Critters, Critters, Everywhere!!

I thought I made it abundantly clear to my family that I don't like lizards. I thought they understood that I have an unreasonable fear of lizards. I thought it was clearly understood that there was to never, ever, ever be lizards in my home deliberately. But, I guess I was wrong. I guess I forgot to explain to the younger half of my children these vital points. I guess I didn't clearly explain to them that in high school, when some "friends" thought they'd be cute and throw a lizard at me (which subsequently bounced right off me) I nearly hyperventilated. I guess I haven't made myself abundantly clear, but I will now.

You see, a few days ago, Indy found two lizard eggs outside by the swing, and being a boy, and not knowing what kind of eggs they were, he promptly found a container and put them inside there and placed them on his shelf. Well, yesterday, Levi found them and dropped one, which opened and guess what?? Yes, it's true. There was a live lizard in it. I don't think it was quite ready to hatch, but Levi just helped it along. So the kids put some grass, water, the live lizard and the unhatched egg into the old hermit crab container. Now we have one baby lizard running around the cage and one to soon hatch. This shows how much I love my children, right? Right?? Don't worry....in a few days, once the other one has hatched, I will make sure they are far, far away from my home. lol And then, the hermit crab cage will be empty and ready for the next new critter.

Menu Plan Monday

Sunday- Meatball Subs

Monday- Spaghetti

Tuesday- Santa Fe Chicken

Wednesday- Hamburger & Noodle Casserole

Thurday- Skillet Sausage & Peppers

Friday- Order Pizza

Saturday- Salisbury Steaks and Mashed Potatoes

Have a great week!!

Pizza and the Newspaper

It all started with a coupon. Indy got his last Book It! coupon, so I decided to take him to Pizza Hut to collect. Book It!, for those of you who aren't familiar, is a reading program sponsored by Pizza Hut that rewards kids K-6 grade for meeting their reading goal (set by parents or teachers) each month from October to March. We have done this program for several years with the girls and last year was Indy's first year to participate. Unfortunately, I often forget to give him the coupon and then they expire. So, he finally received his March coupon and before it too expired, I decided that since I'd be at the chiropractor today, which is near the Pizza Hut we go to, that we'd hit it for lunch. Well, after the chiropractor, I wanted to stop by the Bible store to pick up some Bibles I had engraved for Christmas gifts (yes, Christmas), before going for lunch. I headed that way, but unfortunately, the road was closed for construction and the way around, would be going right by the Pizza Hut. So, being that it was already 11:45, and the fact that I hate to backtrack, I decided to just get lunch first.

We showed up to Pizza Hut and the first strange thing that happened was that some man watched us walk from our car, then opened the door for us and said, "Welcome to Pizza Hut! We love children here at Pizza Hut!". We smiled and looked at each other, but thought that was weird because it's never happened before. We walked in and were seated immediately, which usually does happen. But, we noticed that there seemed to be a little tension in the air and then I noticed all the bosses hanging around. You can always tell bosses because they're the only ones not actually working. lol They stand around critiquing everyone and everything. (No offense to all those bosses out there, especially the ones who do work!) Anyway, we got our food (from the buffet) and I mentioned to Ashton that there were bosses here and showed her. Then, we also noticed that the workers were keeping right on top of the customers and the buffet. Everytime there was even a little bit of stuff spilled, someone immediately cleaned it up, plus, the food was constantly replenished, which doesn't always happen in a timely matter. And, on top of that, the boys were each brought a balloon, which also never happens. In one sense, it was nice and the service was great, but in another sense, it was kinda stressful, even for us.

