Prayer Request

Hey guys,

Please say a prayer for my dear hubby! We were in the doctor's office all day today where he was diagnosed with pneumonia. He has breathing treatments, steroids and antibiotics, but even better than all of that is prayer!

Thanks!

In which I catch up

Now that I've remodeled the blog (noun) I feel I am obligated to blog (verb). The truth is there have been many times over the past few weeks that I've planned on blogging (gerund) but I have just been way, way too busy! (excuse)

But now, I've turned over a new leaf (cliche)... OK, I'll stop all the parentheticals and just catch everyone up with what's been going on since I last blogged.

First, I haven't been completely absent. I've been blogging about my mom and her battle with cancer and she is doing really well right now... so it's back here for a bit.

THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving was very different this year. My mom usually cooks Thanksgiving Dinner and my grandmother makes her famous rolls. Not this year. Mamo was in California and mom simply wasn't up to cooking or having a houseful of guests.

So I cooked. Those of you who know me well are probably rolling with laughter right now. For those that don't know me well, I need to tell you that I have a bit of a fear of cooking. And it certainly doesn't help when I have to cook a dish that actually has a 1-800 number available for tips on doing it right. But I'm always up for a challenge... and to make it even more challenging, I decided to fall down the stairs and sprain my ankle the day before Thanksgiving.. BEFORE I did my grocery shopping.

You would be proud of me. Even as I was falling, I was calm, thinking I need to be sure and not scare the boys. But that's while I was falling. When I landed I rolled on the floor for quite some time screaming, "It's broken! It's broken!" Yeah.. I'm cool. Dillon called Jim who rushed home in time to see it swell into a really strange shape. Jim carried me to bed, put ice on it, and prayed for it. The whole family went grocery shopping that evening with Dillon pushing me in a wheel chair through an unbelievably crowded grocery store. I was wishing for Dramamine.

The next day, despite a limp, I make a delicious Thankgiving Dinner and nothing was burned and nobody got sick. We did go see Mom and Dad for dessert and although my dinner was a success, I'm looking forward to Mom feeling well enough to cook next year.


THE ICE STORM OF 2007

I think I might have an inkling of what it feels like to try to sleep in a war torn country. In the middle of the night, bombs, otherwise known as ice heavy tree branches, were falling all around the house. You would hear a creak, then more creaking, then a snap, and then you held your breath waiting for the boom. Sometimes it would land on the ground, other times it would land on the roof.. and you never knew. Would the next one come through the roof? Or the window? It was a night of little sleep. And then when the sun rose and we could see the damage, we were absolutely shocked. I have never seen anything like it. We were very blessed that we only lost electricity for a day. This picture probably best shows how we faired in the ice storm...

Notice all the branches that have fallen all around our Suburban, and yet no branch hit it, scratched it, or dented it. God is so cool!

CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S

We had a lovely Christmas this year, spending Christmas Eve with Mom and Dad, despite her having Chemotherapy that day. The boys had a great Christmas, each getting one of those FLIP cameras. Dillon proved he was just like his mom, by making an absolutely hysterical documentary of "the elusive big brother". He filmed Cody's desk with it's collection of empty Mountain Dew cans and remarked on the big brother's diet. He filmed Cody's unmade bed and remarked on the messy habitat of the big brother. He more or less stalked Cody all afternoon and I couldn't be more proud. When he gets it as perfect as he wants it, I will post for all to see.

There is nothing much to write about New Years, unless you want to hear how i fell asleep while watching the Last Legion with my Honey and my boys. I can't even tell you how it ended, although I'm fairly certain it had something to do with King Arthur.

And that probably brings us pretty much current.

I promise, I resolve even, to keep this blog up to date. Come back and check in often.. invite your friends.. I will make it worth it!

Melanie is still musing.. but with a little more style

A few days ago I got an e-mail from a reader of the blog "Melanie's Musings" It seems he was married to someone named Melanie, and just wanted to take the oppportunity to tell another Melanie how much he loved his Melanie. It was all very sweet. But he mentioned something in his e-mail about how one of my posts had touched him. The problem was, I had no clue what he was talking about.

So, on a hunch, I googled Melanie's Musings. And I found that I am not alone and I'm certainly not original. There were at least 6 other blogs featuring the musings of someone named Melanie.

Well, I have to stand out. I can't be like everyone else. I wore legwarmers with plaid skirts and hiking boots in jr. high school, for heavens sake! I have no desire to be just another Melanie who muses.

So, I embarked on this Extreme Blog Makeover. And I think I like it. It's me, and I've even googled the title, and no one else has it.

