South of the (vermillion) border

According to Caleb's doctor at the minor medical place, where I took him for stitches, there is a very fine line between a $25 co-pay, and a $50 ER charge + deductible.
This line is called the vermillion border, and it's the line where your lip goes from lip to skin.
This line is very important, and doctors don't like to mess it up. If you have a significant cut, requiring stitches, you may, or may not have to see a plastic surgeon to repair it.
Thankfully, the cut was clean instead of jagged, and wasn't through the entire lip, otherwise, we'd have had a problem.
And Hailey, who caused the cut, would have felt MUCH worse!

This has been your medical lesson for the day.
Carry on.

The oak and the tulip

While cleaning up the leaves and branches lying around the yard, I found something very unusual. I had to take pictures, because you wouldn't believe it if you didn't see it.

In the trunk of an oak tree, a tulip tree branch, healthy and strong, is growing, complete with flowers.

You don't see this kind of natural engrafting very often. It's very rare.

The tulip tree is literally rooted in the base of the oak. Just as Christians are engrafted into the Vine, which is Jesus, this tulip tree is nourished, and kept alive by the mighty oak. What an illustration!

Spontaneous melt-down

Who goes on a three day trip five hours away, and spontaneously decides to go another ten hours farther?

That'd be me.

On the way to our scary, scary cabin in the middle of nowhere, I asked Shawn if he might like to go say goodbye to his sister, who is going to Iraq for six months.

She lives in the Washington D.C. area.

So we did.

On Friday, Shawn and I rode the train into the city on a scouting mission, to see where all we would like to take the kids when we go back with them. It was a beautiful day, with blue skies, and only a few clouds. The cherry trees were just coming into bloom.

We only had a few hours. Not nearly enough time to do much of anything but look around. Got some pictures of the capital, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and the White House.

But I was a mess. It was rediculous, really. I felt bad because we had come to such a special place without the kids. I knew they wanted to see it all with us, and I was a basket case, because I didn't want to enjoy it before we could do it together. It felt like I was stealing from them. I was literally standing in the middle of the Smithsonian Mall, crippled with indecision. I wanted so badly to see the Museum of Natural History, but I couldn't make myself walk through the doors without the kids.

So I called Chris bawling.

She reminded me that I am a person, who has every right to enjoy the place on my own, and not feel guilty. She was right, and it snapped me out of my melt-down.

But I still wanted to save that museum for the family. I didn't even go see the Declaration of Independence. There is something so powerful about seeing something very special for the first time. And I wanted to share that moment with them.

So Shawn and I went to the Museum of Air and Space. It was really interesting, and Shawn was impressed with my knowledge of some significant pieces.

We will go back one day, but we will take the children with us. And then we will see the things Shawn and I missed. We will experience the awe and wonder of the significance of the historical pieces. We will feel the power.

Together.

Too much CSI

Shawn and I ran away from home this week.
He planned to do some training while he was out, and brought me along. We had the choice to stay in a lodge or on a houseboat. I picked the houseboat. Figured it'd be sorta like a cruise, without all the food, ports of call, fancy waiters, and the ocean and stuff.
But alas, we were sent to the cabin, instead. Oh, well. I'll make the best of it.
So we drove to the place, and Shawn immediately went to class, leaving me on my own to explore a strange town and get groceries.
Oh, and did I mention that the guy was going to spend the night out at the cabin with us.
Yeah. You heard me. Spend the night.
So I moseyed around, got a manicure and pedicure, got some groceries, and went back to get Shawn and his friend/trainer.
We drove, and drove, and drove some more. At one point, my little cartoon GPS car was floating in the air, because it didn't register the road.
Of course, when we got there, the cell phone looked at me and said, "you want me to what?"
Okay, so I cook dinner, there's satellite TV, at least, so no awkward silences, and then we yawn and hit the hay.
And Shawn wants to play. Husband-type play.
Umm, nope!
With all the doors locked, and the keys to the lodge in the hands of a COMPLETE STRANGER, I informed Shawn that I didn't think I'd be sleeping much.
By 2:00 in the morning, I figured if the COMPLETE STRANGER on the other end of the house hadn't killed or maimed us by then, I might as well get some sleep.
After checking the clock at least 4 times, and one bathroom trip, the alarm finally went off at 6:30. Time to cook breakfast for a COMPLETE STRANGER. Did I mention he slept in the room where the kitchen was, which meant I had to go cook alone with him in a room, in the middle of nowhere, with my husband in the shower, where my cell phone had left me high and dry, and my GPS needed CPR. I kept the knives close.
Okay, so he was a perfectly nice man, who was very respectful, a Christian conservative, who watched FOX news the whole time, but I was scared, anyway.
Apparently, I've seen too many CSI episodes.

