friday the thirteenth....

A new day. Evelyn took these this morning, throught the window.

I woke up this morning and thought about the fact that I am here, alive, today. Have I been making good use of my time here on earth? It doesn't just go on and on forever. And someday, we all must stand before Him. God saw how it was with people, how they fought and hated and lied...He sent His son to live like we do, to battle sin and overcome, and make a way for us to follow. This isnt' something that it strict and difficult, no!!! Being free from wanting respect, being free from caring what others think of me, being free from being angry, and impatient. Jesus made this way for us to follow Him!! When I don't care about getting my way or about being right, then I can love my husband and bless him. When he is doing that too, it is amazing how good marriage can be. If I had one wish: that each person would decide to live truly for God, and follow this way that Jesus made. ( It is unimaginable how the world would be if this happened....no more theft, no more divorce, no more murder.)

Today I have to take Camille to a well check-up. Sonja K. has been sort of bratty lately, like when I ask her to do something, she just collapses on the floor, then when I urge her to get moving, she will crawl....or just cry and sob over little things. So I am thinking she needs more attention. I told her whisper-quiet last night that I was going to write her a note to come home on first bus trip today so she could go to the dr. with Camille and I. She was so excited! This morning she could barely contain her secret. I had to wait until the right moment to tell the other kids because I didn't want them to form a mutiny. They can be tricky in the morning. Jonathan needed a shower, and he did not want a shower. So he did this loud fake crying thing, and I had to get him quiet before he woke up the two little girls....so I told him it was not nice for him to stand there crying while all the hot water runs down the drain and wastes daddy's money....so he starts yelling that he is sorry, that it is not his fault it takes him so long to get undressed, and if I (mommy) would stop being so mean, he wouldn't have to cry. This does not make much sense to me, but I remained calm cool and collected, and got him showered, crossing my fingers that Sonja didn't spring it on him about her going first trip then, because that would have done him in. Evelyn made them all cocoa, and I made them English muffins with strawberry jam, and while we were eating and everybody was happy (except for when Sonja decided to forsake manners for a good laugh with Jonny, and did a huge noisy toot on the bench, and Suzanne stomped out of the room. Suze has a weak stomach, if you so much as breath in the direction of her plate, she will not eat her food. ) Anyway, when everyone seemed happy and things were going swimmingly, I said casually, "Sonja gets to go first trip today, but I can only do one at a time so the school doesn't get mad, so you guys can have a turn another day..." This set well with them.

Joseph gets to work tomorrow! He has a unique assignment: he is the Ambassador for a new video game, some kind of Warcraft or something. He gets paid good money to stand there in Walmart in a special t-shirt, and explain the game to interested people. He will be in one Walmart for 4 hours, then go to a different one for 4 hours. He only has his permit, and Abigail has plans on Saturday night...so I will be doing a little bit of driving on Saturday.

I had a bit of fun yesterday. My sister-in-law Kim and I went shopping with her two youngest (she has 12), and my Charlotte Claire. Abigail stayed here with Camille so she could take a nap, since she has the appointment today and gets cranky if she misses two naps in a row. Anyway, we had some fun. Her two year old is like Camille: he does not like to sit in the cart. He also saw his sister Danielle, who is 4, walking with Charlotte Claire and having lots of fun, so it was doubly hard for him. He was a pretty happy camper though, except for the way home. He would stop crying to listen to us say things to him then start right back up again. Poor guy. He had had enought. But we had fun. We stopped at DunkinDonuts for two medium coffees and literally counted our pennies to pay for it, as I don't like putting three dollars on my charge card. I had packed snacks for the kids, so they didn't care that they didn't get anything. We went to Target and I got Danielle, Charlotte Claire, and Camille matching jumpers for $2.25 each. Then to Price-Chopper....one car -cart, three kids...they took turns. And Kim had the kids most of the time...she must be the nice one. She always ends up with the kids. My kids love her. I do think she is nicer than me.

The good thing about living so far away from the stores is that we have 35 minutes to talk on the way there and the way home. The bad thing is that it takes all the live long day to go on a shopping trip. Oh, I told the cashier that my daughter, the coupon clipper, has been gone for a while to Connecticut and will be back home soon....and she told me that she used to cut coupons for her mother. And then her mother started clipping them for her...same thing happened to me! Someday, Mirielle will be married and have a family, and I will be the lonely gramma cutting coupons for her........

Okay, it is plain that after blogging for over two years, over one thousand posts, that I will never run out of things to say. Blah blah blah...I am boring even myself here.