Pink flip flops (no matter how cute)

should not be worn (even if you are wearing a pink shirt)

when mowing a hill! It is . . . a bit dangerous

(and stupid).

But then again, none of you ever do stupid things! :-)

In this far, far away land, it was perfect mowing weather, and since we had this Little Prairie in the Subdivision goin' on in the backyard, I thought I'd attack it. Between the incessant rain and Troy's schedule, we were looking rather trashy. I am actually coming to like the whole mowing scenario (minus that silly hill). The littlest lad even enjoyed my mowing from his post in the stroller. (Yes, yes, calm down - he was far enough away!). In fact, he was thrilled because that boy looooves vacuums, so the mower was like a vacuum on steroids. I am not sure if he ever took his eyes off of it! So, the jungle is gone, we are no longer the talk of the neighborhood, my flip flops are a bit green, my green feet are now clean, my ankle is not twisted and broken, and I just made homemade pretzels and am stuffed!

I'll be serious this time with the Tag game, but I assure you it will be boring compared to the other. :-)

10 years ago, I was eating, breathing, sleeping, in love and looking like this:

On my Today list:

Out of the thirty something things (Yes, I redefine "list woman."), a few are catching up weekend laundry, clean out the van, make a few phone calls, homeschool. . .

Snacks I enjoy:

Fresh fruit, bread, crackers, chocolate

If I were a billionaire:

Give most of it away to the Kingdom of Christ and needy people, give back to those that have blessed us while Troy was in school, buy a home that had lots of land for boys to be boys, set up a food fund so I could continually bake and make meals for people.

3 Bad habits: (We will deny any comments from the blog owner's husband! Thank you very much!!!!)

1. Worrying about the future 2. Not screwing lids on tightly which results in many spills. (And we will leave it at that, dear Troy!) 3. Not brushing my teeth after snacking.

Places I've lived:

Ohio, South Dakota, Indiana, Ohio, South Carolina, ? (Any ideas?)

Jobs I've had:

Right To Life Office, Restaurant, Home Health, Academy Reading Program, House/Office cleaning, Piano teacher, Wife/Mommy (the favorite)

It happens whether we want it or not! The boys keep growing, changing, and slowly needing less of me. Such a bittersweet thing! The middle lad has been showing signs of independence lately. . . A few nights ago, I found him furiously rubbing shampoo all over his soapy head and saying, "Look, Mom, I am a big boy and can wash my own hair!" :-) The following morning he surprised me by choosing his clothing and getting dressed. He was soooo proud of himself. It is a nice thing when your kids can shower and dress themselves, but it also is another step further from you and closer to self sufficiency. Bittersweet. . .

The middle lad and his clothing choice.
The littlest lad trying to get a sample of my Rice Crispies.

After a week of not being on the Internet (and feeling like I was disconnected from mankind), I hopped on the blog trail to find that I had been "tagged" by the sweetest little gal in AZ. (I miss you, Sara M!) Stay on board; you'll discover some unbelievable things about me. Seriously unbelievable! :-)

Helping the government develop the Dept. of Homeland Insecurity (Task force initiated to aid people in getting over insecurity complexes. Americans seem to have boatloads of them!)

- Give Martha Stewart a few tips on gardening.

- Phone conference with Tiger Woods. (I really could help his shot!)

- Munching on napkins (No calories, gals!)

- Fat free water

- Sometimes I get in the mood to visit a salt lick.

I would definitely help needy people such as Bill Gates.

- Gargling with Drano.

- Cutting nose holes in my comforter so I can sleep under the covers without feeling like I am suffocating.

- Force feeding mothballs to the neighbor's cats.

- Timbuktu

- The Past

- Greenland's Icy Mountains

- My Imagination

- Spiritual advisor to Billy Graham

- Assembling dishcloths that never stain

- Airport security job (I wanted to act like a policeman without the training.)

