Just a couple of updates:

If you haven't noticed, I've not been able to keep up with the updates like I want to. I've taken away the 'Dinner of the Week' portion, because really, although I cook, it's hard to write down exactly what I use, and I don't want to just take items out of a book if I'm not cooking them myself. So if there's something I find and make it - and like it - I'll add it here.
I will probably blog a little less during the week, but I'll definitely add something at least twice a week.
Also, I'll try to get the kids to post more, and I've asked Lawrence not to post more than once a day when he does. I know it's difficult to read if there's a lot of updates in one day.
Renee is making a pie, and that recipe is on the 'Desert of the Week' post. Can't wait to taste it. The crust just came out of the oven, and smells really good! I'll post a picture when it's done.

That's all for now, I'll talk to you guys later!

Thanks, and God Bless!
Leslie

I feel like I'm neglecting my project

I've been working, and it's been a little bit of a trial this week, trying to get the family schedule together. I forgot to cook twice this week, and it seemed like there was no time to do anything else. It's getting better, I was able to do laundry, I've delegated more responsibilities to the children (right now, they only do one thing each), and Lawrence has been chipping in.

Let's get to progress reports - the kids are doing great!! Nate has all A's, nothing under a 97, and his highest grade is 102.6! Renee has A's, B's, and one C, and that's because she didn't organize her notebook right. If she would have done that, she would have gotten an A+ in that course. Bri got all A's and B's. They're all doing wonderful.

Bri is going to assist with parking at a Renaissance festival tomorrow. It's with her JROTC group. It's going to go on every weekend for I think a month, so I may help one Saturday. Renee wants to go as well, but I have to see how much it costs.

Work has been challenging. I can't wait to get out of training and do actual work. Training is very boring!! So sick of waiting for everybody else to get done. I want to go at my own pace, and not worry about anyone else.

We're still praying for that second car. Right now, I get up at 5:30am to take Lawrence to catch the 5:59am bus. Then I see Bri and Nate off, make sure Renee wakes up, and start getting ready so I can get to work at 8:00am. Lawrence gets off at 3:00pm, but since I don't get off until 4:30, he catches a later bus. He gets to the stop at 4:30pm, and I pick him up at 4:40. We need a second car. Tomorrow, I have to take Lawrence to work, then take Bri to school so she can get to the festival. Lots of driving. Keep praying.

Bri is waiting for me to finish so she can upload a Chris Brown cd to her PSP. Anyway, I'm off so I can get ready for tomorrow.

Thanks, and God Bless!
Leslie

When we moved here,

this "tree" had more branches, but no leaves. It was kinda sad then, and it's even worse in this picture.









Then Friday morning, it was rainy and windy, and the top of the tree's branches broke off, no longer even looked like the Charlie Brown tree!



Today, the Landscaper came out and planted another tree. It's kinda cute, but it's gonna need us to water it about as much as we walk the dog. We'll see how it grows. Here it is:













This is me today. I started my first day of training. I thought I was kinda cute (man, I have a five head!), so I had Lawrence take a picture of me. The brace is because I had some pain in my hand, maybe from being a blog hog! Anyway, I had an okay day at work. I know the stuff we're training on, so it's going slow already. Some of the people that I'm training with never worked in a call center, and it shows. They're asking several of the same questions, and if they would have either listened to the trainer or the first person who asked her to repeat it, the class would run smoother. I hope I can move at my own pace, if not, I might just pull my hair out! I guess waiting for others will give me more break time, so that's good.

We're watching Heroes, although I wanted to watch the game. Lawrence turned to it, then started snoring. This season is a little weird. Too many stories, and I missed some of last season, so it makes it harder to follow.

I'm upset that the Eagles lost, and I'm not sure about this season. Looks like we're going to have a rough road this year.

OH! I almost forgot! Nate is going to be anchor for his school's news program! He's very excited. I'll see if I can get a picture.

Well, I'm going to bed. Gotta get up early to start a LONG day!

