Refresh. Regrow. Renew.

Here is a different version of Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer. The interesting part is that this is a Christian band. Enjoy!

"Happiness is not in the mere possession of money;

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Daddy and the kids with funny faces

We love each other, but only because daddy says so!

Hiding from the camera . . .

Gotcha, Cutie!

Hiding again . . .

Peek-A-Boo

I wanna play!

Peek-A-Boo!

Let me show you falling dirt!

Benny practically knocked the engineer over trying to give him the ticket.

Choo Choo

A curious goat.



A Picture Perfect Pony

Hungry Sheep, Smelling Donkeys, Hyperactive Pig

The view was beautifully rustic!

Life has got me spinning. Not out of control but definitely spinning. It seems that the country's current economic struggles are finally impacting my husband's company. His work has always confused me but basically he works in the corporate level of a new automotive company which is doing really great. People love the atmosphere and the efficiency of car care. The problem is that the funding company which has built the company is being asked for repayment of loans due to the country's struggle. In order for the owner to keep the company running and pay the bills, he just sold all his retail property and layed off over half of the corporate employees. Fortunately, my husband's position is secure due to his extreme involvement with the company's training and computer programming. However, without the funds to keep the company growing, it will fail - even if the company is successful. His job is safe for now but it means that he will be working more than an hour from home, he won't be able to take his planned vacation at Christmas and will probably be out of a job in a few months.

This will be the second failed company that we have been with which makes this all the more difficult. We both had high hopes for this to work, which it still could, but its sad that it probably won't make it. In light of the terrible news, I can't help but be thankful. I am thankful that I have a wonderfully talented husband. I am thankful that we have children. I am thankful that we have a job and job opportunities if this does fail. Not everyone is so fortunate. Tim works with a sweet woman who has almost lost everything. Her husband is dying from brain cancer and has started to forget her. They have no children and she just lost her job. My husband's boss has actually kept her employed so she can keep her insurance for her husband's medical bills. She is such a sweet woman and I just want to wrap my arms around her, if only to take it away for a moment. How can I feel bad about our predicament when she is struggling so much? I still feel down about our situation but I am thankful for what we do have. We will have to cut back on spending, perhaps skip or shorten our trip to disneyworld next year and perhaps homeschool the kids full-time but at least we have each other.

A day without laughter is a day wasted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW02c5UNGl0

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1. I can't control what comes out of my mouth!
2. I want to dance on the table and with my tummy pooching out . . . well, I just might make you hurl.
3. I am a light weight and get killer headaches after one mimosa. Lovely!
4. Memories of my past come back to taunt me. (why am I asleep in my fruit loops?)
5. I threaten to steal my friends babies and I am sure they wonder - hmmm . . . that Kat girl is a bit crazy but does she really want my baby. Hopefully they will know that the answer is probably not. :-0

Doh!

It has been consuming my every waking moment leaving me overflowing with giddiness much like a pimply teenager. Before I confess though, I must address the obvious issue . . . my wonderful husband. I love him more than anything and never would I even dream of other men because he fills my every need and is willing to fill those that are running low. Having said that, I have another guy who has captured my devotion! 2008 American Idol, David Cook! He just released his first video last week and I have probably watched it 3-4 times a day since then. As depeche mode said, I just can't get enough. I didn't start out liking him with his weird haircut but as his talent (and hair) evolved throughout the show, he won me over. His song was released a few weeks ago but it wasn't until I saw the video that I fell in love with it.

Mmmmm . . .

Sorry, I got distracted by his eyes. Shake it off, Kat!

His performance was really good but I have always been a sucker for any good looking rocker who can sing with this quiet intensity. He really is talented and I can't wait to see how his album does in the charts but even if no one likes him, I will always want my Cookie! Hee Hee!

(I still love my hubby more, but it would be cool if he sang me a song like that!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP5fBx8JLoQ

"Once upon a time in a faraway land there was a tiny kingdom, peaceful, prosperous, and rich in romance and tradition.“
––Narration from Cinderella

William Shakespeare, perhaps working on Hamlet.

You thought I was kidding, didn't you.

The giant swing.


Loving the llama!


Our Princess.


The elephant.


My new favorite picture.



And they all lived happily ever after.




Until, the evil brother stole his sister's headdress and laughed, Ha Ha Ha!


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This year's election has been thoroughly trampled by our society but I still feel the need to address it. I may not agree with McCain's Iraq plan. I don't know much about economics but Obama's plan doesn't thrill me, I don't think McCain is right about homosexual rights, I don't agree with some of Obama's pro-choice views. But, I truly do believe that they both would do an excellent job as president, regardless of their political stance.


So why is it that I have to receive Obama Hate Mail every time I open my email. It drives me crazy. OK, here it is! I recently received a terrible email from a very, very dear friend of mine and I pray that she does not believe this hype. This email describes past events that were caused by the direct hand of various radical Muslims and naturally the author must continue his nauseating babble with the qualifications for the anti-christ which amazingly enough both fit Barack Obama. It amazes me that people read this and accept it as fact without asking one single question. After simply reading the Left Behind series it is clear to me that Obama can hardly fit the anti-christ profile, except of course for the middle eastern background. The hatred was emanating from this anti-Muslim email which attacked Obama for his father's background as a Muslim, not a radical Muslim, not even a practicing Muslim at that. What has Obama done that is so terrible? He is just another democrat seeking a powerful position with a wife and family just like McCain. If you are curious about the email, I was able to find a paper that displayed the email and gave an excellent response to it. It is lengthy but very interesting.

