MORNING SILLY

I get up around 7:20 am each morning to have coffee with Carl before he goes to work. It's a really fun part of our day because inevitably we have matching cases of Morning Silly, that numbskulled condition where you regularly stay up too late and get up too early, thus the entire world looks "ha ha" funny (punch drunk, if you will) until you've had two cups of coffee. We routinely turn on Fox News and sit in our dark family room, coffee in hand, effortlessly cracking up over the antics of Steve and Brian while we catch up on the happenings.

Even the commercials are super funny when you have a case of Morning Silly. Commercials like this. Or this. Or perhaps this.

Today, we discussed a recurring dream of mine. Do you have one? I sure do. I occasionally dream about feeling extremely anxious due to procrastinating over some highschool assignment due date or pending test not studied for. Last night, I dreamed that I had studied for a spelling test (a highschool spelling test, lol). I was walking down the hall toward my class when Carl bluntly discouraged me.

"You're not even ready for this test. You know how to spell the words, but you don't know what the words mean."
"Mean?"
(condescending tone) "Um,...yeah! It's not just a spelling test. It's a vocabulary test, too."
Instant panic set in, as it always does in this recurrent dream theme.

So over morning coffee, I shared this latest recurring dream with Carl and we totally cracked up over the fact that my "late for class, unfinished term paper, unprepared for a test" dreams now included a personal jab from him. Swell! Nice. Swell and nice. We then discussed some of our slacker highschool moves (the very moves that undoubtedly haunt me in my dreams to this day). One in particular got our Morning Silly all flared up.

Now, those of you who were model students won't likely relate. The rest of you (slackers) will understand why Carl and I were laughing so hard over stupid decisions of the past one particular precious memory; that of failing to properly study for a test, then cramming like sardines, 15 minutes before class. Slackers would fly into class, DYING to get their hands on the dreaded test PRONTO because after all, that cram session was only going to remain in short term memory for about another four minutes.

Can I get a witness?

Slackers wanted to scream, "Give me my test! It's goin', I tell you. The little shred of information I managed to commit to short term memory is slipping faaaast!" For shame, for shame.

Now that I've confessed to going through a less than stellar stage, I should add that personal motivation is a huge piece of the academic pie. When I returned to college at age 26, fully motivated, I set the curve for my Chemistry class and graduated nursing school with a 3.5 GPA. It was totally a matter of commitment and focus on my part, something that was lacking in the glory days of slacking (Break it down! I'm a poet and I don't know it. Bahahahaha!)

Toni

Melinda Lou and other meanderings

We ate at Melinda Lou's yesterday, where there are currently vinyl clings on the door so you can pretend you have fabulous Melinda Lou hair. And Carl was all too happy to make me giggle by lining his mug up with those famous red locks.

What? You didn't know that???
Yes, it's true.
Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's fast food chain, named the chain after his daughter "Wendy", whose real name is Melinda Lou.


Carl commented that we haven't heard any other facts about her, other than having the fast food chain named after her, so he came up with his own conclusion about Miss Melinda Lou.

"Isn't it odd that we've never heard much about her? She probably went on a 12 state crime spree and now has a few chains of her own."

After I quit laughing, I vowed I would track ol' Melinda Lou down. I discovered she's had her hand in the business since her dad died. Now, the next time you're out and need a quick bite to eat, do consider stopping at Wendy's Melinda Lou's.

And while we're talking about food, you'd think we wouldn't have to eat out after what I put Carl myself through in the kitchen several nights ago. It was past the hour when the carriage turned back into a pumpkin, when I suddenly got the urge to fire up the kitchen. I was simultaneously baking a cake (a horse cake for my daughter's birthday, which was in, um,...July), boiling eggs that were nearing their expiration, and frying up chicken for my freezer stockpile. Carl was too tired to argue happy to help. Actually, "happy" might not be the best word, as he did state, "Could you start anything else at midnight thirty?"

It was all worth it the next day though, when we sang, "Happy horse cake to you," (well what would you sing?) as Olivia beamed ear to ear over her "three month anniversary of my 8th birthday" surprise cake (as bad as this very late cake sounds, she did have other cakes for her actual birthday).


