In Pursuit of Sanity and Rest

We'll Always Remember

2008-04-16T11:08:00.002-05:00

I'm Back! And So Is Spring!

2008-04-11T01:01:00.002-05:00

Boy, have I got a lot of catching up to do! First of all, I'm glad to hear that Kristi's daughter is doing so well. So many were praying for her. I enjoy reading Kristi's blog. She's a great writer.

So, what's been going on with me? Well, let's see...

Easter and the Egg Hunt (March 23)
When it's time for us to pray, Gary knows when to fold his hands and when we all say, "Amen," he confidently says, "Men!" Kari knows several songs about Jesus: "Jesus loves me, this I know" and "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world..." There is a children's Bible that they enjoy having us read to them. They enjoy going to church and they certainly bring smiles to the adults there.

The children had a great time with their egg hunt. It was Gary's first, so he was unfamiliar and uncaring of the egg hunt rules. He was so fascinated with the first egg that he found, that he gave his sister plenty of time to find the rest of the eggs! We all had a good time. Kari enjoyed the discovery of chocolate coins. She thought coins were just for kiddie rides and candy machines. She had no idea that they could be delicious!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Animal Stories
This may not seem interesting to you, but kindly remember that I am a city girl. Last week on a Thursday morning (April 3rd, to be exact), I heard this strange noise outside and investigated. There were 3 horses on the loose and they seemed to be enjoying our grass!

I called my mother-in-law to see if she knew anything about them. She said they probably belonged to a neighbor of hers, so she called her and that neighbor called me to let me know that her boys were getting off work to pick up the horses and that it would probably be in 20 minutes. I told her that they were nearing the end of my driveway and are probably going to get on the road. She said that that was OK.

In the meantime, I took pictures of the pretty horses. What do you think?

The horses were later picked up and the broken fence from which they escaped was mended.

Now let's fast forward to yesterday. Living out in the country, I rarely get visitors, or if I do, they usually call first. Anyway, it was in the late afternoon when I was in the middle of making a homemade birthday card for my brother-in-law, the children just woke up from their nap and the house was in chaos with toys strewn all over the place. That's when I heard a knock on the door. I looked out the window and there's a blond-haired woman whom I've never seen before. Someone was driving a shiny new blue minivan and doing a U-turn on our driveway. I opened the door and here was how our conversation went:

Me: "Hi!"

Her: "Hi, I've lost 2 sheep and was wondering if you've seen them." (She looked agitated, as if she wanted to be anywhere but where she was right now.)

Me: "Excuse me?"

(I wasn't sure if I heard her right and I resisted the urge to ask if she was Little Bo Peep.)

Her: "They're really small sheep. They kind of look like goats. The neighbors in the brick house down the road say they've seen the sheep 4 days ago and I was wondering if they passed by your place. I've been knocking on other houses to see if they've seen my sheep."

Me: "No, I haven't seen any sheep lately. All I've seen are horses, stray cats and dogs and an occasional herd of deer, but no sheep. But if I do see your sheep, do you have a phone number which I can contact?"

Her: "Yes." She checks her jacket for something to write.

Me: "Hold on."

I was carrying Gary in one arm as I scrambled to find a green Crayola magic marker and an old receipt on which to write. I handed her the 2 items and she wrote down 2 phone numbers. One was her home number, the other was her husband's cell phone number.

Her (as she's writing): "My husband's Mexican. If you get a hold of him, do you know someone who speaks Spanish?"

Me: "No. What's the Spanish word for 'sheep'?"

Her: "It's 'oveja.'"

I repeated the word over and over until she no longer corrected me. She handed me the phone information. Since I am quite ignorant of sheep, I casually asked her what do I need to do should I see them on my property. I mean, is there anything I should do to make them stay where they are until you get them?

Her (frustrated): "How should I know?!" I surmised that she's not really a people person and that her husband is making her knock on people's doors because she speaks better English than he does. Also, as I had Gary in one arm, he kept waving at her, saying "hi" and she didn't even acknowledge him. Clearly, she was a nervous individual.

She continued, "I need those sheep this weekend for my children's birthday party. I plan to barbecue them."

I couldn't help but feel sorry for the sheep. It's a ridiculous feeling, I know, since I enjoy eating meat (steak, chicken, beef), but I still felt sorry for them.

I wished her good luck in finding her sheep and she kept looking back at my enormous backyard - I guess she was wondering how our land connected to hers. I think she was also wondering if I was hiding her sheep there - oh, I don't know, it's all speculation. I found out from my MIL that that lady was actually my neighbor on the left. After their minivan drove off, I was reminded of that scene from "My Big, Fat Greek Wedding:"

Aunt Voula: "What do you mean he don't eat no meat?" [The entire room stops, in shock.] Aunt Voula: "Oh, that's okay. I make lamb."

