Midweek Mishmash

Hmm. Newsy post or something Deep and Meaningful? After three years of blogging, I'm still never quite sure what to post... But, it's been a few days since I've been on the blawg, and I have a few minutes. So, this will be a "stream of consciousness" sort of post. Deep and Meaningful will have to wait for another day. Or another blog! (As in... not mine, LOL)

I just realized today that I didn't post my "Monday Menu" this week. {gasp} That's okay... I've been altering it each day anyway. I have my Beloved Plan, but I didn't get a chance to get to the Ethiopian market for the injera (bread) to go with our Ethiopian meal I had planned for tonight. So, I switched it with tomorrow night's yummy-looking Asian Chicken Salad. Then, today's warm, sunny, summer-y weather got me in the mood to grill out turkey burgers, so that's what we're doing after everyone returns home from soccer. While they're at practice I've got eggs boiling for deviled eggs, bbq beans cooking, and Snicker Doodles in the oven. That reminds me... one day last week (after I had posted the list of "Minte-isms") he came up with a new one: He called the oven the "heaven." I thought that was so cute! When we sort of chuckled he corrected himself. (I'd never realized how similar those two words are!) A couple of days later I made some of his favorite cookies, and he was so excited he motioned toward the oven when I was taking them out and said, "Can I just call it the 'heaven?' " Awww! Sweet boy!

Some of you may remember how special my grandmother is to me. I've posted a bit about her over the years, mainly here and here. She is an amazing woman, who has spoken so much into my life and has truly helped shape who I am. Would you please be in prayer for her? She is at my parents' house and not feeling well at all. She has made several trips here so she can go the doctor, and they finally did a bone marrow test last week, which we will find out the results of this week. I hate how badly she feels... she is such an active, vibrant woman. Please pray that she gets results this week that her condition is treatable and that they are able to begin a course of treatment so she can feel better and get back to some of her activities. She is such a blessing to so many people! Oh, and please pray for my parents who are doing an amazing job caring for her.

I finally went to the allergist today, after almost two years of increasingly bad allergies and trying to manage them with various OTC allergy meds and combinations of things... Why it took me this long I don't know. If it were one of my kids I would've had them at the doctor the first week! He gave me several prescriptions to "layer" and I go back next week for allergy testing. I hope for some relief soon! I carry a tissue in my hand literally all the time now, and there is constantly one (or more) in the laundry because they are in all of my pockets. I can't imagine what I'd do if I had a job where I couldn't constantly have a tissue in one hand or be seen with a red nose!

Well, here are Luke and I last Sunday, our final night of our church's Awana Club as the coordinators. We've coordinated our club for the past 6 years. I came into that office knowing nothing about Awana, still fresh from directing my last Kids Choir musical (what I did know how to do!). My sweet husband had been asked to be the "Awana Commander," a term that those of you in Awana are familiar with. I had no idea what that entailed or what he would be doing, but I knew it was not a one-man job... meaning, he needed his "help meet" to come on board with him. Over the years we've had up to around 500 kids and 140 or so adults/ volunteers enrolled yearly, so it has been no small job, but we have loved every minute of serving together and have been so, so privileged to work alongside such energetic and innovative leaders. It was not an easy decision to step down at this point, and I guess "stepping down" really isn't the right term... God is moving our cloud, and we feel that it is onward and upward in our journey with Him. It's an exciting time for us as we prayerfully seek His direction for our ministry!

You know, since Minte came home, it seems I really don't blog as much about the older kids as I used to. And you know what? They couldn't be happier about that! Every time I take a great photo of them, or one of them quips something funny or does something noteworthy, they'll shoot me a look and say, "You're not putting this on your blog are you???" I must admit, I would've been completely horrified if my mom had had a blog when I was in middle and high school. So, please understand if I don't give them equal "air time" in my posts... it's because they don't want it! I mean, just because Bethany's finishing an incredible year of school, had an amazing time at prom, is rehabbing messed-up gymnastics knees, recently returned from Mexico and is already plotting a way to get back to China this summer... and Kyle is building his incredibly awesome model rocket this week, has drawn some of the most amazing pictures I've ever seen lately, grown about a foot and a half, and daily mentors his new brother in a way I could never have imagined, I will not mention those things here. No way. I don't want to embarrass them.

So, what has Minte been up to, anyway? Well, last week he informed me he want to grow his hair long. I asked him how long. He replied, "Like zee boy in the digging holes movie." The movie to which he was referring is "Holes" and the hair he was referencing was this:

As you can see by comparison, his hair has a ways to go before it's that long, and the Texas heat is just now cranking up, so we'll see how long it really gets!

Two nights ago he decided he wanted to pull a loose tooth. That was nothing new, as he has lost 4 teeth since he's been home. But this time he decided he wanted to pull it with his radio-controlled monster truck. So, his faithful sidekick/brother tied the string to his tooth, tied it to the back of the truck, he took a deep breath while holding the remote, then counted "1,2...3!!!!" He revved the truck, it lurched forward, and promptly snapped the string without pulling the tooth. It was an exciting moment though! He held his jaw and said "No more truck." I think it hurt worse than he had anticipated! So he pulled it in front of the bathroom mirror the next night. It is still on the bar in the kitchen where it awaits the ceremony that has accompanied the last 4 teeth: being thrown up onto the roof after he chants a song in Amharic. If a bird picks it up, a nice, white tooth will grow back in its place. The other teeth have come in nicely, so it appears to be working!

Well, that's us lately. I'm still having my toes stepped on in the Bible study I'm doing, Conversation Peace. I've got lots more thoughts to share on that another day... but I'll end this long post with a short quote from it that's long on meaning:

"Every thought is a seed.
If you plant crabapples don't count on harvesting Golden Delicious."
~ Author Unknown