The Sun Will Come Out.....

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood here! The sun is shinning, the birds are singing. Mama got a new outfit! Life is good! Thanks to those of you who left the encouraging comments on the last post. I appreciate your kind words. I participated in some retail therapy (yes, I went shopping) today and I think just getting out of the house helped.

I decided "what's done is done" there is no going back and no use crying over what might have been. I will make sure my daughter has the information she needs and trust the Lord to keep her safe when I cannot be there. I am thankful that she came to us and told us what was going on instead of just keeping it inside.

Innocence Lost

Today was a sad day for us. It was the day we found out that our 9 year old will never be the carefree innocent babe she was just a few hours ago. She let us know that the neighbor child (only a year older than her) had showed her games on the internet that her older brother liked to play. S*x games, with graphic pictures and live models. So my innocent little girl who still likes to play with baby dolls was asking why girls should perform oral s*x on boys.

I had already started introducing her to literature and other information to help her understand the changes that are starting to take place with her body but I thought I had more time to prepare for the facts of life speech. Instead we were thrown into the discussion with no warning and no preparation.

We have always been very careful about what she is allowed to watch on TV and never let her on the computer unless someone is monitoring it with her. I am super careful about who she plays with and where she goes. I feel I have failed her by not protecting her better. I hate, hate, hate that her first introduction to s*x was something dirty and nasty as porn games on the computer.

There is no going back now, all we can do is make sure she has accurate, healthing information and somehow make her understand that what she saw on that computer was not what God intended for it to be. That it is a beautiful thing between two people who love each other and the world has turned it into something nasty and distasteful on the computer.

Please pray for us as we deal with this situation. Pray that God gives us the words to help her understand. Pray that He helps me forgive myself for not protecting her from this.

Maggie Moo does Granny and Papa's

Here's a picture of Maggie taken in my parents back yard at Easter! She had a very good time with Granny and Papa while the rest of us were at LTC. Granny says she managed to wrap Papa around her little finger...err....paw?

REAL TEXAN? FUR SURE!!

I got this off my friend, Jennifer's blog. I should have scored even higher as I have lived here all of my 43 years except for 7 (in Northern Va) in my 30's. There were some strange questions on this quiz but it was fun. My hubby gave me some help (those are probably the questions I missed!)

You are 87% REAL Texan!!

High five, you're a complete Texan. People from other states should tremble in your presence because they're simply not worthy. Let them bow before you and convey their undying adoration to you while they announce their true desire to be Texan.

How Texan Are You?

Happy Monday Everyone!

Thanks to those of you who prayed for me this weekend, it must have worked because the sinus problems were limited to Thursday and although it made getting ready to leave difficult, it did not effect our weekend.

We have some awesome kids at our church and they did a great job at LTC this weekend. We went to the convention center in Houston and stayed with about 55 kids at the Hilton (which is connected by a walkway to the George Brown Convention Center) I guess there were about 80 of us (kids and adults) from our congregation there.

Let me tell you it takes a lot of teamwork to get that many kids into all the different events--on time and with all the props they need. Hubby and I had a full weekend and we definitely did our part to make things run smoothly but so did a lot of other people. We got up early Friday, packed the car, dropped off darling daughter at the church with a friend at 8:30 (they were going to catch the chartered bus to Houston at 11 and come with all the kids) and we headed out to Baytown (other side of Houston) to meet up with my parents who drove over (90 miles or so) to pick up Maggie. In past years, they have babysat the darling daughter, this year they got to keep the darling puppy!

We met the parents at the mall in Baytown and they took the puppy home with them. By the way, we have found out that three out of four members of this family suffer from carsickness! The poor puppy heaved most of the way there and back, I will have to ask the vet if there is anything we can give her before our next trip. Otherwise, I think Maggie is going to have to be boarded. She would sleep a little while and then cry and heave (no food to throw up). Very nerve wracking when you are driving in bad Houston traffic!