Thanks, and God Bless!
Leslie

The Little Things

So often, we get caught up in all the big things going on in our lives. We sweat all the hassles, and worry needlessly about so many things. But how often do we forget to be thankful for the little blessings that get us through each and every day? We worry about bills, health, our jobs, our homes, etc... Well, today was a day to appreciate the little things.

I'm sure by now you've heard about the crazy gas shortage here. Well, it hasn't really affected us because our car has been sipping gas. For the last 4 days, while others have been driving miles out of there way, just to wait in line for literally 4-5 hours to get a rationed 10 gallons for about $4.30 per gallon, we have been riding around and the gas gauge was hardly moving. I mean people were running out of gas waiting in mile long lines to get gas. Fights were breaking out, because people were cutting in line. We actually had to have police officers directing traffic at gas stations.

Today I noticed that we were getting pretty close to being on 1/4 tank. I thought about getting gas yesterday at the BP where I usually go, but like so many others, they were out of gas, and their pumps were shut down. But, while I was at work, they sent a message around letting us know that there was a BP gas station that was holding a reserve of gas for police employees to fill service, and personal vehicles. Wouldn't you know, it was the one I usually go to. I still figured since every police employee got the message, there was still, probably going to be a line and they may even run out of gas like the ones that had done this in previous days. I still had hours left to my shift.

When I got off, I was walking out happy to be going home because it had been a busy day for me, calling back all of the hang-ups we got, and putting out APB's, as well as my normal duties. I began to chat with the officer who was manning the front desk. I remarked that it was great that we were finally getting out of there, but he said he was going to work off duty doing what else....directing traffic at a gas station. I then mentioned the gas station where we could all get gas. That's where he was headed.

We drove there pretty much in tandem. I was expecting a line or a crowd, but there was none. We went inside and the mgr told us they were waiting for us to get there before they turned on the pumps. I was able to fill up my tank (no 10 gallon rationing) before anyone else was even allowed into the gas station, and was home only about 5 minutes later than usual. As I left, the line had already stretched a full block, and was growing. Can you say PROVISION? I was so tickled I couldn't wait to tell somebody. So, before I even set foot in the door I told Leslie, my mom, my freind, and his mom.

When I got home I was greeted by Nate, filled with his normal exuberance. I used to wonder why he always got so excited about seeing me. I mean, I could walk into a different room, and when I came back, he'd be waiting for me with a hug. But, one day, his godmother and I were talking. She said she has never seen a son love his father as much as Nate loves me. And it made me truly appreciate how special our bond really is. So, I relish every one of those hugs, and I hug him back like it's the last one I'll ever get. I hugged all the kids and told them I loved them.

Tonight was a "whatever night" for dinner, and afterwards Bri, Leslie, and I played Sequence, Renee played Mario Party, and Nate played his DS. I'm blogging mostly because Leslie is having some hand issues. We went to get her a support brace earlier, and she said it feels much better.

We're all a little excited because Leslie starts her new job on Monday. It will be a welcome boost in income, but I'll miss her being home. She was doing such a great job taking care of the house and all of us. But we'll all try our best to keep the ship sailing smoothly. Well, Leslie's snoring and I've been up since 4:30 and at least want to lay down if not go to sleep. So, hopefully you'll hear from me later. If not it's because of the blog hog. Just kidding. Love you guys.

I need a cheesteak...(yes, it's spelled right)

...and some ribs from a place called Ribs 'R' Us, and a soft pretzel. When I was in Philly, I didn't eat these things every day, but when you don't have them available, you want it more.

I don't understand why people in other cities want to call their steaks 'Philly Cheese steaks', but they obviously have never been to Philly, or have had someone from Philly train them on how to make a steak. If you are reading this, and you've never had a genuine Philly cheese steak, listen: THERE ARE NO GREEN PEPPERS IN A CHEESE STEAK!! I'm pretty sure there's been a Philadelphian who has told you this already. Why won't you listen?? It's just wrong. And it's not a cheese steak, it's a chee steak, cheesteak. There's no reason for the other letters. Philly natives, I know you're trying to see how you say it right now. It's just like saying 'water'. We don't say it like anyone else.