Let me know what you think!

Wordless Wednesday

just morphing around

So.. since I thought that last video I posted was so cool, I decided I needed to figure out how to do that myself... so, here's a little experiment. I morphed the '57 Belvedere that was rescued from Tulsa's Time Capsule this summer. This is actually part of a bigger project I'm working on now.. but I just had to show off my morphing.

Women in Film

Just thought this was very cool and I like to share very cool things....

Cancer Sucks!

A couple of years ago my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer that had metastisized to his bones. Unfortunately, it was agressive and had spread quickly. Fortunately, it responded aggresively to treatment and my dad is in good health with normal PSA numbers today.

A couple of weeks ago, my mom was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a cancer of the blood plasma that effects the bones.

I have started a new blog to update everyone on my mom's condition and document all the miracles God is doing in our lives.. because He thinks cancer sucks, too!

Please pray with me for my mom's complete healing.

Sweet Memories

This a picture of Cody and my dad reading their papers. Cody is probably three here, but had a passion for reading I nearly killed when I tried to introduce Phonics. I eventually scrapped Phonics and allowed him to learn to read what he wanted in his time. On one of my loops we are discussing the value of comics, graphic novels, and other less than"literary" works in the teaching of reading. It reminded me of this picture. Sure, the Truck Trader doesn't seem very educational when compared the The Snowy Day or Blueberries for Sal.. but it was starting point. In the 4th grade, he tested at a college reading level, and he can sit down and read a Tolkien epic in a matter of a few days. Recently he has shown great talent for picking out symbolism and deep meanings in what he reads and has even mentioned majoring in literature when he heads to college. And it all started with a truck trader magazine. Do not despise small beginnings.

15 Amazing Years

Last week, Jim and I celebrated our 15th Anniversay. That is to say, we wished each other a happy anniversary in between deadlines and clients. I had a huge video project due, and Jim had a huge shipment that needed to be readied. It's OK, though. The truth is, everyday with this man is special.

15 years ago, Jim came into the recording studio where I worked. He had originally built the studio and was coming back to build a second.. Studio B. He was trading for studio time and he had the most beautiful voice.. not to mention the most beautiful eyes.

We met in September of '91. He was a bit older and had lived a whole life before he met me. I was fresh out of college and still living at home. We couldn't have been more opposite. But there was something about him. I found myself staying late after work just to talk to him... about everything and nothing. I found myself doing silly things.. like, I may have asked him to come to my office to help me hook up a printer or some such thing that I could have easily done myself.

On January 28th of 1992 I finally tricked him, er, convinced him into asking me out. Two weeks later, on Valentine's Day, he gave me a diamond ring and sang a song he had written for me. Three months later, on May 16th, we stood up in front of all our friends and family and promised our lives to each other.

We had a whirlwind romance, and 15 years later, I'm still caught in the whirlwind.

Thank you sweetie...

Thank you for our two amazing boys.
Thank you for sharing your life with me.
Thank you for all the adventures we've had.
Thank you for all the beautiful music... the music I've heard and the music that's yet to be written.
Thank you for all the times you sacrificed everything so I would have to sacrifice nothing.
Thank you for all the trials we been through. With God help, we've proven our love is stronger than any storm and we are the better for it.
And Thank you for listening to God way back in 1992. He's taken us on some amazing journeys together..... where are we going next?

All my heart,
Bunch

Overheard at my house

Overheard last night....

Me: Do you want to go play golf sometime?
Cody: No, it's itchy.

Likely to be overheard in the future....

Me: Clear the table.
Kids: aw, mom.. that's itchy.

Me: Have a good day at work, sweetie.
Hubby: I'll try, but it's awful itchy.

Hubby: Are you ready to do the taxes?
Me: But that's so itchy!

Itchy.. it's not just for wooly sweaters anymore.

I'm off to purchase some calamine.

Drum Roll Please...

I have an announcement.

No, I'm not pregnant. But thanks for playing!

Actually I have just started a new blog! Yes, you heard me right. I now have two blogs to neglect and feel guilty about. Ok, three if you count that whole yahoo 360 thing, but it really only gets copied and pasted from here.

Why two blogs? Good question. And you can get the answer by surfing on over to melaniewalenciak.com

Don't worry. I'll still be here, keeping you updated on our adventures, playing meme games and posting photos.

And here's the thing, if I can find time to write in both blogs, I fully expect you to find time to read both blogs!

I've been thinking....

Call off the search party.. I'm here, alive and well.. and apparently in my silence I was awarded the Thinking Blogger Award.