We got to the Hotel about 2 and spent the next hour or two getting the rooms ready for the kids. We have to check each room to make sure the keys work (one year almost every key did not work!) and put up the $5.50 a bottle of water so the kids would not drink it up. Then we have to assign rooms to the groups of kids and adults. By the time, we do all that the bus is pulling up with the kids and the food for snacks and breakfast on Sat. So all that has to be sorted out.

Competition starts at 4:30 on Friday, so the kids have to change clothes and get to the right room wih whatever props they need. The Adults judge the competitions, so they have to be sure they are in the right place at the right time also.

Friday night they had a devotional at 9 pm. It was really uplifting. Special props go to my Hubby and also my friend Jackie, for jumping in and interpreting for me on Friday night. They usually have an interpreter for the devo but forgot to schedule one this year. Friday night is wrapped up with Pizza back in the hotel rooms.

Sat. morning we have to get everyone packed, fed and out of the rooms before the competitions start at 8:30. Our competition (Signing) always runs from 8:30 in the morning until about 3 pm. So we are either moving our kids through, or judging during that time. This year I judged at the 10:30 to 12:00 competition and then from 1:00-2:30. Darling daughter signed at 8:30 and then performed at 10:30 with the chorus group. So as you can tell it was a full full day for us.

I am just so proud of my kids, they all worked so hard and poured their hearts into it. I think they all deserve a gold medal. We will find out on Weds. night how they did. But they are all winners to me! This is getting long so I will wrap it up for now and maybe post about it again later this week.

It was a great, God glorifying weekend. I am glad I went, I am glad that we worked our tails off and I am glad it is OVER!

Ahhh, Spring is In the Air!

Make that Ahhhh Choo! Spring is in the air!

My daughter had a dentist appt today and I thought I was just being over sympathetic with her when my teeth started hurting. Then my head started pounding, when I bend over it feels like my head is swelling up! (Ha Ha I know I've got a big head!)
Progressively through the afternoon, my eyes have gotten watery and my nose burns. All these are recognizable symptoms that Spring has Sprung and my allergies have begun. (I am a poet!)

However, there is a new symptom this year that has caught me off guard.....it feels like the cochlear implant is unscrewing itself from my head. I actually feel like the little metal wires that run down into the cochlea are being slowly unscrewed from my head!

So.....either I am losing my mind completely or I have got a head full of sinus problems going on. Either way I am going to take advantage of my daughter playing at a friends house and go lay down.

I have got an incredibly busy weekend planned with a lot of people depending on me, so if it's not too much trouble----Say a little prayer for me! Thanks!

This and That!

This has been a busy week for us, the LTC program is wrapping up soon so there has been a whirlwind of stuff going on with that, Easter Celebrations at Church, etc....

I enjoy participating as a coach with LTC, it is great to see the kids learn something new and practice it until they are almost perfect. I am also glad to see it come to a close as it is a lot of time and work preparing for it. I guess that is how some teachers feel when summer break rolls around.

Need to post some new pictures of Maggie Moo, she is up to 6 1/2 lbs as of last week's vet visit. The vet gave her a cortisone shot along with the other shots and she did not keep us up all night! Yahoo! She also had her first grooming appt. last week and she looks much better, they cut off her shaggy baby hair that was going all over the place. She still looks like she has perpetual "bedhair" but in a more "controlled" sense!

Things that make you realize your "bad" day is manageable:

One one of the blogs I was reading a few days ago,(sorry I honestly can't remember which one it was...) this woman was writing about her friend. I had to check the date on this one to make sure it wasn't just an April Fool's Joke but it was actually written a month or so ago. Seems her friend is going through a difficult time and is suffering from "panic attacks". This friend is also very claustaphobic, to the point that riding in a car can be a problem sometimes. Well, her friend was going through an automated carwash, when she experienced a panic attack. Friend jumped out of car in middle of carwash, leaving car door ajar. So friend is standing in carwash getting wet, soapy and bumped around by automated wash, when the car door gets ripped off the hinges. So friend, jumps back into car which is getting a good soaping both inside and out now and tries to exit the carwash by driving backwards. Friend gets to call husband, explain what happened and Husband gets to drive car to dealer minus drivers door. My very bad, no good, rotten day just doesn't seem so bad anymore!