I called Larry and told him about my incident. He thought that it was a prank door knocker. I told him that was not the case because the lady seemed too serious to be playing a joke and she would not be giving me her phone numbers if she wasn't so anxious about those sheep. We laughed about it. I told him that last week, it was horses. This week, it's sheep. What will next week bring, I wonder? Cows?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Storm Was Worse Than I Thought
What I thought was just heavy rains turned out to be serious as we were without electricity for about 9 hours on Friday, April 4th! It would've been helpful if the sun shone, but the clouds dominated so it still looked dark in the house despite opening the curtains. The children enjoyed shining flashlights on the ceiling. We sang songs, read books with the flashlight and fortunately, the dreary weather seemed to make them nap longer. We all applauded when the lights came on!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Visiting with the McCowns
On April 6th, we drove to Mt. Pleasant (about a 2-1/2-hour drive from Center) after church to meet with some old friends of ours, Frank and Becky McCown. We had attended church with them in Virginia Beach. They have an adorable one-year-old son named Ethan whom we've never seen before except in pictures. Becky was pregnant with Ethan when we moved to Texas in January 2007.

The McCowns moved to Searcy, AR where Frank is an assistant professor of Computer Science at Harding University. They were attending a wedding in Dallas for Frank's brother and we met them off I-30 as they made their way back to Arkansas. It's always good to visit with dear friends!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Married for 8 Years Now!
Larry and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary on Tuesday, April 8th. We drove to Nacogdoches and toured the Arboretum at Stephen F. Austin University. It was a pleasant stroll and the weather was splendid. Then we ate at a restaurant and went to a few stores. It wasn't anything exciting, but just being together as a family is just the best feeling to have. Larry is usually working a lot, whether it's building our house or working some overtime, that we don't see him as much, so I cherish the times that he is with us.

Well, I think that's it for now. We are looking forward to our trip to Virginia in late May/early June. My parents are eagerly awaiting our arrival. I'm sure it's going to look like another toystore at their house, but that's what grandparents are for, yes?

Shopping in Canton, Texas

2008-03-04T02:09:00.003-06:00

This past Thursday I attended the "world's largest flea market" in Canton, Texas. It is a monthly event that starts the weekend of the first Monday of the month...did you get that? Friday would've been the preferred day to go (not as crowded and all the vendors are there as opposed to Thursday when not all the vendors are there), but my M-I-L had to work on Friday night (she's a geriatric nurse, 3rd shift), so Thursday, it was.

We pulled the children around in their red wagon (see previous post of the wagon pictures) so they could take breaks from walking. There were still many vendors to check out and we did lots of walking. The children looked like royalty, seated in their wagon filled with pillows. Jerry bought Gary a toy bell which he rang constantly. It looked like he was announcing our arrival by ringing that bell.

I found some great bargain buys. There were a bunch of tables that had items for only $1.00, but when I went to pay the vendor, he told me that they've been reduced to 50 cents each! Wow! I've discovered that my children love corn dogs. Please, no remarks on what's in a hot dog, thanks. Anyway, they only ate a small portion.

Canton is about a 2.5-hour drive from where we live. By evening, we drove to Gladewater to dine with Larry. Gladewater was about an hour away from Canton. Needless to say, we were all tired by the time we came home. Tired, but happy!

I just want to take a moment to share what's on my mind and heart. Kristi, one of my brother's dear friends, has an almost 2-year-old daughter named Eva who just had a tumor the size of a baseball removed from her chest (behind her heart, close to her spine). Eva underwent surgery in the form of a thorocotomy (incision on the right side of her lower chest) yesterday morning and based on the blog reports, all went well. Here is her blog if you wish to find out more details. Please drop a note of encouragement/support; I'm sure she would appreciate it. No parent should have to go through this.

I'm too choked up to write anymore. Will continue this later.

A Valentine Experience

2008-02-17T01:02:00.009-06:00

We enjoyed the lovely 70-degree weather on Valentine's Day. I took the children out on a wagon ride (good exercise for mommy, too). I thought my parents might enjoy some photos of the children, so I grabbed my camera. Here's what I had to go through to get a good shot:

Gary shows he is not in the mood for picture-taking. Kari wants to know when he will stop crying.

Gary drinks his milk eagerly and looks as if he's saying, "Don't rush me." Kari looks to say, "Mommy, how long do I have to pose in this wagon?"

Finally! Here is a great Valentine picture of the children which I used to make a homemade Valentine card for Larry. I just got a glimpse of how a professional children's photographer feels. My hat's off to you!

The children enjoyed their wagon ride. We stopped by their Uncle Lee's place and walked by their pond. It was breezy, but very sunny; a wonderful day to be alive. Through proflowers.com, I sent Larry a bouquet of flowers to his workplace yesterday. He received them and said they brightened up his area.

I made a nice Valentine's Dinner: stir-fry garlic shrimp, garlic bread, orange-glazed pork loin chops and chocolate chip ice cream pie with a chocolate rice-krispie crust. I was trying a new recipe with the pork chops. Larry said that they were tender and juicy. He ate every last bite. Then he lovingly told me not to use that recipe again on him. I guess he doesn't care for the citrus flavor on his meat. I'm glad he tells me things like that because if he hadn't, I probably would've made it again and again. He enjoyed everything else on the menu. His favorite, of course, was the ice cream pie.

