Do The Next Thing

A poem quoted by Elisabeth Elliot

At an old English parsonage down by the sea, there came in the twilight a message to me.
Its quaint Saxon legend deeply engraven that, as it seems to me, teaching from heaven.
And all through the hours the quiet words ring, like a low inspiration, 'Do the next thing.

Many a questioning, many a fear, many a doubt hath its quieting here.
Moment by moment, let down from heaven,
time, opportunity, guidance are given.
Fear not tomorrow, child of the King,
trust that with Jesus, do the next thing.

Do it immediately, do it with prayer,
do it reliantly, casting all care.
Do it with reverence, tracing His hand,
who placed it before thee with earnest command.
Stayed on omnipotence, safe 'neath His wing,
leave all resultings, do the next thing.

Looking to Jesus, ever serener,
working or suffering be thy demeanor,
in His dear presence, the rest of His calm,
the light of His countenance, be thy psalm.
Do the next thing."

So, um....What's Your Sign?

Here's a hat tip to MFS over at Mental Multivitamin. Her post today had me laughing, and thinking about how much simpler life would be if stupid people wore signs letting us know that about them in advance.

Enjoy "Here's Your Sign" !

Now please excuse me while I go find mine. I know it's around here somewhere......

Regrettable Hairstyles.

Here's a great site that lists the 50 worst hairstyles of all time. They've posted great examples. I even remember when some of them were considered "cool!"

Alphabet Meme about Me, me, me.

A is for Age - 34
B is for Booze - Wine coolers only. Sometimes. Once or twice a year, maybe.
C is for Career - Mother
D is for Dad’s name - Frank
E is for Essential Items to Bring to a Party - Caffeine Free Coke
F is for Favorite Song at the Moment - Mambo #5 (As sung by Bob the Builder. How sad.)
H is for Hometown - Boise, ID
I is for Instrument You Play - A very little bit of piano..
J is for Jam or Jelly You Like - raspberry preserves.
K is for Kids - Three blessings :o)
L is for Living Arrangement - Raised ranch, three bedroom, 2 baths
M is for Mom’s Name - Ellie
N is for Names of Best Friends - Yes, I know my best friends' names.
O is for overnight Hospital Stays - Three births, one serious bout with pneumonia in 1986.
P is for Phobias - Fire, so much so that I've never learned how to light something with a match. It's only as an adult that I can be in the same room with flame without getting a stomachache and jitters.
Q is for Quote You Like - "Do the next thing." (Quoted often by Elizabeth Elliot
R is for Relationship That Lasted Longest - Other than siblings, I have been friends with Dana since1988. M. and I have been married for nearly 13 years.I've been friends with Julie and Melissa for 10 years or so.
S is for Siblings - One sister and two brothers.
U is for Unique Trait - I can touch my nose with my tongue.
V if for Vegetable You Love - Artichokes!
W is for Worst Trait - I'm a perfectionist, but more demanding of others than of myself. *Sigh*
X - is for XRays You’ve Had - Teeth, arm, and lungs.
Y is for Yummy Food You Make - Lasagne, Beer Cheese Fondue, and Beef Stew.
Z is for Zodiac Sign - Scorpio, but I don't believe in astrology.

Please feel free to take this to your site to answer. Or post your answers in the comments section.

My Decorating Dilemma

Alaska and Puppdaddy have inspired me to get the projects done that I have been putting off. I kept waiting until I had a large window of time to complete them, and then never did. ‘Cause, you know, I don’t encounter large windows of free time very often. But, being ever optimistic, I kept expecting them to appear. However Alaska and Chris have managed to paint their entire house, and turn the garage into a man-cave (i.e. testosterone central) in the midst of moving across the country, unpacking, home schooling, and exploring their new community. The amount of work and energy they display put me to shame.

