WFMW - Fast Dinners

Working from home is a kick ... except when the days go past 15 and 16 hours and - what the heck - the family still wants dinner? !

So, I pull out the slow cooker in the morning and throw in a package, or two, of (still) flash frozen boneless and skinless chicken thighs (about $5.00/bag at The WalMart), a bottle of italian dressing, BBQ sauce or some marinade from the store, 2 cups of water and slow cook all day on low.

Add some instant rice and veggies, and voila! Real food, without a pizza crust.

Happy family? Happy Mommy.

Cheap? Happy Pocketbook!

For more Works-For-Me-Wednesday tips ... visit Shannon at RocksInMyDryer ....

Pizza Box ---

Code Yellow Mom, fondly known as Code, adapted a game she saw on a pizza box into this meme...further proof that anything a blogger comes across is fodder for a post! Barb over at Chelsea Morning was sweet enough to tag me .... and wait days (like 8 blog years) for me to get around to posting :)

Love and hugs Barb!


What was your favorite thing about being a kid?

My dad was the Kool-Aid dad. He would take all the kids on the block out in the street every night and taught us to play football, and baseball. When I was smaller and couldn't play, I got to be the "spotter". It was my sole duty to stand on a chair, where I could see up and down the street - and yell "CAR" every time I saw one, so the street could be cleared. It was a proud day, when someone younger took over "spotter" duty, and I got to play 3rd base.


What was your favorite subject in school?

What subject didn't I love? I was one of those that just loved school. Period. Now, in the 5th grade I had a teacher who hated me. Mrs. Istanbulan. She was evil and mean, and hated me. But, I survived and still loved school. So there.

Who was your best friend when you were 10?

Lisa Kilmer and Bonnie Buff. Lisa had polio and wore braces on her legs, but was the coolest, most fun and loving person I knew. Bonnie and I were best friends from kindergarten, until 6th grade when we both moved to different states and lost touch.She had curly hair and looked exactly like Buffy on Family Affair. Twins.


If you could be any animal what would you be?

A monkey. No reason, except they are goofier than heck.


What would you change about your school, occupation, life right now?

Uh, simple. I wouldn't need a kidney transplant. Otherwise, everything else is just where I want it.


What's your favorite color?

Purple. Royal, deep, wrap me up in silky satiny purple. Like an eggplant. But not as yucky.


What's your favorite type of crust and favorite topping on a pizza?

Ground round, cheese, fresh chopped tomatoes and red onions on a hand-tossed crust. However, if I was in California - Numero Uno pepperoni and sausage, extra cheese. Hands down. Gosh, Billings needs a Numbero Uno Pizzeria and an In 'N Out Burger, and a Sonic and a Waffle House and ... oops! I digress.


So, that's my combo special! Now .. who to tag ... who to tag ...


I tag ....

Leslie at Into Australia

SuperMom at What Makes a Housewife Desperate

Brenda at Rocking Chairs and Rainbows

Boomama

Sarah at In the Midst

A Broad Blessed in Guatemala ...

Toni is back from Guatemala, so run over and be blessed by what she wrote.

Herding Cats

Do you ever just sit back sometimes and wonder if God picks you out of a crowd, and decides it's your week to learn something... anything?

And, when you don't seem to get it the first time ... He loves you enough to keep trying ... and trying ... and trying?

This past week has been one of those - I didn't just get hit by the stupid stick, but by the whole darn forest - weeks, I think. If anyone could wear out the Almighty, it seems it was me.

I've been getting abit complacent over the last couple of weeks, in things church-y because of my schedule. Things at work have picked up, which means I have been online and working 18 hours a day ... and watching my Bloglines e-x-p-l-o-d-e. I currently have 237 things to read and comment on. 2.3.7. Yikes! I'm sooooo behind on all of your lives, and I miss you tremendously!

On top of work this week, let's take a look into the Magic Mirror and see what else has happened ....

• Saturday and Sunday were spent fighting the fight for school supplies and back to school things. The high point came, though, when Kati tried on "the ugliest green shift I've ever seen Mom" and pronounced she l-o-v-e-d it! Being the self-righteous, told-you-so-mom that I am, I made her proclaim "Mom, you were right! This shirt is awesome" just loud enough for all the other tired, battle-weary moms around the dressing rooms to hear ...
  
