Rain, rain, go away

Tons of lightning, rain, thunder, and tornado warnings today.

But, mostly lots of rain.

There is currently a river of rain going down the street about 2 feet wide.

Eager to get my kitchen back

ALMOST done delivering the cookies. We have about 50% done and going to try to get to the others today. Hope the rain subsides for us, at least long enough for us to deliver them!!

Anna is busy all day with OZ, so she'll stay dry.

Gabriel's team did ok at Math Team yesterday, coming in 4th. This was not the Math Counts State Competition. But, he admittedly said it was a much harder math meet, using terms that he hasn't even heard of yet! The best in his school, a girl named Catherine, came in 9th individually (and she is a genius according to Gabriel). He came in 15th out of 150 kids.

Gabriel and Bogdan are test driving a Nissan Leaf today, it's an all-electric car and Bogdan is thinking of it for his next car. (His car will go to Anna, who will be driving this time next year!!)

Quote for a busy family

My formula for living is quite simple. I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. In between, I occupy myself as best I can. ~Cary Grant

This week

Over 1,000 boxes of cookies in the house, most of the girls in Marian's troop have picked them up, only one more mom to pick her daughter's cookies. Then we have the task of delivering both Marian's and Anna's orders, which total about 250 boxes!! Marian has the idea of putting them all in her red wagon, but I told they would not fit.

Gabriel goes to Birmingham, AL for a Math trip this weekend and they have also been preparing for the big State competition in March.

Anna is exhausted everyday from OZ practice and stumbles off to bed.

We went to a presentation last night by one of the "Lost Boys" of Sudan. He is in the United States attending college, and he amazed the youth group by his story. He was 7 when he left Sudan and walked 1,000 miles without shoes! He didn't own a pair of shoes for 4 more years. It is amazing he is even alive today.

The Girl Scout International Festival is this weekend and I've been making the passports for the girls. They will get a small booklet and at each booth they will have to answer a question in the booklet, if it's correct, they get stamped (just like a real passport).

Weird occurrence this morning, it's raining here. But, it's so warm there is thunder and lightning. Never had a winter storm with thunder and lightning. But, now that I google it, thunder and lightning can happen in warm rain or even cold snow. It's a phenomenon called Thundersnow. Never heard of that before, might be cool to see.

Birthday Girl

Happy Birthday to Karen (and Rita)

Yes, it's true we have the same birthday, but I won't say who is older...

Major accomplishments

1. Staying faithful to my walking schedule everyday this week, despite it being a very busy week.
2. Finishing the last of my OZ costumes.
3. Filing my taxes! Refund = :)
4. Hearing Anna say that this was one of her best birthdays ever.
5. Getting the kids to school on time everyday this week.

What's up this week

Preparing for the International Festival for Girl Scouts. Marian's troop is representing Romania (easy one here). The girls will color a flag and map of the country as well as write out some facts on a poster board. My job is to make 100 cornulete, which are a cookie filled with jam and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Anna is tired every day from OZ practice, and her director told all the cast not to get sick from now until the performance.

Anna made 20 cupcakes for her preschoolers. She is a teacher of the town's preschool, as a class at the high school. She has them 3x a week and so brought them all cupcakes for her birthday.

Happy Birthday Anna

Anna turns 15 tomorrow, hard to believe!! Cynthia, who was at her birth, was amazed at this too.

Math Team Wins Big

In today's MathCounts competition, the Jefferson Middle School won 1st place for the team round and now will move on to Nashville for the State Competition. Gabriel is excited! He also placed 3rd overall for individual scores.


This is actually a picture from their Alabama competition, but you get the idea...

Best word ever

Played my best scrabble word ever. First word on board, CITYWIDE for 113 points!!

Life in ordinary times

Our life is boring, really, I must admit. But, that doesn't mean we're not busy. Between sewing OZ costumes, picking up, dropping off kids and friends, three different school schedules, extended school hours (to make up for snow days), life is busy.

Gabriel is going to a special math competition this weekend, being only one of 8 kids invited from the middle school to attend. He found out that they asked me to carpool and chaperone and tells me he doesn't want to be in my car...I'm not offended. I told him that means I can bring all the girls in my car and we can talk about him on the way there!! :)

Girl Scout cookies arrive in 2 weeks and I already fear the sight of 1000+ boxes in my house! I am getting help picking them up, as I know they won't fit in my mini SUV. Marian did meet her goal and sold 228 boxes! We have decided to send our surplus boxes (about 2 dozen) to troops overseas. A former Marine from church is hooking us up with some troops overseas.

I lost my walking buddy, but have gained 3 more! I sent out an email to ladies in my bible study seeking a new walking buddy. Seek and you shall find!

In Praise of the Imperfect Life

(An excerpt from Learning to Fall: The Blessings of an Imperfect Life by Phillip Simmons)

We have all heard poems, songs and prayers that exhort us to see God in a blade of grass, a drop of dew, a child's eyes, or the petals of a flower. Now when I hear such things I say that's too easy. Our greater challenge is to see God not only in the eyes of the suffering child but in the suffering itself. To thank God for the sunset pink clouds over Red Hill--but also for the mosquitoes I must fan from my face while watching the clouds. To thank God for broken bones and broken hearts, for everything that opens us to the mystery of our humanness. The challenge is to stand at the sink with your hands in the dishwater, fuming over a quarrel with your spouse, children at your back clamoring for attention, the radio blatting the bad news from Bosnia, and to say "God is here, now, in this room, here in this dishwater, in this dirty spoon." Don't talk to me about flowers and sunshine and waterfalls; this is the ground, here, now, in all that is ordinary and imperfect, this is the ground in which life sows the seeds of our fulfillment.

The imperfect is our paradise.

Let us pray, then, that we do not shun the struggle. May we attend with mindfulness, generosity, and compassion to all that is broken in our lives. May we live fully in each flawed and too human moment, and thereby gain the victory.

Girls start early

Marian, now officially 8 years old, is on the phone from the time she gets home from school until dinner time. What is she doing?? Talking to her friends while them both playing Club Penguin online. She tells me not to worry because I have a cell phone if people want to call me...

New Year's Resolution

Have I said what my New Year's Resolution is? To only do things that bring me joy. Of course, I will admit housework does not always bring me joy, the result does, so that stays. But, beyond that, I have stopped some things in my life and I AM feeling more joyful as a result.

So maybe it's a New Year's resolution that's actually do-able?

Go Steelers

Sorry, Marshall and Sharon, we are rooting for the Steelers! Complete with Philly Cheese Steaks!

And the total is....

1047 boxes of cookies!! No, Marian didn't sell all those, that's her troop total!! Yahoo!! And we have decided to send a couple cases to troops overseas.

Thanks to all my girls for all the great work!