Rough night!

I'm glad the trees missed our cars (for the most part)!

Icing

Mums on our porch this morning.

Beauty

All the leaves are coated with ice, and every little blade of grass is like glass.

I think we're going to have some firewood....

...we were thinking of trying to get this tree down some day soon anyway. Yikes!

Having a little trouble getting out of the driveway!

May not be able to tell, but my car is completely iced over!

Larry and Roz

Couple that we helped a few weeks ago. I hope they're safely back in South Carolina. They were such great people.

Wee bit of ice

Beautiful yet destructive!

Seth singing at church

He had to be pressed into acolyte service that morning unexpectedly, so he's the boy in the white robe. :)

Happy Veteran's Day

Seth got to carry the U.S. flag for the last Pack Meeting. He did a good job. :)

Where do the leftover pumpkins go?

To the animals! This bear took a big bite out of it right after I snapped this picture.

Cougar + Pumpkin = Fun

This big kitty played with this pumpkin like a regular cat plays with a ball....it was great! He (she?) batted it around so easily...and that was a BIG pumpkin! (Well, it's a big cat....)

Horseriding

At the church's fall carnival...Seth said he enjoyed it!

Cooking Cubs

Slicing the carrots they learned to peel. :)

Venting

I'm in a mood. Just a few random thoughts:

1. Just saw a commercial from some soccer association pushing soccer (again). Americans like watching football, not soccer. Get over it.

2. If people are going to write, why don't they learn the difference between "lose" and "loose". Please. What IS that all of a sudden?!

3. Don't get me started on apostrophe usage.

4. If you have a volunteer that is teaching/taking care of your kid, please be grateful for their time.

5. Why the HECK does it cost so much for (plastic) replacement parts for VWs??

6. Hang up and drive. Period. I could have had a guy in a huge SUV buy me a hospital stay and a new car the other day...he blew right through a red light in front of me. Unbelievable. Didn't even look.

7. I wish some people would realize the world doesn't revolve around them.

8. Pro Sports Players and Military/EMT/Policemen/Firemen's salaries should be switched.

9. Yes, it's policeMEN. If you're a woman, you're a policewoman, yes. But if it's plural, it's policemen. Get over it.

10. Ditto to actors, chairmen, etc. I'm so sick of political correctness. I love people and all are equal, but please get over all these labels!

11. I'm sick of smugness.

12. Your job may stink, but your attitude doesn't have to...it's called customer service for a reason. (I sound like Larry Winget!)

13. I hate that people in my own town are afraid of where their next meal will come from, while idiots like Paris Hilton continue to hemorrage money for stupid stuff.

14. And no, I'm not a socialist, I just don't like suffering or vapid people.

15. Hillary for president makes me yack. I fear for the future of our nation. Remember Whitewater, Rose Law Firm, etc.

16. I honestly believe people like Michael Moore love this country, but I disagree with their tactics. Sorta like PETA - idea is good, tactics are questionable.

17. I hate throwaway electronics....can someone please make something that will last over 3 years?

18. I'm sick of all the competition at the elementary school level. Nobody wants to play for fun anymore...you have to be world champions at everything. Can't anyone just shoot baskets for fun?

19. What the heck is UP with all the homework in elementary school? Are you kidding me? An 8 year old shouldn't have an hour and a half of homework. It's ridiculous and priming them for burn-out.

20. But of course, you can't NOT do it...you're expected to have everything perfect for little Johnny and Susie or you're a bad parent.

OK............now I feel better. I'll now counter with good stuff:

1. I love gemstones. They don't have to be expensive to be beautiful. Since diamond is my birthstone, I've adopted the peridot as my stone since 1) I love green and b) they're cheap and 3) I got married in August.

2. I love coupons and sales. Nuf said.

3. Big fat purring cats that snuggle against you when you're sad.

4. Getting good service at a restaurant...I tip well, but if that actually happens, I REALLY tip well.

5. pizza

6. chocolate

7. Dr Pepper

8. really good salads and soups

9. old pictures that bring back good memories

10. when someone lets you in when driving on a busy street

11. old churches with stained glass windows

12. clean, fresh sheets after you've taken a shower at night

13. someone who cares

14. needing a pair of shoes and finding several pair on sale :)

15. that one outfit that looks good on you no matter how fat you get

16. hot Constant Comment tea in a pretty cup with toast for breakfast

17. going to a tiny shop that sells English stuff (tea, teapots, English candy, etc.) .. and getting that hard toffee that you have to use the little hammer to break it with. Oh MAN that's good stuff.