• Monday was an 18 hours work day, interspersed with breaking up the back-to-school fights jitters while ...
• Tuesday was spent as a 12 hours work day, filled with "what if no one remembers, likes, tolerates, hangs out with me" discussions.
  
• Oh, and we got a puppy. Sparky, the Wonder Pup - a cute, little Golden Retriever pup. The kind that doesn't sleep through the night?
• Oh, and there was that huge fire that started Tuesday night close enough for us to pack up the house and cars, again, to prepare for evacuation.
  
• Wednesday sees us racing the kids to school and kicking them to the curb for 8 hours dropping our beloved youngsters off for 8 hours of intelligent study and high-level social interaction. Then, we go home to check the status of the fire - and find out we have no power. Now, did I mention it's 101 and the humidity levels are high? Ugh. Evidently, the main feeder lines to Billings are in danger, so they had to fireproof them - which means no power for s.e.v.e.r.a.l hours. J and I set it out for 2 hours, then get out and go to a coffee ship, with air conditioning, on the side of town with power for 2 hours until the kids get out of school. No internet, no power, nothing until about 4:15 that night. Ugh.
• Thursday and Friday are a blur of work 18-20 hours, sleep and start over, as well as watching this thing happen with my foot - where it's numbing and swelling for no reason. Another thing to chat with the Dr. about Monday ...
• Last night, I broke a tooth. First time ever. Ugh.
  

I have to laugh ... really, I do. I am, by far, not a drama queen.

But, this week has felt alot like herding cats.

So now, I will take the rest of the afternoon to simply sit here and revel in catching up on my Bloglines ... to see how everyone else's week has been going.

I've missed y'all ...

Gee - I thought clouds only made animals ....

Wow, my first post in a week. Where has the time gone ... so much going on and I have no place to start telling y'all what has been going on. So, for now, while I regroup and get my thoughts together and ready to get back to the bloggity goodness again ... I leave you with a quick word cloud, as seen at Miss Brenda's, Barb's or Robin's ....

The Mercy Dinner

Kati and I are currently using the book, Healthy Calendar Diabetic Cooking, to plan meals right now. Although no one is diabetic in the house, I do have to be careful of what I eat because of how my body reacts to things now. Amazing little organs, those kidneys.

Anyway, this book is amazing -- it gives you 52 weeks of recipes, week by week, with a shopping list right up front, first page. And it's really good, easy food :)

Eazy Peazsy, Lemon Squeezy!

This week, it's been "International Week" with things like Penne Pasta with Ricotta, Southern "Fried" Chicken and Spicey Greens, Greek Lemon Rice Soup (to die for), and more.

Tonight was Souvlaki and Mousakka - pork kabobs in pita, with a yogurt cucumber sauce and eggplant. E.g.g.p.l.a.n.t. Ok, let me first preface that I abhor eggplant. But, in the interest of open-mindedness, we bought an eggplant. I only got a slight rash ... but ...

Kati spent a good two hours lovingly making dinner. She LOVES to cook, and really enjoys trying new things. Did I mention, eggplant?

Everyone sits, serves and starts. Oh- we prayed, well, I prayed - that God would really, really bless the eggplant food, and then we ate.

Two bites. Tops.

Our gracious cook looks up and says "Who wants pizza?!"

I ran frantically and said "I'll call".

In waiting for the lady on the other end of the phone to find our account, I casually asked how long delivery was running cause we were starving. I mentioned that dinner had failed, miserably, her next comment was "Oh, mercy dinner?!"

As we sat at the table, s-l-o-w-l-y eating our salads, Kati took the evil, ugly eggplant leftovers to the sink.

"Geez mom, even the garbage disposal won't eat this stuff".

I think tomorrow?

We barbecue.

Cause I'm a Wanderer ...

Everyday Mommy started this! So, here are mine! Alot have been through various moves around the country, some have been on church missions trips, and the rest through summer vacations (except Hawaii - that one? I won a trip for "two" in a store tear-off contest. My parents decided we were "all" going).

Otherwise, I've been to England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland (Teen Missions) - and would like to go to Fiji, Alaska, and Norway.

Kati has the chance to go to Spain, France and Italy this summer on an exchange program for an Ambassadors Program - but, that 's another topic for another day. Be still, my heart.

So ... where have you been? Let Mr. Linky know :) Yep, I finally figured out Mr. Linky :)

I'm going to Disneyland! .... not

It came! It came!