I have recently felt this with my Grandma, and it has been on my mind. Maybe it is because she died five years ago this month. I think of it every year as IHC rolls around. . . I will never forget where I was when the news arrived - right outside the "nursery" of the convention center. I knew it was coming, but it still hit me like a ton of bricks! I loved that woman - my Grandma - "Granny" was what we affectionately called her. I was heartbroken at losing our physical connection, but I was comforted to know she had left her pain riddled body the way she desired - in her own home and surrounded by her children. I have many beautiful memories that connect me to her, but lately I have been in touch with priceless ones!

They have been swirling out of a devotional, and I am seeing Granny in a new light. Not sure how I ever landed the opportunity of owning this, but I am glad it is in my possession. I love this book, and I want my children to feel the spiritual connection to Granny that I do!
She clearly defined what passages spoke to her, and as I diligently scan the pages, I see more of her heart. I love the highlighting, pen marks, underlined words. Her handwriting alone warms me! I was craving to know a possible date of when she read this book!

Yes! I found it! Feb.10, 1978.

Here I am - three decades later and years after she left this world, drawing from Granny's depth! Mary Jane Rollins left a beautiful legacy and loving memories, but now I have this new connection, and I love it!

It has left me wondering if I am leaving a legacy that will connect with my family years later. Oh, I know my boys will be telling their children some crazy stories about their mother, but will they really know my heart?! I think I will do as Granny did and write my spiritual thoughts and longings on the pages of a book. It will be a tangible connection between myself and generations after me.

Along with my grandmother's, I think I'll ask my Mom for one of her devotionals. She probably scribbles in them just as her mother did, and I'd like to read her thoughts, too.

the mice will dig through closets to sort scads of clothing to fit growing boys and pack away others that have become too small. Sniff! That is the sad part!

This job is so huge, and I tend to detest it!!!! It makes such a mess through the bedrooms and hall.
Sometimes it even spills into the living room where I decided to combine two big tubs of arts/craft items, and what couldn't fit in one. . .found another home. Or the trash!
And then there is subject of laundry and washing all that is ready to be worn. Ugh! Through this process I have decided to look at it another way - through the eyes of gratefulness! I am very blessed to have sisters that buy lots of items for my boys, a cousin that sends me things her boys have outgrown or do not need, a gal at church that loads me with little boy outfits, and another gal from PA that sends me lots of clothing, too! Oh, yes, Troy's aunt has been gracious to send boxes of nice pants and shirts! So, the once maybe twice a year plowing through boxes is a little price for the money saved!

five months old! Sigh. . . Makes me sad that time seems to travel at the speed of light! He was my only baby that was born little, but he has not stayed that way. He hasn't been back to the doctor for months, so I do not have an accurate weight. My arm tells me that he is quite heavy! :-) He has been sporting a size 3 diaper for months and is "fittin' right smart" in 6-9 mo outfits. All the drooling has come to fruition - we have spied two bottom "toofers." He has heaps of smiles for his family but still loathes time in front of a camera! (As if you hadn't figured that one out!) He is becoming quite the snuggler, and his Daddy is one of his favorite people. He gets soooo happy when he spies Troy and always turns when Daddy's voice is heard. I have come to discover that he does not like to be passed around to numbers of people and gets very overwhelmed if too many folks fawn all over him. I remember Seth being the same way. Silas is very content to see people from the security of his parents' or Seth's arms. There seems to be a few friends that have moved into his inner circle, but for the most part. . .he's family oriented. Silas has found his hands and has been reaching for all sorts of things and now spends time with toys. He loves to sit and be entertained by his big brothers. Developmentally he seems right on track, but I have noticed his muscles are not as strong as a his brothers' were at this point. We were told to give the lad an extra four week cushion since he was born early.

Enjoy some recent photos of the littlest Castle.

~Mommy and Mr. Sober~

~Daddy's boy~

~Ethan's creation - "King Silas"~

~Is this supposed to entertain me?~

~"I'd rather be eating!"~

~Ethan's "Jonah & the Whale"~

~Boys and their critters~