Mousecapades

This book, one of Lauren's favorites, is banned from our library...indefinitely.

We've trapped 3 mice in 3 days.

Allow me to elaborate on the drama at our house last night, when we had a "dinner guest." After dinner, Jeff & Guest retired to the game room to watch a movie. I was enjoying a quiet evening of TV, blogging and Facebook, when the 2 baby mice decided it was time to come out and play. J and G came back to find me hiding behind a doorway, broom in hand. "Shhhh! They're under the table." I like to make a good impression on new girlfriends.

Jeff begs me to let him pop them with the pellet gun. "Not in the house!", I say. "Mom, it's just a pellet gun--trust me."

This is the only thing that saved that tiny mouse's life:

The saga continues....

Halloween Baking

Lauren was thrilled to get in on the action this year.

Jacob is my "dough-eater" so we didn't end up with many baked cookies.

I imagined the frosting preparation to be a lesson in colors. You know--wise Nana teaches that we have to mix red and yellow to get orange. But Jacob was unimpressed and informed me that blue and yellow makes green. Smarty pants.

Super Mom

I should either get the Mom of the Year award, or I'm totally insane.

I was gone a good portion of the week, so I planned to spend the day (after sleeping in 'til 9) getting my house back in order, doing laundry, then working out. Neal had planned a weekend out west to hunt and I had planned a quiet evening at home...maybe with a pizza.

My oldest son called around 10:30 for a favor. Could I go to his house and put his laundry (hunting clothes) in the dryer? Just a small diversion from my schedule. My youngest son called around noon to tell me his "friend" was coming over tonight to watch a movie and could I cook dinner? Hmmm. What is it that keeps me from saying, "No, that doesn't really fit into my schedule today."? Oh, and could I make chicken and rice and could we eat at 7:00? Well, of course sweetie, whatever you want.

Chicken boiled, house presentable, at 3:00 I head to the gym. Phone rings. Youngest son. "Where are you?" "On my way to the gym." "Well, it's too windy to hunt, so I asked if she wanted to come earlier and she said yes." "Okay. But I can't have chicken and rice ready 'til 7." Yay me. I put my foot down, right?

Janet and I shorten our workout slightly, so that I can get home and get cookin'. I start to leave the gym and look for my keys, which I left hanging on the key rack. There's only one set of keys...and they aren't mine. I look quizzically at the girl at the desk and say, "I'm sure I left my keys here, I remember swiping my key fob." Her eyes become the size of saucers and I hear a quiet, "oops" slip out of her mouth.

Get this. Someone had called saying she thought she left her keys there and described them. Honda key, Homeland key card, one key has yellow key ID band--perfect description of my keys. She sends her boyfriend to pick them up. Now I'm stuck at the gym with no keys, gym personnel have no idea who the member was that called (you mean to tell me that in 2009 there are still businesses without caller i.d.?) and a disconnected phone number for the man that is now in possession of my keys. Janet and I do some sleuthing, and track down the man with my keys (long story) and I rush home in time to get dinner in the oven and take a shower. Dinner served promptly at 7:00. Okay 7:20.

And the "friend" was delightful, by the way. Hope she wasn't too horrified at the visible mousetraps and the fact that Jeff had to disappear with the pellet gun to dispose of the one caught in the live trap. Thankfully, she grew up in the country. Yes! *High Five*

Business Trip

I know what you're thinking. Business trip? She's a church secretary, for heaven's sake. Get it? For "heaven's sake?" Okay, so it's been a long day. I'm in Louisville, KY with one of the women on the church finance committee for a training conference on our new software.

We only arrived a few hours ago, and I already have blog material.

So. We check in and head to our rooms to unpack. We share the elevator with a distinguished looking man and--coincidence--he's also on 6th floor. As we exit the elevator, Carolyn and I exchange room numbers so we can call each other. I round the corner to my room, Room 608, and the distinguished gentleman is standing at the door. He looks at me and says, "Did I hear you say, "608"? Doh! How stupid of me to blurt out my room number. I timidly admit that that is, indeed, what I said. He says, "I could've sworn that was MY room number, but my key won't work." Oh, my goodness gracious. Where is Carolyn??? I try my key, which of course opens the door, and son of a gun, there's all his stuff in the room! An apparent mix-up. But he doesn't let it go. He offers to share the room!!! Oh lawsy! I chuckle...you're a funny guy. So we get back on the elevator to straighten out this mess and he says, "You probably wouldn't be able to put up with me anyway." To which I say, "You probably couldn't put up with me either." To which he says, "Oh, I'm not so sure about that." Lord, please get me outta here! As the lady at the desk frantically tries to find another room for me, he says to her, "I offered to share with her." Obviously, she was concentrating too hard on finding me a room to think that was funny. I wasn't laughing any more either. Oh great--my new room is still on 6th floor. So we ride back up to our floor in relative silence, while I discreetly cover my new room number with my thumb.