Well, tomorrow there is going to be a large concert at the venue up the street. If you're from Philly, think of it as the Dell, or the Mann. It has the lawn seats and all that. Unfortunately tomorrow, there's going to be a big storm. I probably won't be outside during that time anyway, but just in case I have to go out, I KNOW not to go in that direction. I got stuck in concert traffic one time since I've been here, and one time is more than enough for me.

I'm pretty upset that I don't have TiVo, because both of my favorite shows were on tonight. Grey's Anatomy had to mess things up by being on for 2 hours, so I couldn't watch all of ER. I've been flipping back and forth, but now I have to watch both on the internet, because I missed too much of it.

The gas problem is crazy here! We are blessed to have more than 1/2 tank left. It's mayhem here - schools are closing, people are in line for hours to end up with no gas. Of course, that causes other problems, fights because people are jumping in line, accidents because people are blocking lanes trying to wait to get into a station. AAA said they aren't going to bring anyone gas if they run out on the road, they are just going to tow you. They are announcing on tv where you can get gas, but I think that contributes to the problem. People are going to try to drive for miles to get to those stations, they're going to cause more traffic nightmares, and I hope the stations don't run out of gas. That's been happening more and more. Reminds me of people who stand in line on black Friday, just for everything to run out when they get inside the store. Just evil.

I don't think we're getting our tree tomorrow. The weather is going to be bad, and the landscaper had already pushed the date back because of the rains a couple of weeks ago. As soon as we get the tree, I will post the pictures.

I'm going to bed now, it's late. Good night, and keep praying!

Leslie

Feels like

I've been missing. I've been busy - and not really with allot of stuff, just family life. I think when I start work next week, I'm going to cut down the amount of posts I do anyway.

So, we did go to that church on Sunday. It was okay. We went to the 4th and final service of the day - 11:30am. Praise and Worship was nice - they have screens so we can read the words to the songs and sing along. The welcome is you have to hug the people around you and tell them you love them, which I thought was cute. We didn't get to hear the pastor, because it was his anniversary, and they had a guest speaker. He gave pieces of messages; I think it's because they only get 20 minutes to preach.
I don't know how often I'll go back, because it's a chore to get in and out of the parking lot. They have an officer directing traffic on the street, and members direct traffic in the lot. If you leave when everyone else leaves, you're sure to be in a traffic jam. We left a little early. Next week is the continuation of the pastor's anniversary, so we're going to go to the first church we visited when we moved.
We didn't go to the park, gas and money are big issues down here. There's a gas shortage because of the hurricane, and we have no money to buy the gas that is available. We watched football all day, happy the Eagles won. We missed the Emmys, and if you did too, you have to watch Josh Groban on YouTube! I'm not a big Josh Groban fan, but I thought his medley was great!
Monday morning, Lawrence and I went to the DMV and finally got our driver's licenses. Lawrence really needed to get his, because his PA one expired Friday. I was tired of chauffeuring him. I almost failed my test! We needed 20 out of 25, and I had to get the last 3 questions right, or I would have failed. Some of the things you do in PA, you don't do here. When you take the driving test in PA, you have to use your mirrors to back up. If you take your hands off of the steering wheel, you fail the test. Here, they want you to look behind you and steer with your left hand. That's one of the questions Lawrence got wrong. He got 23 out of 25. Even though I was mad at the test, I have to say, my picture is kinda cute. No, I'm not going to post it!
When we got home, I was drained. I don't know why - but I was so very tired, and I couldn't get to sleep. Also, our phone went on the fritz. If you've called us lately, you may have been hung up on - not by us, though. It's very difficult to dial out, and sometimes we can't answer it. So we need to get a new phone. If you need to contact us, send smoke signals!
We then watched Heroes. It's kinda creepy this season, but very interesting.
Yesterday was my super-cleaning day. I did nothing but clean. I almost killed myself with bleach fumes from one of the cleaning sprays we have. It smells like they just took a bottle of concentrated bleach and added a spray nozzle. I washed almost all of the clothes in the house.
Today, I'm finishing my cleaning. The last of the clothes, and the refrigerator is getting clean today. I need to get this all done before I start work next week.

