wOw

As I was checking off projects this morning on the wedding planning list of things to do, I had that fast-beating-heart-panic-I-can't-do-this-right-and-on-time feeling. We have 3 months to go.

I am not a big fan of that feeling.

My daughter is getting married about an hour from our home. So if we forget anything...OH WELL.

The key to success, is organization.

I wish my husband would do this. He is the organization nut. He is so organized in everything, I am not allowed to put his clothes away, for I may mess up his system. Yeah.

But...he is in denial.

When I talk about the wedding and his opinions on some things, his response is usually, "Honey, I don't know, just give me the bill."

He can't handle his little girl leaving his home. So he rather not think about it. Not that he hasn't come to love Josiah, or disapproves of the marriage, just its his little girl. You know?

Which leaves me to plan.

Who happens to be the crazy one. All over the place. I assign projects to the kids. But then I forget to check up on them. lol. As I was in panic mode this morning, Samuel said to me, " Mom, don't worry about it, God is in control." And walked off. He is right.

So...if you think of it, pray for this disorganized nut. And a nice wedding.

And I thank you. :)

I am joining Kelly in her Furthering the Kingdom Fridays.

I know I am suppose to put her little sign here, but I am a computer ignoramus. Sad, but true.


Meet my youngest son. (the one with the wooden gun) If our guns were real, we would have enough to arm everyone in town. Guns were/are taboo in life, but they are a reality, and one should have a respected fear of them. Did that lesson come through?


You just never know what will crawl out of his shirt during school. I don't know if he knows how to school with out an animal.



So, we were at Target, and I saw this carpet I really like for Chloe's room. Samuel threw it on the floor, and threw himself on top of it.

I had to ask.

" Just making sure if I ever fall asleep on her floor, it will be comfortable." I had to ask. Welcome to my world.



I was reading to him, and when I went to ask him a question, this is what I saw. Amazingly enough, though this kid NEVER sits still, he knows all the answers.



Um, thats a beagle, son. Get him out of your shirt and finish your grammar.



I don't know if he has ever just "brushed his teeth". I mean, what is more boring or ordinary then brushing your teeth. He doesn't realize its suppose to be ordinary.



I don't even notice the animals popping out of his shirt anymore.




What better way to listen to a history lesson?



All to say, I thought I had parenting down pat. My older 2 children were, well, "normal" to teach. Then came this child. A child of answered prayer. He learns differently. And I can't put him in a box. He is brilliant, active, can and will have any conversation with anybody, and is about 15 steps ahead of me.

There are times when I have to remember its my job to teach him to his strengths, not to my expectations. Not that he is not required to have some kind of structured, classical trivium education requires that. But he... well, he just learns the same thing, differently.

Tomorrow is St Paddy's Day.

There is so much to an Irishman. I had no idea walking in. lol


Not that I would trade it, but I wish I was better prepared.

The children & I had a unit study one year on the Irish. John told me he really wanted the children to know their heritage, and we should study it. To which I responded, " But honey, there are about 2 books on El Salvador in the library."

Thats not what he meant.

It was quite a fascinating study. I learned so much of the rich history. It also helped me tremendously to understand my husband. There was even a book called The Irishman in the kid's section. I laughed thinking, okay, right. I read it anyway.

Well, it was kind of creepy how they pegged him to a T, as though they had been looking in our window, watching him, in order to write the book. There is a way of the Irishman. It helps to know it.

And so, though we will have our traditional meal of corned beef, (which most real Irish NOT from this country never have, but...) potatoes, Irish soda bread; we will also have rice with tomato/lemon salad on the side.

Because after all, he married a hispanic.

New Jersey

I have been thinking about different cultures lately.

There is about a 99% chance my daughter will be living in VA by the end of the summer.

And really, we need to see the positive in this. And there are positives!! The one BIG negative is she is leaving, as I am sure every momma who has just one daughter move away, can understand.

One of the positives is, my Jersey Girl may change!! lol.

I remember way back when, Lance went to political camps at Patrick Henry College for two weeks. When we went to pick him up, he introduced us to his new found friends, and then, while packing up the car, he started telling us the 2 most profound things he learned that week.

The first went like this:

Hoops : "Guess what mom, we are jerks!"

Me : " What??!!?, What do you mean?"

Hoops : "We're jerks. There were 3 kids from the North, and we're jerks, and we can't even help it! We didn't even know we were jerks! Everyone from the south is just nice. And not even on purpose, It just seems to come out naturally!!"

This was something the 3 of them discussed on their own, in amazement.

He had never been surrounded from southerners like that before. It was mind blowing to him. He was 16 years old.

The second revelation was not as profound, but just as funny. And just as true.

Hoops : " And mom, you can tell right away who was from the North!"

Me : "Really? How? "

Hoops : " We spike our hair."

No one else had their hair spiked. Just the guy from Jersey, (mine) the guy from NY state, and the guy from CT. All the southern boys combed their hair.

LOL! I'm so glad he learned so much.

My daughter is a born and bred Jersey Girl.