18. having a little boy that is kind and empathetic and funny

19. having a husband that will order pizza for you when you have a bad day

20. having a mom that will listen to your gripes and understand, and a dad that can fix anything

I feel so much better now....thanks for "listening"!

Link to my little choir's performance

Hardest yet most rewarding thing I do....direct the Littlest Lambs Choir at church! There were only about 4-5 kids last year - for some reason this year there's 22!!! WOW! I have a wonderful helper (who is a teacher in real life) and great youth helpers, too. It's exhausting, but a look at this video shows why I do it. :) Their ages range from 2 to 6.

http://www.fumcowasso.org/vidworship/media.htm Click on Vocal Choirs and then choose Littlest Lambs 10-14-07.

New glasses!

Seth enjoyed looking around at everything....and seeing so CLEARLY!

My little nut

I'd left an empty bin out, so Seth decided to put blankets in it and use it as a bed. *sigh*

Strong winds last night

To the right is a tree from the picture below, and past our mailbox, down the street, another big tree was hit...not sure if that's really clear from the picture. The city worker said that a whole bunch of trees were down in the older part of town. I didn't know the winds were that bad, but Seth and I were watching Nightmare Before Christmas. :)

View from our porch this morning

Not sure if this picture really conveys it - two BIG trees were blown down last night across the street during storms. Amazingly, our trees were okay.

My trophy from the car show

I won "Pastor's Choice" since I was in the spirit of the Pumpkin Patch! Yay!

"Using Tools"

The boys work on building a tool box for their Bear badge.

Indian Territory Map

Seth LOVES maps, so he looked at this one quite a while!

Seth was fascinated by the player piano

Crazy kids!

At the local museum (after the tour). These guys have SO much energy!

"Carrying the Light"

I'm so proud. :)

Seth's First Time as an Acolyte

He did an AWESOME job! He was absolutely perfect! And as a bonus, he had his buddy Mitchell there as a fellow new acolyte. (Does that mean they were neophyte acolytes? Hmm. I'm a poet and didn't know it.)

Littlest Lambs - first day

I think I'm in for a heck of a year.....yikes! I'm glad I had them try on the robes. Aren't they cute?!

First Den Meeting of the Year

The first of many Bear Den meetings (Seth's in the hat). They did great! They'll get their Bear neckerchiefs at the first pack meeting next week.

Crazy Cousins!

Seth and Nicky horsing around at Sugarloaf! "You have one eye!" "So do you!"

Uncle Jerry's House near Atlanta

Seth was so glad to finally see his cousin Nicky again!

At Elvis' House

Not Graceland, but his first house where he was born, in Tupelo, MS. From our vacation. :)

Score!

He got to make a score on his last time up at bat! Good way to end the season.

Best Part of Baseball Season

This was from about a month ago - Seth wanted to complete his "collection" of trophies - he had a football, basketball, and soccer one, but no baseball. WELL after a few LONG weeks of HOT practices and games, he got his trophy! I think he's officially done with sports for quite a while now!

AWESOME weekend

Ok, so OU finally SPANKED Miami (I've been waiting for that for 20 years!!!!!!!!) - my little boy was an acolyte for the first time and did GREAT, and I went to a great prayer and healing service at church.

I feel so renewed! Pictures to come soon. And if you're on the Black family side, I PROMISE to get pictures to you all SOON!

Vintage Seth

Whenever I feel "down", I can look at this picture and be happy. :) I don't know if you can tell, but he's really splashing with his arms. I called this picture "splish splash". Things were really simple then.

Sheesh

Ok, so I was SO excited about us saving an extra $300 to pay towards our credit card this month! Yay, right? Hardly any eating out - no shopping, etc. We did it!

Well, on the day we were going to pay it, the garage door broke ($135), my a/c in my car broke (it's still broke, don't know how much it'll be), and I found out at the dentist I need a crown (over $400).

*sigh*

Again......*sigh*.

It's gotta get better, right?

Back to School Celebration at Church

Students are getting encouragement for the school year.

