice day, so Christopher will be scouring the perimeter of our house to find out where this thing got in.

6. Not only do I have to go pick up and sort out 136 boxes of Girl Scout cookies tomorrow, but I also have a photo shoot. The one on Sunday got cancelled, so we're going to do it tomorrow afternoon. It will have to be a quickie as it will be at 4:30 and it's nearly dark by 5:00. Let's pray for four cooperative children! I still need to get the kids' pictures rounded up for Christmas cards. I have Preston's. None of Kate's turned out well, and the ones of them together turned out even worse. We may be taking a trip to STL Thursday for an impromptu shoot on the landing!

7. I am so looking forward to former President Bush's memoir, Decision Points to come out tomorrow. I absolutely love him and think he did a wonderful job in the White House. I'm sure it will be a great read!

Nice, calm weekend

It's been a while since we didn't have fifty million things going on, and it was nice. Preston did have bowling and Kate had to be at a girl scout thing right after Preston had to be at bowling, but Christopher dropped her off and she was on her way. She had a really fun time watching the volleyball game at Eastern Illinois Univ. I take it that none of them really actually watched the game, but rather sat and talked the whole time. Girls! The highlight of the day was getting an autograph from some "fat guy" dressed as a cheerleader, wearing a skirt and his belly hanging out. All of the girls just thought that was great! They did get a poster, which all of the players autographed for them, so that was pretty neat. They're doing so much more this year as a troop and so far, Kate has enjoyed everything. I think with fewer girls this year, it's a lot easier to do things. Cookies come in Tuesday and my little cookie helper, a.k.a. Preston, and I will have a lot to sort out.

We didn't do too much today but hang around the house. We worked on Preston's turkey for school for a while but it still has some work to be done. Today is Pa's birthday, so we went up there for dinner and had a good time playing bingo and bride bingo. I really stink at bingo, but it's one of Preston's absolute favorite games. He really got into calling the numbers! Mom called from Houston where she's at a conference to tell us about Flat Stanley's adventures. He got to "fly" the plane from St. Louis to Houston Friday- in the cockpit! And here's the kicker... the pilot let my mom in there, too! I thought that was completely unheard of nowadays! Now, I didn't ask her if they were actually flying at the time she was in the cockpit. They may have already landed.

Tomorrow Kate has her consult for braces. She's not too thrilled, but we know they're coming. Hopefully all of her baby teeth have fallen out. I forget how many she still had 6 months ago, but she's lost several since then. Preston has his McDonalds trip for perfect spelling, so I have to be there to meet him at noon. Hopefully we're out of there by then, although I don't think Kate will be back to school in time for lunch, so she will probably be joining us as well!

Simple pleasures

I love to cook. In fact, it's a rare day that I don't cook- every meal. Well, unless the kids are at school, then I usually just fix whatever I can find, like the chips and dip I ate today... But seriously, I cook. I don't always have the patience or the drive to fix a meal, but I do it anyway. So it's a rare treat when I don't have to cook, and I take in every bit of joy from that break.

Tonight, I didn't have to cook. My grandpa had given me tickets to his church's fish fry last week, and the prospect of not having to cook tonight has had me all excited since then. I loved writing FISH FRY on my menu for today and not having to plan a meal. All day long, I was just giddy! I had it all planned- I'd swing by the church to pick up our dinner, and then to Burger King to get something for the kids. I could hardly contain my excitement!

And that's just what we did. We picked up our dinner and saw Granny, Pa, Grampy, Grandma Lou and Grandpa Ed in the process. We swung by BK and then to get me some nuggets at McDonalds because I am repulsed by fish. Eeeeeeeeeew! We had a lovely, if not greasy dinner and enjoyed it thoroughly. Those Methodist Men know how to fix a meal, and are generous with their portions- my cornbread alone was the size of Nebraska (well, maybe not that big, but it was the size of a slice of bread). My desert still sits upstairs awaiting to be eaten- that lovely piece of chocolate cake.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a miserably cold day, the first of the season. I plan to make some warm beef stew, some cinnamon apples, hot rolls, and some tasty desert. We already played a game by the fire tonight, and we just might have to do the same tomorrow!

How I became a political junkie

Last night as I logged onto Foxnews.com to check early election results, one page stated that election night is like the Oscars for political junkies. How true, how true! I normally don't watch tv unless I'm trying to fall asleep, but last night I was glues to the tv as I am every election night.

So how did I get to be a political junkie?

It started early on. I grew up in a political family, split right down the middle- my dad's side was conservative, my mom's side, liberal. Dad's side of the family was very open about politics and discussed them freely, which I imagine is why I sided with them initially. As I got older, I understood more of what they were talking about and it was something that interested me.