SO! I went to both Home Depot and Lowe’s gathering supplies. Last fall I re-finished and re-painted our kitchen table. So soon I will touch-up paint and put on a coat of polyurethane. In the meantime I sanded, stained, and polyurethaned a small bench that we’ve had since Boise.

I also got supplies to paint the boys’ room. While I’ve been painting, their room has been off-limits. Colson’s been sleeping in the playpen in our bedroom. Brogan and Braden have been camping out in our office. They weren’t too thrilled at first, but now I don’t think they’ll want to leave. They discovered that I can stream kids’ story programs and kids’ radio over the internet, so they can listen to stories and music as they fall asleep. Now they’re spoiled.

Anyway, my next project will be painting the kitchen. Maybe the living room too. But I can’t decide how to do this. Maybe someone will have a good idea. See, the kitchen and living room are next to each other, and they’re separated by an entryway. So how do I paint them different colors? There’s no clear starting/stopping point for the paint. I want the kitchen bright and cheery, and the living room a little calmer. I’ve posted pictures below.
Any ideas on how to solve this?

This is taken in the kitchen, looking into the living room.

This is the view from the living room looking into the kitchen.

This is my messy kitchen.

Camelot – ‘Tis a Silly Place

We’re studying the Middle Ages in school, and have just finished the Battle of Hastings. We’ve started learning about the feudal system, and are reading Robin Hood. While googling fun Middle Ages thing on the internet, we found this adaptation of a scene from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” Fantastic, and it’s been enjoyed by all the boys.

Need a New Numa Numa??

Something happened with the link in the Numa Numa post below. So here's another link to another site. Cross your fingers!

Numa Numa

**UPDATE** Robin sent a video of the Numa Numa song animated by Legos. Very cute! Colson was mesmerized!

Numa Numa with Legos

One More Reason to Love These Guys.

Braden and I first discovered the Wiggles several years ago on the All New Captain Kangaroo television show. Not a great show, by any stretch of the imagination, but these guys that came on to sing from time to time were fun!

Last month, the kids were browsing DVDs at the library, when we discovered that these guys from the Kangaroo show had made a DVD. Wait, they've made many DVDs. And a movie! And they have a tv show! Apparently The Wiggles are a preschool hit. Where have I been?

Brogan wanted to bring home the "Wiggle Bay" video, which was actually not too bad. The songs are simple, catchy and sweet. They're the kind that go 'round in your head all day, which can be good or bad, depending upon the song. While I watched with the kids, I thought about how tired they must be. I mean, they sing and dance throughout the entire thing.

Last week we returned to the library to check out "Wiggle Time" (Colson's choice), and we've been watching it all week. Again, The Wiggles sing and dance constantly. So Brogan and I got up off the couch to join in the dancing.

Oh. My. Word. One song wiped me out. These are not simple, short movements like you'd do in aerobics calsses. These are wide sweeping gestures, and huge jumps! But I've found that this is a great aerobic program that I can do with the boys. Not that they need aerobics, but it's waaaay more fun to do with the kids than by myself. Plus, I'm much more consistent with it because I don't have as many excuses to put it off. (I'll do it at naptime when they're sleeping. No I'll do it after they go to bed. Hmm....maybe tomorrow morning.)

Someone needs to let the Wiggles know about this. This could open them up to a whole new market.

Jay Leno. Look closely at the two photos. Don't Jay and Robbie Rotten look as if they were separated at birth? 

Robbie Rotten from "Lazy Town." Um.....eating a sandwich. But it was the best close-up I could get. 

He has a face that scares small children.

Pepe is one of my favorite Muppets, okay? I found a photo of him and saved it on my computer as desktop background. But one morning at breakfast, Colson was looking a bit worried, and kept nervously looking into our office. After he finished, he walked over to the door and peeked in, but refused to enter the room. Turns out he’s afraid of my picture of Pepe. How does that happen? Pepe’s so small and harmless. (But don’t expect to beat him at a game of poker. “You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em….”)