This could not be more appropriate because even though I might not have been blogging, I was, in fact, thinking. I was thinking about all they great blogs I could write if only I had the time. Problem is I never wrote them.. and they are long gone. My brain simply isn't the steel trap it once was. (Although, the other day Dillon found an Adam Ant video on You Tube and I still knew all the words to Ant Music.. I know, it's frightening!)

As I understand it, as part of this Thinking Blogger Award, I must nominate 5 other blogs.. and I will... soon. As soon as I think on it for a while longer.

Keep checking back this week.. not only will you find out who I nominated, but you will find out all the details on my latest venture and even hear news about a new blog...

I know, you can't wait, can you?

7 weird things about me... it's a meme thing.

Ok, I'm going to play... but I have to warn you, it's going to be difficult to narrow the field down to just 7.

1. Every once and while I develop a craving for a balogna and frito sandwich. And I don't even have to be pregnant! Although when I was pregnant and suffering from all kinds of morning sickness, the only thing I could eat was chili-cheese dogs from Sonic. Nothing like spicey, greasy to chili to soothe an upset stomach.

2. Possibly from my pregnancy diet, I gave birth to an 11 pound baby. (Ok, maybe that's not weird, but it is an accomplishment and I will mention it as often as I can)

3. Hubby and I got engaged 2 weeks after our first date. We married 3 months later. I don't know what took us so long. (Our first date was actually 15 years ago, next week)

4. I once ran a red light with Michael Richards (Kramer from Seinfeld) in my car AND a garbage bag full of cock roaches in my car. Ok, I can see this one might require some explaining. First, the Kramer part. He was the weird one.. not me, but the fact that I actually agreed to drive cock roaches around makes it appear that his weirdness rubbed off a bit. It was on the set of "UHF" and I was driving actors to and from the set. Incidentally, the cock roach scene was cut out of the final film. It should be known that I no longer have that particular car.

5. Oh, here's something weird. I am completely tone deaf. Absolutely. And yet, in high school, my drama club (or thespians, as we hated to be called) won first place in a state competition. The character I played had to sing. Using my artistic license, (which was much easier to get than my driver's license) I made her a punk rock singer, so talent wasn't all that necessary!

6. I attended ORU for 5 years. I have yet to officially graduate.

7. And finally, I have crooked pinkies. So crooked, in fact, that I can hold my hands, palms up, and touch my two pinkies together and my ring fingers together and, voila, i have made a perfect heart. I suppose that's what makes me so gosh darn loveable!

What about you? Can you think of 7 weird things? No.. I mean about you! Not about me!

Deep Thoughts by Dillon

So, Dillon and I were having a little discussion on the Bible. Dillon mentions that God is a great story-teller and He's always writing. I asked him what he meant and this is a direct quote from my Dillon...

"Even now, He is writing the story that is me."

It makes this Mama Writer's heart swell with pride. Dillon has deep thoughts and a way with words!

Blog... such a silly name for such a powerful tool

Never, ever underestimate the power of a blog.

A few months ago, an old friend from college found my blog. I went to his family blog and from there surfed on over to other blogs.. some bloggers I knew from school.. some I didn't. One particularly caught my heart.

I check Noah Steven's Blog daily... praying for a miracle. I can honestly say that the seeking I have done on Noah's behalf, has strengthened me and brought me so much closer to the Lord. I know he is moving in my life in a powerful way today, and I just know that it is because Noah took me back down to my knees.

I challenge each to you to go read about Noah, and all he has been through in his little life.. but also FEEL... (because it's tangible... it's not simply words) FEEL the Grace that is on this family. God has not abandoned them.. but He is with the broken hearted. Noah's mother faithfully updated us but I was amazed when she would ask that commenters leave prayer requests so she could pray for them, as they prayed for her. She is an inspiration and such a woman of God.

I don't know why bad things happen.. but I do know that unless there are valleys you cannot appreciate the mountains. I know that Noah touched more lives in his months than I have in my years.

So, read about Noah and see if he doesn't lead you to a closer walk with God as well.

http://noahsteven.blogspot.com/

Christmas Traditions

So Dillon and I sat down to watch some good old fashioned Christmas entertainment... the shows I used to watch in my youth. While I never forgot that Christmas was all about the birth of my Savior... certain characters were also definately a part of Christmas. From Kris Kringle teaching Winter to walk, ("Put One Foot In Front of the Other" ) to Elf Hermey's desire to be a dentist, the bouncing bumble, and the Island of Misfit toys... Even the Heat Miser... I so looked forward to these shows every Christmas. They disappeared for a while, but they seem to be making a comeback. I was so excited that my boys would finally realize I was not crazy when I danced around the house singing "I'm Mr. Heat Miser, I'm Mr. Sun"

Unfortunately, they still think I'm crazy.