We got the letter today ... the one from Denver that says "Hey! we'd like to meet you at our next Transplant Clinic". Woohoo!

Now, this is only a pre-approval clinic.

Kind of a rock 'n roll Meet 'n Greet with the Group Nephrology R' Us.

But, hey! It's the best ticket in town, so I hear.

So, mark the date. September 26 - a fun filled day of super-fun with things like:

• The Tilt-a-Whirl (known as the 5 mile stress test)
• The Jackhammer (how much blood can one person give in a day)
• Jeopardy (the psych evaluation - hey, is "snarky" a real word?)

And, my p-e-r-s-o-n-a-l favorite:

• Who wants to be Knows A Millionaire (or ... what kinda insurance you got? toots!)

Yep -- anyone who is anyone is coming ...

Now, I just need to find a dress.

Oh.


Wait.


I think they give you one of those purty paper things.

Did someone say ...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to

BARB

... a really great egg!

Nothing you can say will take me away ...

Thirteen Things about MY GUY

Times are tough right now in the household ... so here is to the glue that holds us together.

1. In the beginning, it was good. We both had to grow up, but we figured it out together- and waited for each other along the way. Now? It just rocks :)

2. First there were 2 of us, then 3 .. then .. what the heck! There were 4! Thanks for the great kiddies, babe!

3. You've stood by me through 6 miscarriages and 13 years of parenting. You've shown me that anyone can be a great parent with just a little will and a lot of love. Doesn't matter what the past looked like for you.

4. You've sat next to me at the hospital for two births, a kidney removal, a hysterectomy, one PD insertion and soon, we hope, a kidney transplant. You never threw up, ran and cried or didn't show up with flowers. Considering how much I know you hate Dr.'s and hospitals, I know you bit several bullets in your time over me.

5. You've taught our kids to fix cars, ride bikes, tie their shoes, throw a football, fear nothing, algebra, love God and expect the best from themselves and no less.

6. You've listened to me talk ... and talk... and talk ... and talk ... and talk - with a smile on your face, and never let on that maybe you weren't just "not listening" a wee little bit at times.

7. You've supported me through my career as it moved us to state after state, after state, after state. You are the best U-Haul packer I know, and ya drive a mean truck :)

8. You've sat up with me at night when things get rough, held me while I cried, reassured me when I needed it - and kicked me in the behind when I needed that, too.

9. You never yell when I mess up the checkbook. Thanks. Really, thanks!

10. Your eyes? Well, I had to get those in here. They are the first thing I noticed about you, and the outward thing I love the most. Blue like a sapphire, sparkling in the sun. Man, I just wish the kids had gotten those eyes. Yeah .. yeah .. I know. Let it go, Kel ...

11. You know me, inside and out. Better than anyone. When my daddy died, you cried with me. You laughed with me. You continue to help me work through the way things are now. You never missed a beat- you know just what to say or do at the right time.

12. You balance and complete me. We have our rhythm and you take the lead. I enjoy giving the lead to you. I love being behind you and beside you. And now? I love being home with you all the time, working and raising our family. Together. I nevern get tired or hearing you down the hall in the office.

13. God is so present in your life, in everything you do, how you love me and how you raise our kids. It amazing to sit back and watch you. May our kids be as lucky as I am with you.

I love you. I am blessed. think you get the message.


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Sing a song of Fall ...

7 more days to school starting!! Woohoo :)

As usual, we are in last minute mode. I am really lousy about getting things done with school is coming back in session. Yes, I am the mom out there the week before scavenging through for supplies and clothes. Every kid's worst nightmare!

Well, here we are- one week and counting! And nothing, I mean nothing, is ready. The kids have gone from begging and pleading for us to go shopping, to now dropping Shopko ad circulars (with the appropriate items desired) circled in big red circles on my desk. And amazingly, every time I move one off, another appears in it's place. It's like the never-ending oil from the Bible. A true, kids-style miracle.

I always loved going back to school. Lord knows I had to change schools enough, I should have hated it. But, I really didn't. Except for 4th grade. Oh boy- 4th grade. It was the year-that-mom-decided-we-should-have-matching-haircuts for-back-to-school. It was when really short boy-cuts with huge, poufy tops was in.

I was in the 4th grade, for crying out loud. I went to school and cried in the bathroom for the whole day, then wrote a note and said I was sick. Did I mention I got busted? Yep. Busted. I took a kerchief to school with me and and wore it every day after that. I was mortified.