This past week also brought a little holiday surprise. While driving down the road looking at Halloween decorations, I found myself simultaneously listening to 93 days of Christmas music on the radio. 93.1FM apparently has a very festive bunch of listeners. How else do you justify their liberty of taking 3 months air time and allotting it for Christmas music? I just can't believe that anyone can stomach NINETY THREE days of Christmas music. Carl said it could have been worse though. 107.9 could have come up with the idea, which means we would have had to listen to 2 more weeks of it. Oh, the insanity.

Finally, my kids entered the fun spell round of our local spelling bee today. They got to experience what it's like to be in the official bee without being, um, official. My Reece is 5 years old and he was the youngest person in the bee. And what a hoot he was. They had to stand in line, then step up to a mark on the floor when it was their turn. Reece would HOP HOP HOP onto the mark every time. The announcer even said, "I'm looking to see if I can give you the word hop, but it's not on here." Oy vey! Then, when he correctly spelled a word, he would flash that Grinch-like smile of his as he headed to the back of the line, causing giggles to break out in the audience.


And here I thought he was going to be too shy to raise his voice above a whisper. Sigh.

Toni

Mingle!

Need a new blog fix today? Why don't you stop by and visit my blogging friend, Lucy. She's been offline for 3 months due to computers woes, but (happily) she returned a few days ago, sense of humor completely intact. She's going through a valley right now and her attitude is positive. Still, we could all use a little encouragement when we're in the low spots. Stop by, have a laugh, make a new blog friend, and encourage her too. It's a win-win, y'all.

Read her return post here.

Then visit her blog, All Things Lucy, more often. She's good people!

Toni

4X9

Okay, then. My dear pal Miss Sniz has tagged me for the 4X9 meme. I fear her responses are waaaay more interesting than mine, but I'm game. Here goes...

Four jobs I've had:
1. Record store sales clerk.
It was the era of Madonna (her first hit album; everyone ran out and bought those ridiculous rubber bangles), Michael Jackson (my younger brother wanted the red leather jacket with black zippers all over it, lol), Prince (I gotta hand it to him; anyone who can successfully maket himself with nothing but a symbol is freaky brilliant) , Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Talking Heads (our version of Burning Down the House went, "Awww...nice pants. Where. Did. You. Get. Them. From. COOOL, BABY. Where. Can. I. Get. Me. Some.), Van Halen (raising the bar on band boy hair), The Go Go's, Cyndi Lauper, and my personal least favorite,(and you gotta say this like current day GAP girls), "Duran, Duran!" These young teen girls would come into the store, all "punk'd" out with their Duran Duran garb on, saying the group's name in such an exaggerated manner. "Dur-AN, Dur-AN!" And the buttons. Oh, the buttons. Buttons were hot, hot, hot. They wore them all over their hats, vests, etc. We sold buttons and styluses (record needles). It was wildly intoxicating, I tell you. Oh, and who was crooning in Christian circles back in those days? Amy Grant (early, early stuff), Christy Lane, Stryper. That's all that comes to mind.
2. Airline agent.
I did it all, mainly ticket counter and gate agent. But I was also a "ramper" (baggage handler), fuel sumper, coldbuster babysitter (on the midnight to 3am shift), and more. I met Rob Lowe, Phyllis Diller, David Canary, Bernadette Peters, Hulk Hogan (and a whole posse of WWF dudes), Dolly Parton, and Dan Marino, to name a few.
3. Registered Nurse.
I worked on a cardiac telemetry unit for three years. 12 hour shifts, 3 days a week. Nights. The only patient I ever lost on my watch was a coworker's father.
4. Volunteer.
I was an emergency room volunteer, as well as a riding stable volunteer as a teen.

Four movies I'd watch over and over:
1. Just Like Heaven (Reese Witherspoon)
2. Grease
3. Dodgeball (or a few other Ben Stiller movies)
4. Where the Heart Is (Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd, Stocker Channing)
Runner up category: Steel Magnolias, Cry Freedom (Denzel Washington), Forest Gump, Little Women (the Katherine Hepburn version), What About Bob? Oh, if you like silly and haven't seen What About Bob?, you simply must.