I think it’s his bug eyes.

Anyway, I’d pick up Colson and go sit with him at the computer, but he would cling to me like a baby monkey (saw one of those at the zoo today, by the way) and refused to look.

Eventually, we found some funny commercials from Long John Silvers that star Pepe. We watched a few of those, and now I think Colson’s desensitized. No more peering around the door frame to see if Pepe’s still there. He’s still cautious, but he doesn’t cling.

Maybe I’ll have to dig out our “Muppets in Space” DVD to watch with him.

Can I Please Brag?

I promise it'll just be this once, then I'll stop.

Wednesday night was the AWANA Award ceremony. Both Brogan and Braden participated this year. (Colson just wore Brogan's Cubbie vest everywhere. He was very sad not to go to Cubbies, but next year he'll be old enough for "Little Lambs" and got a glimpse of them last night.)

Brogan finished his Cubbie book and got his "First Book" award. At the beginning of the year he was so afraid to go to Cubbies that I stayed with him the entire night. The picture taken of him by the Cubbie leader shows a tearful, timid three year-old in a Star Wars t-shirt. By the end of the year, he'd said all his verses and had made some friends. No more tears. He's able to attend class all by himself, and has lots of fun.

Braden finished his first year of T & T by completing his book. He worked very hard this year to memorize 32 answers to 4 questions, reciting at least one backup verse for each question. He completed all the Silver and Gold activities, then began memorizing Ephesians 1 because they'd run out of things for him to do. He memorized over 100 verses in total. Last night, his leader awarded Braden his First Book award, and also a special review pin and certificate, explaining to the audience that Braden was the first 3rd/4th grade boy to recieve the review award in their program.

I'm so proud of both of the boys. They've both worked hard and grown so much this year.

Colson got a set of Hot Wheels cars of his very own to race with Braden and Brogan. 

Colson with his froggy birthday cake. He knew exactly what to do with the candles, and even waited until the end of the "Happy Birthday" song to blow them out. 

It's Important to be Photogenic.

Especially if you're running for the office of the President of the United States. We got a big kick out of these photos. I think you'll find them funny, no matter on which side of the political spectrum you fall. (But they're funnier if you're on MY side!) :)

It's Official!

Colson is two years old today. He's been telling me "no!" and asking "Why?" questions for a couple months now, so for him it's just a technicality. But for Mama, today's birthday is pretty significant. He's now more boy than baby; practically a preschooler. Where did the time go?

He was born in May 2003. Wow. We've changed addresses 4 times since then. We've changed churches 3 times. At least 10 hotel stays. 2 piano teachers. 2 plane rides. 2 family surgeries. Trips through 13 states. He's had a busy life so far!

We celebrated with Baskin-Robbins ice cream cake, which could very well become a Harm birthday tradition now that we live in a state with a 31 Flavors again. We played in our "yard" (read: dirt with a few hopeful blades of grass) and opened presents afterward.

Quite honestly, he has no idea what's going on, or why anyone is telling him "Happy Birthday." But he's playing along, and blew out his candles, and loves to hear us sing the song. He's quite a guy. :)

"Cuke, I AM your father!"

Last night, in anticipation of the upcoming Star Wars frenzy, our family watched the only slightly lesser known Store Wars. It's a fantastic parody of the George Lucas movies, only with better dialogue. The boys loved it, and Braden and I are now competing to see whose "Chewbroccoli" imitation is better.

Numa Numa

Somehow we discovered this short video and it's quickly become one of Colson's favorites. He can imitate many of the arm movements and tries to sing the chorus.....sort of..... c'mon, he's 1! He doesn't do a whole lot of singing, but he can say "Numa Numa!"

This is one of the songs Mallory brought home from Hungary. The video's a bonus. :)

Here are my bubble boys. As you can see, Colson got pretty good at blowing bubbles, rather than drinking the solution. 