But, things eventually settled down, and the hair grew out. And I never had short hair again. If it doesn't at least touch my shoulders, it doesn't happen. Pretty, pretty hair. Ah, the scars of childhood ...

New friends, new teachers, new events, new things to learn. Fall is in the air (well, at least according to the calendar) and winter is coming.

Almost makes you want to be a kid again .... doesn't it?

What was your favorite back to school memory?

WFMW

Chore Lists


We have a standard list o' chores the kids are responsible for.
And with that ... comes the fights, the "not my turn" the blah blah blah ...

After doing spreadsheets and assigning things to hang on this fridge, seven ways to Sunday,
and listening to .. "she didn't finish it right" and "now I have to" and "blah blah blah"...

I gave up.

Called uncle.

Took away privileges and toys.

Yeah. That went far.

So, now we have a NEW system, that for the moment is working...

I made them sit down and they wrote the list.

They had to discuss, and not fight.

They both agreed to the list and signed it.

They chose whether to change it over daily, weekly or monthly
- or, as it ended up- this is what we will do from now on.

No switching.

Now- all I say it ... "You agreed. You had a chance, you made a choice. "

Live with it and may silence rain down upon me like graceful rain.

Two weeks and counting ... and it still works for me :)


For more great Works for Me Wednesday tips visit Shannon@Rocksinmydryer.typepad.com

Some really good things!

When you have a monute, grab something to drink and take some time to read this and this, or this and this! I'm boxed up in meetings all day ... but these really stared my day of great :)

Have a great day everyone!

Another Blockbuster Moment ...

Blockbuster Online + "24" Season 1 on (6) DVD's =

HAPPY DANCE for momma!!!


Yea baby!!


It's IN.THE.MAIL :)


Can I get an "Amen!" or a "Jack Bauer!"



Now you know. It's true. I am a "24" fanatic. DARN TOOTIN'!


Jack ... Jack .... get off the slow boat to China while you still can ....

* UPDATED: 19 hours, 18 minutes and God is on the move...

"The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness?" Matthew 6:22-23

Life is certainly not fair, by any means. There is good and there is bad. We are given choices to make, and we learn to live by the consequences of what happens. We choose the types of friends we make, and have really great, or not so great, relationships because of it. We choose the foods we eat, and how we look or feel can be a direct result of those choices. People can betray us, hurt us and how we respond affects our entire outlook on things - sometimes in obvious ways, but I believe it's mostly more subtle ways that truly affect us.

I've struggled with issues of faith a lot recently; mostly over the last year. Everything in our world has been turned upside over the last several months on several fronts. We've lost beloved grandparents; sold our home and moved across country and back again; lived in temporary housing situations waiting for the right home to come around for us again; encountered family dynamics that have left us wounded and bleeding; watched our kids struggle through their first years of middle school - and navigate through the icy waters of teenage viciousness for what they stand for and believe; began our own battle against another potentially life-threatening illness with my kidney failure; changed jobs and lifestyles equivalent to 20% of what we used to "have" and "make", to name a few.

I think it could be easy to just sit back and just give up. Start a big 'ole pity party. Get angry and question God. I mean, if this is life in full abundance and blessing, what is it? Right?Don't you think it's my right to sit back and say "Hey, God? Uh, if this is love ... well ...."

Well, that's really not what we've done.

Much.

But, here is what has happened.

We got our focus looking back, not forward. Hurt, betrayal, anger, unforgiveness, bitterness. All really ugly words, causing really ugly results. Several people said "Just let it go" "Let go, Let God". "Just turn is over". "Forgive". There comes a point, a place, a time, where the hurt gets so big and the wound get so big and raw, that you don't know how to let it heal.
Every reminder is just one more time that the bandage is ripped off and the wound is exposed, infected.

God, I'll trust you in all areas - but this one. Cause there is no way that this can be fixed.

Sound familiar?

Well, that is where I found myself last night. I was sick and tired of being angry, hurt and wounded.

I made a decision to change. I didn't know how, but I just knew it was time. I knew I had to forgive. And God would work on the rest.

