"Tee Hee" Heels

No Turning Back Now

We've told ECS we're not returning next year and now we've purchased our curriculum. I guess we've definitely made it official that we WILL be homeschooling next year. WOW!

We're doing Switched On Schoolhouse for the girls and LIFEPAC for David. Hudson's even going to be getting a book to keep him involved with us when he wants to be involved.

We'll be using the Weaver "Success In Spelling" and "Penmanship To Praise" along with a Spanish course that all 3 can go through at the same time. We also bought a typing program that I know will be fun for the kids. With all the computer work we'll be doing, it will be nice for them to learn how to type the right way right from the start. They're all VERY good typists for their age but I want them to develop correct typing habits up front.

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I was walking through the house today, stepping over junk and thought, "It looks like I live in a house with roommates whose mothers never taught them how to clean up after themselves."

Am I that Mother??

ACTUALLY, I can't fuss too much about today because, even though the house isn't in its greatest shape, I was joyfully surprised to see that the "Balloon Lagoon" game David & Hudson played this morning was COMPLETELY packed away in its box after they finished playing it. I was very pleased :)

FYI - Balloon Lagoon is the easiest game for children to put away all by themselves. It has great little sectioned areas with pictures of the pieces that belong in that spot. Brilliant packaging. Fun game, too!

All Clear in Calera

Thank you, Lord for allowing that 18-wheeler to prevent me from taking the previous exit which forced me to the Calera exit on I-65 Wednesday night. I was needing to straighten out the crooked windshield wiper that was driving me crazy and not working very well during the gullywasher we were plowing home through. Thank you, Lord for allowing me to be only yards from Walmart when the windshield wiper head actually broke off the arm of the wiper. Thank you, Lord for allowing Walmart to be a 24/7 biz that carries brand new windshield wipers for 2001 Honda Odysseys. Thank you, Lord that I finally figured out how to "just snap" the wiper head onto the arm.

Wasn't that a doozy of a thunderstorm on Wednesday night? I'm not saying it was actually FUN driving through it but I must say that I was impressed with God's MAGNIFICENCE with all those flashes of beautiful light around me. I-65 was very well-lit for my drive home. Incredible and non-stop power in those bolts. Wow. His Majesty.

I think the rain is subsiding for us right now. Two different news stations tonight had opposing views on our likelihood of more severe weather. I believe ol' Rich was throwing a jab at the "first forecasting" report from Channel 8. It was kinda funny.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. We're preparing for a HUGE Saturday of ballgames and birthday parties. I hope to get some pictures for the lame little "Guess Who" game.

Night night.

"Guess Who?" - Game 3

Here's a gal I've just newly re-connected with. Very cool and lots of fun. I know it was a God-thing that allowed us to cross paths again. We hooked up during a situation that we wish had never occurred but find it non-coincidental that we had a chance to talk and swap emails.

It's always neat to discover a spiritual level in people that was never explored in the surface days of cliques and fitting-in.

OK, there's 2 people in the picture but I only went to school with one of them. Bonus points for being able to ID both.

"Guess Who" - Game 2

This picture shows our friend with the Bl@ck Eyed Pe@s. He directed their latest music video.

To see his name, click here and watch the movie trailers of a film he just produced. He says they are in talks with the Sci-Fi channel. Let's all hope it works out for him!

"Guess Who" - Game 1

I love keeping in touch with people. I guess I take the "KIT" written in my yearbooks kinda seriously.

I thought it would be fun to post some pictures of some old school friends (by permission of course) to see if any of you might recognize them.

This gal is from GJH 7th grade. She moved to FL (Daddy was military) after we were friends only a year. We kept in touch by handwritten letters for several years. When I got married, I invited her to the wedding. She wasn't able to come for the actual wedding but we were able to see each other a couple of weeks beforehand.

After getting married, we lost touch and current contact info. I started looking for her again in 2002 when I was in my finding-people mode for the Class Reunion. Even though she wasn't in our graduating class, I still wanted to find her. I was unsuccessful. I've continued to look for her all this time. It wasn't until I told Donnie of my search that I finally found her. It was because of Donnie's suggestion to add the word "married" to my G00gle search for her that I finally found a link that connected me to my good friend. We spoke on the phone today for about an hour. It was really cool.

"Success From Home"

"It's not about you!" This is the opening line in Rick Warren's bestselling book, The Purpose Driven Life. This sentence is almost counterculture in the world of business, where a huge amount of emphasis is put on the achievement and recognition of the individual. Modern business, as a culture, has evolved into an environment where getting to the top, at whatever cost, is the primary goal. Companies are under tremendous pressure to outperform the competition, and so management often feels obligated to drive only the bottom line.

I find such an environment antithetical to the value systems of most people, which is perhaps why a majority of recently surveyed Americans said they were not happy with their job. The No. 1 reason stated for this dissatisfaction with their work was a lack of purpose.

Wisdom suggests that to become "great" or fulfilled, you must become a servant unto others. Find people's most pressing needs and serve those needs better than anyone else, and you'll experience success on every level.