I was hoping to have moved out of the state before she learned how to drive. She is such a ::sigh:: Jersey driver. ::sigh:: She has no patience for anyone else on the road. She doesn't get the term, " Enjoy the quiet." That is a foreign concept up here.

How I wish I could be a fly on the wall, as she is surrounded by nice, relaxed, easy-going southern girls. I hope she learns a thing or two.

And I mean that in the nicest way.

And to honor our great state, and for your enjoyment :

You Might Be From New Jersey IF:


1. You refer to the beach as The Shore.
2. You know what a Wawa is, and you know the location of at least 15 of them.
3. You don't understand why there aren't more 24-hour diners elsewhere in the country.
4. You can name all the flavors of salt water taffy.
5. You've run out of money on the Parkway.
6. You've ordered a "hard roll with butter" for breakfast..
7. You still can't believe MTV went to Seaside Heights.
8. There are no self serve gas stations.
9. You know what a "jug handle" is, and you know how to navigate it.
10. You only go to the "City" for day trips.
11. Route 18 doesn't freak you out at night.
12. You believe the Statue of Liberty is in NJ.
13. You don't take any crap from anybody especially people from New York and Philly, because you live here for goodness sake and just who the heck do they think they are anyway? Invading our beaches and bars, they are just here for the summer and they think they own the place.
14. At least three people in your family still listen to Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen and actually seen him play with the E-Street band in the Stone Pony down in Asbury.
15. You know Paramus has 4 major malls within 3 miles of each other.
16. You have mandatory recycling enforced by law.
17. You've pondered, "Maybe basketball would be more popular in NJ if the Nets didn't stink."
18. In high school you worked at Friendly's.
19. St Patricks Day is a serious thing..
20. You have nearly been run over by a Tram Car in Wildwood.
21. You have a grandparent who didn't move to Florida and retired in Cape May, Ocean Grove, Brick, or Toms River.
22. Donald Trump is mentioned daily in your local newspaper.
23. Your school actually made good Italian"subs."
24. The Jets/Giants game has started fights in your family/school.
25. You have been waiting the last 10 years for the Yankees to move to the Meadowlands.
26. You can smell when it's low tide.
27. You own an annual pass to Great Adventure and you had to take the monkey by-pass at the Safari cause your dad had padded-vinyl roof on his car.
28. You say "woodeh", "dowg", "cawfee", "wadeveh".
29. Your car is covered in yellow-green dust(pollen) in April and May.
30. You know that ACME is a supermarket, not just a Warner Bros creation.
31. Because your town was founded before 1776, all restaurants, bars, and shops have 'ye', 'olde', or 'colonial' in their names.
32. You know the myth of the New Jersey devil and you think it lives as the current governor.
33. You think the Olive Garden is crap and should never have opened in NJ.
34. You remember when Hoboken was a ghetto not overpriced.
35. There is a fruit and veggie stand down the road.
36. You like vinegar or gravy on your french fries.
37. You don't have to go to Red Lobster to get fresh seafood.
38. You once said, "It smells like New York in here."
39. You're an aggressive driver.
40. At least 5 people in your immediate family have asthma.
41. Your town has more water restrictions than people living in "dry" states i.e. Arizona, and Nevada.
42. Potholes are as common as mosquitoes.
43. In order to go anywhere, you have to go on a circle, and you know how to navigate it.

YES!!!

OUR HOMELAND SECURITY APPROVAL CAME TODAY!!!!!

Thanks the last step in getting that baby of ours!!!



:::::******YAY******:::::::

I need to stop this kind of thinking. I think its the getting stuck inside the house.

So, I was talking to one of my BFs, Maria, from TN. First I was ESTATIC that she is coming up for Chloe's wedding!! I get to see her about once every 2 or 3 years. Then, its just phone time.

Second, she was complaining on how cold is was outside when she ran out to get something while on the phone. It was all of 52 degrees. 52 DEGREES!!!!! She called it a cold spell. A COLD SPELL!!

Rofl.

I would jump for joy if that was the case here. We woke up to 17, with a windchill of 7 this morning.

Yeah.

I keep forgetting the perspective of life when it was to do with location,weather and culture. (yes, the south is a completely different culture.)

So all you southerners who were delighted with the snow, all I can say it...COOL! I'm glad you were able to have the joy of a winter wonderland. We, up here, are sick and tired of our wonderland.

On to the next thing so I can stop whining,

I am sick of wedding dramas. Everything is a drama. All the way to the color of the tablecloths. I say, we give them the money and they can elope. I didn't used to understand when I would hear moms say that, as they were planning their daughter's wedding. I would think, "When Chloe gets married, its going to be joyful and perfect and simple, and we will just get it right, right off the bat. "

wOw. I didn't stop whining at all, did I???

Excuse while I go put on my 7 Kinds-of-stupid hat on.

It fits me perfectly.

Needless to say, she is not going for the elope idea. She wants her walk down the aisle with her daddy, her dance until the night hours celebration.

Its all good.

Because in it all, our GOD is great.