Side note: I was a bit peeved with UPS; although I paid for 2-day shipping and Larry's Valentine present was supposed to arrive on Wednesday, Feb. 13th, it didn't arrive until Friday, Feb. 15th. I already wrote UPS an intense letter of my disappointment in their service. Instead of delivering the package to my address, they delivered it to a business establishment. I am mystified by this.

After dinner, we presented our Valentine cards to each other. The children enjoyed ripping up their envelopes. They are also fascinated by the heart-shaped mylar balloons around the table. Then Larry presented me with a beautiful diamond heart necklace! The man is spoiling me!

It's not just the jewelry; it's the thought behind giving me the jewelry. He works hard to provide for our family, loves our children to death and is sensitive to our needs. He's building a house for us and he does that after he's finished working for his company for the day. He's not perfect, but he shows our love to us in so many ways and I feel very blessed by that. This paragraph sounds like something I should write for Father's Day, but like so many other days, moments of appreciation shouldn't be devoted to just one day out of the year.

It has been a good week altogether. I don't celebrate my birthDAY. I celebrate my birthMONTH. Looking forward to more celebrating!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-02-16T04:48:00.003-06:00

This past Tuesday, I celebrated my birthday. We need not go into how OLD I am, OK? I married late, had children late, and I just feel ancient sometimes. I think children have a way of zapping the energy out of you, which causes you to feel old. Does that ever happen to you?

OK, where was I? Oh yes, birthday. Everyone was at work, so I didn't have any babysitters and Larry was coming home that night after work. It was raining buckets that morning and early afternoon. I decided I still wanted to go out and celebrate by myself, so I got the children and myself ready and we headed off to the larger town of Nacogdoches, about a 45-minute drive from my house.

As we approached the town, the sun started shining through the gray clouds. There was a new shopping center I wanted to check out there, but first, I had to satisfy a growling stomach. We went to this Szechuan restaurant. Since Larry's not a big fan of Chinese food, I thought this was the right time for me to go. It was nearly 3 p.m., it wasn't crowded, and the lunch meals are usually cheaper than the dinner meals. Perfect.

There were a few people in the bar section watching a soap opera, but there was no one in the dining area. Kari and Gary had ample room to walk around and stretch their legs. Kari liked the fried wontons and the coconut drink. Gary enjoyed the wonton soup and fried rice. Their General Tso's Chicken was very good. It was worth coming here again and checking out the other entrees.

I enjoyed celebrating my birthday with my children. I only wished Larry was here, although I don't know what he would order in this Chinese restaurant. He is such a finicky eater.

Thought you might want to know what my fortune cookie message said.

Hmmm...ever had a fortune cookie message that really did come true or was it it so generic that it SEEMED like it came true? Just food for thought. No pun intended...hahahaha.

After checking out a few shops, I wanted to beat the afternoon traffic and make it in time for Larry's arrival. Since Larry didn't have time to cook, he brought home a delicious pizza from a local pizzeria. Lately, we've been checking out pizzerias and rating them. So far we like the one in Longview called Pietro's. Yummy!

Larry presented me with a beautiful amethyst necklace. I was so touched by his thoughtfulness. Amethyst is my birthstone. Last year, Larry didn't have a job, and he felt bad that he couldn't give me anything. Money is still tight with our house-building and switching from a two-income family to one-income, but the Lord has been good to us. So have our families.

Perhaps I've reached an age where I don't really want much...just good health, being surrounded by family and friends and building a better relationship with God (praying more, reading more, exercising the spiritual self) so I can be a good example to those around me, especially to my children.

Larry's mother plans to throw a small luncheon party for me this Sunday after church. It'll be family only, a small intimate affair. Knowing what a great cook she is, I look forward to sampling what's on the menu.

I'll continue this later and let you know how my Valentine's Day went. I need sleep!

Reflection Time: Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder - Ha!

2008-01-18T16:56:00.000-06:00

Excerpts from "If You Wanna Be Happy" by Jimmy Soul

If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So for my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you

A pretty woman makes her husband look small
And very often causes his downfall
As soon as he married her and then she starts
To do the things that will break his heart

But if you make an ugly woman your wife
You'll be happy for the rest of your life
An ug-a-ly woman cooks meals on time
And she'll always give you peace of mind

If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So for my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you

(Sax solo)

Don't let your friends say you have no taste
Go ahead and marry anyway
Though her face is ugly, her eyes don't match
Take it from me, she's a better catch

Spoken:
Say man!
Hey baby!
I saw your wife the other day!
Yeah?
Yeah, an' she's ug-leeee!
Yeah, she's ugly, but she sure can cook, baby!
Yeah, alright!

If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So for my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you

Sometimes when I look in the mirror, that song comes to mind. When I sing it to my husband and tell him that he's going to be happy for the rest of his life, he just shakes his head and rolls his eyes.

I have this terrible habit of getting the children ready first and then getting myself ready last. This is not good if I am under a time crunch (i.e., going to church) because I end up looking like a well-dressed person who just woke up. I do have everyone's clothes laid out the night before, but for some reason I feel the need to try on several outfits until I'm finally happy with one or run out of time - whichever comes first.