Blessing of the Backpacks

Neat back to school thing they did at church. Everybody going back to school (even adults) go up with backpacks and everyone gets "blessed" and they all got keychains to put on their backpacks. The kids really loved the keychains as you can see.

Nutty kids!

Seth and his buds at a Cub Scout swim party.

First Bible

Seth got his first real Bible last week. It's really nice and has lots of maps and pictures! It's a New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) which is what we have and what the Methodists tend to use around here. Really easy to understand...much different than my first Bible (that I bought with my own allowance on October 31, 1976!). Mine is a KJV but it *does* have neat pictures. :) The Bible I use now has a dusty pink cover and is a "Life Application Bible". Can't remember when I got it, around 1995, but it's seen a little wear. Which I guess is a good thing!

My Big Boy!

Here he is, my third-grader. Wow! He looks so "mature"!

Bus Boy

First ride to school on a bus. He goes to his old school and gets on a bus to ride it to his new school. Those lucky "gifted" kids get to do this. *sigh* He really likes his new school...he found his best buddy at recess, so it was a successful day. LOL

Good grief, look how long his legs are!

History of First Days

First Day of School....Third Grade (today)!!


Second grade....

First grade....

Kindergarten.

WOW! He's grown up so much since then!

On top of Stone Mountain (Georgia)

Way cool! Can see Downtown Atlanta in the background - and the rain that will hit in a minute or two!

Me and Dionne!

Oh no! We're baaaack! What a pair! It was SO good to see her....she's still an awesome chick. This is the only part of the reunion I went to (the HS tour) but I'm so glad I went!

Good Vintage Seth Photo

I know I haven't kept up with current stuff as much as I'd like, so here's at least something from the archives. :) He was about 2 at the time, and this was at the Tulsa Zoo.

Easter

My boys

I couldn't be prouder. :)

Our Newest OU Graduate in the Household!!

I'M SO PROUD!!!!!!!! What a handsome graduate!

I got me a payin' job!

Well, I did it! I accepted a job at my church as their Communications Secretary. I absolutely LOVE IT and I'm glad I stepped out of my "comfort zone" and took the position. It's SO cool to serve at church but actually get PAID FOR IT!! Woohoo!

This is a big deal for me....I haven't worked at a "desk job" for like, 12 years! I mean, I've done modeling and worked at an agency, but as far as a "real" job....wow, it's been YEARS. Well, there's been my little mystery shopping gigs - but that's not a steady thing and not like that pays the bills or anything. LOL

I am SO blessed I almost feel guilty! Note the "almost" - I've been really working on myself and feel like I'm finally coming into my own. I'm doing a lot for the church as a volunteer (and will keep doing it) - busy with Scouts, husband going to college, helping with freakish homework, and then trying to actually find time for myself to learn new instruments, read random books, etc. Hey, I deserve this! heehee

It's weird - I thought I'd be completely bats if I ever started working again. (I say that - I've never "worked" so hard being a mom, Scout leader, choir director, misc. church volunteer, etc. I mean, working for pay, of course!) I don't feel stressed at all - well, I'm up at church all the time anyways, so it feels pretty natural to me. And it's like, maybe, 5-10 minutes away.

There's my news. Ken's news is that he graduates May 8th from OU. Well, he'll walk at the ceremony, but he'll have to finish up his project before he gets his diploma and is officially a graduate. I'm proud of him and I know it's been REALLY hard, but it'll be worth it. He's got a 4.0 and will get to wear some sort of honor "hood". I didn't get to do that for college graduation (guess I partied too much, LOL) but I remember now doing the whole honor graduate thing at high school. That was neat - worked hard and you got something to show for it. Ken's really awesome for working SO hard and doing such a great job at his classes. Who says they have a 4.0 from college - especially at OU?!

Anyways, there ya go.

My Confirmand :)

This is from our church website:



2007 Confirmation Class nears completion.

Class participant reading scripture.

This is the young lady that asked me to be her "friend in faith" as she goes through confirmation. She reminds me a lot of myself at her age. She is an awesome little chickie and I hope we're friends for a really long time. :)

ACK! I volunteered for more stuff!!

Ah, Cub Scouts, gotta love 'em! I'm going to be the Pack 840 secretary (well, one of two, the job is split up). *sigh* Actually, it's not that big of a job, and it's something I like to do.