So, I decided to take a "me" break. Turned off the computer and went to church. I'm sure everyone knows where this is going .... (after all, my "break" lasted about 19 hours and 18 minutes)

As we walked out he door, the first gift of love was waiting. It was 54 degrees and raining lightly. It may not sound like much, but I suffer horribly in the heat because of this kidney failure. I get dehydrated at the drop of a hat, but am restricted to the amount of fluids I can drink. So, this one-time cooling trend was a blessing for me. I just didn't didn't know it! However, I did dance around abit on the way to the car.

Wayne Cordeiro spoke last night, as a guest speaker in follow-up to the Leadership Summit 2005 that has been going on. He spoke on Attitude and Faith. Yep, wrote it just for me.


Look for what is good.

He who diligently seeks good seeks favor; but he who seeks evil, evil will com to him." Proverbs 11:27

Believe you can chance.

"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he ..." Proverbs 23:7

Never give up!

" And Jesus said to him, " ... all things are possible to him who believes". Mark 9:23


Faith is not about "what is", but what you can "see". God designed us to look forward; our eyes, ears, arms and feet were designed to move us more effectively forward.

What I realized, and walked away with, is that to be truly faithful I need to walk away from the past. From the hurt and betrayal. God will do the rest.

And when I accepted that, it was over. God took it, and there was a literal physical lifting of weight from my heart. I say there and felt God put my heart back together in that moment.

I don't know what God has planned from this pont forward; how he will rebuild bridges of trust where none exist now. However, my faith rests in that He will do things, when and how He chooses. And now, I can see that. And I trust Him - because He is the only one who will never fail me.

I do not expect that life will now sally-forth uninhibited. There will be rocks and valleys, pain and joy. But, once again - I'm rested in knowing that my Jesus has the lead and will not let me go.

I love you, Lord
and I lift my voice ...
to worship you
O my soul rejoice.

Take joy, my King
in what you hear!
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound
in your ear.

Hallelujah - our God is an awesome God.


* Update 8/20/06: The audio and written notes for this message are finally posted. You can download them for free by clicking here, then using the "Free" links for either audio or document. I really recommend the 30 minutes to listen to Wayne. Hugs everyone ...

Your turn to count while I hide ....

I'm.walking.away.from.the.computer.

I'm waaaaaaalkiiiiiing aaaaaaaaaaawaaaaaaayyyyyyy fruuuuuuuuuuuuum theeeeeeee coooooompuuuuuutttttttteeeeeerrrrr (can you hear Ellen deGeneres' nemo whale voice here?)

I love writing and interacting with each of you .... the friendships and camaraderie being built is amazing, refreshing, entertaining, uplifting, thought-provoking, and ... and .... and ....

But, the bottom line is - I'm being tested on several fronts right now, some are BIG ... some are small ... alot are just there in the middle (but by no means, "just right") and I know that to try and answer some hard questions, I need to take some hard looks at things.

And that requires focus and concentration on my part. I'm picking up a couple of books on things I want to work through, and taking the time and room to let God speak ... or smack me with a 2x4 ... or just plain do whatever it is He is going to need to do to get Kelli back to where she needs to be - in body, mind and spirit.

Realistically, I'm hoping to be back in just a few days. The thought of leaving all things internet frankly has my heart pounding and my knees shaking. I may just throw up.

In the meantime, dear friends, drop a line to God on my behalf when you think of it :)

I'll see you in a bit, refreshed, rejuvenated and raring to go!

In pondering BooMama's thought provoking posts this past week, I read this, and would love to see what you think.

Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people, the answer is in the word ministry. In 1 Peter 5:10 Peter tells us that God has a ministry in our suffering. He says, "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you."

Someone has said that a bar of steel is worth five dollars. When it is wrought into horseshoes, it is worth ten dollars. If made into needles, it is worth three hundred and fifty dollars. If wrought into penknife blades, it is worth thirty-two thousand dollars. And if it is wrought into springs for watches, it is worth two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The more the steel is manipulated, the more it is hammered, beaten, pounded and polished, the greater the value.

So, what do you think? I'll be back in a few days to find out.

In the meantime ... hugs to all.

Happy Birthday ...

Can you believe it?!

Click here


(to those of you from my graduating class of 19, ahem-2 who laughed at me ... ha! you laughed at me when I took computers - well, me and that one other geeky guy- but tell me, how is that keypunch career working for ya?)

Two steps back, one step forward

Well, Sparky Newton Armstrong- yes, that is his name - is going away for awhile.

Na na nana - hey hey --- goooodbyyyyye!

