scatterbrained

As i'm trying to get organized & pack for our trip to Texas, tomorrow, i'm reminded of an email that Ruth sent me. This *so* describes my life, that I made chris read it, so he could better understand me. :)

--
Recently, I was diagnosed with C. A. A. D. D. - Child Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.

This is how it manifests: I decide to do the laundry. As I start toward the basement, I notice that there are cheerios all over the floor and my house keys are in the cereal bowl. I decide to pick up the cheerios before I do the laundry. I lay my keys down on the counter, put the cheerios in the trash can under the counter, and notice that the trash can is full. So, I decide to take out the trash. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the trash I may as well pay the bills first. I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left, my extra checks are in my desk in the office, so I go to my desk where I find a sippy cup full of juice. I'm going to look for my checks, but first I decide I should put the sippy cup in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the sippy cup a plant on the counter catches my eye--it needs to be watered. I set the sippy cup on the counter, and I discover baby wipes that I've been searching for all morning. I decideI better put them back in the bathroom, but first I'm going to water the plants. I set the wipes back down, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote, left on the kitchen table.I realize that when I go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the plants. I splash some water on the plant, but most of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back down, get some paper towels and wipe up the spill. Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day: the laundry isn't washed, the bills aren't paid,there is a warm cup of juice sitting on the counter, the plants aren't watered, there is still only one check in my check book, I can't find the remote, I can't find the wipes, and I don't remember what I did with my keys. Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired.I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail. Do me a favor, will you? Forward this message, because I don't remember to whom it has been sent.

Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming.
--

And I wonder why I find dirty diapers in the fridge. :)

so this is my last post until i return from Texas! Merry Christmas to you all!

Children & Love

Linda sent me an email of the different things kids said when they were asked, "what does love mean?" So I thought i'd ask my kids.

What is love?
*Zachary:
loving God.
When you wish someone wouldn't die.
God made us in a special way because he loves us.

*Gideon:
Helping and loving people.
When they're kind.

*Chloe: Like, hitting is not nice, which is not loving. Loving is being nice. God is love - agape love.

What people have you seen, who love each other?
Z: Chloe and Gideon, and you and Evy, and my whole family

G. People and Jesus

C: Brothers and sisters love each other even before they're born.

How do you show someone you love them?
Z: give them presents
G: talk to them
G: by thinking of them
C: give flowers to someone
Z: loving people when they're sad
G: when people feel sad, & you do something that's fun & they feel better.
C: you like what people give you instead of wanting more.

Brian Regan

My brother-in-law, Daniel introduced us to Brian Regan over the weekend. Too funny! these aer a couple of my favorite videos. They're kind of long, so don't try watching them if you're in a hurry. Save them for some time during the holidays when you're bored & needing a laugh. :)

12 days of christmas

okay... let me just say that "The 12 Days of Christmas" is my absolute least favorite christmas carol in the world (even worse than "The Little Drummer Boy.") But I LOVED this one!!! (thanks, Linda)



What's *your* least favorite Christmas song? And your favorite?

ATTENTION ALL BLOG READERS

I just got my christmas letters printed, thanks to Les. :) Along with trying to get packed for the big trip, i'm trying to get these letters mailed out this week. so... if you would like a christmas letter this year, & think it's possible that I may not have your address, you can email me at emeliaisaac@yahoo.com & give me your address.

For Mom

Sending you flowers to brighten your day. :)

Don't get comfortable lyrics

Just heard this song by Brandon Heath yesterday. I LOVE the chorus.

I am gonna show you what I mean
I am gonna love like you've never seen
You are gonna live like you used to dream
This is your new song

sorry the video sound near as good as the CD song, but you can at least read the lyrics & hear the tune. :)


Lyrics:

Comfortable, don't get comfortable.
I am gonna' move this mountain
then I'm gonna move you in.

Yesterday, this is not yesterday.
You were standing on my shoulders now;
you're standing on the edge.
You've been looking for a sign all this time.

I am gonna show you what I mean
I am gonna love like you've never seen
You are gonna live like you used to dream
This is your new song

So afraid but you don't have to be afraid
Even if you make mistakes
You know that I'll remain

You've been looking for a sign all this time.
If you seek you'll find me every time.

So I am gonna show you what I mean
I am gonna' love like you've never seen
You are gonna live like you used to dream
THIS IS YOUR NEW SONG

Can you feel the call of love?
Is it moving you to be a child of God of love?
Is it reaching you?
It's everywhere the call of love.

I just want to show you what I mean
I just want to love like you've never seen
Do you want to live like you used to dream?
Then I've got a song for you

Cuz I am gonna show you what I mean
I am gonna' love like you've never seen
You are gonna live like you used to dream
This is your new song

You've got a NEW SONG

Hair day!

Last week, we all visited our hairstylist. What fun! Chris, & Evy got the usual; I got a new color (which is "the usual" for me.) Gideon wanted "spikey" hair, so she did her best for him; Zachy got a mohawk; and chloe wanted a new look, so she got her bangs cut. It's amazing how different she looks! It took me awhile to get used to it. :)


A funny story about Zachary: while we were at the salon, i was looking through magazines, and found some pictures of a handsome blond guy, who looked very much like zachary. So I showed him the picture and said, "Look, Zachary. This is what you're going to look like when you grow up." He looked at the picture, & said, with an appalled tone of voice, "no, mom! I'm going to be a dinosaur when I grow up!!"