Four places I've lived:
1. Ohio (lived there most of my life, until 2 years ago)
2. California (I lived in San Francisco for a year)
3. Pittsburgh, PA (lived there for a year as well)
4. Indiana (I'm "at home" as a Hoosier these days)

Four t.v. shows I watch:
Survivor (this is the ONLY show we watch faithfully)
Fox and Friends
Design on a Dime
Supernanny

Four places I've been:
Beside where I lived above?
1. Cozumel
2. Jamaica
3. Puerto Rico
4. Grenada (et al)

Four websites I visit daily: (I visit waaaaay more than this. Why must I narrow it down to four?)
1. Miss Sniz and Big Doofus Blog (I'm allowed to count them as one because they're my friends and because they're married. Oh, and because I'm cool. Did I slip that past ya?)
2. Toadhaven
3. Making Home (well, almost every day)
4. The Paperback Swap (because a gal just can't have enough FREE books).

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Dip-a-holic (artichoke, guacamole, Knorr vegetable dip, etc.)
2. Seafood (broiled or steamed only; lobster, crab legs, scallops, shrimp)
3. Gnocci (If you see them on an Italian menu, you MUST try them.)
4. Homemade pierogies like my Polish grandmother and mother make.

Four places I'd rather be right now:
1. In the country (living, that is)
2. Iowa (what a beautiful state ; I would live there in a heartbeat.)
3. St. John (2/3 of the island is a national park)
4. The Wyndham El Conquistador in Puerto Rico. And while I haven't stayed there (yet), I did stroll the grounds of The Crane Resort in Barbados. The resort can be seen at the top of the cliff, and there were stone steps carved into the side of the cliff for beach access. As we descended the steps, we saw a SHARK in the turquoise waters below. Did I ever tell ya I'm an ocean wader (ankle deep)?

Four bloggers I've tagged:
1. Laura at My Quotidian Mysteries.
2. Rose at Starrs in Denver
3. Toni at Special K Family (because she always gets to tag me and I can't run fast enough to tag her back; playground pecking order.)
4. YOU! (Consider yourself officially tagged if you've read this far.)

Toni

Meeting Mr. T

I met Mr. T in the grocery store last night. No, not that Mr. T (though last I heard, he was dating Carl's co-worker in Chicago.) This Mr. T didn't wear fancy bling and he wasn't part of the A team. In fact, he was on the "J" team. Walk with me......

While cruising the baking aisle, I noticed a very elderly gentleman in a kelly green (scout looking) suit. Immediately, I was impressed. Impressed by his stature (tall and straight for an elderly man) and impressed by his independence (doing his own shopping). As we passed, he stopped me.

T: "What a beautiful bunch of children you have."
Me: "Thank you."
T: "They really do grow up waaaay too quickly, you know."
Me: "Yes, sadly I'm realizing the time is truly flying by."
T: "Well, honestly? Nothing is more important for you and I, or for your children and my children than to be assured of our salvation because of what Jesus has done for us."
Me: Amen, brother. You're preachin' it to the choir now. "I couldn't agree more."
T: "So you're a believer? When did you accept Christ?"

I discuss my walk of faith with Mr. T for several minutes. He's old, but he isn't blind or naive. He wants to know if I'm just talking it out or truly walking it out. He's a man on a mission. ;)

T: "So many people claim to know Jesus as their Savior and yet they either do nothing at all to build a genuine relationship with him OR they miss God's free gift by trying to be good enough to work their way into Heaven."
Me: (choir still a shoutin' AMEN) "I understand what you're saying. God's word is very clear on this, if only some would read it for themselves and really SEE that the gift of salvation is FREE. I receive so much peace in knowing that Jesus did it all, that He said on the cross, "It is finished." And besides, I could never be good enough or work hard enough to earn my way into Heaven anyway. That's why I thank God every day for His free gift."

T and I continue our conversation about faith, his love of poetry (he gave me a copy of a poem he wrote) and his love of speaking at churches near and far. His speaking topic? Sharing the Gospel during all seasons of life (gotta love this guy).

He also told me his age.

88.

