Dream Dinners ROCKS!

Tonight Cora and I went to Dream Dinners and took the big kids with us. We had a great time preparing the food, and of course looking forward to eating it later. The owner was very nice and told me more than one time how good they were and what a "gentleman" my sweet boy is. It made me proud to hear that. The kids were a huge help, I look forward to going back there again with them.

Also, on the plus side, that is 12 nights I don't have to think about what to cook for dinner. All the meals we have had from there are great.

If you see my prince make sure you ask him about the wings at Ronni's (they rule by the way.)

So Long Little Wren's

Well, the good news is we had rain last night, the bad news is the birds drown. I moved them in out of the rain, but I guess not quick enough. I know it sounds stupid, but I feel bad for the mama bird, she was such a good mother and I know she loved them or she would not have worked so hard on her nest and then sat on those eggs for so long, I wonder does she feel loss now? I'm just being sappy I guess. We may have a proper burial for them later.

We Bought a RUG!!!!!!!!

Yes, one year after moving into this house, we finally decided on a rug for the living room. We went today, and picked one out without the help of my mom, Cora or Beth. Bravo to Team Holman for acting like independent adults! Go US!

Back By Popular Demand- VBS update!

I had no idea that my blog carried such anticipation among my (3) readers. So here it is... the VBS update!

VBS is going well. It is amazing how each day I think I can't get anymore tired, and then I wake up the next day more tired than before. The end is near, Friday will be here before too much longer. Yesterday we had 436 in VBS, I did not hear a number for today. For that certain hotel tycoon in Alabama, my hotdogs were cooked to perfection, all 350 of them, thank you for the kind (and original) words of advice. The pictures are of Donna and Bonnie with the VBS dog that Donna painted as well as, Linda (my second mom) and Cora working on the 700 cookies we made today. The decorations turned out great, as usual the Christmas lights make the room so much better. Things have gone smoothly and I have had no Chef Ramsey (Hell's Kitchen) moments, although I came close once.

******On another happy note Madelyn made the cheer team on Friday. She is very excited about being able to cheer this year and her dad is excited about it as well (ask him why.)

Thanks to all my fans for your dedication to this happy blog.

The Worlds's Greatest Dad

Happy Fathers Day, hubby dearest. I know it is a day late but you know how busy yesturday was for both of us. You are such an incredible dad. You are truly an equal partner in our parenting. You always changed diapers, gave bottles, took (some) turns at night, always (even now!)cleaned up puke and made the bestest jungle gym EVER! I am proud of the example that you are setting for our son in what a good father is, and showing our daughter what to look for in a husband. Thank you for loving me, even when it's not easy. Thank you for for being the World's Greatest Day!

VBS- Ready or Not Here We Come!

It is hard to believe that it is time already for Vacation Bible School. I love VBS, it so much fun. I always enjoy helping Carrie (our fearless leader, seriously, she is afraid of nothing!) with paperwork. I know I'm weird, but I love paperwork! We are working hard to make it special for the kids. Carrie, of course, at this point is going a little crazy, and this picture proves, that bible school can kill! What doesn't kill you makes you stronger right?

I am again especially appreciating Cora. She always takes on the task of buying enough food to feed 400 people X 4 days. She of course has it down to a science, documented in detail to help from year to year. I however, can not get it right. I have basically given up on doing it as well as Cora and just hoping to get it close to right.

I pray many little souls are lead to Christ next week and that we don't run out of food.

Get ready for more Game Day Central updates to come!

Welcome to the Year 2007

Sweet Hubby of mine figured out how to add pic's to my blog. So I have added a few to previous posts to make them more interesting (or not.)

Here is the birds nest that is in our hanging pot on the porch. I have no clue what kind of bird it is, but there are five eggs in the nest and we are enjoying watching "mom" take care of her eggs. Fortunately Larry is too busy, as you can see to notice yet.

Goodbye Purr

As expected my friend Valorie's grandmother died tonight. Even though I have expected it, held my breath everytime the phone rang, it was still a shock tonight to hear "my Purr died." I know unfortunately the pain that Valorie feels right now. I was there many years ago, and my heart was broken just like Valorie's.

