Tagged

Our phone system was down for a couple of days. In some ways, it was peaceful. The repair man left this morning and I decided to see what had happened in the 2 days I had left blogland. I was shocked to see that I had been tagged. What in the world did that mean? I will admit that my first thought was not a positive one. My dad was a hunter and when he and my brother talked about tagging a deer, the deer usually got the worst end of the deal. I read further and discovered that my case was not quite so severe. I was instructed to give seven facts about myself. I have tried to find things that everyone might not know---here goes.

1. I was in a car wreck the day after my 5th birthday. We went over the bank toward the Ohio River. I screamed "help us Jesus" on the way down and our car stopped. Since this was during the "hippie" movement, a man and his 2 shaggy adult boys helped us out of the car and into their house until the police arrived. The hippies did not scare me (they reminded me of some of my cousins), but the cop frightened me very much. I still have my teddy bear that went through the ordeal with me. I also have some scars on my face from hitting the dash. A short time after the wreck, the water had risen above where we landed.

2. I used to be on the management team of a fast-food restaurant chain. I usually put in 60 hours a week, but had 80 hours on my paycheck when I helped open up a new store. I have little compassion for a healthy man who can not put in a 40 hour week.

3. My sisters and I have sung for weddings, funerals, and graduations. We are currently discussing making a C.D. for friends and family.

4. Doyle and I have never attended the same school. We grew up over a thousand miles from each other and never even lived in the same state until the year we met. We are making up for lost time. The last 12 years have been wonderful.

5. I was 29 when I had my first child. My mom was 29 when she had her last child.

6.I grew up spending a lot of time on my grandparent's farm. It was very primitive, but I wouldn't trade those years for anything. My mouth still waters when I think about grandma's biscuits and gravy. I love the farm life.

7. I would rather spend time with my husband and my 4 kids more than anyone else in the world. They are my favorite people--the joy of my life.

The following 7 people have been tagged: Patty, Esther, Kelly, Rebecca, Carla, Kim, and Jenny.

Fun Spelled M-U-D

I decided to let the kids play out in the mud today. I am not sure what came over me, except for the fact that life is too short not to play in the mud. We had a big rain last night and there were mud puddles everywhere. I saw Joseph looking at them longingly. When the other 3 came home from school, I told them they could go out and have a good time. They dug a hole and brought water from the canal. They even had a little trench leading to their "pond". They also worked on their fort. The neighbors had some railroad ties that they were not using and let them build a log house with them. Julianna drywalled the inside with mud. Samuel was the boss of the project and kept everyone busy. When Doyle came home, he was reluctant (I'm not sure why) to give hugs and kisses to all the kids like he normally does.

I was in the process of cleaning the house and had already finished scrubbing the bathrooms. Since I did not want to repeat this fun activity, I hosed them off before coming in. They weren't too happy about this since the water pressure stung. I knew they would clog up the drain otherwise. Lydia and Joseph do not know the meaning of the word "wade" so they really had to be scrubbed up. Guess what? They all 4 came clean. I sat outside and read my Reader's Digest and drank tea. When they are all 4 outside, I want to be with them. I was finishing cleaning the house and when I came to this room, there was the computer waiting for me to blog. I better get with it and finish the house.

Ode to an Orphan Kitten

Doyle was walking to his car last Wednesday when he saw a little kitten crying in the grass. We learned later that it had been found on Jupiter Island and dropped off on our campus. Doyle has a big heart and brought it home for the kids to take care of. We explained all the reasons why we could not keep her, but I think it went right in one ear and out the other with a few of the kids. The boys called her "Whiskers" and the girls called her "Mittens." She was a little wild at first, but became more gentle as we calmed her down. I am not a big animal lover-I like them in their place, but I could not stand to see a kitten die a slow death in the hot Florida sun. When we looked closer, we found out that she was handicapped. Her back legs dragged when she walked. This complicated the matter--who wants a cat with a problem? We kept her in a toy cage. I put a hot water bottle in with a warm towel at night so she would feel secure in her little house. Because Doyle is allergic to cats and I don't like animals in the house, we knew she could not stay. We talked about taking her to the Humane Society, but realized what they would do there. I could have dealt with that matter a little easier than the kids. I tried to explain that on my Grandma's farm, when there were too many cats, they were thinned out by a few shots over the hill--this did not bring my kids any comfort. We did some research and found a woman that works in animal rescue. To make a long story short, we took our foster kitten over to the cat lady's house. She was thrilled to have her 22nd cat in the house. She is going to have an orthopedic vet. look at her and see what they can do. She was very nice and told the kids they could call and check on her, or come by for a visit. I know this sounds a little crazy, but our children had become very attached to her and I prayed that we could find someone to take care of her. If God sees each sparrow that falls, I think He understands about crippled cats and crying kids.

Remembering Miriam Noel

Last month we took a Saturday and went to Miriam's grave. As most of you know, this was the one year anniversary of our little girl's home-going. At a regular ultrasound, we first learned that she had some real physical issues. The next month was a roller coaster of emotions as we tried to do everything we could to save her life. We visited several specialists, but she was not destined to live on this earth. She was a trisomy baby, which means she had severe chromosomal disorders. After she passed away, I was induced and delivered her. It was a special moment to hold her and say good-by. I don't need to tell you that our family has definitely experienced God's grace in a real way. Having a stillbirth, I know what it is like to be carried by God. He is so faithful to heal and to comfort. We know that we will see her along with the other 2 babies we have in heaven.

School Time

The kids have been in school for 2 weeks now and things are going well. Here is a picture of them on the first day of the school year. As you can see, Joseph was trying to get used to the new schedule after the late summer nights. I am not sure he was too happy this particular morning. We are all back into the swing of things now. We feel so blessed to have such a great school for our kids to attend.