Saw the Dr. today, after we just didn't like the way things looked or felt. We've talked about it all week here at the house, and it seems it's just not working as well as it should.

This week has been a hard one for me. I had a taste of two things full blast.

• The freedom of not being tied down to a process all day, in the house.
  
• I felt what it feels like "to be sick" with kidney failure. Now- I get it.
  

So, we choose to do the grown-up and responsible thing-

Go back to being home all day every day.

In two weeks, we'll see how things look again. In the meantime, we focus on fluid restriction (Sarah, can you i.m.a.g.i.n.e? It's the same as only 4 DC's a day!- horror at it's worst. Ok, well, if I could even have DC.) diet and exercise and increase some meds.

Today, is also 90 days on the nose, from when we started this little process. So, all in all I can't complain. Things have been pretty smooth sailing --

It is well.

5 Ingredient Friday

Kelli's Amazingly Yummy, But Totally Healthy Sweet 'n Sour Pork Roast


1c. low sodium soy sauce
1-18oz jar low sugar orange marmalade
4T. ketchup
4 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
3-4lb. pork butt roast

Mix the first 4 ingredients and whisk to blend. Do not overblend.

Put the roast in a slow cooker, pour the mixed sauce over the top and let it cook on low for 8 hours.


Enjoy!!

Friday Feast

APPETIZER

Tell about a toy you remember from your childhood.

My musical choo-choo train. The train tracks were musical notes like a xylophone. So when the train ran on the track, it played a tune. I looked everywhere for one when the kids were little, but alas ... no choochoo.

SOUP

If you could make one thing in the world absolutely free for everyone, what would it be?

Health care.

SALAD

Approximately how many times per day do you think about your significant other?

Several actually. We work at home together, so I hear him work through the day all day long in the other office. It’s the best background noise I can think of.

MAIN COURSE

What is something you believe in 100%

Our kids come first. That education is the prime directive for my children. No matter what it takes, they will get the best education possible, and they will understand why. We have made life decisions around where they will go to school - whether in-school or home schooled. And it shows every day in what they continue to strive for. And the best part, they are well-balanced, level-headed God-loving people.

DESSERT

Name one thing you have done this week that you would consider a "good deed."

This may be weird – but I ‘fessed up to a huge mistake a made. Why is this a good deed? It saved my husband and I a lot of stress and fussing, ‘cause I realized it fast and we could get past it.

Everyday Things

Goodnight Mommy song
by j., age 12


I love you, casue you're so lovable
I love you, cause you're so lovable
Love-a love-a love-a love-a looooooooooo-vable!

Mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy

I love you cause you're my mommy
I love you cause you're my mommikins
Love-a love-a love-a love-a looooooooooo-vable!

Mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy

That is J's good night to mommy song.
Sung at FULL volume dancing around our bedroom like a monkey.

The everyday pleasure of being enveloped in the love of my children.
And being alive to enjoy it one more day.

I'm sorry, what did you say?

My day today ...


phone rings

"hello?"

dsjhfdslhglfjgljdslajdslfj l;jdsljdsoeuwejlk; jfl;kgbjsfdalgkjdsl;fjsdl;

"I'm sorry?"

ewiruobksjalkjqwejhtedfgucvckjvsda;lfkjdsfjld;jfsda
fdsgiewuroeiugufbvadskjf;letriwuqfgkdjglfksadjgljs
eiuoriudkjdslfgsdgdsagweoiutoutweh;lsdhgkjsdhkld
rtuoibfsdfldsjfl;jwetoiufoigjufdsagjka;ldsjflsdajfskjtw

"I'm sorry???"

jdhfklasdhflkasdhfwedyviduoyfkajshrelkwhiugydsdsah
dsyfiwehrkwjhidsufhkasdjfwherioudfdsahfkljsdhfwieuhf
sdajlkfhwqeryifhdsaljfkhsdkltewi

"I don't think we are interested, but thank you".

dskjfhadlfhkdsahfasd800dfjsdajfkdflaskjdfksadjf;lkjd

long, dramatic, depressed sigh is heard

fine.

phone hangs up.



So, what is your favorite telemarketing call?

WFMW - Pet food

Ok, this one is so silly, I almost feel ashamed posting it. But, it took my 17 years to figure it out .. so here we go.