Lastly, please take a moment and pray for our Deaf Ministry program. We found out Sunday that one of our interpreters is leaving (immediately). Her husband has taken a youth minister position. Please pray that God sends us someone who can help us continue this ministry, as we will be working with three interpreters (instead of four) and two people who are learning but do not have the experience to fully interpret yet.

What's new with the Implant!

I realize I have not posted anything about the implant in awhile so here goes. Things have pretty much leveled off. I am not gaining anything really significant now just maybe a little here or there. I had an appt with the Audiologist a few weeks ago and she only made some minor changes, pretty much keeping things about the same.

I did find out at that appt that the Dr who did my implant will not be accepting any insurance after the first of April, so I will be looking for a new doctor and audiologist. The doctor I don't mind so much but hate to give up my audiologist as we have a good working relationship. It costs $175. an hour for me to meet with her with no insurance vs $30 for someone under my insurance plan. Since we have an HMO, they will not reimburse me for anything if we go out of their service plan. I did a little research and I believe there is one other doctor in the area who specializes in Cochlear Implants who is on our insurance plan, so I guess I will be using him. Funny thing is I believe that my audiologist used to work for him before.

Today I had a dentist appt for a crown, and they always forget and try to talk to me with their mask on. I actually was able to pick up some of what they were saying with the mask on but definitely did better when they removed them. I also noticed that I was aware of the noise of the machines. Before I don't remember hearing the different sounds of the denistry equipment. So I guess I am making progress but sometimes don't realize it since I have nothing from the past to base it on.

So there you have it, an update on the Cochlear Implant. Nothing Major to report but nothing negative either. I know I am better off with the implant because the first thing I want to do every morning is put on the processor. What a difference a year makes!

Brown Thumb!

It is that time of year again, things are starting to bloom and the urge to rush out to the nursery and buy some flowers hits me hard. The problem is I have the proverbial "brown thumb" when it comes to plants. So the question becomes is it worth it to spend the money for something that I know is going to die?

I have one real houseplant and I am trying my best to keep it alive. It is a peace lily that my Mom sent me when I miscarried my first child, so it is really important to me to keep it alive but it is looking sad! It really needs to be repotted but I am afraid that would be what pushes it over the edge. Sometime I will post a picture of it and you will see what I mean about a pitiful plant!

Anybody out there have any suggestions for plants that even a serial plant killer like myself can't kill? I love plants and flowers, but just can't seem to keep them alive. Our yard gets a lot of sun, so they need to be something that likes sun and doesn't mind hot temperatures as it will get boiling her in S. Texas in a couple of months.

Back in Town....

....and back to the old grindstone. We had a nice visit with my folks this week and got back into town yesterday afternoon. Today was busy as most Sundays around here are and will be until after LTC competition is over. Our kids are doing great with their signing and I know they will all do fine at competition.

The laundry is going and darling daughter is about to go get ready for bed and another week of school. Funfilled week of dentist appointments and grocery shopping awaits us. Hope the weather cooperates this week, could use another few weeks of cool temperatures and sunny days. Blessings to you all!

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us all rejoice and be glad in it!

AND A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL!

We survived the 10 houseguest and a good time was had by all (at least I think so!) It was a noisy, busy weekend but we enjoyed the whole crazy bunch. Really the only negative thing was the 2 1/2 hours we sat in traffic trying to get into the gates of Six Flags. We learned from our experiences and now know, do not go on opening day and take an alternate route to the park!

We had classes to teach at church yesterday and none of the guest wished to attend church with us (they all had various reasons for needed to get off) so our immediate family left the house about 20 after 9. When we left we still had 10 house guest and when we got back after church and lunch, we had none. So things are back to normal here.

