This Where the Nonsense Turns to Makesense

..A large family working to perfect our sweet skills: Loving others, making an impact, parenting on purpose, living simply, and embracing sarcasm.

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Yard Work

Here are some yard pics. This is a before picture. Already our yard is prettier because our neighbors put a white fence between our yards. A little enjoyment for no money at all. We added burning bushes, a burning maple tree, and some flowers and herbs for some color. The Man brought home treasures from the river by way of huge pieces of driftwood that add a nice rustic touch to the front yard. Plus, the association put in a tree by our front sidewalk and as soon as the house next door is finished construction, we will have a gas lamplight out front. We are still adding to it, but our front yard is looking great. The kids and I planted a couple things this morning in hopes of filling the planter box near the front porch including sunflowers, a couple pumpkins, wild flowers and a small mound in the corner for cucumbers.







I love being at the end of the cul-de-sac. All the kids seem to accumulate here.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Pictures at the Park





These pictures make me so happy. I hope you feel the happiness, too. This is my Sam I Am, my baby.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Coming to a Close


This school year for Isabelle has been a great experience. I was so nervous at the start of the year. I have been her teacher for four years officially, and just a regular mom to her for the five years before that. There is always a lot of pressure for moms when we know our fruit is going to be judged. We prayed and prayed for a great teacher. I couldn't help feeling like I was becoming the outsider. After being mom and teacher for so long, I wasn't sure how we would all work together. Then we met Ms. Jasina. Oh how I love her. In fact, if I had a mug for everything I loved as much as her, my mug would say I heart Ms. Jasina. Isabelle comes home regularly saying, "Ms. Jasina totally gets me!" Our prayers were more than answered. I am only sad Isabelle can't have her again next year. I am sure I will be even more neurotic this August when I turn over the next two kiddos. I realize all this sounds a little crazy, but I have put a lot into these guys. It is in my best interest to help them turn out well.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

My Kind of Parenting


I found this article online and cracked right up. One day I will write my own version of Life with George. For those of you who don't actually know, George Dahir is my dad (please always refer to him by his entire name as the rest of us do.) As children, my brothers and I were subject to George Dahir's overly creative need to discipline us. Cleaning walls, writing papers, finding imaginary shapes in the stucco on our ceiling. Ah the memories. Hope you enjoy the article.

Cat and Harlan Barnard have pitched a tent [snicker] in the front drive of their Florida home and erected [REALLY?!] signs, one of which says: "Parents on Strike!".

They say they will stay there until Benjamin, 17, and Kit, 12, start to do their share of the household chores.

The stand-off, in Enterprise, Florida, is being monitored by the police, welfare officers and teachers.

Mrs Barnard said she and her 56-year-old husband, a government social services worker, had tried everything to get their children to act more responsibly.

They tried smiley-face charts, withholding allowances and even sought help from a psychologist.

"We've tried reverse psychology, upside down psychology, spiral psychology and nothing has motivated them for any length of time," said Mrs Barnard, 45.

She said the final straw came when her son failed to offer to help her mow the lawn one Sunday, even though she should have been resting following a medical operation.

"I had already made the decision to do it [strike] then, but I had absolutely no motherly guilt about it," she was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying.


Since Monday, the parents have slept on airbeds in their tent and eaten barbecue meals, only going inside to use the shower.

The children have frozen meals to keep them going inside the house.


The parents say they will stay outside until their children change.
Officers from the sheriff's department have called at the home three times to check on the situation but have not tried to intervene.

One of Kit's teachers also stopped by, concerned after hearing that her parents had left home.

The Barnards' story has been picked up by the media across the US, and they have been inundated with interview requests.

One woman shouted "Good for you! You should put the kids outside!" as she drove past their home, the AP reported.

But others are less supportive. "One woman said I should be ashamed for creating emotional stress on my children," Mrs Barnard said.

"I told her, 'Well, they've been doing it to me for years.'"

The action appears to have angered Ben, who described the strike and ensuing press attention as "extremely inconvenient".

But his sister, Kit, said she understood. "I guess we don't help out as much as we could. I'm going to change."