Mannatech was founded for that purpose -- to provide a vehicle for those who desire a "purpose driven" opportunity that address the two biggest concerns families everywhere face: their health and their finances.

We have been gifted with a technology that stands alone in the emerging wellness industry. Former U.S. patent examiner Dr. John Rollins stated that the discovery of glyconutrients was teh most important discovery in health care he'd seen in his 23 years of service at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. But beyond the science, the issue becomes one of stewardship. Our global Mannatech business model of distribution combined with our MannaRelief children's charity programs have allowed us to touch the lives of more than a million people around the world.

I am proud of the fact that Mannatech has attracted such an incredible group of individuals. And by sharing the blessings of ou technology with others, their lives have been enriched and they have prospered in all ways.

One leading economist predicts that the wellness industry will become the next trillion-dollar industry due to an enormous shift taking place in the healthcare industry. Mannatech has positioned itself through its nutritional discoveries and patents to play a significant role. But make no mistake: Our record growth is testimony to the efforst of those who have chosen to share this amazing story of hope with those so desperately looking for answers.

Mannatech is not "business as usual"; it is the opportunity to become part of something bigger than ourselves. We are a growing group of ordinary folks who have been called to an extraordinary purpose. I invite you to join us. Your life will never be the same.
Sam Caster
Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder
Mannatech, Incorporated

This is from the last page of the magazine "Success From Home" May 2006 edition that I bought at Books-A-Million today. There are some more copies (although I was tempted to buy them all!) so go pick up one for yourself today. It's a GREAT read!

I've Been Tagged - Twice

Thought I'd answer here instead of in an email. Pick a topic and tell me your answers in the 'comments' section.

4 jobs you've had in your life:
1. Dance Teacher
2. Pantyhose & Wedding Dress Model
3. Worker's Compensation Clerical Worker
4. Doula

4 movies YOU HAVE SEEN over and over
1. Grease
2. Big
3. Shawshank Redemption
4. Toy Story

4 places you've lived in your life:
1. Forest Hills
2. Taylor Crossing
3. Deerfield
4. EM

4 TV shows you love to watch:
1. American Idol
2. Survivor
3. Scrubs
4. My Name Is Earl

4 places you've been on vacation:
1. Disney World
2. Cancun
3. Cruisin the Carribbean
4. various stops in Europe

4 websites you visit daily (or nearly):
1. Mannatech.com
2. inaworld.blogspot.com
3. google.com
4. glycosystem.com

4 of your favorite foods
1. burritos from Borderline
2. Breyer's Rocky Road with fresh almond butter
3. club ranch wrap from Chappy's
4. Ranchero from Jason's Deli
(I guess almost anything in some type of tortilla! LOL)

4 places you'd rather be right now:
1. sleeping
2. cruising to Alaska with my family
3. getting a way-overdue massage
4. Disney World

Gotta Love Them Rainy Saturday Mornings

I think most people will admit that a rainy Saturday morning is a pretty good thing. How many of us don't like a God-given excuse for sleeping in? And today's thunder and heavy rain couldn't have been more appreciated by anyone more than it was by our household today.

If it had NOT been raining, we'd have been rising and racing out the door to be at David's ball game at 8am. Then we would have been ready for H.A's game at 12 Noon.

So THIS



and this



Became THIS -- a pillow-floored, quilt-covered, Jumanji-watching morning of rest. Oh how this was needed!



We're still getting ready to go out for lunch at the Walkers and hanging-out time with the Greens (although THEY don't know that yet. Wonder if they're home....hmm...) and then to Shayne's 6:30 game. Donnie will have his first night of the Passion Play. We won't see it tonight but thankfully, it will be performed 3 more nights.

Hope everyone has a lovely day! Hope you all are as well-rested as we are. Ahhhhh, a little R&R sure goes a long way!

To Lighten The Mood

In an effort to return to lighter subject matter, I thought I'd try providing a little segue post.

According to this quiz I am "81% Dixie."

Take the quiz yourself and let me know how you turn out!

Insufficient

I have several things that I'd much rather blog about tonight but I just can't. Friends of ours are suffering over the loss of their 21 month old son and I just can't write anything fun or joyful while they're hurting so much.

Words just aren't sufficient for conveying how sad I am for this family.

But this isn't about me and my sadness for them. This is about doing the only thing I can that is of any value to them right now. I can pray. And for those of you who are Christians out there, won't you please join me in prayer?

Please pray for:
*KC & Grayson - Mom & Dad
*Laura and Griffin - big sister (15) and big brother (5)
*peace for all
*emotions of guilt and blame to be dealt with appropriately and laid before the throne of Christ
*the family & child who will be receiving baby Carson's organs tomorrow (Sunday)
*for the recipient family to recognize the tremendous gift of sacrifice and to know Christ as the true Savior of eternal life through the sacrifice of God's Only Son
*for all who come in contact with Carson's family to see Christ's light in them and for Him to receive glory
*for all of us as friends to be able to minister to this family in their time of need
*for the children who know this family (including my own) to learn more about trusting in God's sovereignty at times like this