Oh, we found out we need a car by the end of October. Keep praying.

The kids are doing great, they're still happy with school. Renee, who does horribly in math, came home with a 92 on her last test, Nate still only has one 'B', and Bri has been doing great in school.

We're getting a new tree in the front of our house. The tree we have now is worse than Charlie Brown's Christmas tree! The landlord is having a new tree put in either Thursday or Friday. I'll post before and after pictures here when it's done.

Well, my dryer has stopped, and it's time to put another load in.

Thanks, and God Bless!
Leslie

When you ask...

... God will answer. Yesterday I asked for prayer for a job, and I just came from completing my employment paperwork today. I start at a call center on 9/29, just a little over a week away. It's a temporary position, but it could become permanent after 4 - 6 months. I don't care, it's a job. I'm excited!



So, this is Philly, Nicole's dog. Philly has a skin allergy, and every time Nicole tried to put ointment on her, she would lick it off. Nicole had to go to the extreme of shaving her hair off of her backside, add ointment, and put shorts on her until the rash clears.
Lawrence and I had to go and help her. We had to hold her while Nicole shaved her. Nicole tried several ways of muzzling her, but Philly kept taking them off. So, that's why the shorts. After Nicole got the shorts on her, she wouldn't walk! It was funny, because she ALWAYS jumps on me, but she wouldn't move. She finally did walk, but she wasn't happy.

I posted those recipes like I said, but I still haven't put those party ideas together. I don't want to just post anything, so I'm not going to until I get it in order.

Today after I had my interview (I figured something out with my hair), we did much of nothing. There's nothing on tv, and everyone was just lazy. When Lawrence got home from work, he took a nap. Hopefully tomorrow, we'll have a better day. I want to go to church, but we still haven't found a church we want to call home. There's one down here that's large, but it's supposed to have a family feel. Think I wanna check it out. After 13 years of Christ Baptist, it's hard to change. I want to hear Larry sing "I am a friend of God" again - or see Mike imitate it!!

Well, we're gonna either watch some tv, or play Phase 10. Talk to you guys tomorrow!!

Thanks, and God Bless!
Leslie

Well, that was special

We had a nice night last night.
I was going to allow the kids to make Lawrence's cake, but Renee and Bri got home so late, I decided to make it myself. It was a white cake with strawberry filling and buttercream frosting. Then I started dinner, and I made Lawrence go straight to the bedroom when he came home and locked him in so he wouldn't see his dinner being made. I had Nate on "daddy duty", anytime he called, Nate had to get him whatever he wanted. Lawrence loved the attention!
After I picked up Bri, I finished dinner, and the kids filled the cake with candles. I had Lawrence cover his eyes and walked him out to the dining room, but by the time we started singing, the cake was about to be covered in wax! Lawrence blew out the candles, and the whole room got smokey! It was funny! I wanted to take pictures to post, but I forgot.

So yesterday I was sooo busy getting that together that I wasn't able to get my party ideas together to post. I'll do it tomorrow because Saturdays are usually quiet. That's when I'll change the recipes as well.

We've been looking at finances, and although it's great for the whole family that I'm home, we realized that I have to find a job. So I'm looking. I have to get my hair done, because since I took my locs out, I've either wore straightback cornrows or a bushy ponytail. Not good for interviews. I look like a gang member! I'm unwilling to get a perm, because I really believe I'm going to start locs again. If I get a perm, I'll have to cut off more hair than I want when I restart the locs. I want to get microbraids, but I don't have the money. I'll figure something out.

What are we doing for the weekend? Well, since Lawrence is working on Saturdays right now, the kids and I are probably going to clean, and Sunday we're going to church. Nicole said she wanted both families to go to the park, so we may do that as well.

Well, I'm off to finish my morning cleaning routine.

Pray for us. Specifically, a job for me, and a second car.

Thanks, and God Bless!
Leslie

Tomorrow's Lawrence's Birthday...

...and we're trying to do something special. I'm making a special dinner just for him, and the kids are going to do something special. I'll update you on that tomorrow, don't want him to read it and ruin the surprise.

