Hectic Day

I'm back from a long weekend at the beach. It started off REALLY long with Katie having her baby the night before we were to go... but Baby Isabella was born at 4:10 in the morning on our Anniversary, August 31st, weighing in at 7 lbs 6 ozs and 18 1/2 inches long. She was just PERFECT and I am so blessed that I was able to be there to watch the magic happen. Here is a picture of baby Isabella with her proud big sister, Tatiana.



Our friend Michelle came to our house to sit with the kids while we were away for the weekend. She brought them over to the beach Saturday afternoon and they stayed a couple of days with us. Now Michelle is staying with us for a couple days while she moves from Jacksonville to Tampa. It's funny how often I hear her chuckle to herself and then say something about how she's read all about it in the blog, but it's hard to imagine unless you are HERE actually witnessing it.

Last night Michelle ate dinner with us and - of course - there were not enough real 'cups' to go around. We've managed to go through the 36 or so that we bought several months ago, plus the 12 Julie bought a few months ago and the plastic 'extras' we pick up here and there. All nearly gone. So, when she was at Target last night, she picked up a dozen glasses for us. (Thanks Michelle) Someone want to time how long this takes before the kids have broken or lost them all?

Amanda and Gene are here today. They have a pre-marriage counseling session with Pastor Matthew. OMG... In 15 days my daughter will be married. I can hardly believe it.

Oh lordy... Hell is breaking loose at my house right now.

Justin went to a meeting at the school on Thursday for baseball tryouts. They gave him paperwork and told him that he needed to return it all, with a physical, and with paid insurance premiums, on Tuesday.

This was extremely inconvenient to us as this meant I had to get back early enough on Monday to bring him to the walk in clinic to get the physical. I also had to pay for the physical because it didn't allow me enough time to call his Primary Care Physician and make an appointment. But - we get it done and paid for.

This morning, I get up at 5:30 to make sure Jono is getting up. I get up again at about 6:15 to get everyone out the door, and - Justin isn't even there. "WHERE is Justin?" I ask. Everyone tells me that he went to Sean's house (lives down the street) to get his shirt. At 6:30 I go to check on them and see all of Justin's paperwork sitting there. I don't know if he needs to turn it in during homeroom or at practice tonight, but I figure he should bring it with him just in case. But - Justin is not in the house. I ask Kayla to take the paperwork to him at the bus stop.

All the kids leave.

It's now 3:30 and Justin calls to tell me that Kayla left all his paperwork in her locker.

WHHHHHHAAAAAATTTTTT?

I was furious. First of all, I ask Justin why he didn't get it at the bus stop. He never WENT to the bus stop! He decided to catch a ride to school with Sean. Did he get PERMISSION for that? No he did not. Also, Justin KNEW Kayla had it because I called Sean on his cell first thing this morning to let him know to get it from Kayla at the bus stop. Come to think of it, he should have for SURE told me THEN that he wasn't going to the bus stop. Grrrr.....

So, Justin is at home, practice starts at 4 tonight - and he has none of the paperwork that I spent time and money on this weekend. They better hope that the lockers are still open later this afternoon.

It's funny.... I was just thinking this weekend about - in a much smaller scale - how different things used to be. While at the beach, I went to buy laundry detergent. I used to buy the best (in my opinion), Tide with Bleach, because you could use less and it washed very well. I found myself at the store buying what I've purchased every week for the last 2 years, a big bottle of "Extra" that cost $2.99 or so. Then while at the beach, I noticed Michelle's nice toiletries... Paul Mitchell shampoo, a nice smelling mouse, razors. It made me think about what I use now.... Whatever kind of shampoo or conditioner I can get for 99 cents a bottle, no mouse or hair spray myself (it's gone long before I ever get to use it anyways), and disposable razors. The razors... Well... Heck - have you PRICED razors lately? What on earth happened that makes Gillette think that they can get away with charging $12 for a pack of 5 razors?? It's insane. So, yeah, if I'm wearing pants - who CARES if I don't shave? I'm saving money!

But I do find myself missing the 'pamper' part of life that I had before the kids moved in. Not a lot really... But I'd buy acrylic nails, a really good bottle of conditioner that's designed for my kind of hair, and of course razors whenever I wanted.