A pile of...

I am cracking up, here.
I just finished folding a load of laundry.
The kids put theirs away, but Hailey missed part of hers.
So I yell down the hall...

Hailey, come pick up this pile of shirts.

Well, it's better that picking up a pile of something else.

Okay, clearly I grew up around too much cussing. Good thing my kids didn't understand why I was cracking up!

Grilling Goodness # 22

Okay, it's Friday again. You all know what Friday means, right?

Yep, another delicious, nutricious, 0 points, fat-free, calorie-free Grilling Goodness.

Play along, if you like. Just check in with Tina, at Golden Goodness, sign in with Mr. Linky, copy and paste the questions to your own blog, and voila! You're Grillin'!

1. Did you learn anything new this week?

I learned that my husband doesn't "do" rest and recover well.

I also learned that raking leaves can be an aerobic activity.

I learned that I will rake and bag half an acre of leaves if it kills me, if it means my husband, who is supposed to be resting and recovering from surgery, will actually REST AND RECOVER.

2. Will you wear green on St. Patty's Day or do you not give a hoot??

Eh, I'm not in to Pt. Patty's Day, much, but in the interest of not being pinched, I'll wear green underwear. (Or I'll tell people I'm wearing green underwear. They don't want to see fat-girl undies, so they don't require proof.)

3. Do you wash clothes throughout the week or only on a specific day?

We pretty much do laundry every day, or every other day. Of course, there are the days when I leave it to the laundry fairy, but she tends to be over-booked, and forgets to show up. I'm contemplating submitting a formal complaint to her supervisor.

4. What is one of the most popular 'spams' you get in your junk email inbox?

I don't really pay much attention to spam. I ate way too much of it, as a child, and now I am afflicted by spamophobia. When I see that my junk folder has stuff in it, I scan it briefly, to make sure nothing important is there, and delete the rest without really looking at it.

5. Are you where you want to be? (you decide the meaning of the question for your answer)

I love the house we bought, so I'm living where I want to be. I love the church we attend, so I'm where I want to worship. I love homeschooling our children (on the whole), so I work where I want to work. I love my husband, so I'm where I want to be relationally. I love my dogs, so I'm where I want to be with pet ownership. I love the friends I have, so I'm where I want to be on Facebook. I'm not where I want to be with my weight, but I can't remember when I ever was, so that's normal for me. I'm not where I want to be Spiritually, I wish I was faithful to my quiet time.

6. Do you know how to swim?

I do know how to swim, and I love swimming. And I'm looking forward to the pool in my sister's back yard being open in a couple of months.

7. Do you take trips with your girlfriends?

I have taken a couple of trips with my sister, and one great trip with Sound Doctrine.

Both trips were wonderful! I especially enjoyed getting the pampering treatment on my spa trip with Chris.

8. What was your favorite purchase this week? (big or small)

I bought Hailey a few clothes at Cato that are really cute, but my favorite thing I bought myself was a pair of striped knee socks.

Breakfast at Thomas' **updated**

She's not what I'd call a picky eater. (I have one of those, so I know what that looks like)

But she's not much of a breakfast eater...

unless it's eggs, or pancakes, or waffles, or muffins... anything that requires cooking.

Small wonder that I taught her to cook breakfast-type things.

I dare not tell her to eat cereal. She will have a fit worthy of a two-year-old, and then insist she wants oatmeal.