What else? Well, tomorrow's also Bri's last day of driver's ed. classroom training. She has to do her behind the wheel training, but that's not until the end of October. You can all breathe now, the streets and sidewalks are safe for another month, at least.

Living in this area is nice, but being from the inner city, we're not used to the constant sound of crickets. This morning, it sounded like there was a cricket behind the sofa. I pulled out the couch and actually vacuumed to make sure. Noise kept going. It was outside, right under the window, but it was just very loud. One morning, Nate woke up to a cricket, on his face!! That was the only bug (other than the occasional spider) we've had in the house. That's one thing I definitely don't miss. No house next to me, no woods behind me, no rodents living with me!

We're trying to figure out if it's possible to come up there for Thanksgiving. We know we're not driving. I don't want to be in a car that's going up or down I-95 for a while. We have enough highway here. Unfortunately, we may have to leave Lawrence behind. Don't think he's going to get a holiday off for a while.

I'm tired, so I'm going to turn in now. Have a long day ahead tomorrow.
So did anyone try either of the recipes listed? I'm changing the dinner recipe tomorrow.

While you're here, I would like to add something to your prayer list:
We NEED another car! Like NOW! Don't have the money, but we definitely need one. Pray for us. Was told if you don't ask, God won't answer.

You all have a good night, and God Bless.
Leslie

I'm so sad...

Yesterday I couldn't post anything because I was watching Monday Night Football.

WHY, WHY, WHY!!

It was a good game. There are many Eagles - Cowboys match-ups that were exciting and memorable, but last night was crazy! I wanted to go to bed, but I couldn't keep my eyes off of the tv. It was so funny when "Bonehead" Jackson threw away his touchdown. Lawrence says if anyone sees him on the street to slap him because he made him lose his fantasy football game. He would have received 12 points for the play, and he lost by 3. I actually wasn't upset about the Eagles losing because it was a good game. I would have been upset if we lost miserably. I was a little upset that the main highlight they showed was the T.O. pass. There were other good Dallas plays, but for some reason they only showed that one.

Anyway, today was an interesting day. It rained, and we have no umbrellas. All of the children got wet either while going to school or while at school. Each school has trailers for extra classrooms, and Nate and Bri have to walk to different trailers throughout the day. Renee was getting wet waiting for the bus this morning. I did go down to her stop in the car and let her sit until the bus came. I'm not that heartless!

We then did our usual dance of pickup the people, but with a little twist. I had extra people, Nicole, her daughter and youngest son, Bri, and Nicole's daughter's friend. She was a surprise. We didn't know she stayed behind with Nicole's daughter, so I had to do extra driving. Wasn't too happy about that.

We're now watching Wipeout. It's a pretty funny show, but this is the season finale, and it's very lame. It's a clip show of the 25 favorite moments, and they're not even that funny. They're also throwing some lame commentary and interviews with past contestants. It's really corny, and a waste of tv. Unfortunately, there's nothing else on.

Bri's telling me about how she's afraid of the frogs outside. They're small frogs, and very harmless. Don't understand what she's scared of. Maybe I'll try to have her kiss one.

We're all being lazy right now. No one wants to do their chores, and we're all ready to fall asleep. I want to take a shower, but I think I'll fall asleep in the water. Maybe I'll just wait until the morning.

Nate and Charlie are playing with Charlie's toy. It's pretty funny, because whomever has the toy gets chased around the couch - person or dog.

That's pretty much all that's going on today. The kids are doing great in school, getting special awards, and so far all A's.

Thursday will be our topic day, so I'll post those party planning ideas then.

Thanks so much for reading, God Bless!
Leslie

Day 6: Family Day

Hi all,

Well, today was family day. We didn't leave the house, because we didn't want to use gas. With prices fluctuating the way they are, we can't afford to waste any.
Lawrence made breakfast, and we had a great game of Phase 10. Nate joined in with the usual three, and he actually came in second. Lawrence won. We think he cheats.
We then watched football. There were a couple of great games on, and although I live here, I realized I am not a Panthers' fan. I found myself rooting for them to lose! The Bears let me down, though. The offense just crumbled in the second half. Then we just knew the Jets were going to win, but the Patriots showed they aren't all Tom Brady. I share Lawrence's sentiment - I can't wait until Monday night!