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

The OFFICE

I can't put into words just how much I love The Office. PB&J, The Dundees, Race for the Cure when it has nothing to do with cancer, The Schrute Beet Farm. Happiness. I am drinking out of my I heart Jim coffee mug right now, getting ready for school, and I had to take a minute to share this special video with you all. Pause the music. Thanks Boardman Brewer.

Monday, May 19, 2008

For the Record

I will be more clear as to when I am asking question about YOU and when I want you to answer questions about ME on my polls. But honestly, if I want to know about you guys, I visit your blogs. If you stalk me and aren't bloggers, could you also send me flowers sometimes, cause I really love freshly cut wild flowers.


In short, usually my blog polls are asking you to respond on what you know about ME.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

The Screwtape Letters-Letter 22


This is an excerpt from C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters. If you haven't read this book, DO IT DO IT DO IT. It is a fictitious collection of letters written from a demon named Screwtape to his nephew, Wormwood. Screwtape is aiding Wormwood in his attempts to corrupt Wormwood's "patient." The girl in the passage is the "patient's" girlfriend.

I hope someTHING somewhere is saying this about me (well, maybe not the virginal part as much):

I have looked up this girl's dossier, and I am horrified at what I find. Not only a Christian, but such a Christian- a vile, sneaking, simpering, demure, monosyllabic, mouse-like, watery, insignificant, virginal, bread and butter miss. The little brute; she makes me vomit. She stinks and scalds through the very pages of the dossier. It drives me mad the way the world has worsened. We'd have had her to the arena in the old days. That's what her sort is made for. Not that she'd do much good there, either. Two faced little cheat; I know the sort, who looks as if she'd faint at the sight of blood and then dies with a smile. A cheat every way. Looks as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth and yet has a satirical wit. The sort of creature who'd find me funny! Filthy, insipid little prude. And yet, ready to fall into this booby's arms like any other breeding animal.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

I can't remember why I came here

I was very excited to get my children into bed, but because that took forever and laundry doesn't appreciate Mothers Day, I took too long and I can't remember why I came here. "My mind is blank. Even now, days later, nothing."

Happy Mothers Day to all of you mothers and single dads.

Friday, May 09, 2008

Answers from the Poll


Again, I thought it was important to give you closure by telling you how much I love basketball. AND by doing that, will mention how much I absolutely hate wrestling, boxing, and homos in shorts. Once while trying to do something useful, I over saw my husband's show of wrestling/boxing/whatever. The ref made the men get up, move to the center of the ring, and made one mount the other. wow. What little respect I had left. I am pretty sure everyone who sports a Tapout logo is a closet case faggot.
Basketball, on the other hand, is dreamy. I love watching it, and if I had any sort of stamina, I would play games other than horse and 2 on 2. When I was a kid, my dad had a court poured in our backyard. This was great for all of the obvious reasons, but also because we were crazy poor. It was the greatest investment in our eyes. And because God blessed us with the hugest yard in our development, we will be pouring our own basketball court in the next couple of months. When I was little, I was the hugest Chicago Bulls fan. Well, I was a Jordan fan, but couldn't help love the others. Cause remember when Jordan and Pippen were the greatest dynamic duo ever placed in God's sport? Horace Grant, Shawn Kemp, Cartwright, Dennis Rodman in all his faggoty flair. These are a few of my favorite names.
I tried to find a picture of my Rodman kicks from high school, but I was unable.
This is a close picture, but obviously I wouldn't have worn these back then as I thought Oakley was a prick.

Monday, May 05, 2008

Monday Funny


A little girl goes to the barber shop with her father.
She stands next to the barber chairs, while her dad
gets his hair cut, eating a snack cake. The barber
says to her, "Sweetheart, you're gonna get hair on your
Twinkie." She says, "Yes, I know, and I'm gonna get boobs, too."