I used to have this friend (I don't know where she is now) who looked beautiful in anything. She could wear sackcloth and still looked sexy because of her cute little figure. She never styled her hair, wore just lip gloss and she could make heads turn. Did I mention that she never exercised, could eat like a pig and still have a small figure? How we became friends is beyond me.

When I was single, I used to go to the ladies' gym twice a week after work, had my haircut every 2-3 months, and bought a lot of nice clothes. To quote an old friend of mine, "I used to be quite a dish." Ah, what happened to that lovely lady?

I think she's paid too much attention to the children and to the house that she's stopped taking care of herself. Now, before you overreact, I'm not talking about good hygiene habits going down the drain. I'm talking about eating better. Exercising more. Being more organized. Doing better with my housecleaning. What's that word? Oh yes...I need to be more DISCIPLINED.

As I work to improve my children's minds and help build their character, I need to work on taking care of myself. I'm not getting any younger and this is the only body I have to work on. I suppose you could say that this entry is about trying to improve myself - physically, mentally and spiritually. Speaking of spiritual, I haven't been praying as much as I should because I always chalk it up to being busy, but praying brings so much peace to my soul. I need that. I miss that.

Still a Hopeless Romantic

2008-01-09T00:41:00.000-06:00

After the children are asleep and I finish straightening up the kitchen and living room, I look forward to my mommy time. This time it included watching a movie. We never seem to find the time to go to a movie theater nowadays so we usually wait for the DVD. Larry was in Gladewater tonight so I had my alone time.

I watched "The Lake House" starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock and knew I had to watch it again. Talk about chemistry, talk about not settling for less, talk about waiting for the right one...ah, the sheer romance of it all. The trick is not to over-analyze the time/space continuum, but to sit back and enjoy the fantasy love story created through correspondence, though the correspondents are living 2 years apart from each other.

Interestingly enough, it had a reference to Jane Austen's book, "Persuasion," of which I saw its movie version. It is a story about waiting for each other. I enjoyed that movie, too.

It was just nice to be lazy for awhile and enjoy a good chick flick. *sigh*

So, Have You Missed Me?

2007-12-28T23:39:00.001-06:00

I know, it's been awhile since you've heard from me. Christmas decorating, holiday shopping, wrapping, visiting friends, attending birthday parties and doing some entertaining at home and voila, we're near the end of December. December has also been a treat because Larry's service calls would send him to a town closer to our house, so we would end up seeing him more during the weeknights. It's been nice.

We had a great Christmas. Our children are spoiled...um, I mean well-loved. Just when I had the house cleaned up, along comes the unwrapping of presents, the "assembly required" toys, and the chaos of children scrambling from one toy to another while parents looked for batteries and tools for assembly. It was fun!

It was my first Christmas without my parents, and it was hard. I miss Mom and Dad's cooking, but Larry's family made quite a feast and everything was delicious. I've been doing too much eating lately, and I feel quite chunky.

Prior to Christmas day, I was invited to a Christmas Eve Brunch by the mother of Larry's old high school friend. Larry could not attend because he still had to work. I had a great time as I got to meet new people and Larry's high school friend, Lenny, has a sister with 3 adorable children ages 2, 5 and 8. They were very nice to Kari and Gary who enjoyed playing with them. Lenny and his wife, Melody, have a son who's a month younger than Gary. We will be attending his 1-year birthday party next week.

The weather has been quite cool lately. The highs would be in the upper 50's to low 60's and the lows would be in the upper 20's to 30's. It's hard to believe we're nearing 2008. This year of 2007 has definitely been a year of change for me. I am thankful to have a loving husband and family. I feel blessed by my children.

By the way, I now have a Facebook profile. I signed up when a friend told me she had posted some pictures of her children and the only way to view them was to register. Then after I registered, I saw all these longtime friends who also have Facebook platforms and I connected with them immediately. Then I ran into all these neat applications that you could download (i.e., poking, sending a gift, designing your own graffiti on a wall) and I became an application junkie. Well, I still have a few things to pack before we go to Gladewater this weekend. I'll try to connect again soon.

Gary Is a Year Old!

2007-12-06T23:54:00.000-06:00

Dec. 6, 2006
1:17 p.m.
20.6 inches long
8 lbs., 10 oz.

Our baby boy is now a year old. My, how time flies. Kari is a pro at singing "Happy Birthday" to Gary; she's been singing it for 3 days now. My mother-in-law, Jerry, went all out and had Gary's birthday dinner at her house. She made quite a feast: Smithfield ham, fried rice, pancit (someone gave her a recipe for this popular Filipino dish), kielbassa sausage, yeast rolls, chicken wings, vegetable medley, mashed potatoes and deviled eggs (contributed by yours truly). I volunteered to do clean-up since she worked so hard on the memorable meal.

Jerry also made Gary's birthday cake using the pan shaped in the form of the number "1." Homemade fudge frosting atop a chocolate cake...decadent.