I can't help but think that as Christian's- believers in Jesus Christ- that death is not something to fear, but something to rejoice. I went straight to Val's and we were talking about how the kids were handling Purr's death, and she was telling them about heaven. How excited Purr's friends were to see her again, how they were all hugging her and telling hew how glad they were to see her. As believers, we know that there is more, when we die, the best is yet to come. How desperate and bleak death must seem to those who do not have the hope that we have.

Purr is rejoicing with the angels, she is praising God, she is healthy and whole, and happier than she could ever imagine being on earth. We should rejoice in her happiness and wholeness and long for the day when we will be together again. Although, I am so glad that she is not suffering anymore, I will miss her just the same.

Thanks Purr for all you meant to us.

Summer Vacation Other Random Thoughts

Today was the second full day of summer vacation. We slept in a bit, then we had group exercise. I am determined to keep the weight off that I have lost and prehaps a bit more will fall off also. So for today's exercise we ran up the street (up hill) and walked down. We did this five times. It did not kill me, but it has been a lot of years since I have ran. The prince blew the princess and I away, obviously he exercises way more than we do. Mostly the princess complained and tried to quit the entire time. Anyway you look at it, it was good for all of us.

My kids are growing up, and you know what? I actually like them (most of the time.) They are funny, kind, compassionate kids who truly want to do the right thing, just sometimes they go the wrong way (don't we all.) I am so thankful that the Lord blessed me with wonderful kids. I am so thankful that I am fortunate enough to be able to stay home with them, it is a time I will always be grateful for, maybe one day they will see how they have benefited from it also.

My friend from forever Valorie, who has seen me through a lot of hard times is having a hard time herself right now, her grandmother or "Purr" as we call her is sick. She is 89 years old, and has been sick for years. It is still hard to see her as she gets ready to go be with the Lord. For some reason she is still fighting, still holding on, and still suffering. It is hard to see her family as they go through this with her. My prayer is that she will find comfort in her passing and her family will find comfort knowing that she is with her heavenly father. We'll miss you Purr, but we look to the day when we will all be together again.

I seem grateful for a lot today, maybe tomorrow I will make a list of everything I am thankful for. It will be a LONG list!

Until then.........

STRIKE!!

I love baseball. I understand the rules. I understand the basics. I get baseball. I think I practically grew up on a softball field, so a baseball field feels like home. Of course he plays all sports, but baseball is the only one that I even get the rules. I have watched 6 years of soccer games and I still don't know what "off sides" means. Maybe that is why I get so involved in his baseball games, and put so much pressure on him to do his best, I finally know what is going on!!!!!!!

Tonight the prince played a perfect game. (pitched a perfect inning three up three down, had a great hit bringing two players home!) I was so proud of him, he has worked so hard to be the best he can be, and tonight it payed off. Great job buddy! Remember I will always be your biggest fan.

What is Wrong With Me???????????

Okay, so today was the princesses kindergarten graduation. It was a lovely event, the children were dressed in their Sunday best, and all were excited to show their parents all they have learned this year. I was excited too just for a different reason. I'm glad schools out!!!!!!!!! I'm glad I don't have to help the princess learn anymore bible verses or the prince with his book reports. I'm glad I don't have to get up early anymore, and I'm glad to get away from all those people for the summer.

Am I sad that my baby is now a first grader, yes. Did I cry like all the other mommies? NO! I could not see anything to cry about. I tried to cry, I even poked myself in the eye (just kidding) but there are no tears. I'm proud of the princess, but graduating from kindergarten is not exactly the same as completing her medical degree at Harvard (which by the way I will never be able to send her there, as it is, I probably won't be able to afford community college.)

So I am now the proud mommy of a 5th grader and a 1st grader. One day they will be grown, married with their own kids, and then I will (hopefully) see the fruits of my labor. My kids are growing up, but isn't that the way it is supposed to be?

Why is Everyone So Depressed?

Since my wonderful friend Sandy introduced me to blogging I have spent too much time reading other people's bloggs. First of all sometimes it seems that very few of them are written in English, I understand that it is the World Wide Web, but it seems blogging has not taken hold in the good ole USA.

Anyway, I lost my train of thought...