So, after a few minutes, we saw a lady with a camera come into the restaurant and speak with the man who opened the door for us (We found out later that he was the owner of the restaurant and 63 other Pizza Huts from the county north of us down to Key West!) and one of the other bosses. I noticed an i.d. badge on her and saw that it was from the huge local paper in our city. Apparently, she was doing some sort of article either on the man or the restaurant and that was the reason for all the bosses and good service and cleanliness, etc. Anyway, they started looking around and I thought, "Uh oh", and I was right. The man came over and told me what they were doing and would it be ok if they took some pictures of us for the paper? I said ok and then he noticed that Indy had already eaten all his pizza and no pizza in front of the little boy would not do, so he took Indy over to the buffet bar and got him another plate and two slices of pizza, with the reporter taking pictures the whole time. After she finished with the pictures, she asked my name and the names and ages of the kids. One of the bosses came over afterwards and got my name and number and gave me her card so she could let me know when it will be in the paper.

So, pretty cool, huh? I was thinking after about the whole weird thing and how if I had been able to get to the Bible store first, I would have missed the reporter and everything. I mentioned it to Ashton and commented that it was God's timing and for some reason, He wanted us there for that. I don't know why or what purpose it will serve, but it was definitely His timing and will for us to be there for that. Isn't it interesting how He coordinates things and plans your day when you think you plan it and how He sometimes puts little surprises in just for fun?? :-)

The Know-It-All

My husband is a Know-It-All (not in a bad way) and I'm always amazed. It seems that no matter what's broken around here, he can fix it. If he can't, it's usually because he doesn't have the proper tools, but regardless, he always knows how to fix it. That never ceases to amaze me, even 20 years later.

I watched my dad fix things all over the house all the time while I was growing up. He also had miscellaneous friends who did things he didn't, so they could trade off work (My dad was an electrician.), which was great. One time at school, a friend told me they had a problem with their bathroom the previous day and the plumber was there for a really long time. It struck me as odd because we never, in my memory, had hired a plumber. Of course, we had some friends from church who were plumbers, so they'd come over and help, but hiring one? So strange to my young mind. It was about then that I realized I would need to marry a man who could fix things himself. I felt that it would be pathetic for my husband to have to hire someone to fix something. (No offense to you out there with husbands who hire people. I know now that circumstances often require hiring people, so please don't be offended. :-) ) So, I started adding to the prayers for my future husband, whoever he might be, that he would be able to fix things around our house.

Fast forward to Nicky. When we were dating or engaged, I never thought to ask if he could fix things. He was a carpenter, so I naturally assumed he could do anything. Never crossed my mind he might not know something. lol And as if to prove it, on our honeymoon, I dropped one of my diamond earrings down the sink at my grandmother's place (where we stayed on our honeymoon--she was at my parents' home) while getting dressed one evening. I didn't know what to do, except to call Nicky. He told me not to turn on the water and he'd get it later, when we got back. I think it was actually the next day that I walked in and found him under the sink, taking the drain apart to get out my earring, which of course he did. I never doubted.

Since then, we've had any number of mishaps and breakages, which he has dutifully and knowledgeably fixed. He's so smart! He's fixed the roof, broken glass, toys, cars, tools, doors, plumbing, fences, fans, tv's, vcr's, lawnmowers, toilets, sinks, drains, washing machines, dryers, shelving, jewelry, stoves, watches, swamp buggies, and any number of other things. Once, while I was getting ready to brush my teeth, one of the kids was using the toilet and as they flushed it, I went to get my toothbrush out and it accidentally flipped out of my hand and went straight into the toilet, just as it was all going down......Yikes! Try as I may, I couldn't stop it and down the toothbrush went. "Niiiicky......!" He came in and took the whole toilet apart to get to the lodged toothbrush somewhere down below. Of course he fixed it. I never doubted.

So you're probably wondering what made me write about this today. Well, last night I noticed the toilet not filling up like it should, so I showed it to Nicky. He said, "Yeah, I'll have to replace that part right there. I'll do that tomorrow." Isn't he wonderful? He's so smart and knows so much. I never doubted.