Lolo and Lola called from Virginia to wish Gary a happy birthday and were sad that they couldn't be there to celebrate with him. They're both feeling a bit under the weather. They already sent Gary's birthday present: a Leap Frog spin wheel teaching the alphabet and the animals associated with the particular alphabet letter in musical form.

Gary received many toys and a couple of outfits from his aunt, uncle, cousins and grandparents.

Happy Birthday, sweet boy. We love you so much!

Help! It's Spreading!

2007-11-26T23:25:00.001-06:00

We see Larry mostly during the weekends because he works in Longview, which is about 1.5 hours (one way) from where we currently live. Well, this morning, he called and begged me to pick him up from his workplace. Kari's stomach flu has spread to him. Oh, no.

Yes, the stomach flu has attacked my poor husband. Unfortunately, he's one of those people that when an illness hits him, it hits him hard. If it's a 24-hour bug, it usually stays with him for 3 more days. I dropped the children off with their grandmama before I drove to Longview to pick him up.

He was a sorry sight; my poor baby. During the drive back, he reclined, closed his eyes and didn't want to listen to the radio. After 45 minutes of silence, I thought I would make pleasant conversation.

"Boy, it sure is a nice day today, isn't it?" I remarked. He just stayed quiet; his stomach was in terrible pain. Poor baby. I returned to being silent. Now I have 3 babies to take care of.

When I brought everyone back to the house, I made chicken soup from scratch based on what I had in the pantry and fridge. It's rather bland, but seems OK with rice or crackers. Larry's been sipping that soup and drinking water. So far, his stomach's been keeping them down.

Oh, now our niece Brittany also has the stomach flu. So does her mother. And Larry's mother. Brittany said that the stomach flu is going around her school, too.

I haven't had a chance to do any Christmas decorating or shopping due to a sickly household. Oh well, we'll make do with what we can get done.

I'll Never Forget This Thanksgiving!

2007-11-25T02:14:00.001-06:00

I am tired. This past Tuesday (11/20), Kari contracted the stomach flu. I have spent the rest of the week changing clothes and bedsheets, washing, disinfecting and most of all, comforting. Kari has gotten better, but isn't completely over it. Now Gary has it. Poor little guy. I hate seeing my children go through this. The key thing is to keep them hydrated. I heard that this stomach flu is going around the community. I hope Larry and I don't catch it, but it seems inevitable.

On Thanksgiving day, Kari was feeling a little better (no fever) and Gary didn't have the stomach flu yet, so we went to Larry's brother's house for the Thanksgiving meal. It was quite a spread - fried turkey, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, yeast rolls, ham, mashed potatoes, dressing, sweet potato pie, banana pudding, pecan pies...oh, we certainly didn't leave hungry.

This was my first Thanksgiving without my parents and it was hard. I miss them, but I also enjoyed being with Larry's family. We hope to visit Virginia next year. I have a lot to be thankful for: my health, my family's health, the country we live in, our friends... Most of all, I am thankful to have Jesus Christ in my life. He has been my anchor in the many trials I faced in life. I am also thankful for the men and women who fight and fought for our country. God bless you all.

Since the children have been sick, I haven't gone out. I mean, we spent some time outdoors when it wasn't too cold, but I haven't done any shopping and I am getting cabin fever. Somebody save me! Just kidding.

Well, I better get some rest. Check back with you later!

"Next Iron Chef" Comments

2007-11-14T00:50:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe it! Chef Besh should have won. His plating was beautiful and he was pretty gutsy making that swordfish dessert. Also, I wished Mario Batali was one of the judges.

Oh well...congratulations, Chef Symon.

Chef Besh, you will always be an iron chef in my book!

Trick-or-Treat on the Square

2007-11-01T00:57:00.001-05:00

Our niece, Brittany, was a huge help when I took Kari and Gary out trick-or-treating on the town square. Merchants set up tables by their shops and provided the candy which costumed youngsters eagerly sought. This occurred from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.The police were great in directing people and vehicle traffic.

I did not have a problem finding a parking space nor did I have difficulty with any heavy traffic when I was ready to go home. We all had a wonderful time. The weather was pretty warm: about 75 degrees.

Grandmama made Kari's costume and since she ran out of time (due to working an extra shift), the dress didn't turn out the way she planned. Nevertheless, Kari looked adorable. We were a bit unprepared with her costume. People thought she was either a princess, a fairy or an angel.

Kari was overwhelmed by all these strangers filling her basket with goodies. And some of these strangers were in outrageous garb.

Gary was cute as can be. Dressed in camouflage duds, he passed off as a hunter. His candy bag was filled as well. The contents will later be inspected by his daddy. Of course, if there is anything remotely chocolatey, I may have to check it out.

Waaaahh!!!

2007-10-26T13:59:00.000-05:00

For those who have little children afoot and STILL maintain an impeccable house, PLEASE tell me how you do it.

Sorry, I guess I'm just having one of those days. Usually I just tell myself that I can only do so much and to take it one day at a time. Does anyone know how much a maid costs nowadays?