All unpacked and now Carolyn and I can go to the hotel restaurant and have a nice dinner. The waitress brings us our checks and we each pay with a credit card. Only, when she brings them back for signatures, mine doesn't have my card in it, and the ticket has already been signed and paid for. I'm thinking "608 man" and my eyes start darting around the restaurant. I wave down the waitress, and I guess she's having a bad night too, cause it was just another mix-up.

Meanwhile, sitting at the table next to us is Jeremy Sisto from Law and Order, NO LIE.

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Lita Blevins' Day Off

Did you know one of my favorite movies is Ferris Buehler's Day Off?  Now you do.  Ferris lives out my secret fantasy of taking a whole day and spontaneously coming up with fun and bizarre ways to pass the time.

Instead, here's what I did on this beautiful, sunny day off:

Go to the shop to start up the riding lawn mower.  Discover two flat tires.  Go to the barn to get the air compressor.  Not there.  Back to the shop...oh, there it is, my bad.  Play mechanic and finally figure out how the dadgum thing works. Air up the tires.  Fill tank with gas.  Start mowing. Get stuck between cedar tree and wood pile.  Physically try to lift riding lawn mower out of wedge--can't be good for my herniated disk and recovering hiney.  Finish yard and move on to dog yard. Mower starts making grinding noises and is leaving rows of tall grass between blades.  Park mower and resort to push mower. Finish dog yard with push mower, stepping in fresh Gracie deposit. Now I smell like a mixture of wild onions and dog poop as I greet the electrician. Explain three electrical jobs I need done.  Start first load of laundry.  Unload dishwasher. Remove globes on bathroom light fixture and handwash, then replace. Clean bathroom top to bottom. Clean inside car windows. Carry 2-ton ladder from garage to front of house. Clean front picture window outside. Come inside and raise blinds to clean inside picture window.  Kill red wasp hiding behind blind. Replace blind that I just pulled off wall.  (Window frame will have to be reattached another day.)  Start second load of laundry. Carry 2-ton ladder back to garage, lift garage door and dodge falling centipede.  Wait patiently on electrician to exorcise the house from the haunting of the electricity snatcher, while I sit at the computer and blog.

Far cry from a Cub's game, art museum and parade.

Danke Shoen, anyone...anyone?

What's a Woman to Do?

For those of you who stopped by to get a chuckle, I apologize. This is one of those times that I just need to journal my feelings.

For a long time, I've struggled with the role of women in the church.  At one time, I just felt like we got the raw end of the deal.  Much of the time I'm relieved that the responsibilities fall on the men.  I vacillate.  For years, it didn't really matter what I thought, because all churches seemed to agree, and the women were relegated to teaching Sunday School and planning VBS. But times...they are a changin'.

I'll admit, the first time I attended a service where a woman read scripture and a couple of the communion servers wore high heels, I fidgeting in my pew.  Is that really okay?  More to the point...why is it okay for a woman to read scripture at the 9:30 hour, but not the 10:30 hour? And why is it okay--even expected--for a woman to pass the trays sitting down, but not standing up?

Recently, I was the only woman at "Prayer Night" along with 4 men.  We discussed prayers that God had answered and spiritual needs of our congregation that we would be praying for later in the evening.  I brought up a few items to put on the list and discussed freely and openly with the men what would be included in our prayers.  I even took notes to bring to the next meeting, for the sake of efficiency.  Women are good at that.  When it was time to get down to business, the list was divided between the 4 men.  I can speak ABOUT prayer, but can't actually PRAY out loud?  They can't listen to a woman addressing God?

Just wondering.

Inside Out

I just returned from my first, but certainly not my last, ZOE Conference.  Since I blog about a lot of insignificant and superficial trivia in my life, I feel compelled to let you in on the very significant weekend I just experienced.  But I'm so filled up I don't even know how to begin to describe it.  I'm overwhelmed by a God that masterminded the direction of paths in my life that led to this opportunity.  I am convinced that no words on a blog post could do justice to the feelings that are welling up in my heart.  From the spirit-filled praise and worship segments, 

to the amazing speakers who showed me things in the Bible that I had never seen, to the incredible people with whom I shared 18 hours of van time, meals, fellowship, fun (among other things that are just between Brenda and me).

Here's the Readers' Digest version in pictures:

SHARING TALENTS:

Linda has magic hands.

Brenda can put her foot behind her head--impressive.

She can also pick her nose with her tongue.  Could come in handy.

We let Alice think her deformity is a talent.

We're kind like that.

Terry, the man of many talents, resorts to props.

SHARING THE CONFERENCE:

Rick, Linda, Amy, Wes

Jeannie and Danna

Terry and Lita

Hannah, Brenda, Alice

Our awesome interpreter and Terry's new friend, Teresa.

SHARING MEALS:

Hannah and Shane at Corky's BBQ

Jeannie and Van

Pizza in the Girls' Suite

SHARING A DEEP CONVERSATION:

Wes and Rick

SHARING A MOVIE:

Hannah, Amy and Alice

Linda and Wes

AND SHARING A FOOTBALL GAME:

Good game, bad outcome.

The weekend can be summed up with this praise and thanksgiving from Ephesians 3:20, 21:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.