Cody doesn't watch TV.. and Dillon refused to watch these shows after the first few minutes... "Mom," he said, "I can deal with the whole Santa Claus thing, but these puppets are really freaking me out!

Funny, I feel the same way about the animation in Polar Express.

Needless to say, Dillon and I watched and enjoyed the more traditionally animated Charlie Brown Christmas... which blows all those talking puppet shows out of the melted snow! I have to admit, I even cried when Linus explained the true meaning of Christmas. I always do. Can a cartoon be annointed?

Christmas Memories

Cody and Dillon ~ 7 years ago

Cody, Jim and Dillon ~ 2 days ago

A Christmas Survey

A Couple of friends have posted this Christmas Survey on their blogs.. I thought it might be fun to play along....

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?

Hot Chocolate! Without question! It's not that I love hot chocolate so much.. it's simply that I can't stand Egg Nog. It might have something to do with that h0liday episode of Sisters where everyone got food poisoning from the egg nog... Ummmm.. No.. It's just that I've never liked egg nog!


2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?

Oh, Santa never wraps presents! He sets them all up... all the thousands of pieces and hundreds of stickers.. he puts them all together so Mom and Dad don't have to! (wink)

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?

If it were just up to me... White. Simple. Elegant. BUT, I don't live with a simple, elegant men. They want color.. they want flash. Martha Stewart means nothing to them! Someday, I will decorate the house the way I want, and by then it will be in loud colorful flashing lights because of all the wonderful memories they carry!

4. Do you hang mistletoe, and where do you get it?

We usually don't hang mistletoe, but if we wanted to we wouldn't have to look very hard for it. It's our state flower and there is usually a clump of it in at least one tree in the yard. (it's actually a fungus, but that just takes all the romance away doesn't it?) I remember one year when my dear hubby risked his life on a snowy limb just to grab some mistletoe to hang for our Christmas party. I'll tell you a secret. I would have kissed him anyway!

5. When do you put your decorations up?

Well, we always plan to put them up the weekend following Thanksgiving.. but because we are a family short on organizational skills.. the only thing we know for certain is that the tree will be up by Christmas Eve. For instance, our Thanksgiving Weekend decorating was finally completed on December 10th.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

Yorkshire Pudding... which is absolutely nothing like pudding... but it tastes wonderful. Of course you can't make it unless you have first made the delectable standing rib roast.. which is pretty yummy in and of itself... And doesn't it just sound like something out of Dickens. Can you eat it for Christmas without assuming a British accent? I think not!

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child:

Wow... all of them! I couldn't pick just one. Christmas has always been my favorite time of year! I suppose if I had to pick one memory it would be the our Christmas ski trip when I was in 9th grade. After I got over the pain of cold toes and altitude sickness.. and finally learned how to ski... oh, boy, was that last day fun!

8. When did you learn the truth about Santa?

The truth? What do you mean?

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

We celebrate Christmas Eve with extended family... We visit Jim's mom and open gifts there, and then we visit my parents where the kids all open gifts and the grown ups ( I use the term loosely) play a dirty Santa game. (If you are not familiar with "dirty Santa" don't worry... It's not as bad as it sounds!) Christmas Day is just the immediate family and that is where we open our presents from each other and Santa.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?

OK, it's a complicated process.. but here goes. I pester Jim until he finally relents and gets the tree out of the attic. We used to buy a live tree until we finally caught on that the reason the kids were always sick on Christmas was because they were allergic to the tree. Anyway, after Jim gets the tree down, he asks for help putting it together. The boys and I hear him.. really we do.. but we are far too busy going through ornaments to help. Soon Jim is tangled in lights and once again asking for help. Dillon is happy to oblige because they are dealing with electricity at this point. Cody busies himself wrapping the dog in garland. Finally, the lights are on but they are burnt out. SO... it's off to WalMart to buy more Christmas lights.. because what's a tree without blinding lights! By the time we get back, Jim is exhausted and the boys take over putting the decorations hither and yon. Of course, we have to stop and remember the story behind each ornament.. which occasionally ends up with the same old argument.. "I picked this one out" "No I did" Ah.. Christmas Cheer! This year we are so thankful that Cody has reached that 6' mark. The top of the tree now gets some glam! I have seen beautiful trees where all the ornaments are themed and precisely spaced.. but I wouldn't trade our awkwardly decorated fake fir for anything in the world. It's simply beautiful.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?

Love it, love it, love it!