It is our Spring Break and we have various activities planned for this week. Hope you and yours have a great week. Blessings!

Ever Have One of Those Days?

I really think I need to stay home and lay low for the rest of the day. I am a little afraid of what will happen next.

It started this morning when sweet Hubby was awakened by the sound of Maggie "woofing", now that is not so unusual you say but she was "woofing" at the foot of the bed instead of from her crate in the breakfast room. The little escape artist had made her way into the bedroom and was making her presence known. I am searching for presents today since I don't know how long she was out of her crate and where all she visited before coming to see Mama and Daddy!

I got up at 6 am to get darling daughter off to school and the alarm was lit up saying a door was open, so panic sets in really quickly but it turned out to be just the door from the garage into the house did not get completely shut. Hubby leaves for work and I walk to the bus with darling daughter. The bus stops on our corner, so often I just go through the yard to the side of the house, thankfully I did not today as Hubby left the garage door open when he went to work. These are minor things but when you can't hear, you learn to be very meticulous about things beings shut and locked.

To say the idiots were out today would be the understatement of the year, I was dodging them right and left all the way to the doctors office. So I decided that the safest place for me today is home. I come in and the puppy wants attention so I put her in my lap as I check my email. She bites my necklace and all the beads come sliding off. Unfortunately, some of the tiny ones land on the keyboard and get stuck under the keys. After a lot of hard work and some muttering under my breath, I think I have managed to extract them all.

It isn't even 3 pm yet, I am really afraid of what the rest of the day has in store for me. Did I meantion that I have 10 people coming to spend the weekend with our little family of 3? Fortunately, they have decided to leave the dogs at home, so we will only have our little 5 lb troublemaker to deal with.

The doctor said I was anemic and need to eat more red meat (how often do you get a doctors okay to eat red meat?) I guess I could use that for an excuse for being so tired and go take a nap instead of finishing my cleaning for my guest this weekend! Oh well, better go get hopping on those dust bunnies! Hope you all are having a better day than me!

Finally got a full nights rest!

Maggie has finally gotten her days and nights back in order. I am happy to report that we all got a full night's uninterupted rest! I think we will all be much happier now! I have a fun filled weekend of cleaning planned for my loving family. Husband's family is all coming to visit next week (13 of us in all) so we need to tackle the play room upstairs.

I have decided not to stress over it. If all goes as planned, we will have 8 adults, 5 children (ages 12-4) and 3 dogs (ages 11-3 months)! We are going to have fun, order pizza Friday and go to the Amusement Park on Saturday! Only bummer will be Day Light Savings Time kicking in Sat. night but we will just plan on napping Sunday afternoon!

Ya'll have a good weekend!

Maggie is a Big Girl Now!

We took Maggie back to the vet yesterday and she now weighs 5 lbs and 4 oz up from 3 lbs 7oz just 4 weeks ago. I think she is sensitive to the vacinations though, she cried almost all night. I stayed up with her until about 1 am and she would go to sleep and within just a few minutes wake up and whine. She finally went to sleep at 1 am but then woke up at 3 am doing the same thing and hubby got up with her. She is usually a good sleeper, she whines just a little when you first put her in the crate but then she settles down and sleeps until I let her out at 6 am. She did the same thing after the first set of shots so I think it has to be related somehow.

I have tried to play with her today and wear her out so she will be good and sleepy tonight, so hubby won't toss her out the door for good. (Just joking, he would never do that!) Poor guy, he is the one who suffers when she cries because I don't hear anything once I take off the processor of my CI. If she were not so cute, she would be in big trouble right now!

It is a beautiful day here in S. Texas, looks like Spring has come early here. Hope you are all healthy, happy and having a good week. Blessings All!

16 years and counting!

Today is our 16th Anniversary! Hubby and I have been through a lot in those 16 years. We have lived in five different homes in five different cities in two states. Hubby has worked for either 3 or 4 different companies, although he has never changed jobs (the company has been bought out) We have worshipped at three different churches together and now have been involved with Deaf Ministries at all three.