Magdalina's Wheel Chair

2007-10-26T11:43:00.000-05:00

This report which Cindy sent me is too moving not to share. Cindy is my friend from Newport News, VA. She and I were roommates during the times that I did missionary work in Zhitomir, Ukraine in 1993, 1997 and 2002. Cindy had been faithfully continuing the missionary work in Ukraine every year since it started in 1993. She and a group are getting ready to leave next week for another Ukraine mission. Prayers are solicited for their safe trip. I wish I could join them, but it is difficult with 2 little children right now. Perhaps one day.

It gladdens my heart to know that in a world of turmoil (perhaps I shouldn't read the news so much), that there are still people with giving hearts. It reminds me of a particular song: "Love isn't love till you give it away..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi,

I thought you would be interested in this email describing this Ukrainian woman, and how others were reaching out to help. This work is supported by congregations other than the ones I go to Ukraine with, but it's good others are reaching out, too.

As you look at the photos of Magdalina at her sewing machine ..... notice her glasses. I wish I could send her a new pair!

Blessin's,

cindy

Tommy South wrote:

I got this from John Kachelman yesterday. He's in Ivano-Frankivsk now, doing some relief work in the villages as well as teaching. This gives you an idea of the sort of needs that exist all over Ukraine, especially in the outlying areas. Tommy
---------------------------------
Report #13-- October 23, 2007 from John Kachelman

Magdalina's Wheelchair

In today's report I want to introduce you to a lady that we first met in March named Magdalina. She lives in the village of Nebliv. She is 77 years old and for the past 24 years she has been confined to her small house. She has multiple physical problems, but the major disability is the fact that her hip joints have never functioned properly because they were not corrected at birth. She maneuvered around her house pulling herself across the floors and using a stick that has a piece of wood tied to the end that enables her to "hook" various things she needs.

Her house is not much more than a 10x12 room with an entry room through which you walk from the outside to the inside. In our visit in March, John Durham had promised Magdalina that we would get her a wheelchair. We had intended the wheelchair to be delivered when the first container arrived; but due to a number of problems we were unable to deliver the wheelchair from that container.

The container that Kathy Cadden filled and shipped out of Columbus, MS arrived as our second container into Ukraine. Ivan Skoleba worked to get the container shipped from Kyiv into Ivan-Frankovsk. As we arrived, Kathy's container was in the midst of distribution. There was a pallet box with five wheelchairs still available for distribution and John Durham said we needed to make certain that Magdalina received one of those.

When John came to get a van load of benevolence items to distribute in Nebliv, he took back two wheelchairs and one was earmarked for Magdalina. Today we went to Nebliv to deliver the snow boots and clothing to the mentally handicapped orphanage and to take Magdalina her wheelchair.

As we left for Magdalina's house, John told someone to get one of the "Family Boxes" that Kathy packed for her container. As we drove through the village the drizzling rains continued changing the dirt roads into muddy lanes with rocks sticking out of the puddles. We finally arrived and all got out and walked the distance to Magdalina's house. We entered and found her sewing on the oldest manual sewing machine I have ever seen.

She was surprised to see us and told us that she had been visited by Ivan, Sasha, and Julia. John asked her if she remembered us visiting in March and she said she did remember it very well. John pointed to the wheelchair and told her that we had promised to bring her a wheelchair so she could get around in her house better. As Ivan began putting the foot rests onto the chair, Magdalina could not stop crying and saying that no one had ever treated her in such a way as we were. She said that she often prayed for us and remembered the visits in the spring. She kept saying how thankful she was for the wheelchair and how much she prayed that God would bless our efforts.

She would hold her face in her hands and try to stop crying so she could talk more. "I apologize that I am not presentable for your visit," as she tried to adjust the head scarf. "I am not able to do anything in this house to make it able to receive guests as you."

At that time John Durham reached over and brought the Family Box to where it could be opened. As he opened the box, Magdalina's exclamations and tears increased. Inside these boxes Kathy puts a miscellaneous assortment of items that are needed in every day living. These are all packed inside a 5-gallon plastic bucket that serves a multitude of purposes. John pulled out and explained each item. There were dish towels, matches, plastic drinking glasses, mugs, candles, soaps, lotions, and fingernail clippers among the treasures in that bucket. As John showed each to Magdalina, she told us how thankful she was and how much she prays that God will bless us. When John showed her the matches Magdalina exclaimed, "Oh I needed these very much, but I do not have money to buy them. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

Throughout this visit we have witnessed the wonderful gratitude that is demonstrated by the distribution of items in our containers. For all that worked and sweated and sewed and sorted and packed, Magdalina's tears and words are sent to you. You never probably thought you would be helping a totally disabled 77-year old widow who lives in a small hut at the end of a muddy path, but you did. Magdalina said that she has not been able to get out of her house in 24 years, but now with this wheelchair she will be able to go outside on the warm days and look at the grass and trees once again.

Thank you for being a part of this effort! "Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to visit the widows in their affliction."

John Kachelman
Ivan-Frankovsk, UA

One Lump or Two?