To all who are "following", thank you! It feels good to know we're not writing for ourselves. To everyone who's reading, but not registered as a follower, register! It's easy and free.

This week I'm going to post some inexpensive party planning ideas, as well as another dinner and dessert recipe. I'll also post school and family updates, of course.

Again, if there's anything you want to know, anything you want me to blog about, let me know. Email me, text me, or leave a comment on this page.

Thanks, and God Bless,
Leslie

Too Short

Have you ever noticed how time really does fly when you're having fun? Why do your days off seem so much shorter than your work days? Have you ever come back from vacation feeling like you need a vacation? Almost makes you miss unemployment, doesn't it? But then there's that whole pesky not having anything to eat thing. And that nowhere to lay your head thing. Maybe working isn't so bad after all. ;-)

E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!!

How 'bout those Birds?!!! I'm sitting around here just jonesin' to see us kick some Dallas Cowpies butt!!! I love Monday Night Football, but for certain games, I just can't wait. And how about big "D", healthy and hurlin'. It's a thing of beauty. It brings a tear to my eye. Unfortunately, I don't want us to stomp them too badly. I have T.O., Adam Jones, and Felix Jones on my fantasy football team. Ironic, huh?

Day 5: WHAT??!!

First: Bri and Nate posted today - look below

I don’t watch Good Morning America, but on one of those comedy recap shows (on VH1), GMA interviewed Sarah Palin’s exercise buddies, dubbed the ‘Elite 6’. They all said something nice about her, and something weird about her being scared of cats. How do you HUNT, but you’re scared of a house cat?
Anyway, the reporter asked if they knew who they were voting for, and NONE of them had their minds made up. One of them said she would ‘support Sarah as a friend’, but she wasn’t sure who she was going to vote for in the election. What is Sarah Palin doing in Alaska??
I’m happy they all didn’t just endorse her because she’s their friend, but for ALL of them to say they were undecided is a little freaky. I don’t know what your political views are, but you should look closely at this entire situation. If McCain is elected, this woman could be the next President sooner than we want.

That's out of my system now - back to family stuff.

Today was a lazy day for the kids and I. Renee and Nate were the only ones who were dressed - Renee to walk the dog, and Nate because he stayed overnight at Nicole's. Lawrence had to work today. I did my usual cleaning and cooking, then I just watched tv. Still didn't watch The Producers, but it's not due back until Monday. It'll get watched.

Lawrence, Bri and I played Phase 10 a little after he came home. That's always a good game, although Bri thinks we know some kind of trick, because she hasn't won a game since we started playing. Nate and Renee were being their usual all day.

There wasn't much more going on today, but I did take a few more candid shots. I'll add them here for your enjoyment.

I also added a dessert recipe that we love. Renee even made this one by herself. It's very easy.

Let me know if there's anything else you'd like me to add.

God Bless,

Leslie

A new life

Hi, I'm Nate .
Living down here lets life throw out new experiences, more challenges, and new friends. Though it was not hard, on maybe the fourth day I made my first few friends. Marco, Julian, Jaylin, Devon, and Havier. Though they're not like my friends from home, they're silly and wacky so it was an interesting start. As school started things got better as I gained two new friends Amhad and Arrys. So as you can tell I'm going strong in this life just waiting for what's ahead.

living in new places

hi everybody, it's Bri:


Living in North Carolina is a different experience. I am not close to family an old friends and I miss everybody so much. Although I am missing every body so much I have made new friends.