Yes, God certainly has made it clear to me that it's really NOT all about me; my wants, my needs. Not right now anyways. Give me 4 or 5 years, then we'll see what kind of stuff I can do for myself. Course, by then I'll have four kids in college..... EEK

Julie called today, by the way. She's back in the hospital. Some time I suppose I should try to go back through my blogs and see just how MANY times she's been in the hospital. I do try to blog about it for the most part, at least so you can keep her and the kids in your prayers.

This time she is depressed. They completely changed her medications last time she went in for what was supposed to be 'long term' care. Except that nobody told her the beds were uncomfortable, so she didn't want to stay. Ha ha ha ha. I still get a kick out of that. But truly, if she's going to go into long-term care, she needs to go into it with the right mindset to make the changes she needs to make.

She also has a roommate now. A young mother and her 7-year old daughter. I'm happy that she found someone, I just hope and pray that she will stick to her guns and make sure she's paid. Already the girl didn't have enough money to pay the first month's rent and has lost a job. But again, I hope and pray it'll all be okay.

I suppose the saddest part of talking to Julie today was that she was insistent upon me telling the kids that it wasn't really HER fault that she's going into the hospital. I mean... This is time number what? 200 in 2 years? Does it really matter?

Tonight Chris and I are going to our first Devil Rays game in years. I suppose the last time I saw a Rays game Chris sang the National Anthem. This time we were invited by a friend from Church. His wife got a box with free food, beer and wine. TWIST MY ARM! Ha ha ha ha!!

I've been debating on blogging about a new show that I just love. I think I'm going to do it....

It's called "Saving Grace". I'm hesitant to write about it because it's rated MA on TNT - and if you've not seen it, I warn you, it's racy. Some of the scenes are downright raunchy. So... Why do I love it?

The show is about a woman police detective, Grace. She smokes, drinks WAY too much, and has sex with pretty much anyone. She is terribly lost in this world. She's rough and tough and not about to change for anyone.

One night, driving drunk, she hits and kills a man in the street. She staggers to his body, and laying over him we see her, sincerely troubled for the first time in the show, crying, as she looks up to the sky and says "God help me".

With that, Earl appears. Earl is her 'last chance angel'. He's kinda ugly. Overweight. Teeth a bit rotten. Hand-me-down clothes. Grace of course thinks she's gone crazy and doubts him completely. Earl proves to her through various acts that he is an angel.

I could write about the different things that have happened in the show that I love. But what I love about the show is that it brings God to a very troubled person, and yet it is MILES away from the last 'God series' 7th Heaven. I believe there are more people out there that are more like Grace than there are like me; more people that are looking for something, are troubled, have not been saved.

I love it that the writers were able to make this show a hit without make it as 'fluffy' as 7th Heaven was. This show is edgy. There are many things that I disagree with in the show: mainly I think some of the sex is completely unnecessary. But I appreciate what they are trying to do in the series.

I love the fact that Grace has a cow that she believes has the 'face of Jesus' on the side of him. The message being to find God in the most unlikely of places. I love it that her best friend completely believes Grace has an angel named Earl - and that, as much as she would LIKE to meet Earl, she doesn't NEED to see him to believe he is real. She has faith. And she is really a good girl, a good Christian, who has been there for Grace through many things in her life.

Because of the edgy style of Saving Grace, I'm a Christian woman who is hoping that the writers of this show will keep the show tilted to the Christian side. If you see it and hate it, it's okay. I just have been wanting to share my views of this new show with you.

I'm going to leave you tonight with some lyrics to a song I just heard. Love it....

Never Alone - Barlow Girl

I waited for You today
But you didn't show
No no no
I needed You today
So where did You go?
You told me to call
Said You'd be there
And though I haven't seen You
Are You still there?

I cried out with no reply
And I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I'm never alone

And though I cannot see You
And I can't explain why
Such a deep, deep reassurance
You've placed in my life

We cannot separate
'Cause You're a part of me
And though You're invisible
I'll trust the unseen

I cried out with no reply
And I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I'm never alone

We cannot separate, you're part of me
And though you're invisible
I trust the unseen

I cried out with no reply
And I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I'm never alone