2007-10-23T12:05:00.000-05:00

We just returned from spending the weekend in Gladewater with Larry. Even though he was on-call, we were glad there were no emergencies because we were able to spend more time together. Larry's parents pleasantly surprised us with a brief visit on Saturday. They were doing some shopping in Longview and Buddy wanted to see what's next to be done on our place.

Larry had spent the majority of the Saturday daylight sealing pipes together (for water, electrical and sewage). Later we did some strolling around the Longview Mall. Larry bought a couple of items and Kari got on one of those kiddie rides inside the mall.

On Sunday we went to church in Gladewater and Kari did not want to be left alone with her toddler Bible class. She was screaming something terrible until Larry took her outside and held her. He told me later that she was actually shaking. After she had calmed down and Larry gently spoke to her, she went back to her class and had a great time learning about Joshua. I had stayed with Gary in his cradle roll class. Every rubber toy that the teacher handed him was treated like a ball. Gary threw everything down. His classmate, Caden, who is also ten months old, just put every toy he was given in his mouth. He was teething. They were so cute!

After church, we drove to Tyler, which was about 45 minutes from Gladewater and checked out some stores and the mall there. Larry developed a slight headache so I drove us back home. We returned to Sunday evening service at the Gladewater church and Kari wanted to bring Winnie-the-Pooh with her because she wanted him to "know Jesus." It was so sweet!

The members there were very friendly and recommended a few local businesses that could help us with our house-building (laminates, countertops, paint, etc.). I was just informed that the neighboring town, Gilmer, was having a Yam-bor-ee. I'm sorry I missed it. I love yams. The town boasted that their yams are so good that even Oprah has special requested them. Well, that's what they tell me.

I drove back to Center with the children on Monday and it was raining. When we came home, there were 2 packages from my parents waiting for us. It was mostly stuff that I couldn't fit in my suitcase when I had visited them last week. I also did some grocery shopping later on to fill up the fridge again.

Today I have the unenviable task of finishing my unpacking, putting away the contents of the packages and washing clothes. My children have been entertaining themselves so far with a tea party. They invited their friends, Winnie-the-Pooh and Baby (haven't found a name for her favorite doll yet) to join them. The kitchen table is filled with items that need to be sorted, so Kari improvised on the table for her tea party.

The weather is getting cooler here. Time to give the children some lunch so I'll check back later!

My Toddler, the Clinging Vine

2007-10-18T00:01:00.000-05:00

I suppose it all started when we flew to Virginia a couple of weeks ago. Kari would not let me out of her sight. When we went through security at the airport, she was upset when we had to walk through the security scanners separately. I had Gary in my arms when I walked through, and I believe she didn't understand why I couldn't carry her either. Her crying lasted until we boarded the plane.

Kari wouldn't even bond with my parents. My mom was most patient with her and it paid off because she would be comfortable sleeping with my mother in the end. I felt bad that she didn't want to bond with Dad. It's as if Kari was afraid that I would abandon her if I should ever leave her sight. My mother said that I was the same way when I was her age. (No! Say it isn't so!)

Now that we've returned home, Kari is still clingy. She didn't want to be left alone with Larry's parents or her cousins. Thankfully, Larry used his patience with her and after she finished her crying fit, she would let Larry hold her. In fact, there was a couple of days when Kari did not want her daddy out of her sight. Now that Larry's returned to work and we won't see him until the weekend, she has resumed her tight grip on me.

Words like glue, Velcro(R), siamese twin come to mind when I think of my daughter's present behavior.

I suppose this is normal with 2-year-olds, yes? Is this where the term, "terrible twos," comes from? Nevertheless, I love you, my clinging vine.

I Just Don't Understand

2007-10-15T15:04:00.000-05:00

We returned from the doctor's office this morning so Gary could get his immunization shot. He weighed in at 15.1 pounds (last month: 14 lbs.), head size is 17-1/4" (last month: 17") and height is 25-5/8" (last month: 25-1/2"). Even though he gained a little, the doctor was still not happy with his growth because he didn't even make the 5 percentile in the growth charts. My question is, (and I should have asked the doctor) is that growth chart for formula-fed babies only? The important thing is that he's growing; albeit slowly, but he's not shrinking.

I used to exclusively breastfeed Gary, but at 6 months, I introduced solid foods (of course, they're pureed) to him in addition to the breast milk. Upon the doctor's orders, I have tried to feed him formula (after eating the solids), but he'll only drink as much as 3 oz. and then he pushes the bottle away. I still nurse Gary at night and I'm waiting for him to go through his growth spurts. I can't tell you how many times I've rolled my eyes at comments like, "Oh, he's so tiny!"

Gary has a healthy appetite, sits up, rolls over, crawls backwards (he can only crawl forward with 2 lunges and then he gives up), pulls himself up and is very alert. Even the doctor says that everything about him is healthy except his growth. Since he weighed 8 lbs., 10 oz. at birth, he should be triple that size when he is a year old. Right now Gary is 10 months old and is only 15 lbs. She wants to see him next month for a weight and height check.