For the record, I like both candidates, but I am leaning towards Obama strictly because the McCain/Palin team does not invoke much confidence with Palin's lack of experience and McCain's age. I also feel that Obama would listen and take the advice given from his cabinet, where McCain would cowboy up and do what ever he felt was best.

So please go vote and make your choice on the issues and not on vicious rumors. November 4!

If the last week was a measure things to come over the next month, then I may need medication. I recently signed up to be a group leader at our local MOPS organization which only seems natural since I have been part of it for so long and a perfect place to test my leadership skills, if I have any that is. Our first goal was to inform and invite as many moms as possible to join. So we stand by a table outside the children's ministry handing invitations to any mom we see and talk to them about it. In between moms, we leaders naturally chit-chat about unimportant things when the wonderful mom organizing everything informs us of one of MOPS traditions through our church. It seems that the leadership team falls victim to various troubles the week prior to the first meeting. I usually dismiss these sorts of claims because more often than not these are just easily dismissed events that have been connected together when they really don't connect at all. Having said that, my week really sucked! Benny turned into a vomiting volcano as I was waiting in a car line to pick up Tiffany. It was everywhere. Fortunately, I had extra clothes on hand but his car seat was disgusting so I moved him to Tiffany's and had her ride without a car seat. This made her cry even though she has been wanting to sit without her car seat for weeks now. On the way home, Benny started again but I was able to catch it with a plastic bag and still managed to steer the car. He didn't throw up again but he sure was tired and cranky the next two days. Tiffany also chose this time to be a defiant child who seems to know what is best for her and I apparently know nothing. It didn't help that I couldn't sleep during this time either. We were all cranky! Then I get terrible news, Tim's dad was in the hospital with what can only be described as a minor cardiac event. Earlier this year he underwent two separate brain surgeries where we thought that we may lose him and here we go again. Fortunately, he is responding to medication but they are thinking of putting a stint in a clogged artery. We are hopeful, but we will be glad when he is back home. After this week, I will never doubt our wonderful MOPS leader again. It really was a terrible week, but our first MOPS meeting was great!

Fourteen days without electricity. Fourteen days of entertaining children. Fourteen dark nights full of monsters. Fourteen days of mosquito bites. Fourteen days without air conditioning. Fourteen days waking up with tears wondering if I will make it another day. The last two weeks has been like walking along a narrow precipice, at times you are on steady ground and others you are struggling not to fall. I yelled at my children more than usual these last two weeks but I always managed to steady myself before falling off the edge. They have been miserable with their mosquito ravaged bodies wondering if there really are monsters in the dark waiting to devour them. The only monster was the one I was trying to keep from coming out of me. I struggled with bouts of depression over the last couple of weeks but once we saw those glorious lights come on, we were rejoicing and dancing with happiness. We made it fourteen days and I honestly think, I could have done more but I am glad that I didn't have to find out. I took the children to lots of places where they could safely play and entertain themselves leaving me to write out my feelings and experiences. I will be posting some of what I wrote and some pictures I took, but first I must clean my carpets.

The house was old but new to us. I hated it with a wild fury. Our old house was nothing fancy but its where I learned to climb a tree, to ride a bike, how snow felt, how to sneak out, to get drunk without letting anyone know it and many other skills that don't need mentioning. It was a nice house in a nice neighborhood with nice people. It was close to the river where I would escape my mother. This new blue house was not in a neighborhood, it was right off a highway and across from a bar. There were no nice people. It was much bigger which gave my mom more space to pretend to sort through and organize all of her moth eaten valuables given to her by her crazy mother who wouldn't get rid of it either. The house came with a bigger yard for all of our animals which meant that I would have more grass to cut on those hot Texas days. Our only neighbors were the sheep from a nearby farm and the speeding cars that seemed to laugh as they drove by. If you were to get an Aeriel view, the blue house would resemble the letter L. The largest room in the house was the loft room which we filled with maze of useless junk. The maze twisted and turned eventually spitting us out to the bathroom or to the stairs leading up to the loft. That was the short part of the L. The remainder of the house was one long hallway of rooms. The entry room. The living room. The laundry room. The kitchen. The dining room. This room was strange; perhaps it was an afterthought in the mind of a lunatic. It had a storm door with three stairs leading down to the mismatched linoleum, an out of place yet elegant chandelier with one door leading to the back yard and another door leading out to the carport. There were also ugly sliding glass windows that opened to the kitchen. Next came the bedrooms. Nothing remarkable until the last room of the house. This is the master bedroom with stairs that lead down to the closets and a puke green bathroom. The ceilings were ridiculously short in this room especially the shower where claustrophobia would overwhelm the bravest of people. This became my room.