12. Can you ice skate?

Interestingly enough... I can ice skate.. but only backwards. That's they way I learned! It makes broom ball very interesting!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?

It may not qualify as "favorite" but it was by far the most memorable. I has asked for it for many months. When I finally got it, I was sorry. It was an Epilady the Modern day torture device for women. But I actually BEGGED for it!


14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?

Slowing down and breathing and counting our blessings after a full year of running at full speed!


15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?

Hmmm.. this question actually has me stumped. Probably homemade fudge!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Lighting the Advent candles, reading scripture, and listening to Jim sing Oh, Holy Night every night for the month of December.

17. What tops your tree?

Usually an angel.. but this year, it seems we have lost a box of decorations (What? I already said the family was organizationaly challenged, didn't I?) and so the boys improvised. There is a penguin atop our tree... but not just any penguin. A festively dressed long legged penguin. These are the kinds of decorating decisions children make.

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving?

Giving.. without question. But I used to like the receiving pretty well too! (ahem, that is until I grew up!)

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?

It used to be Band Aid singing "Do they know it's Christmas".. and while that still ranks pretty high up there, nothing sounds as beautiful as my husband when he sings "Oh, Holy Night!"


20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?

The first lick is yum.. but soon it gets all sticky and linty and ewww... quickly turning to yuck!

It is finished...

Dillon finally had his root canals today and we finished a journey, ummm, a "trip" really, that we started three months ago.

This procedure has been a long time coming and some pretty major fears have had plenty of time to grow. By bedtime last night, Dillon was literally shaking. But he wasn't cold. My heart broke a little. When I went to wake him up this morning he was crying. My heart broke a lot! As parents, we are supposed to protect our babies.. even the 10 year old kind. I didn't want him to half to go through this.. especially since I had never gone through it before. This point was not lost on him. Everytime I told him it really wasn't going to be that bad, he would counter with an inquiry on how many root canals I had endured in the past. Ok... none. But if I could, I would have the root canals in his place.

Luckily, he has the world's best dad, who was able to cuddle with him and comfort him while at the same time filling him with courage. Soon Dillon was up and dressed and ready to go.

If you'll remember, the first time we visited the dentist, there was a bit of a "to do" about whether Jim or I could be with Dillon during the procedure. Jim realized that the doctor might just do a better job if Jim were not standing over him, dogging him. (Not that Jim would "dog" anyone... but he is a protective daddy!) So a deal was struck. Jim would stand just outside the room, just in case Dillon needed him.. but let the Doctor do his thing, without fear of Jim breaking any fingers in case Dillon winced. (once again.. not that that was any kind of possibility... ok.. maybe possible.. but certainly not probable!) And so Jim stood in the small hallway outside the room Dillon was in...

And Dillon did great! For all 3 hours! Yes, 3 hours. Dillon is not even sore this evening. Jim needs to soak his feet. Dillon's teeth are a little bit loose. Jim's calf muscles are tight. But it was an experience they shared together.

Cody and I went along for the ride, and shared some of the torment as well. No, we didn't have to endure the drill, or standing for three hours... But we did have to listen to Christmas music, which was turned up loud enough to attempt to cover the sounds of the drills in the back rooms. And as if that weren't enough sound input, there was also a TV dangling from the ceiling, where we could watch Martha Stewart instruct us on how to pull a book out of a bookshelf. Seriously... her studio audience even applauded when she did it. Of course, I still don't know the correct way because I could only hear loud drills and some novelty song about wanting a hippopatomous for Christmas. After Martha left, to practice pulling books no doubt, (soon to be an Olympic event), Family Feud came on followed by Jerry Springer. At that point, Cody and I decided we needed some fresh air and a break for our ear drums, so we left to wait in the waiting room outside the waiting room. We still had Christmas music, but thankfully Jerry Springer was corrupting young minds in a completely different room.

Soon, through the window, I saw Dillon peering out, no longer sporting that snaggle toothed look I have grown so used to. All the chips were gone, and his smile, though strained because of his ordeal, was beautiful!

He doesn't have to go back again. Well, at least for 6 years. He only has temporary caps but that is all insurance will pay for until he is 16. However, we were assured that these temporary caps are pretty tough. The only restriction is that he not bite into an apple. He can handle that. He proved today that he can handle just about anything!

a little appreciation

I hear it everyday!

"Mom, I don't have any socks!"
"Do I have any clean jeans?"
"Please tell me you washed some towels!"

Well, at least someone appreciates it when I don't do laundry!

Sleep well, Jessie.... tomorrow your cuddly bed will be gone and the smell of Meadow Breeze fabric softener will permeate the house!