Big Mac

No, I'm not talking about a McDonald's Big Mac. I'm talking about our new doggie....Big Mac. (We didn't name him. His previous owners did.) And, boy, is he big! We love big dogs here. lol We call him Mac for short and he's sooo sweet. Last month, we got Bessie, remember? I wrote about it here. Anyway, we finally got her brother. He's a beautiful dog and sooo happy. He looks like he's got a smile on all the time. It's so cute. And, he's a big baby. lol He's afraid of the turtles (which most of the new dogs are) because he's not too sure what they are. It's funny. But, his tail could be deadly!! It certainly causes a lot of messes!! lol So, without further ado, here's Mac.


Look at that happy face. :-)

He thinks he's a lap dog. lol When he just puts his paws on your leg, it feels like a 10 lb. weight!


He was nose to nose with Levi, so Levi kept saying, "Sit Max. Sit Max." and we kept telling him the dog's name was Mac, but I think he's going to call him Max for awhile. Anyway, the dog sat right down and Levi started petting him, then Mac started licking Levi on the side of his head and he started laughing this too-cute laugh...well, giggle really, but it was cute.

Here's Bessi and Mac in the kennel together. Yes, that's a huge kennel. It's funny, but because Bessie was here first, and now she's having to share her attention, she's none too happy. Last night she was sprawled all out in the kennel sleeping (and snoring) while Mac was laying down in a small corner. Too funny. I guess their hierarchy is already mapped out, huh? Maybe so, but they're sure having fun running around together!!

Life in the Big City

I've lived in and around a big city all my life. Tonight as I drove home from a meeting, I was thinking of some things I like and things I dislike about "the big city." Here they are....

1. I like that there are so many choices available to me for grocery stores, shopping malls, restaurants, libraries, churches, movie theaters, entertainment, etc.

2. I dislike all the traffic and lines everywhere I go...all the time. (Well, usually the middle of the night is less crowded and yes, I know this first hand. lol)

3. I like accessibility to such an array of different cultures. People from all over the world live here and it's really cool to be able to meet them and learn about their cultures and countries.

4. I dislike the crime that can be associated with the big city, even within the government.

5. I like the job opportunities that are usually here. Even if you can't get a job in your field, you can usually get something...anything...even a grocery bagger.

6. I dislike (REALLY dislike) that at about 1/3 of the stores I shop at, I must have my receipt checked as I leave the store (after I've already stood in line) by a security guard or employee, to make sure I'm only taking items out of the store that I've paid for. Basically to make sure I'm not a crook. Me! The one who returns even a dime if I've been given back too much change. Me! Who will walk all the way back into a store to pay for something the cashier forgot to charge me for. That is sooo insulting to me! Argh.

7. I like having food and entertainment available at almost any time of night. After sitting in the ER with a little one for hours and hours, way into the night, it's nice to be able to drive through a McDonalds or something to get a little snack.

8. I dislike the high prices associated with living in the big city.

9. I like having so many opportunities/choices for my children, such as sports programs, Vacation Bible Schools, museums, libraries, parks, nature centers, etc.

10. I dislike the constant noise and lights.

11. I like the access to some of the best medical care in the world.

12. I dislike having to watch my children so carefully and that they can't have the freedom to just ride their bikes all over the neighborhood all day and show back up at home at dinner time.

I think there's more, but it's late and I'm tired and I knew that if I didn't write this now, I'd never write it later. Besides, I'd probably never even remember what I wanted to write about! lol I could write another pro/con post about living in South Florida. That would be interesting, huh? Maybe later. :-)

In With the New....

My boys don't like very many fruits or veggies, which is very frustrating for me, so I'm constantly trying to figure out ways to get them to eat them. They do like some, but it's very limited. I seem to remember the girls were a lot like that, but now they eat a lot more than they did before. Plus, they're much more likely to try new foods now than they used to be. So, I do have some hope for the boys. lol

Now, I belong to this organic veggie/fruit co-op which I get every two weeks with about 11 veggies and 4 fruits. I split my share in half with a friend because there's no way we could eat a whole share ourselves, plus it's cheaper to split it. And, as it is, with half a share we hardly ever eat all that we get. It is frustrating for me to see so much food go bad before we can use it. So, tonight I had a brainstorm and an experiment.