We have mourned the loss of one child and rejoiced at the birth of another. We have been together through thick and thin, sickness and health, good times and bad, for better and for worse. It hasn't always been a bed of roses but it has always been "do able" because we are together. We are proof in some ways that "what does not kill us, only makes us stronger"

Here's to my sweet husband. My best friend, the love of my life. May we have many many more years to laugh and love together! Thanks be to God for bringing us together on Feb. 23, 1991!

Out of Order

Blogger put my latest post behind the TAKS post, so if you want to read the Meme you will have to go back two post!

DING, DONG THE TAKS IS DONE!

Yahoo, Darling Daughter is done with her first TAKS test. My daughter is a bright, talented, beautiful little girl who has worried and fretted over this silly test for about 7 months now. It is wrong to put these poor kids under this kind of pressure. She has been moody and sensative for several days now and I know it is due to this test. When I picked her up today, she said it was easy and she finished it in about an hour and a half. So yeah, it is over (at least the reading part is, she will have the math part on April 17th)


--For those of you who don't live in Texas, the TAKS test is a test that the state of TX mandates that students in various grade levels must pass or they do not pass the grade level. The school districts spend an enormous amount of time preparing the kids for these test for months beforehand. There is a lot more to it than just this but you can "goggle" it if you want to know more. I am tired of thinking about it and glad it is over.

The looooong Meme

The "Lonnnnng Meme"

01. Are your parents married or divorced? Married...for almost 51 years :)
02. Are you a vegetarian? No, I love me some meat....my daughter is a sometimes vegan...unless there is bacon involved!
03. Do you believe in Heaven? Hope so, I am planning to relocate there!
04. Have you ever come close to dying? I have been pretty sick a few times!
05. What jewelry do you wear 24/7? Wedding rings and TX A&M class ring
06. Favorite time of day? Night
07. Do you eat the stems of broccoli? Yes
08. Do you wear makeup? Not a whole lot, mainly just lipgloss and mascara (because of my puny eyelashes)
09. Ever have plastic surgery? No
10. If you did have plastic surgery, what would you do? Don't know, can you get a whole body transplant yet?
11. What do you wear to bed? gown and usually fuzzy socks because my feet are always cold!
12. Have you ever done anything illegal? Not that I know of.
13. Can you roll your tongue? Yes
14. Do you tweeze your eyebrows? Sometimes, but they are kinda sparse like the eyelashes!
15. What kind of sneakers? Reeboks
16. Do you believe in abortions? NO!
17. What is your hair color? Medium brown with highlights around my face.
18. Future child’s name? We wanted to name our boy-Sean Patrick but don't think we will be getting a boy or another girl either for that matter. I think God has shut that door!
19. Do you snore? Not unless I have a cold.
20. If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be? Ireland
21. Do you sleep with stuffed animals? No.
22. If you won the lottery, what would you do first? Won't happen because I don't waste my time or money playing the lottery.
23. Gold or silver? Gold
24. Hamburger or hot dog? Hamburger with cheese!
25. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Lately it has been burritos from Chipolte's but probably fajitas! Maybe Pizza or Spaghetti?
26. City, beach or country? BEACH!!!
27. What was the last thing you touched? delete key
28. Where did you eat last? Friends's House for Life Group
29. When’s the last time you cried? A few minutes ago--think I am PMSing
30. Do you read blogs? yes
31. Would you ever go out dressed like the opposite sex? I think it would be really hard to mistake me for a male, no matter how I was dressed unless we go back to the question about plastic surgery....but the answer is still no, but that does not mean I don't wear pants.
32. Ever been involved with the police? only on the right side of the law. I used to have to take them with me occasionally on work related business.
33. What’s your favorite shampoo conditioner and soap? Whatever is available in the shower so I don't have to drip across the floor....
34. Do you talk in your sleep? Don't think so usually but have been known to when running a very high fever.
35. Ocean or pool? Pool...The ocean is too salty...nice to visit but don't like to swim there!
36. Sauna or whirlpool? Whirlpool.
37. Starbucks or Krispy Kreme? Starbucks....then we can stop at KK
39. Ever met anyone famous? Randy Travis
40. Do you feel that you’ve had a truly successful life? It ain't over yet...but it has been good so far. I am child of God, I have a wonderful family and all the worldly possessions I could possibly need (not want but need) so yes, I am pretty successful (and blessed!)
41. Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it? Twirl!
42. Ricki Lake or Oprah Winfrey? Neither! Shame on them both!
43. Basketball or Football? Football (although I have been known to root for the Spurs!)
44. How long do your showers last? Usually about 10 minutes or so :)
45. Automatic or do you drive a stick? Can drive either but prefer automatic
46. Cake or ice cream? Cake
47. Are you self-conscious? Not too much. Anyone up for streaking or skinny dipping?
48. Have you ever drank so much you threw up? No
49. Have you ever given money to a beggar? Yes.
50. Have you been in love? Yes...still am
51. Where do you wish you were? Right now I would not mind being back in Maui instead of trying to housebreak this puppy!
52. Are you wearing socks? Not at the moment
53. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? No.
54. Can you tango? No but have fun trying with daughter sometimes!
55. Last gift you received? Box of candy
56. Last sport you played? Don't remember
57. Things you spend a lot of money on? Child and Puppy
58. Where do you live? South Texas
59. Where were you born? East Texas
60. Last wedding attended? Tim and Katies in 1998
62. Favorite position? (where did #61 go?) In the arms of my sweet hubby or with my daughter curled up in my lap
63. Most hated food(s)? Liver
64. Most hated soda pop? Creme Soda
65. Can you sing? Used to sing pretty good, not so great since I got my cochlear implant
66. Last person you instant messaged? Mom
67. Last place you went on holiday? Dallas
68. Favorite regular drink? Dr.Pepper
69. Current Song? I want to be a Worker--that is the song I am teaching my kids to sign for LTC (Leadership Training In Christ)competition
70. Tag 3 friends. Whoever wants too--no pressure at all!