The kids are in charge of feeding the pets. This basically means:

1. Get the pet food bag
2. P-o-u-r enough to completely fill the bowls, twice a day
3. Wonder why the pets are so plump well-fed and the food bags are empty every 3 days.

Soooo, brilliant thinker (albeit s-l-o-w thinker), I picked up a 1 cup measuring cup at the the store and threw it in the bag o' pet food for the measurin'.

Voila!

1. Pets get in shape
2. Pet food bill goes down
   
3. Pets still have a home
   

(yes, I was THAT close to giving them away)

It Works for Me!


For more great Works for me Wednesday tips, visit Shannon@RocksInMyDryer now!

Like my tan?

WOW-

Just got back from vacation, and it was w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l.

Although short (aren't they always), I'm amazed that the house is still in good repair, the fridge is still stocked and the kids (who got to stay home alone) are still alive and talking nice to each other.

Where did I go? You ask.

Some exotic beach with white sand and palm trees? Maybe a deserted mountain cabin in the trees (oh, that's where I live) ... France ... Bora Bora .. the Swiss Alps?

And I left my kids what? Alone! Yep. The whole time I was gone. It was lover-ly (to quote the great Miss Hepburn).

Well ... I didn't get pictures to share with y'all. But ... I went ..... to ....

THE MAIL BOX!

All the way- alone. No hubby, no kids, no dog.

The whole 1/2 mile, in the car. Just me, the air conditioner (that was for Boomama) and Dr. Laura - all alone. Even drove an extra full mile to the main road and back to turn around so I didn't have to actually get out in the heat to open the mail box.

Yup- didn't quite max out the card on the gas expenses, but ... it was the best vacation I've had in weeks.

It was heaven.

And now, back to my regularly schedule life.


(For those of you who think I'm insane - well, I am. BUT, ya see, I work FT From home, I live at the same home and town is 1/2 hour from here. So we NEVER go out. Maybe once a week when the kids won't eat grilled cheese just. one. more. time. as three square meals a day. And we never go alone. So, pardon my rambling and enjoy your daily trips to wherever.)

Green Acres, we are there! Toot toot!

My name is Kelli ... I'm a data-holic

Run ... fast .... go somewhere else ... beware of boredom .... beware of seeing me for the OCD tendencies I have around numbers and data ... run ... fast ... the.other.way

Still here?

You've. been. warned.


13 Things That I Learned from SiteMeter

1. There have been over 3,000 hits on this site. Holy cow! What the heck?

2. Referring to #1, that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. You like me, you really like me!

3. This is intermission. Go get a drink ... or a barf bag ... or take a nap ... watch your paint dry ...bag your walls

4. Every continent but Africa and Antarctica is represented by someone who has visited my little blog o' words. Could it be that these two places don't have internet? hmmmmmm

5. Most of you come here from other blogs. Who ever thought that there was a bloggy-network (does that make us members of a bletwork ?)

6. One visitor came all the way from Thessalonica, Greece. As in 1 Thessalonians - Paul's Thessalonica. That ... is unbelievabley cool (ok, I was a Bible College student)

7. Referring to #5, new friends are top of the list in my book :)

8. BooMama's Tour of Homes was an 'amazing, overwhelming, blow-out, soon to be infamous' success!

9. Someone came to my site because they Googled "phosphorous" ... still working on figuring that one out. Odd ....

10. Texas is the state with the biggest hit count. But, come on y'all - everything is bigger
in Texas!

11. Blogging has saved my husband. He no longer has to listen to me talk 100 miles a minute, 24 hours a day. He now says "have you updated your blog today? that would make a great post". I swear I haven't seen his eyes glaze over and roll back in his head in quite a while.

12. Being naturally data driven (translation - I haven't a single artistically creative bone in my body), it's easy for me to get sucked into analyzing who, what, when, where and why people come here. Walk away from the stats page and details, girl ... just walk away ...

13. Referring to #12, I will simply continue to write what comes to me ... and sit back in wonder when someone comes to read it.


OK- now W.A.K.E up! It's over ... click away ...

When left and right meet - off center ...

Click here ... I'd be interested in your thoughts.

Without being asked.

A year or so ago, I bought the kids each a devotions book from Focus on the Family. I thought, they are age appropriate - kind of hip and cool (if those are the right words to use now-a-days) and maybe, just maybe they would pick them up here and there. It was time for them to start their own, personal time besides our family times.

Several months ago, they started doing devotions together in their room at night. On their own. Without being asked.