Why is it that a lot of people who are blogging are depressed or cursing or worse! It can be fun to read the daily updates on some random strangers pregancy or the travel blogs of a 20 year old college student, it is not fun the read the blogs of the depressed masses. What is wrong with these people? Half the time when I look at their ages they are 16-17 years old. What could possibly be wrong with them? Does the break up with some loser whose name you won't remember in 10 years really warrant such emotional distress?

I think I have decided over the course of writing this the answer to my own question. These people need Jesus. Although I became a believer at a young age, I still understand the feeling of searching. I guess they put so much faith in things other that what matters, that when they lose that "thing" they feel hopeless. I hope that God will use me in someway to reach those who are searching for Him.

It's the last week of school, I am so thankful for summer and the opportunity to enjoy my children without the pressures of homework and sports.

Field Day and Other Not So Bright Ideas

So today was Field Day at school. Somehow because there no other "good mommy's" in Mrs. Morrison's class, it was my privledge to run the classes game for field day. The kids enjoyed getting wet in the sponge relay, but basically all they wanted to do was get wet, they had no interest in actually playing the game. I would have been a ton easier to just squirt them with a hose, it would have saved a lot of "good mommy's" a lot of time.

Another question about field day, why can't we just have winners and losers anymore? Are these children's identities so fragile, that they can't handle being a loser in a game that they lost. One of the moms I was with kept saying "your all winners," all I could think about is when did it become a negative to challenge kids through competition. I would like to hope that most children have enough self -confidence that a loss in the sponge relay does not warp them for life. Are we doing kids a favor by sheltering them from the losses of life? When grandma dies is she taking a nap, when they don't get into the college of their choice is it because they weren't chosen for some random reason? How can kids cope with life's losses if they never have to deal with something as simple as losing the three-legged race?

Call me old school, but today's kids are sheltered and babied. I only hope that they somehow manage to get jobs and pay their social security taxes so Jon and I can have our medicine AND not have to eat cat food.

Starting Over

Over the weekend Cora's mom's house burnt down. Ever since Saturday I have been thinking about starting over, how does one rebuild, start over or move on at the age of 75? For that matter how do we start over when we are young. I thank God that Jeanette (or" Ma" as we call her) is alive. She is so strong and brave, and honestly I think that is how she will get through all of this. But how important are our things? Can we replace our house, of course we can, can we buy a new floral couch and all new linens, of course we can. But there are things we can't replace such as our pictures, our keepsakes from when the kids are young or the memories that make our house a home. "Ma's" tragedy has remined me of what is important in this world... not the things we can replace but the things we can't. Maybe I will be more careful the next time I dump the kids artwork from school or throw away their "treasures." How blessed am I to have wonderful (most of the time) kids who want to bring their mommy gifts, or a husband who buys me a rose while on vacation. I am thankful for the reminder.

On a lighter note....

"Your next American Idol is... Jordin Sparks!" I was excited, or as excited as I could be at 10:15pm, that Jordin won. Of course the boys in my house were disappointed that Blake lost, but you can't win them all. I hope that the pressures of being the "American Idol" will not change Jordin into a "hollywood" type. I'm sure we will be buying the American Idol CD in addition to the Blake Lewis CD soon enough.

Go Jordin!

So I watched American Idol last night. Jordin blew me away! I could not help thinking during her last song the magnitude of the moment for her. She is 17 years old. When I was 17, what had I done? Well, I had finally gotten my license, barely passing my junior year and completely clueless regarding my future. Yet at 17 she has shown poise, grace and maturity that most 17 year olds can only dream of.

I hope that she wins tonight, I did my part I voted 4 times (I've not voted since the great Reuben vs. Clay showdown!)

On another note.....

I told my friends at school today that I had a blog. Mostly I just got laughed at. Just wait, ever so slowly my technologically advanced friend Sandy will teach me how to do this better and soon my blog will be great. In the meantime, it's just random nothingness by yours truly.

Until later.....

If Sandy can do it, so can I!

Yesturday my best friend from college Sandy, referred to her blog... I said, "your what?" So she pointed me to her blog, and I was hooked. Being the "voyeur" that I am, it is a great look into the thoughts of other people. If I'm interested in reading about other people and what they do, maybe someone will be interested in what my thoughts are also.

So thanks Sandy, for better or for worse, you've taught me something new!