Nicky's still on night shift (bummer), and he didn't get to eat his packed dinner last night, so I was able to send it again tonight. This means I didn't have to cook for us...yippee!! I did end up actually cooking, but something different. I decided we were going to have a taste test dinner. I cooked up some veggies, plus had some raw veggies, along with some fruit. I also had a bowl of ranch dressing and a jar of peanut butter. I put one or two of each item on the boys' plates and prepared my plate, then we tried each food one at a time. I held up each food, one by one, told them what it was and whether it was a veggie or fruit. Then I told them if they could dip it in the ranch or pb, but that they had to try it plain first. If they didn't like anything, they didn't have to eat it, but they had to try it. Now, normally, they don't like to try anything new, especially Levi. But, I guess since it was kinda a fun thing, neither one of them gave me any trouble at all about trying the new foods. I was so impressed! And, we had good results!

Here's Indy with his plate.


And, Levi with his, while he's trying grapes. Yes, I said grapes. This child will not eat grapes. GO figure. Believe me, he's been offered grapes over and over. All my kids like grapes, except Levi. I had green and red grapes on the plate and he actually liked them. I'm sooo happy that he likes grapes now! Whoo hoo!

Here's some of the foods we tried....

Cantaloupe

Carrots and Celery
(Indy liked pb on these, but Levi liked the ranch dressing.)

Cucumber

Asparagus (cooked in oven with seasonings and Parmesan cheese)

Sauteed mushrooms (not a big hit, needless to say)

(Oh well, I like them...)

Grapes, Red and Green

"Fried" Green Beans (in pan on stove with olive oil and garlic)

Breaded and Baked Zucchini

(Great with ranch dip!)

So, that was a pretty good selection, huh? I had kiwi, too, but completely forgot to prepare it, so I'll save it for another night. Besides Levi liking the grapes, he also liked the zucchini. I was amazed. And, Indy decided he liked the carrots and even the celery, especially with peanut butter. I was so excited! Even the girls had this stuff for dinner and found a couple new things they liked, too. Isn't that great?? This experiment came out so well. I'll have to try this again when I get some different fruits and veggies from my co-op.

Happy Easter!

I know it was 2 days ago, but I'm finally getting a chance to post this. On Saturday, we went to the zoo for their annual egg hunt and party. It's just looking for eggs in hay, but the kids really like doing this. They have a rock wall, bounce house, crafts, and other misc. fun things to do. It's a nice time, but usually hot, as it was this time. Anyway, first I have some pix from Saturday.

After the boys found all their eggs, Savannah and Juan "helped" them open them to find the candy, toys, stickers, etc. They all had fun, and the boys didn't even mind sharing. :-)

Levi was resting on this haybale while Juan and Savannah were counting the hundreds of spring items in the cars on display for a guessing game. It was cute that he was right next to the Happy Easter sign.

On Saturday evening, we dyed eggs. We hide them in the morning and sometimes after Easter a time or two, and yes, we do eat them, but more than anything, the kids love to dye the eggs.

Even Juan dyed eggs with us. He showed off his artistic abilities.

On Sunday morning, after hunting eggs and eating some candy, we went to church. Doesn't everyone look so nice?

After church, we went home, changed clothes, and ate some lunch. A little later we went over to Grandma and Grandpa's house for the afternoon. The girls hid eggs for the boys that Grandma had set aside for them. Here they're hunting the elusive eggs. lol

We had a really nice time over there, but most of the day this is what the boys did. Grandma and Grandpa are doing some home improvements and they have two piles of sand in their yard. Well, the boys played in one of the sand piles the whole time. They had so much fun and were disappointed to hear that the sand is actually going to be used so it will be gone next time they're there. {sniff sniff} But they sure enjoyed it today!!