Excerpts from a Dog Diary and a Cat Diary

Excerpts from a Dog's Daily Diary

8:00am Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30am A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40am walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30am Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00pm Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00pm Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00pm Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00pm Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00pm Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00pm Wow! Watched TV with my master! My favorite thing!
11:00pm Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!



Excerpts from a Cat's Daily Diary:

Day 683 of my captivity: My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and myself are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the floor.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. The audacity! There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow - but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released --and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded! The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. The captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe....... for now....



Found this on line but thought it was pretty funny! Hope you all enjoyed it! Sorry that I can't give the author credit but don't know who they are!

That Just Ain't Right!

Maybe it is because I grew up in the South (in Texas to be exact) but I saw something the other day that just struck me as WRONG!

The area we live in is going through a growth spurt, there are new buildings going up everywhere. Along a major road near my house they have built a new funeral home. It looks like a nice enough funeral home although growing up in the south I am used to funeral homes being in stuffy smelling old houses (or Mansions- often.) This one definitely has a more "Hill Country Ranch" flavor to it although given the area that is totally understandable.

That is not what catches my attention and what the title of this post refers to.....what gets me is that there is a scrolling sign out front, with the time and date on it. The business has not been open very long so I am not sure if they will be posting who's funeral is taking place that day, you know like they do at some of the Pizza Arcade Birthday Party Places. I told my Hubby on the way to church Sunday, that something about that sign "just ain't right"!

I guess for people who always wanted their name up in lights.....you could have something like...Appearing for one night only.... come and see the Grand Finally of Joan Smith....Grandmother Extraordinaire!!!! I just can imagine this going in all sorts of directions like...someone who was a really bad person might have a sign that said ....Come pinch John Black and make sure the SOB is really dead!

I realize my examples are a little extreme but the whole things just strikes me as being wrong! As we say in the South "That Just Ain't Right!