I dare not tell her to eat oatmeal. She will have a fit worthy of a two-year-old, and insist that she HATES oatmeal.

But when I am tired of looking at my almost-eleven-year-old having a two-year-old fit, I just grab the paddle, and tell her to bend.

Did you know that when Momma is holding a paddle, that it is a bad idea to refuse to bend?

Bad idea.

Very bad idea, indeed.

**edited to add**
My kids pretty much fix their own breakfast, since cereal and oatmeal are simple. I keep easy things on hand, like toaster pastries, french toast sticks, nutri-grain bars, and fruit, but she has to get all complicated sometimes.
Hailey only cooks with permission, and she doesn't cook every day. She just forgets occasionally that I'm the Mom, and her job is to obey.

Grilling Goodness # 21

1. What do you do when you get mad?

Depending upon who I am mad at, I might do anything from creep quietly away, or yell. For example, if I am at the DMV, and I read the sign, took a number, and had a seat, and some moron comes in and just walks up to the window, I might silently steam, or I might jump up, grab the idiot by the ear, and drag them to the sign saying something like, "What? Can't you read???" You just never know with me.

2. Do you wash your hair everyday?

Actually, it is bad for your hair to wash it every day, and I have very healthy hair. So, I often skip a day between washings. No more than that, though, because that's just nasty.

3. How often do you speak to your parents?

Umm, which ones? I mean... my Mom called and left a message yesterday and left a message to call her back. I realized she didn't know that Shawn had surgery that day, so I figured I was in trouble. But she just wanted to invite me to my niece's birthday party. We don't speak often, and we have a precarious relationship. Sometimes we go weeks, or months without speaking.

My Dad lives in another state, and has a whole other life, so I don't hear from him often, either. But I'm never afraid to return his call.

Step-Dad #2 goes to my church, so I see him often. I try to speak to him every time, you know, while he's hugging me.

4. Your nails - painted or nude?

Naked as the day they were born. I have spurts of nail awareness, and they are pretty when painted. I wish I had the money to have them done weekly, but we have other stuff to do, like eat.

5. What pair of shoes do you wear most often?

It really depends upon where I am going, and what I will be doing. During the cold months, I wear sneakers unless I am going to church. Then I usually wear black boots. During the warm months, I love sandals. At home, I have some well-loved moccasins.

6. If you could do anything you wanted to do this weekend, what would it be?

I would go to Hot Springs for a massage, facial, and manicure/pedicure, complete with paraffin treatment. That sounds HEAVENLY!

7. What's the best cough medicine you know of?

Tessalon pearls are the best, but they are prescription only.

8. How do you feel about 'springing forward'??

I don't love losing an hour, so I think it is stupid. It doesn't really matter what time the clock says. Just go by when it is light, and when it gets dark, already!

But gaining an hour in the fall? Love that!

On a more personal note...

This morning we woke up to about 10-12 inches of snow.
It is very rare to see much white stuff in the Memphis area, so we are enjoying it.

Most of the churches in the area are closed today, but not ours.

Our pastor is stubborn brave, and says "Don't call in, crawl in." Apparently, the insurance company has told him to quit saying that, but he does it anyway.

Living out a ways from town, I wouldn't have even tried, but around 11:00 last night, I was reminded that I was singing this morning. So I HAD to at least try.

The rule in our church is that you can dress how you like, but if you are a lady, and you are singing the special music, you have to wear a skirt or dress. Shawn told me I had to wear pants today, but I wanted to obey the rules and wear a skirt, so I compromised and wore a long skirt with a pair of stretch pants underneath.

After using the bathroom, things just didn't want to lay right, so I went into the nursery, where Shawn was and asked him if I had everything where it belonged. I told him it felt funny. His answer?

Loud enough for everyone to hear, he says, "Just take your pants off."

**The sound of everyone's head turning to see how I would respond**

So I went there...

"You're always trying to get me to do that!"

Good thing there were only REALLY good friends there! 'Course, I never would have said it, otherwise.