Our first night in our big, blue house was memorable to say the least. Mom was asleep in the living area in a sleeping bag on the floor. Next to her was the laundry room door with a mattress leaning against it. She has always slept on the couch, never in her room. Now she reduced herself to a sleeping bag. I stopped asking why. All six of our grumpy cats are in the laundry room. My younger sister is decorating her room while listening to The New Kids On The Block. They apparently have the right stuff for my sister. Their faces litter her walls which turns the bile in my stomach everytime I walk by. This first night I am in the hallway by my sister's room since she has the only air conditioner in this part of the house and I am being disobedient. The night before I was caught in a compromising situation with my boyfriend and was forbidden to talk to him. Naturally, I call him as soon as mom falls asleep. Queen Toni was purring quietly nearby when BOOM! I look up to see that the mattress where my mom is sleeping has turned orange with flames and the laundry room door is barely hanging on its hinges. I am shocked to see that my mom is still asleep. I run over to her, shake her so hard I feel as though she will break. Finally she wakes up, sees the fire and leaps to attention. She attends the fire and I run to my sister who is in shock. I grab her arm and my cat while running to the door. We jump in the car and drive it up to the road away from our house. We sit in our car watching the firefighters work. My sister is hysterically screaming for the New Kids. Our crap house is on fire, flying cats were shot out of the laundry room and are possibly dead or dying, our mom is running around like a headless chicken and my sister is screaming for a stupid boy band. (I would say music group but that's just needless flattery). I am calmly petting my cat watching the blazing fire fighting to survive.

The fire is contained before spreading to the rest of the house and eventually we find all of our cats, singed but undamaged. Sadly, the house was rebuilt and we remained to suffer. I eventually moved to Oklahoma and my mom bought a house. I drive by the blue house whenever I visit my mom and I always think back to this night and how truly funny it was.

"Mommy, I want to be a doctor when I grow up!" announced Tiffany

(getting her doctor kit together)

"Daddy, I'm a doctor and its time for your check-up."

(pretend coughing)

(check-up begins)

"Well Daddy, you look just fine. I have to go now."

"But I'm still sick!"

"I'm sorry, I have to go."

"But your a doctor so can you make me better."

She pats him gently, "Sorry, I have to go now."

So much for that bedside manner. See you later, Dr. Tiffany!

Here is a glimpse into August insanity

It seem ridiculous to mourn my daughter's first day of PreK, but I just want to curl up on the couch and suck my thumb until it is time to get her. I am proud that I made it through the day without any tears as did Tiffany. She was nervous but brave and I know that she will love it. I too will love it after I get through this first day. Until then, I will watch some sad movie so I can justify my tears. To end this on a high note, I did have a great time choosing which records to display on my new shelf in the living room. That would have been less fun with Tiffany at home. Ok sad movie, here I come.

We had our "Meet the Teacher" night for our sweet girl who is growing up way too fast this past Thursday. Tiffany has been so excited these last couple of weeks to meet her new teacher, we have even been painting a small wood box to give to her new teacher, but when we got there she got teary-eyed and was scared to talk to her. It was really strange because Tiffany is so eager to talk to people about anything to anyone. I really liked her teacher and I know Tiffany will also. I am now beginning to feel the Kindergarten moment and it is a year too early. Because we are sending her to private school for the PreK program and there will be no change when she starts Kindergarten next year, I feel as though my baby is going off to school for the first time. We have car lines, detentions, report cards, lunchrooms to contend with this year. What am I supposed to do with that? I feel overwhelmed with all this information and in addition to that, this university model school gives me the added responsibility of educating Tiffany two days a week. I am excited about playing an interactive role in her education but I can't help but worry about my ability to teach her well or maintain some level of organization so she can effectively learn.

It's All Too Much!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkgV5yMw19o&feature=related

There is an interesting project that I have been working on. I recently met a woman on myspace who is doing really great work in the Czech Republic. She teaches English to the Czech students and has a project to help teach her kids. Its the Flat Stanley Project. In the book, Flat Stanley, Stanley was sleeping in bed when a bulletin board fell on him and made him flat. In addition to many other wonderful adventures, Stanley was put into an envelope and mailed to family and friends who took him to different places. The project is to make a flat version of yourself and send it off to people who will take pictures with it and mail it back to you. I had never heard of it prior to this awesome woman who is having kids from Czech and the US do the project to help the Czech kids learn English. What an awesome idea! Tiffany and Benny both made flat versions of them selves and they are currently on their way to the Czech Republic, I included the pictures below. The woman's name is Awesome Amanda (my title for her) and is a missionary so if you are looking to give financially to someone, I believe that she is worth it so check her out here.

Flat Benjamin, who obviously required a small level of assistance.
Flat Tiffany. She asked that flat Tiffany have pigtails and flowers on her dress, so that was my contribution. She didn't think she could do fingers but I think hers are excellent. Just before this, she got a cut on her lip so the circle on her mouth represents that boo boo. You may also note the brown spots on her face, these are in fact oversized freckles. She cracks me up!
Tiffany and Flat Tiffany