Happy Spray

This is what happens around my home when we don't have school. My Ev and Ann, and their two neighborhood friends created and directed this commercial.



If Happy Spray really existed, I'd buy a case!

Happy Thanksgiving!

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Crazy in the Woods

Something really weird and scary happened yesterday. Bob had a friend over and they wanted to walk through the few acres of woods behind our house to the neighborhood on the other side to go see their other friend. There are many trails on this several acres that actually belongs to the Mission organization that is on the other side of the street from our neighborhood.

It is not uncommon for my kids to take these trails. I feel like it’s safer than walking along the road.

Anyway, after a few hours of being at their friend’s house I picked up Bob and dropped David off at his house. At dinner that night Bob told us his ‘funny story’. He said that he and David were about halfway there (in the middle of the woods) when they came upon this guy. Bob described him as probably in his 30’s, tall and skinny. He was without shoes and carrying a stick. He stopped the boys and asked them if either of them had a phone he could use. He said he’d been lost in the woods for 2 days and he’d give the boys $100 if they’d let him use their phone.

Bob immediately felt the possible danger in this situation and told the man no and kept walking. David on the other hand, said yes and handed him his phone. David (who is a VERY sweet kid) told my Bob that they needed to tell this guy about Jesus. Bob felt that they needed to get the heck out of there and call the police. Bob noted to David that there is no possible way to be lost in the woods for 2 days. From where they were standing you could hear cars go by. He also told David that they guy either was on drugs or should be, and was off them.

The guy finished his calls, which Bob said were weird and sort of incoherent, from his end of things, and gave them back their phone. He pulled out his walled offering again to give the boys some $ (they declined and started to walk away). Apparently the guy called after them for a while telling them how thankful he was and that they should take his $100 (they never actually saw any cash, only the wallet). David wanted to talk to him some more, but Bob told David they needed to go. David is such a sweet kid and wanted to witness to this guy.

I told Bob how scary of a situation they were in. The guy was obviously not right, they were totally isolated. ANYTHING could have happened.

Bob said he was watching the guy the whole time. My Bob is a big kid, almost 6 ft and very strong. He said he was standing back from the guy and felt sure he could ‘take him’ or out run him if necessary. I reminded him that the guy could have had a weapon. You can’t really outrun a bullet!

Bob also said he learned some new colorful vocabulary from this guy.

Anyway, I just was so shaken after he told me this. We live in such a safe little bubble of DFW here next to the mission organization. We all know our neighbors; it’s like living in the 50’s most of the time. This just served to remind me that nowhere is safe! I am SO thankful God took care of those boys yesterday. I just can’t get it out of my mind, the ‘what if’s’ are plaguing me!

I talked to Bob again today about how dangerous that situation was and what could have happened and he said it was over and why worry now. He said God protected them so I should just let it go. Teenagers! UGH! One day he’ll be a daddy and he’ll understand.

I have MUCH to be thankful for and this served as a reminder of that! Also, I bet David’s parents will never let him come over to our house again. We let our children go play in the woods with the Craaazzyyys!

Let the Cooking Commence!

If there were an award for messiest cook on the planet, I would totally win.

And there will be no photos to accompany this post because I still have some self-respect.

Happy Cooking the Turkey Day!

Just like the Pilgrims did it.

I am going grocery shopping today.

The Monday before Thanksgiving. It will be my own personal Hell, but it only gets worse from here. I am not a big fan of grocery shopping on a good day, but the closer we get to Thanksgiving the nuttier it gets. And my stupid grocery store likes to put all these dumb displays in the isles. Isles that are just big enough to let two carts pass each other...except when the put dumb displays in the isle!

I have a bad grocery shopping attitude. I don't have to drag little ones around with me, it's not as hard as it used to be. In fact I usually bring one of the kids to help.


It's just kinda funny to watch people with that crazy look in there eye the closer it gets to Thanksgiving. Like their entire existence depends on getting the right brand of canned cranberry sauce. And they'll knock over grandma to get it first if they have to. I'm telling you it's nutty out there.

If I'm not back in a few hours, please send reinforcements.

Don't let those serious faces fool you.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then I should really just let this photo speak for itself, but I think we all know that's not going to happen.

My SIL sent me that photo and I just cracked up! I LOVE it! We went hunting/camping this weekend with Sir D's Brother D and his family. We had a BLAST. I just love camping. No cell reception, no internet, no interruptions. Just family and laughing and conversations and making memories. It's really want it's all about.



It makes my heart melt to see Sir D traipsing off to the pond with the girls and fishing poles or off to the woods with the boys and their guns. I almost burst with contentment when I sit around the campfire listening to Sir D and His Brother D telling stories from when they were kids growing up in the jungle. The kids laughing and listening intently for the ending of the story like they haven't heard it a thousand times.



To me those are the moments that make the family. Those are the memories my children will take into their families. I pray that they will one day, sit around with their siblings surrounded by all their kids and tell the stories like the ones they lived this weekend.

Thank you seems so inadequate

We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would harm us. - George Orwell

Thank you Veterans, that I and my family, slept safely in our beds one more night.

Yet another addiction.

I am addicted to this site.



I need professional help.

Last night I saw warthogs. And antelope.

I. Can't. Stop.

By the way, the best way to begin your addiction is to visit the site at dawn and sunset. That's when all the animals visit to drink. It's opposite from ours so the sun is coming up there at about 7pm here.

Enjoy, just know...there is no cure.

Homeschool Skip Day

Yesterday the girls and I skipped school. We even went so far as to recruit one of their friends to skip with us.

It was just so nice yesterday. It seems it has done nothing but rain for the whole month of October and in Tx Oct is usually one of the few months you want to be outside here.

So we've gotten a bit of a warm trend (big surprise) for November and yesterday we took advantage of it.

The leaves are all changing right now and are more beautiful then I've seen them in years, I think because we've had so much rain, and the temps were hovering around 78. How do you possible justify staying inside on a day like that?

Eve had some volunteer work she does at a pre school nearby, but when she was done with that, we headed out to grab some fast food and go feed the ducks! Here are my girls and their friend that we grabbed on the way there.



This was our view from our bench.



Here are the three girls deciding the best way to get the attention of the ducks.



Once the girls left to go to the other side of the lake, I sat back and read my book. This was my view.



I love Fall. Honestly though, I would have loved to go look at the lovely Fall colors and be able to wear a sweater while doing it, but this is Texas. We wear shorts and T-shirts in Nov.



Happy Fall!

Lame Sauce

Last night I told Bob he could not attend something he wanted to attend. He would have been out too late on a school night.

He replies, "That's lame sauce."

"Sorry Bob, sometimes the parents have to be the lame sauce. It's our job." I said.

Bob looked at me for a minute and said.

"Yeah, you're like the maker of lame sauce, you're like a lame sauce factory!"

It's a great caption don't you think. 'Mom's of Teenagers: Lame Sauce Factories'.

This was of course all said in fun, because if he'd said it in anger he would have gotten a lot more than lame sauce from me!