Not my preferred way to keep cool, but he seemed to like it. 

He went through nearly an entire bottle of bubbles before mastering the technique. 

I Refuse to Feel Guilty

I kept repeating that phrase as I drove the boys to the zoo. We've missed so much school with both moves this year that I've really been keeping our noses to the grindstone in order to finish this school year before the next one is supposed to start.

But today the weather was gorgeous: warm, sunny, and only slightly breezy. We've discovered that it's a bit harder to judge the weather here. From your window, it might look sunny and beautiful, but once you step outside you discover that the wind is blowing 25-30 miles per hour, and it's too cold to wear shorts and a T-shirt. Or it may look gray and dreary from the window, but once outside you learn it's 80 degrees out and muggy, with not a leaf stirring.

Today was not a day we could, in good conscience, spend inside. We cancelled school and went to the zoo. I felt tremendously guilty about putting off school, until I pulled into the parking lot and spotted 2 school busses parked there. So we joined the government-schoolers on their field trip! :)

We hit 88 degrees this afternoon, and the kids and I played in the driveway after naptime. Our yard is still very much mud, with a few jints of grass scattered about. I couldn't set up a sprinkler for the boys to run through in the yard, so they ran around the driveway while I sprayed them with the hose. The older two loved it, but Colson was afraid of the water. He sat on the shady step and drank, ummm........., blew bubbles.

Happy Mother's Day!

This morning M. and the boys made cinnamon rolls for breakfast. As an extra gift, they were all ready for church on time! Woo-hoo! No waltzing into classes 10 minutes late! It was nice for a change to be in our seats before classes started.

Colson went to the 2 year old's class for the first time, though he's not quite 2 yet. He had fun coloring and listening to a story. He obviously got something out of the Bible storytime, though. We asked him what the story was, and he said, "kee-us. Up. DOWN!" Turns out the story was about Zaccheus, a very wee man who perched in a tree to see Jesus pass by. We taught him the song, and he keeps asking us to sing it. He can even chime in on a couple of words now.

"Zaccheus was a wee little man, a wee little was he.

He climbed up on a sycamore branch for the Lord he wanted to see.

And as the Savior passed that way, He looked up in the tree.

And He said, "Zaccheus! You come down!"

For I'm going to your house today.

For I'm going to your house today."

After church I spent the day shopping. Just me. All. By. Myself. I could browse, and linger, and dream. Sigh! So where did I go and what did I buy? Why, I went to Home Depot of course. And bought paint, brushes, rollers, and polyeurethane. I'm painting the boys' room and re-painting our tables and chairs. I then went to the Jones Store and bought new bedding for the boys' room.

I am officially a mom.

But it was a fun shopping time! :)

Off to the Park

The littles are in the bike trailer heading for the park. The wind appears to have died down enough to make the trip. If it's too windy, the trailer acts as a giant sail on the back of Marc's bike. Poor guy.

Caution: Low Expectations Ahead

If you've come to this blog looking for insight, deep conversation, or thought-provoking posts, prepare to be disappointed. My writings will most likely contain nothing of consequence for ambitious autodidacts. Sorry. Feel free to click over to another blog. Go ahead. I don't mind.

For those of you still here, I'll explain that this site has two purposes:

The first purpose is to provide a place where our friends and family can keep up with our doings. Our family has moved 6 times in the past 4 years. We have friends in all corners of the globe. This will hopefully make it easier to keep in touch and share in each other's happenings.

The second purpose is harder to explain, but it's basically to share with others the things that make me laugh. These could be odd things that happen throughout the day, or odd things I've found on the web. I'm not sure of the Netiquette involved with linking to other websites, so this may or may not happen as I continue the blog. But we'll try. :)

So thanks for coming. As I learn how to work this website, hopefully I'll be able to add pictures of the boys as well. (When I decided to do this, I had no idea I might have to learn code.) Keep checking back for updates.

Blessings,
Hillary