It was around fifth grade when I started becoming involved politically. I was heading to jr. high the next year and we had all heard many times that you had to wear shorts in the winter because the heat couldn't be turned down, and had to wear long clothes any other time because the a/c couldn't be turned down. There was a bond referendum in the upcoming election to gain funds to fix the heating/cooling issues and students were asked if they wanted to help. Myself and a few other girls "campaigned" by making signs and we were even on the radio being interviewed. While other girls had posters of boys on their walls, I had political signs (yes, the ones you put in your yard), bumper stickers and buttons all over mine. I also sported my Fayette County Republican's t-shirt. I worked with the county's Young Republicans club at the county fair. I even cried when George H.W. Bush lost his re-election bid against Clinton.

When I got to college, I really had no clue as to what path I'd take. I really had my heart set on genetics, but a medical journey was too much for me once I realized what all was involved. Unsure of what to do, I chose psychology as my major because I knew there were a lot of job opportunities in that field. But psych. wasn't my calling. I'm not an abstract thinker, and trying to wrap my mind around a bunch of theories just aggravated me. With just one semester to go before having enough credits to graduate, I transferred schools and switched majors to political science. Crazy? Maybe, but it was the right thing for me. I loved my POLS classes. Loved them! I had found my niche.

The vast majority of students in my classes were democrats. There were 3 others that were republican, and when we got to work in groups, we would always work together. We would blow our one professor away with our ideas that we came up with, something that we never expected because he was an outright and open liberal. We also liked to give him a run for his money any chance we got! In 2003, just 6 short weeks before Preston was born, I graduated with a bachelors in political science and a minor in psychology (see, all those years weren't wasted). Of course, I've been a homemaker ever since, so my degree hasn't been put to use. I'm a firey conservative with so much passion for my party that it comes through in everything I do.

I hope to one day be involved in public office. I haven't decided on how or when. I do know that my conservative beliefs will serve me well, especially in terms of budget control and finance- something our town is lacking BIG TIME. My grandpa has been on the county board for over 10 years now, and although we differ drastically on ideology, I respect the ideas he has and what he has worked for for our county.

My children are politically minded like me, and I hope that they always are aware of the power they have in their government. They are passionate about politics, especially Kate, who is old enough to understand the workings of government on a rudimentary level, and can understand that voting is our chance to have a voice. In two years, she'll be studying for the Constitution test and I can't wait to help he with it. Preston has been my voting buddy every election since he was born. I always take the time to explain why we vote and even at age 7, he understands that it is important. I feel that it's important to raise my children with good, conservative values- for them to know that at the base of everything, life and religion are key. I want them to know that this government was made FOR us- of the people, by the people, for the people. I want them to be respectful of our resources and to use them wisely. The earlier I instill this, the better. Like many parents, I want the absolute best for my children. I see Kate as an attorney, and Preston in medicine, but if they should decide to follow politics, I'll be their most fervent supporter.

So there you have it. That's how I became the political junkie that I am. And I take no credit for the term "democrap" that flies through our house quite often- that credit goes to Kate. And for the record, so I"m still in the running for mother or the year ;), she is not allowed to say that, though it flies whenever we discuss politics. I want my children to be respectful of other people's views, even if they're different from their own.

It's election day

Have you voted yet? You should! Remember, there's no excuse not to. Even if your next door neighbor is working as an election judge and catches you on the way out and holds you up for 15 minutes telling you all about how the neighbor behind you almost caught your yard on fire the day before because he's not too bright and was burning leaves on a VERY windy, red flag day. I'm just saying...

VOTE!

I feel like a new woman!

I was LONG overdue for a cut and color. L.O.N.G. The last time I went in was the first week of July. Yes, that long. Even though my natural color is very similar to my not-so-natural color, the roots had grown out and the grays were bad. BAD. I had been needing to go for weeks, but just could never find the time when Keri was in. Well, today I got my hair done. I feel so much better! I got 1 1/4 inches off, but I really wish I'd gotten and extra half inch off. I might go do that... I switched up my highlights because they always seem a little too red, and I love the new ones, which are just a tad lighter than my base color. I'm not one of those that have black hair underneath and blond on top... Nope! Now I just need to do some serious shopping because my winter wardrobe is lacking something terrible.

On a side note, tomorrow is election day! GET OUT AND VOTE! There's no excuse not to. NONE, because you could always vote early or vote absentee. This is your right to vote. Take it seriously.

Now let's get out there and kick some liberal behinds!