At one point, Nicky and his dad were outside looking at some stuff, so I knew they were watching the boys, but they'd been out there so long, so I went out to check on everyone and see what was going on. I looked out and saw this:

I thought this was such a nice picture of them just sitting there talking, spending some time together. What a neat memory.

And, as we were getting ready to leave, Grandma got all the big kids together for a hug. I got a group shot of them. They look like they're having fun, huh? They always do with Grandma! lol See the flowers behind Ashton's head? These are some lilies Grandma has growing in her yard. She cut off a few for Juan's mom. They are really pretty, huh? She gave me two of these plants for my "lily beds", when I finally get them weeded out!! Argh. Gotta get finished with school first. Soon, soon......

Well, I hope you all had as wonderful and relaxing day as we had and that you remember the real reason for Easter: God's gift of salvation through His Son. Happy Easter!

Menu Plan Monday

I know it's late, but better late than never, right?? lol So, here goes...


Sunday- Eat at Grandma's for Easter

Monday- Meat Loaf, mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans

Tuesday- Swiss Steak

Wednesday- Red Bandana Stew

Thursday- Chicken Puffs

Friday- Easy Pepper Steak

Saturday- Frozen dinner

Well, that's it for now. Have a great week!

Jerusalem Marketplace

This is our family (plus Juan) in Jerusalem. We met each night with our tribe out in the field to start off the evening. There were 12 tribes of Israel so there were 12 groups meeting. We were the tribe of Levi....big surprise, huh? lol Levi was so proud. (We're missing Ashton here, as she was helping out in another area.)Each night there was a skit in the middle of the marketplace, around the well, that referred to something that happened during the last week of Jesus' life. The first day was in reference to when He came into Jerusalem on the donkey on Palm Sunday. Savannah and Juan did that skit all by themselves. They played a married couple, "Rachel" and "Eleazar", with the wife so excited about Jesus coming to town and the husband, not so sure, and thinking his wife had lost it. They did really well and it was so fun to see them doing the acting. This was their costumes, though the poses are a little more modern....lol

In the marketplace, there were 9 or 10 booths for the kids to do activities. We only had half an hour, so each day we only had time to do 2 or 3 things. By the end of the week, they had done everything and were able to repeat a couple of favorites. Here Indy and Levi are at the instrument shop making a little harp with rubber bands.

This is Ms. Mary who was running the instrument shop and showing the "apprentices" how to make the harps. The project was a little too complex for Levi, so I helped him with his.

On the 3rd night, Ashton was in the skit, which was when "Mary" and "Hannah" (Ashton) heard from "James" that Jesus had been arrested. They did a great job. "Jesus" had been milling around the first 3 nights, up until this skit where we heard He had been arrested. Everyone in the marketplace, the booth people and others milling about (in costume) were all in character and discussing and passing the news about Jesus' arrest. Some were characters who were devastated at the news, others were characters who didn't like Jesus so much and were happy the "troublemaker" was gone. It was really cool. While "Jesus" had been milling about, he was taking pictures with people, talking to children while kneeling down, and always smiling. He did a great job as Jesus. Kinda how you would imagine Him.

Here is Ashton doing the skit with the other two actors.

One of the booths was a candy shop. Each night the ladies there were handing out typical period candy or "trail mix" (with dates, raisins, and almonds) to the kids. This was a favorite booth.

They also had a petting zoo available that you could visit during the marketplace time. One night we went out and the boys got to pet and feed the animals. Here Levi is petting a little bunny.

And, here they're feeding the donkey. They would have stayed there the whole time if I had let them. There were baby goats, ducks, chickens, bunnies, and the donkey. Fun.

