Things Don't Always Go As Planned

Sooner or later, I'm going to run out of creative update titles. Hmmmm...

But I've actually found - things almost never go as I plan them. I think I actully have a talent for mostly saying or doing or planning things "wrong". But that's neither here nor there.

Anyway ...

Let's see ... Joel - nearly 4. So hard to believe, and such a sweet and caring little boy. He's had a not quite croupy cough for the last several nights. Monday he fell asleep during Grandma's birthday party and my dad just put him down in the bunk house with Bethie and Marriana. Some time in the night he began snoring and coughing and ended up keeping Dad and the girls disturbed most of the night. The next night I was ready with the Highlands Cough tablets and Vicks Vapor Rub, and the cough session lasted less than an hour. So Wednesday night, I gave him the Cough and Sinus tablet at bedtime, and Tim later Vicksed him down. His coughing session was much looser and shorter, but he had a low fever ... plus was wandering around searching for something - after half an hour I realized he was looking for his Glow Stick he got at AWANA in his Awards sack. I assured him it was in the freezer for tomorrow night - and he went right back to sleep. Yesterday, he took a LONG nap. And although it took him a long time to settle to sleep last night, he's still asleep, and only small coughs all night. WHEW.

On Tuesday, we tried to make lint clay. Not recommended if their are a lot of long haired people in the family - the hair that gets into the lint trap makes it smell funny. We found the clay slimy and the kids didn't enjoy working with it. Not even our Bug Boy. But we made stars as best we could - it was pretty difficult to form them. Then set them out to dry. Since they were not drying well in the house, I had the girls move Joel's picnic table into the garden area and put them out in the sun to dry. I checked on them last night and they were hardening quite nicely. Later, after putting Vannan next door for the night so she can sleep in with Marriana in the mornings ... I only saw 2 of the stars. Kendra and I searched and searched - couldn't figure out where they went. We brought in the remaining 2 - UGH they smelled AWFUL - like WET DOG. UGH ... LUCY. Lucy is the neighbor dog and (my opinion - and I am NOT a dog person) quite a huge pest. Vannan found the remaining 3 stars - chewed up a lot - down at the barn this morning - and they STUNK. After gulping for air and nearly loosing my breakfast several times, I told her just to drop them in the dumpster trash outside. ..... UGH. So now, I've got to come up with another star idea for the preschoolers to paint on Tuesday. Maybe I'll just get them wooden ones from Micheal's?

Wednesday night was AWANA Awards. It was also when we said "Good-bye" to the last of the company. It was really nice having Grandma and Aunt Vivian here - but I'm sure they are glad to be home again. We will miss them though. Anyway - back to the Awards. Joel got his first book award. Vannan got the FIRST Timothy Award in the family. I hope somebody took pictures - because I forgot and had my hands full with the Cubbies. Then there was a nice social afterwards. Joel was kind of funny - he wanted another cookie, so I told him he had to eat another sandwich first. He did and got the MnM cookie. LOL

Vannan talked Tim into getting her some stakes and leashes/chains for the goats. She plans to stake out the goats around the yard to eat greens during the day so she has to pull fewer weeds. She loves to sit outside with them while she does school work. She's almost completed her school work for the year, and is quite excited. She went to the asthma doctor last week - they upped her meds again. She gets pretty goopy in the spring and fall, and one lung was wheezing. But right now, I'm most concerned about her teeth. I don't like any of the 3 Medicaide dentists (they have reputations for running up unneeded bills) - and she has to wait until she is 12 to qualify for any of the other dentists. BUT, she needs several teeth pulled - no room for them in her little mouth, and braces soon. She commented the other day that 4 of her permanent teeth are moving. Not what a parent wants to hear. We had hoped to be able to get her in with the insurance Tim got while he was working - only good for April and May (though April was almost done - and it took 1/3 of May to get our cards) and then with the funeral ... well, now May is over.

Kendra has figured out how to transcribe music to play on her lap harp and write up her own cards. I think that's pretty cool. She's doing a great job on the garden (of course, both girls work on it - but she considers it HER garden.) She's still stuck on the sewing lifepac in her HomeEc class. We'll not talk about her school work. She's crocheting a pretty green blanket for Matthew. I think she's about half done.

Marriana stays with us most days. Joel is trying to teach her how to write her name. She pretty much has begun to copy what Joel does most days - running around with paper and pencil and writing or drawing all day. I've got to get them outside more - but that will come as we figure out our new schedule. Lots of adjustments to make.

Me - I'm hanging in there - too busy most days to think much - you just do and collapse at the end of the day hoping that the important things got done. I really don't feel like I'm in control of any of it. I saw this strange show the other day on TV - people were running a malicious obsticle corse as fast as they could - sort of like the Gladiator show Tim and I use to watch before we got cable in Colorado. Anyway - that 's how I feel - except I feel like I'm running the course blind folded. Missing stars, loose teeth, death, life - nothing going according to MY plan. Depression plays at the edge of my brain - so easy to go there. .... Not for the first time, I wonder how people who don't trust God manage to get to the end of life? I'm not sure I could keep going without hearing his voice at the back of my mind reminding me, "All things work together for the good of them that love God ... " or "My ways are higher than your ways ... " and other verses to remind me that God has his hand on what happens. Well, I've got to get back to packing and lesson plans.

We're going on "vacation".... not really. We are hiding at Tim's parents house while my Dad bombs the bugs ... all the rain has driven new hoards of roaches into the house from the fields. He's going to bomb tonight while most of them are out running around ... and again in the early morning. Then spray around, under, and in the house. He's doing Rhoda's house too while she's at a Woman's retreat. I hope she has a lot of fun. She's taking Valarie. Terry and the boys will bunk out with my dad. Should be fun. And hopefully, when we all get back - there will be far fewer roaches to contend with. I do NOT like roaches. Although Shianne freaked us all out at Preschool on Tuesday when she picked one up and started petting it. LOL I should have gotten a picture. What do you call a bug scientist? Entamologist or something? Anyway, wouldn't surprise me if she or Alex grew up to be one. Preschoolers are so fascinating.