The second day of school i met Digonay (I don't know if that's the correct spelling) she sat with me at the lunch table because she had just got her schedule and i was sitting at the table all lonely. After that i didn't see her i think she has a different lunch. On the fourth day of school i met three other people and now i sit with them at lunch every day. Pooh (that's her nickname) she is nice and smart an funny. Amber is the tallest of all of us but she is funny an reminds me of someone but i cant get their name out right now. And then there's Janine (I don't know if that's the right spelling either) Shes the smartest of she's in 9th grade an is taking geometry and Spanish 2. They are all in 9th grade. In my Civics & Economics class I have 2 friends Shaquil and Niya. They are nice people and fun to be around. My English class, which is up 70 steps outside, I have a friend named Jared he's a nice boy he's also funny. My Spanish class i talk to Janine, Precious, and Claudia. After Spanish I have lunch. I have the last lunch and I always get pizza. They have Domino's pizza. Almost all of my friends have the same lunch as me. the only person that doesn't have the same lunch as me is my friend Victor. I keep calling him Jarvis by accident because that's his last and he's in my ROTC class so he always answer to Jarvis.

Toothy Trials

Hiho all,

Well, I'm sure you've all heard about my recent stint in the hospital. I want to thank you all for your concern, and most of all your prayers. I want to solicit your continued prayers. As my father has so aptly put it, we are in a strange land and are coming under attack from the enemy. But we know our trials only come to make us strong.
God has been so good to us, and has proved himself over and over, even in the short time we've been down here. He has truly opened doors, and created avenues of perpetual blessing. He's blessed me in my job, my finances, and my health. He's blessed Leslie to find a comfortable niche at home, and at Renee's school. The munchkins are all excelling in their studies. Bri keeps plugging along in her usual stellar fashion. Nate is giving his all, and continues to bring home no less than 100's on all of his work. But what has made me really proud, is the way that Renee has begun to work to her potential, and her teachers are taking notice.
I love and miss you guys alot, but I wouldn't trade this experience for the world. Just stepping out on faith, and trusting that God will be true to his word. Then as the darkness of the glass clears to let you see what He's had waiting for you...There can't possibly be anything more exciting!!!
Well, since this isn't a preaching blog, let me leave you with a very practical piece of advice before I got to bed. If you have a toothache, don't wait, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! a toothache can KILL you. I had emergency surgery, and was in ICU on a ventilator, because I didn't take care of a toothache from an impacted molar and it stopped hurting, so, I forgot about it. Also, big moves are scary, but when it's in God's time somehow the Red Sea becomes dry land and your enemies drown in your wake as you cross over in God's providence.

Good night,
Rev Run...lol

Three things...

...before I go on about my day.
1. We changed the title. After speaking to the family, we all decided that since they aren't "mommateers", then it's not fair to name the blog mommateer if they're going to contribute. There.

2. Do hurricanes eat gas? Why is the gas so high, and why are the people in North and South Carolina going nuts?? This is crazy. Yesterday, gas was $3.69 at the high priced stations. Today, people were lining up for hours at gas stations that were running empty. These are the ones that weren't changing their prices. They were $3.60 - $3.65. I went to a station and topped off at $4.29. I was able to get in and out of the station without issue, while others waited and waited, running out of gas, and still didn't get cheap gas because they were in line at a station that ran out. I feel bad for them. That just means they had to pay more and get more gas.

Anyway, about my day. I had to get Lawrence to the bus stop by 5:59am. I think I need to explain this:
We live in the city, however, we live very close to a rural area. Can't even call them suburbs. The developments we live in used to be farm land. There's still farm land around, there's cows and horses up the road! So anyway, the closest bus route is 3 miles away. With limited streetlights. And very limited sidewalks. Don't think Lawrence wants to walk to the bus in the dark morning. He'll either get hit, mauled, or shot because someone will think he's a burglar! He catches the bus on the days I need the car, and today was one of those days.
I then wait for Bri to leave at 6:10, make sure Nate eats and leaves at 6:30, then make sure Renee gets up to get ready for school. She doesn't have to leave until 7:30am, which is good, because she doesn't like to get up in the morning.
I cleaned (close your mouths), started my chili (see the recipe on the left), walked the dog, then went to pick up Nicole from work. This is when we first saw the gas prices. Went to the market, and then we had to go in that DREADED DIRECTION...
Near the racetrack! The race wasn't to start until about 7:00pm, however, there were people clamoring to get into the stadium. I don't get the excitement about watching cars for hours go around and around and around...
It wasn't a horrible drive, but it was annoying. I had to take the interstate just to get home. I HATE the interstate. But today it wasn't so bad. I came home and walked the dog again, just in time to start my outside running again. Pick up Lawrence and Bri; Bri went on a trip, so she missed the school bus to get home. I wanted her to take pictures so she could share them, but she said they actually had to do work on the trip.