It's not like I'm starving him. I can only put so much in his little mouth until he gags or pushes me away. I would gladly give him some of my weight (hah!). There doesn't appear to be any thyroid problem because his newborn screening turned out fine.

Sorry, I'm just frustrated. I just don't understand. I just want my son to be all right.

Trip to Virginia

2007-10-14T22:04:00.000-05:00

We recently returned from visiting my parents in Norfolk, VA. On Sept. 27, we flew from the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport (after missing the first flight-might get to that long story later) and arrived in VA in the wee hours of the morning. It was a challenge traveling with an infant and a toddler by myself (Larry couldn't take time off work), but by the grace of God, we made it!

My parents enjoyed spending time with the grandchildren. We were getting ready to leave for our trip to Philadelphia for my brother's wedding on Oct. 6th. I tried to get as much visitation done with friends as possible.

I met with Melissa and her family on Saturday night. We ate at Tanners Creek Seafood Restaurant on Colley Avenue in Norfolk. Her husband, Dan, discovered the place and it's wonderful. Excellent she-crab soup, relaxed family dining, and reasonable prices. I enjoyed my surf & turf meal (petit filet and lobster tail).

Then on Sunday, I visited my old church in Virginia Beach and met with a bunch of friends there. My friend, Eileen, just had her baby, Riley, who is just adorable. Gary enjoyed his cradle roll class.

Kari enjoyed her 2-year-old class. It's hard to believe that the babies who were in Kari's cradle roll class are growing as fast as she is! I also saw my friend, Stephanie, who is 20 weeks pregnant. I am so happy for her and Andy. They just discovered that they are going to have a girl!

On Monday, I visited with my friend, Teresa, and we ate at Bravo! Cucina Italiana Restaurant in Virginia Beach's Town Center Plaza. We then had dessert at the Cheesecake Factory. Yum! Then on Tuesday, I visited with Aland and Maria and their son, Cedric. Maria is due to have her second child next month. On Wednesday, I met with James and Anna (with sons Nicolas and baby Jeremiah) at the airport to greet Anna's parents (Mike and Mary Lou) back from their trip to Japan. It was a short, but sweet visit.

On Thursday, we left in a mini-van rental to drive to Philadelphia via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. My sister, Kim, and her husband, Steve joined my parents, me and the children. We were packed like sardines in the mini-van, but we persevered. It helped that we took frequent stops (especially for the children's sake). We stayed at the Hyatt Summerfield Suites in East Norriton, PA. There must have been several dog shows going on because we would encounter several dogs (Great Danes, terriers, etc.) on the elevator. Kari was fascinated by them.

The wedding was beautiful. Lorraine and Alex married in the same church building that Lorraine's parents married. The building had a beautifully painted ceiling and lovely stain glass windows. Definitely had lots of history.

Lorraine looked stunning in her bridal gown and the bridesmaids were beautiful.

Kari was one of the flower girls; she was so pretty in her gown that it made up for her clingy behavior. She would not go down the aisle unless I was holding her hand, but what could one expect from a 2-year-old? So I ended up being in the wedding. Alex and Lorraine did not mind Kari's behavior and were just glad to have Kari in their wedding.

I was also a part of the cord ceremony, a Filipino wedding tradition.

My brother surprised us at the reception; he had invited the Philippine Folk Arts Society of the Delaware Valley to perform 4 Philippine folk dances. Alex was born in the Philippines and he wanted to share a part of his heritage with all the guests. The dancers did a beautiful job.

We drove back to Virginia on Sunday, Oct. 7th. Alex and Lorraine went to Hawaii for their honeymoon. Welcome, Lorraine, to our family!

The following Monday, my friend Anna threw a dinner party for me at her house so I could visit with more friends. About 15 people and 4 children were there. I had a great time. Krista looks great with her pregnancy. Faye brought me her homemade chocolate and peanut butter fudge. Rachel is pregnant with their third child, and it's going to be a girl. Jill and Steve are getting ready for their daughter's wedding. Connie is getting her family ready to transfer to Atlanta. Keith and Deborah have started a new business. James loves his new job.

On Tuesday, I took the kids to a video promo courtesy of Keith's new venture called "The Video Factory" in Virginia Beach where a DVD is professionally made of your children. This should be a big hit with grandparents. I thought the children and I were boring, but the videographer said we did great. I can't wait to see the finished copy.

Then on Wednesday, I had dinner with Aland, Maria, and Aland's parents, Gordon and Jimmie Lou, along with children Cedric and Molly. I couldn't stay long because I had to leave for Texas the next morning. I wish I had more time to see more people, but that was not the case. Perhaps next time!

It was hard saying bye to my parents at the airport. Mom couldn't stop crying. We hope to make it again to Virginia someday. The children did a lot better on this flight to Dallas. We made it to Texas safely and it was so good to see Larry greet us at the DFW airport. I missed him so much! It took us 6 hours to drive home from Dallas. We ate at Cracker Barrel, made a couple of rest area stops and did a little grocery shopping before arriving home. Needless to say, we were tired! Good night for now!