Mr. T, bold in his faith, tall in his stature, outgoing and warm in personality, and completely filled with independence and determination, was 88 years old. Wow! His joy in living was obvious. Where does it come from at 88 years old? I can't say for sure. Has life been easy on Mr. T? Perhaps, though given his age I have no doubt he has experienced great personal losses, perhaps even of his own children. So, where does the joy come from? Mr. T said it himself.

Jesus.

Jesus is the reason Mr. T lives.
No, I don't mean physically in an 88 year old body.
I mean there is LIFE behind Mr. T's eyes.
It pours from his soul.
I saw it before he even spoke to me.
It was obvious.
This Mr. T was never part of the A Team, but clearly he's part of the "J" team.
Team Jesus.
Go, Mr. T.
You da man.

On a funny note, he also told me to say hi again if I saw him in the store. He said, "I might not remember you or this conversation. I'm 88, after all, and some things are beginning to fade." (He pointed to his head.) Yes, Mr. T. I'm sure at 88, some things are beginning to fade ("beginning" at 88, lol). But one thing hasn't faded in the least. Mr. T's joy in Christ has not faded one bit and I suspect it shines brighter than ever.

Locals, if you see a tall elderly gentleman in Krogers who looks like a park ranger, stop him and say hello. Your day will definitely be richer for having done so. I guarentee it.

Toni

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

What are the manifestations of lead paint toxicity?

Toni

And for other Wordless Wednesdays, go here.

"Ruined! All ruined!"

He ran into the living room this morning wearing his familiar expression of sadness, an absolutely perfect pout that arcs from the left corner of his delicate little mouth to his right.

"Ruined! All ruined," he cried, wiping at his beautiful green eyes as if he could will the tears not to fall.

My Reece is a soft hearted young man. His world is easily rocked and he reacts with passion both to what pleases him as well as to what he perceives as injustice in his world. And darn it, it simply isn't just when a storm blows up in the middle of the night and sends your outdoor umbrella crashing through your patio table.

He lead me to the patio door and sure enough,...
Ruined! All ruined.

The glass table top lay in shards all over my pavered patio. And the umbrella had been carried to our fence, where I found it lodged between the spindles and one of the rods snapped clean off. And Reece, well he was just heartbroken about it. Now, at first I thought, 'How could this child be so attached to a rusty patio set and a stinkin' umbrella?' He couldn't put it into words, so I had to enter his world of thoughts to understand it. And the answer came. Reece and I spent many early mornings together this past summer; I, reading my bible and Reece indulging in "cold cheese" (his words for brick cheese). We did this, of course, on the back porch at that table. He would get up around 7:45am and join me. It was our special time alone, before the other kids woke up. And now, this special part of his world lay symbolically shattered after the storm.

As I considered Reece's response, how he expressed deep sadness with few words but plenty of emotion, I realized that I sometimes respond this way as well. I go before the throne of grace in prayer and just cannot find the words to tell God what it is that troubles me or causes me unrest. Anyone? Have you felt that way before?

But it's okay.

It really is, because even when our words fail us and we're unable to express what is on our heart, He knows. Our God and Father knows because he can visit even the darkest corners within us and He can read the unspoken troubles that camp there. Look at Psalm 139:1-4 (bolds and italics added by me).

1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

Wow, He knows. But ah, verse 5. Read on...

5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

He knows, but better still? He responds. He absolutely knows and responds. What an incredible word picture of His love and protection to consider being hemmed in, both behind and before while the hands of our Creator are laid upon us. Wow, that is so very comforting. If I will simply be still and know that He is Lord (Psalm 46:10), He just might speak to my very soul. A dear friend from the past calls and wants to take a few minutes to catch up. An email makes us laugh. A far away family member comes to visit. A real life scenario plays out before us and makes us realize our glass is still half full. He knows and responds, and in this we can take comfort.
Thank you, tender hearted Reece, for taking my thoughts down this path today.

Now, on a lighter note, I have to say His protection extends to the practical as well. Because the fact is, we cleaned glass shards in gale force winds just before a second round of storms rolled in this evening. I figured I'd be strapped to a gurney at any moment, little fragments of glass lodged in my eyeballs as I screamed for mercy. Sure, we should have waited for calmer skies before cleaning up the aftermath of the first storm. But, well, we "H's" are nothing if not practical, and what with tomorrow being garbage day and all.........

Toni