Fast forward to this week ... I went looking for Kati, and found her in her room, in the middle of the day ... with her notebook open. And a book open. And she is reading and writing away - very focused.

I peeked over her shoulder to see what she was reading so intently, and it was (drumroll please) her Devo's book. And she was writing away - all her thoughts and questions about what she was reading.

Did I mention she is 13?

My heart swelled up.

I kissed her head.

Walked out.

Left her alone with God.

*UPDATE* A princess with feathers on her feet ...

May she fly with angel's wings ...

Princess Addison is having her open heart surgery tomorrow.
Won't you take a minute, and hop over to send her your best wishes?


Update!

WFMW ... sortof

Last night, after dinner, hubs asked me to come outside for a few minutes. Of course, the kids were all excited and thought he wanted to take us all out for a walk or something.

That in itself is it's own story- we have a 12 and 13 year old, and from what I hear, we are pretty lucky that they still want anyhing to do with us. But, I digress.

Hubs clarified for all to hear - "No, I just want your mom outside. Clear the table and then go do something. But stay inside".

Of course, the next question was "Are you in trouble mom?" kids ...

After getting a couple things done, and the dinner clearing under way, I sauntered outside. I found hubs sitting on our porch swing. I sat down, he put his arm around me and started to swing.

We didn't talk - we just rocked back and forth in the swing for an hour or so. We listened to a robin call out to its mate in an aviarial game of Marco Polo. We watched the sunset over the trees - from pink, to hot pink to flaming orange. We listened to the crickets usher in the night.

He told me he missed me. With the kids home for the summer, it's been all about them. We know that high school, the freedom of a car, summer jobs and college are way too close now. So we have cherished this summer with our kids - who still really like to hang out with us.

We've missed our "doink doink" times - where we curl up for two hours and watch Law and Order - and try to out-guess each other as to whodunit. We've missed our weekly lunches, where we try new restaurants in town and just spend a couples hours talking and talking.

I'm married going on 17 years now ... I work at home FT with my husband ... and he still misses me and loves me.

And that, my friends, works for me!



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It is Well ...

As most of you are aware, I'm walking through the process of life with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Having had kidney issues of one sort of another my whole life, this feels like just another step.

At the beginning of the year, when we heard the words ESRD, dialysis and transplant for the first time, I cried. Bawled like a baby, right there in the doctor's office. I have kids, they need me. For a really. long. time.

For two months we avoided the "D" word, it was "out there- maybe 6 months or more". Then, in March, it turned into "now", "while you are still doing so well", "we can keep you feeling well while you prepare for transplant". Big breath. N.O.W.

The dialysis catheter was put in during April, and on May 8 went for training. I'm fortunate to have the best team- there is not only great medical care, there is relationship. I am trusting these folks with my life, literally. And they haven't let me down.

We are now at the point of looking at transplant donors. How do you ask someone to take that risk? The "what ifs" keep you up at night. There has been "robust dialogue" in the house at night, behind closed doors about this person or that person that has offered to donate. When someone offer you life, there is an overwhelming amount of emotions. Joy, fear, hesitation, jubilation, humility... I have taken the stance that I will not ask. I will trust God for His timing and direction. If I look back, I see the path He laid out for me, and so far, He has not failed me in any way.

Since I have no direct siblings, I have no viable family options for a donor. We are required to look outside. We have been blessed that a couple of people we know have offered and are going through the process.

We recvd another offer of life today that blew me away. Someone within my medical team offered today. The offer came out of the blue today, during a plain, old I-have-another-question-phone-call, with some simple, logical and loving words "Because, I like you. You need to see your kids grow up". It overwhelmed me that a complete stranger would offer me this gift. I was speechless and simply cried, right there on the phone.

Although there is some struggle with the realities of the overall picture, and my hope dims here and there, I am amazed again and again at what blessings my life have been given through this ordeal. It has opened some wider gaps in relationships, but overall created new bridges to people I would never have met otherwise.

I hold to the fact that God is in control, and people will be blessed. No one can walk this road with me and not be touched by the hand of Abba Father. I realize that now.

And so, I pick up my pack and trundle on down the road laid out before me. I've met all of you through this journey as well, and share in what God is doing, teaching, stretching and growing in all of us. I am nothing, but blessed.

When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
What ever my lot you have taught me to say
It is well, it is well with my soul