A Change is in the Air (actually a few of them)-ramblings

This weekend I attended my Las Vegas church's 20th annual women's retreat. The theme was In the Garden of Eden and the focus was getting ourselves rooted in what God is intending us to be rooted, get rid of the rotten fruit we are producing, enhance the good stuff, and open our eyes to areas the slimy serpent is tricking us. Many of you know I am drawn to trees so the fact that everything this weekend was centered around the analogy of the tree meant so much to me. On Monday, I was feeling the need to disappear and sort through some things God has been yelling at me. I realize he doesn't normally yell, but every time I respond to his usual gentle pull by putting my fingers in my ears and singing the la la la's, his voice seems to get louder and louder for my clear understanding. SO I got on the phone and began scrambling to plan an out of town trip for the following Friday. God worked out everything! I was on the 6:15 am flight to Ontario Friday morning AND I was signed up to room with my friends. Perfect.

The first night, after strolling IKEA, watching episode after episode of The Office, and giggling to the brink of self urination, we settled in for worship and a teaching about the fruit we are producing. I have heard this teaching many times, but Terry Powell (one of the greatest almost pastor preachers I have ever heard) just has a way of digging in and speaking the truth. She covered our role as women, wives, and mothers and reminded us that cleavage is not actually necessary at church or anywhere outside of the bedroom. I leaned over and tried to convince my neighbor she was referring to me, but nobody was buying it. sigh.

I got the usual goodness out of the teaching with some good reminders. It wasn't a life changing speech for me because I feel God has been dealing with me with this issue for at least a year now, and I have made good strides. At the end, we sang another song and Terry Powell one of the greatest almost pastors said we could come up if there was anything we wanted prayer for. I was up at the front before I realized I was out of my seat. What?! What am I going to ask for prayer about? AHH, maybe I will ask to hear about what God was saying during my la la la's.

I said something like "Can I get prayer so I can hear God more clearly? I feel like he is trying to say something to me, but I can't quite hear. No, that is a lie. I feel like God has been more than clear about something and I have mostly said thanks anyway." After the lady laughed for at least a minute, she prayed for me. It was a good, releasing kind of prayer. She prayed for God to restore even deeper my gift of music and show what my calling is in this area so I can share it and bring glory to God. I felt happy. But then she said, "I feel like God is trying to give you a gift, but you are refusing to receive it. Any ideas?"

siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. Yes, that may be familiar. I cried. A little kid cry when he realizes there is no justification in his behavior. crap. So, I went back to my seat and asked for forgiveness for being lamer than Moses when God asked him to free the Israelites. He forgave me, and I turned my ears on to hear more clearly what I am supposed to do now that I have said yes, cause frankly I am still terrified and tragically under qualified.

The rest of the night was full of laughter and fantastic friends who just get me.

Saturday morning included another good teaching from Terry Powell the greatest almost pastor ever on boundaries. A subject I love. When it was through, we were each given a little paper pamphlet of verses and asked to spend at least an hour alone with God, just being and digging in. We do this every year and I used to feel weird, but it is what I was looking forward to all week. I was so anxious to be alone with God. Let me set the scenery: Calvary College, lake in the center of the grounds, lush trees and California green everywhere, so many trees you can't see or hear any of the surrounding businesses, randomly placed college students playing guitar and worshiping, winding sidewalk trails over what I consider steep hills. I settled on a spot on a grassy hill very near the lake. The breeze was strong, but perfect.
I prayed for my time and for me to find God's voice while I was there. I have stopped asking God to meet me. That is silly. He is here waiting; if I can't find him it is me, not him that is missing. About one minute into my prayer, God gave me a song. I wrote it in my journal and finished it in about 30 minutes. music and lyrics. Thanks again, Tony, for praying for that. I was overwhelmed with my quiet time. I only hope I can find that same sort of quiet at home. I hate to seem pessimistic, but there are just so many noises.
The rest of the retreat was filled with good reminders and laughter to the brink of self urination. I was given very specific areas to work on, accept, and renew. My friends were given real life visuals through moldy fruit and may have gotten tired of hearing the phrase, "hey, I feel like God wants me to tell you something." I hope you don't feel like we ganged up on you Jess. We honestly did not preplan your intervention HA!! I feel God started using my newly discovered gifts right away, and so far I have been obedient. so far. There was all the things you want to find at a retreat: relaxation, confirmation, late night laughter, hot springs, connection, crying, and mostly God. I left with a cold, but still feeling grateful for all of the above.