Here's Ashton with one of her fellow actors, Megan. Each time a person visited a booth and "apprenticed" there, they were "paid" with a little coin. They could take the coin to the fruit and veggie cart and buy stuff with their coins. Ashton and Megan are taking a break eating their fruits, though I don't think the grape soda is very authentic. lol The first night they had pieces of sugarcane available to buy. My kids loved that. We took it home and cut it up. It was a neat to taste and smell it.

Another favorite booth was the bread baking booth. They had dough there for the kids to roll out. I think that's all they really did was to roll it out, but there was always a line for this activity. Each tribe was supposed to send two children each day to go make our family's bread. They all wanted to do this, even if it wasn't their turn. We talked about how in Bible times, they had to make their bread every day and it was part of their chores. This sure didn't seem like chores to these kids. lol

Levi rolls the dough, too. I think both my boys went there every single day. They loved that.

After the marketplace each night, we went to "Hebrew school" in the "temple". We learned about being in temple and about Hebrew writing and Passover (and how the symbolism compares with Jesus as our Passover Lamb) and other things. This night the kids had clay tablets and feather quills and they had to write the Shema, in Hebrew. The Shema is this, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." They only had to write that far, but the rest of it is this: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Here Indy is attempting to write the Hebrew letters.

Here's Levi trying to do the same thing, but since he doesn't write with regular writing equipment yet, it didn't work too well, but he had fun. We also gave each child a yarmulke. I know that's not how to spell it, but I have no idea how to spell it correctly, so it's written phonetically. They really liked those and Levi wore his all the time.

Here's Indy again, working on his tablet.

Levi is relaxing on Mommy while listening to the "rabbi". Isn't he so cute?? lol What a smile!

This is Mommy and Levi in Hebrew school.

After Hebrew school, we went to the Village Playground and did some games and dances from Biblical times. Here we're playing a board game, which I forgot the name of, but it was like Connect Four, where you had to get 3 stones in a row. Indy and Levi liked playing this game.

Back to the marketplace....there was also a jewelry shop where the apprentices could make a necklace. Levi liked this booth a lot, I think mostly because some of the other projects were a little too difficult for him, but this he could do alone. I don't even know how many necklaces he made. lol Oh, the best part was that you go to hammer this metal disc flat to put onto the necklace as the main piece. I think it was the hammering that he liked best! lol

There was a basket weaving shop, too. Here Indy is working on making a basket. It came out pretty good and he enjoyed making it. Levi made one, too, but he couldn't do it, so he picked the colors while I weaved them onto the basket frame. He was still proud of his basket. lol

One night we took our little neighbor girls and here is Savannah with one of the girls while she's working on a clay pot in the pottery booth.

Levi really liked the "rabbi" and wanted a picture with him. In reality, the "rabbi" was a man who goes to our church, but is by birth Jewish...and from the tribe of Levi. Pretty cool, huh? He says he's a competed Jew. I love that. He even spoke some words in Hebrew. I think he made a great rabbi. :-)

But the best part of the whole week was when Jesus resurrected and returned to us on the last night. Levi followed him around until we could get a picture with him. Indy wanted one, too. Jesus disappeared from the marketplace after he got arrested until this last night, when everyone cheered his return. By the end of the first day, "Jesus" knew Levi and Indy's names. They knew he was only an actor, but when he was in costume, they liked to think it was really Jesus. Notice the "holes" in his hands.

One night, during the gathering at the end of the evening, everyone was standing around in the field, in their costumes, singing praises to God, dancing, clapping, smiling, and having a great time. It was so neat and just gave me a little glimpse of what it will be like when we get to heaven. Man, that's gonna be fun!

We had a great week visiting Jerusalem and learned a lot about the time that Jesus lived. There was a lot of work involved and a big thanks goes to those who put it all together. I was blessed this week, as I'm sure many others were. It's going to be even better someday when we can see Jesus for real!

And, in case I don't get back on here before, Happy Resurrection Day!