Bad Hair Day x 21

Okay this has to take the cake! I'm entering a "Bad Hair Day Contest" over at Manic Mother. Surely these two poor souls have to win. They brought home lice from school. They have such long and fine hair (and blond) that it was very hard to get the lice out. I had to literally pick them out strand by stand AFTER two hours of mayo and this bag on their hair. It took about four days before the school nurse declared them eligible to return to school. But I checked and pulled everyday for about three weeks. We NEVER want to have these kinds of bad hair days.

questions: 

Taking A Break

I'm taking a break from this blog to try and build up my other blog. Please become a follower over there if you are not. You'll still read about my family, just more focused on how we live day to day with autism, ADHD and Anxiety

But before I take a time out, I couldn't resist posting this picture below of my handsome son just before going to pick up his date for homecoming dance.

Friday High Five

Thanks to Angela, it's Friday High Five. Come join the fun and check out the rules. Then see other blogging High Fives.



Five Things I Learned On Jury Duty

1. Twelve strangers can sit in a small room for a week and find something to talk about other than the trial, which they aren't allowed to talk about.
2. I'm supposed to have my septic tank cleaned every two years...let's see, the last time mine was cleaned was....never. Now I'm afraid to do it...or not to do it.
3. Cleaning air ducts should be done every five years...let's see, the last time mine were cleaned was...never. But I did have them cleaned a month after jury duty.
4. A "not for profit" organization CAN make a profit. Hum? How does that work again?
5. Homeschooling parents, public school teachers and private school teachers can all sit in the same room for a week and actually have an intelligent and unemotional conversation about the advantages and disadvantages of ways to educate children.

Expanding My Tent

Isaiah 54:1-3 ‘Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband, says the LORD. Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; our descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.'

This verse began taking on personal meaning for me last year. I'm not a widow nor am I barren; however, I do feel like the Lord is calling me to enlarge my tent...both in my physical home, but also my heart. Last year I first opened my heart and home to a teenager who is a ward of the state. I got to know him when I volunteered to be an educational surrogate parent. I met with him twice a month throughout the school year, we had him in our home several holidays and weekends, and I called him when I didn't see him. In my mind he became one of my children. Unfortunately, when he graduated from high school this summer, "he dropped off the face of the earth." Not even his social worker has heard from him.

Half way through the school year, our family took in an exchange student from Spain. He lived with us for seven months. He has become like another son to me. He's back in Spain now, but I'm happy to say I still get email from him about once a week. I've "adopted" some of my teenage son's friends. One is a freshman in college this year. When I say adopt, I've taken them into my heart and pray for them as I do for my own children. I try to keep in touch with them the best way I can. Jorge, seems to like e-mail or Skype. Thomas seems to prefer cell phone texts. I can't reach Terry, but he seemed to prefer the telephone when we were in keeping touch.

I have another person I've adopted...only I've adopted him as a bigger brother. I say bigger because he's a foot or more taller than me. I don't know if he's older or if I'm older. I don't really want to know. I'm content to think of him as being older.

Dave is a great guy and the longer I know him, the more I admire him. He is involved in his children's lives. He plays guitar and plays drums, when necessary, for our church Praise and Worship team. He has a lot of knowledge about gardening, which I need. For the first time since I moved into our house (ten years ago), I actually have some gardens which are living. He's very creative and has made some fun cakes. I volunteered him to make a cake to celebrate our church purchasing property to expand our building. He made a beautiful church with stained glass windows. When we were studying the book of Joshua, he made a cake of the Israelites crossing the Jordan. The people were represented by almond silvers and the altar they built on the other side of the Jordan was 12 chocolate covered raisins. He's made many more creative cakes for birthdays of people in the band.

He's loved by kids. You'll hear the little ones calling "Mr. Dave! Mr. Dave!" and they'll try to crawl all over him. He' been a great addition to our small group bible study. He brings his guitar and we start each week off with songs. He's been an answer to prayer, we've prayed for music for nearly a decade. He's quite for the most part, but when he shares something it's usually profound. I've seen him grow a lot over the last few years...grown in faith, in humility, in confidence that he has something to offer others.

I've opened up the tent of my heart for him. I even told him recently how much I love him...in a little sister sort of way. Now he thinks he's entitled to pull my hair. Well, Dave, you better talk to my younger but bigger biological brothers about that before you try. They'll tell you that I'm small but I can hold my own against the three of them....

Happy Birthday, Dave! Glad to make room for you in my tent. (P.S. I don't want to know how old you are.)

Blogging for a Cause

Heather at Singing With My Heart is pledging up to divide up to $250 between Breast Cancer Awareness and Domestic Violence Awareness, which are being highlighted through the month of October. Hop on over to her blog to find out more about both these issues and her pledge, as well as your chance to win a $25 gift certificate.

For every comment on her blog and link to her blog and tweet, she is pledging a few cents. This will go on all month.

What a great idea to make this a blogging community supported event.

My All Time Favorite

Of course, I'd find the picture today. I wasn't looking for it. That night it was snowing. Scott and I put food on her tray and then went to look out the window at our silly neighbor trying to drive up our shared and very steep driveway with about a foot of snow on it. When we returned, Faith was asleep with her hand still in the bowl.

High Five Friday's

My Favorite Five Pictures of Faith Fallen Asleep

This is from this summer. She fell asleep outside our timeshare door waiting for someone with a key to let her in.

I don't remember where this was, but here she is younger, because she's in the Dora the Explorer phase.

This was the first time we went to Disney in Florida. My husband is carrying her out of the park after the fireworks.

This is two years later coming out of Disney after the fireworks. This time her older brother is carrying her.

This is her just before midnight on New Year's Eve, the first time we tried to let her stay up. She didn't quite make it.

To be honest, I have some more favorites than these, but I couldn't locate them today. My pictures are split between backup hard drives, CDs and older computers. I guess this should inspire me to get all my photos together in one spot. I'm missing the picture of her fallen asleep while standing up. I'm missing the picture of her as an infant and fallen with her hand in her plate of peas. If I find them, I'll have to do another High Five Friday of them, I'm sure I have at least five more of her fallen asleep. I can think of about five right of the top of my head.