The chili was good, and Nate baked his first cake. Maybe I'll have Bri share a cake recipe (not the chocolate one - that's a secret!!), and we watched Horton Hears a Who. Funny. I still didn't watch The Producers. I'll see it tomorrow.

Also tomorrow, one or all of the children will add to the blog. You have to read!

Let me know what you think about the new name.

God Bless,
Leslie

Day 3: Just another day

I finally watched Little Miss Sunshine, and it was so funny!! If you've never watched it, I suggest you rent it. I actually borrowed it from the library, so it was free to rent. When you don't have any money, the library's the best way to go. Tomorrow I'm watching The Producers.

Today I also went cheap food shopping. There are several great markets here, Bloom, Harris Teeter, Lowes, and Food Lion. There's also Bi-Lo, Save-A-Lot, and Aldi's here. My favorites are Lowes and Bloom. At Lowes, they unpack your cart for you, and you get "greenpoints" to use later. You can get free food with the points - that's the main reason I go there. Bloom is just a nice market, and they have good sales. I just came from Bloom, had to get bread, as well as lunch stuff for Lawrence. Spent more than what I wanted, but I did get some good sales, and was able to use lots of coupons. Coupons are my friend, because we have no money right now.


What else happened today? Well, not much, I didn't get to go to the school, which I feel bad about, because I only went once this week. Fridays are a no go for me. Next week will be better. Bri and Nate were exercising today, and I took a picture of Nate "lifting weights". Lawrence was trying to help him, but as you can see, he has NO CLUE of what he's doing!

Renee just sat around today. She gets home so late, so she doesn't have time to do much. She was just laying around and texting - her favorite pastime now. I'm glad we have free texting, because we'd be broke!

I realized before that I didn't add a picture of Charlie the dog, although I did mention him. Here's one I took today:







Not sure of why he looks so angry in this picture, because he was pretty happy. I don't think he likes the flash.

This weekend, I'll have the kids post their thoughts. They're pretty excited about it, and hopefully they have something good to share.


I need coffee!! I had one cup today, and I haven't had any coffee in about a week! I was told to lay low from caffeine, dairy, tomatoes, citrus, air...


Next week, the blog is going to center around different topics - party planning, recipes, volunteering; just different stuff I know something about. If there is a SPECIFIC topic you want to know about, PLEASE let me know!

Thanks!

Day 2: Well, that was a bust...

I went to the school today to volunteer at the media center, but when I got there, the parking lot was completely full. I forgot that there was going to be the only African-American NHRA stock car racer at the school today. He was choosing students to be honoray pit-crew members for the race here on Friday night. That reminds me to not go near the mall this weekend. The traffic in that direction will be a mess....

Anyway, this NHRA driver, Tom Hammonds was also an NBA player, so there are many excited people here - especially parents. The 7th graders at the school were to write an essay on why they should serve as a pit crew member. Renee didn't want to do it. I thought it wold be a cool experience for her, but I can't force her, and I didn't want to write it for her, because she wouldn't lie for me if I did. She'd probably be upset with me for pulling her away from the t.v.. There's more than likely some high-schoolish movie on, or the Jonas brothers, or something like that on. Why watch cars when you can watch some girls try to hide the fact that they are really mermaids, no matter how many times you've seen it?

I think I'm going to try to go to the school tomorrow. I just found out that the district cut Media Assistants from the budget. I think it's dumb, because there's alot to do. I guess if there are people willing to volunteer, why should they waste the money? They might as well close down the school libraries, because the librarian will not be able to take care of evey duty.

Well, it's raining, and I have to pick up Lawrence from the bus stop. He won't be too happy with cold, wet clothes on.

As I said before, let me know what you think. What else do you want to know? You can post your comments at the end of each blog entry.

Talk to you soon!