Making the moolah

Last week I went to Beaumont, and I spent way too much money.

So, I have a new obsession:

KINGWOOD YARDSALES!!! (http://www.kingwoodyardsales.com/)

Somewhere in the craziness of my mind, I have decided I am going to cancel out my ridiculous spending by selling things from around my house, things I don't like or don't use or things that could fetch a good price ("Clark isn't wearing his watch, is he?" "Do we really need a daiper genie?"). You can help me on my way to self-created wealth by purchasing my unwanted junk. I'm not really sure how you go about doing this, but I'm sure the website explains it. I think you e-mail me, we meet somewhere, and we exchange cash for treasure. Because I sent e-mails to 5 friends (5 of my and Clark's e-mail addresses), I get a 7 day premiere package which includes pictures and a count of how many views my items have received. My puppy paw prints kit has receieved like 30 views! I'm just waiting for an offer!

Happy shopping!

Motherhood is a fascinating club. Rarely do you find such a group of exhausted women able to drive large vehicles, put pacifiers in mouths without looking, talk on the phone, and still get where they should be going without even having finished a full cup of coffee. Parenting is a fascinating experiement... Every choice is really a hypothesis based on previous theory which either leads to a positive conclusion or a new hypothesis. For example: Hypothesis: If I use teething tablets, Emma's gums will stop hurting. Conclusion: Teething tablets are good for temporary relief of teething pain (approximately 15 minutes). Hypothesis: If I give Emma applesauce, her tummy will feel better. Conclusion: Loose bowel movements are encouraged by sugar which is found in fruit. Hypothesis: If I give Emma noodles that I puree with olive oil and salt, her tummy will feel better. Conclusion: I have no idea if her tummy feels better, but she is a fan of pasta!
I am still amazed by the fact that the Lord knows the answer to every question, and yet He gives us the privilege of figuring things out step by step. Why has He trusted me with such a wonderful little girl??? Thank you, God, for Your omnipotence and Your patience. And thank you for teething tablets.

Bedtime prayers

Dear Lord,
When we get to Heaven, will the laughter of babies float sweetly among the angel choruses? Blue plastic bathtubs and flower watering cans may not be a part of the heavenly decor, but surely the joy that causes splashing hands and gummy grins will spring forth from our hearts, happy to be home.

One of Emma's bottom teeth is showing through her tender gums, and I feel excited, anticipating all the learning and development to come. Do you feel that way toward me? When I take a step in my faith, when I mature, are You excited?

I want to rejoice and be glad in every day You have made. You have entrusted me with the great privilege and responsibility of being a mommy. Thank you for this opportunity.

My heart's prayer will continue to be this: Please bring Emma to salvation at a young age. Help her to fall in love with You and Your Word in the years when it is easy to stray. Help Clark and me to be accepting of Your will for her life, whatever it may be. Thank you for the blessing that she is.
Amen.

Questions from the underwire

If matter can be neither created nor destroyed,

where did my chest go?

It is already 8:47 on Monday evening! Whew!

Friday night I had the joy of taking Emma to watch her daddy play softball! The guys in our Sunday school class are in a church league, and the wives and babies go and cheer them on. This was my first game to attend since it was the first one before 9:00 since I've been a happy person, and unfortunately it was their last of the season. It was soooooooooo much fun! They were really bad. The night started with an umpire yelling at my husband and two other guys, saying, "I've told you high school guys before that you can't play on this field." They politely explained that they were here to play as a B team in the church league, and after he noticed the wives and babies, he stopped chasing them off. Then the team we were playing arrived. They were men in their forties to sixties with gray hair and knee braces. As they walked by the bleachers where the wives were sitting we could hear them mumbling about how young these guys were and how badly they thought they would be beat. Little did they know that most of our twenty year old husbands were in the band rather than on the football team. As the game began, it was obvious that our sweet spouses had more experience with computer keyboards than batting cages and more spirit than skill. They gave it their all and seemed to have a really good time. One of my favorite parts was how proudly the girls would shout for their not-so-athletic batter/fielder, as though they had just hit a homerun at Yankee Stadium or fielded the most cruicial out. Our guys did put forth a valiant effort, losing by only two runs. Afterword we went to the Wolfram's house for ice cream sundaes and fellowship. I was struck by how wonderful it is to have great friends who really love their mates as much as I do, even if they aren't going to be drafted into the major leagues any time soon.

Saturday=Supper 6 with the Smithsons and Meriwethers at our house (Yea for Stouffer's lasagna and green bean bundles.
Sunday=Slept until 7:00 (thanks Emma!), leisurely ate breakfast, got ready, Sunday school, church, Los Cucos with wonderful friends, home for an hour and a half, to the Pearce's for burgers and a youth workers' planning meeting, then to the Burris's until way past Clark's bedtime
Monday=LAUNDRY. And now it is 9:00, and I think I will join my star athlete in bed! Goodnight!