Christmas Theme

This year, to add a little twist to the joy of gift-giving, Chris' family decided to try a "body" theme. So instead of just drawing names, we drew a name and a body part. I got Daniel's hands. :) It's been a lot of fun to find fun creative gifts. I can't mention anything now, but maybe after christmas, i'll talk about everything we did.

anyway... all that to say, i haven't been posting much, because i've been spending all my time wrapping & organizing christmas presents. Next week, we'll be going to Texas to celebrate christmas with my family. I always look forward to this time. So sorry neither of my brothers will be there. :(

so, if i'm not able to get back on the computer before the holidays, i'd just Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope you all enjoy your time. And I can't wait to see some of you very soon!

Surf's Up!

Last Thrs. we skipped school & decided to spend the morning walking by the beach. Apparently there was a really great tide, w/the biggest waves we've had in three years. This was very exciting to he whole surf community. Every where we looked, there were people walking around with surfboards. It was also interesting to see so many people who just came to watch. Guess we weren't the only ones with the great idea to play hookie.

This post is for you, Josh, as you bemoan the joys of winter weather. :(

i took lots fun pictures... here are the ones that i've gone through already.

loved all these pelicans sitting on the pipe. :)

Thought this was pretty

There were so many people out watching, that i had to take their pictures. I especially thought the photo below was humorous. Everywhere i turned, there were people standing around with their hands up on their heads. Felt very Twilight Zone-y

Even the birds sat around and watched.

Thought this was a cool catch. if you look closely, you can see the person is upside down, w/their head in the water.... hahahahaha! wipeout!

My favorite:

Getting ready for christmas

Every year, chris' company helps a church get ready for their big Christmas tree sale fundraiser. And every year, Chris' business partner gets a free tree as a thank you. This year, Chris playfully asked where *his* tree was.

Friday afternoon, chris calls me up and says, "one of the guys from work is bringing us a tree. you need to look at it & tell him if you like it." --like i would say no to a free tree! So the guy rings the doorbell, & i answer the door to see a 10foot tall tree!!!

usually we get a skinny home depot $20 ft tall tree & stick it in the corner of the dining room. This one is worth $150!!! And there's no way it would fit in our dining room. so we had to get rid of one of the chairs in our living room & put it there --good thing we have vaulted ceilings! :)

So Chris set up the tree on Sat. evening, & we spend sunday evening keeping with our decorating tradition: i serve eggnog & hot apple cider & we invite a friend to come join us in the festivities. Then I get mad at Chris for not helping while the rest of us decorate the tree. This year, Evelyn added a nice little twist by throwing up three times. I just have to say that my absolute least favorite thing about motherhood is throw up.

More Photos

okay... these are the last of the photos that i'll make you look at from my time w/Jamie's family:

i have tons of these two kissing. By the time i was done editing them all, I was feeling quite romantic. :)

When the saints

heard this song by Sara Groves on the radio recently, & loved it. thought i'd share... this was the best youtube that i could get of the song:

Lord I have a heavy burden
of all I've seen and know
It's more than I can handle
But your word is burning like a fire shut up in my bones
and I cannot let it go

And when I'm weary and overwrought
with so many battles left unfought

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars
And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

Lord it's all that I can't carry and cannot leave behind
it often overwhelms me
but when I think of all who've gone before and lived the faithful life
their courage compells me

And when I'm weary and overwrought
with so many battles left unfought

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars
I see the shepherd Moses in the Pharohs court
I hear his call for freedom for the people of the Lord

And when the Saints go marching in I want to be one of them
And when the Saints go marching in I want to be one of them

I see the long quiet walk along the Underground Railroad
I see the slave awakening to the value of her soul

I see the young missionary and the angry spear
I see his family returning with no trace of fear

I see the long hard shadows of Calcutta nights
I see the sisters standing by the dying man's side

I see the young girl huddled on the brothel floor
I see the man with a passion come and kicking down the door

I see the man of sorrows and his long troubled road
I see the world on his shoulders and my easy load

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
and when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

The Dance!

okay... i know you've all been sitting on the edge of your seats, wondering how my little dance went. So I'm here to ease your troubled minds. In the unlikely event that you actually have your own life, and don't keep track of every little thing that's happening in mine, I'll remind you: Sunday was the big day for the dance that i was teaching the kids! eek!

after three short practices with some not-so-thrilled kids, we had an awesome dance on Sunday morning!! YAY! i got to really connect with some of the kids that i worked with, & was able to pray with them about their fears, etc. And through the weeks, i prayed for them that God would break any pride or fear in their lives; that they would worship from sincere, joyful hearts; and that when they did, they would have breakthrough-- so that when they're grown, they would be able to look back on that day & remember it as a day that God touched their lives & changed their hearts, & gave them victory where they needed it. And it's so cool, because i actually saw that happen in some of the kids! one of the boys had terrible stage fright, but went through the whole dance without any fear. And one of the more troublesome boys came away saying that he wanted to be a pastor when he grows up.

It was just *so* cool to see God work in these kids lives, because they were willing to push through & worship Him. And it was so fun to see the adults touched because of their dance, too. And I'm so glad to have a relationship w/these kids that i didn't even know before. Now i remember why i love working with children so much!!

isn't it just like Satan to try to discourage you & make you feel hopeless & frustrated when you're trying to do something good? And isn't it just like our Father to take all those bad thoughts & feelings & turn them into something wonderful!?

And now the children's leader has asked me to consider teaching another dance in January... EEEK!

More Photos

I've edited some more photos from Jamie's photo day. Thought i'd share my favorites:

And i'll just take this moment to say: Happy Birthday, Jamie! I'm so blessed to know you & your beautiful family.

didja miss me?

Hey! sorry i've been away for awhile. How was everyone's thanksgiving?

Chris rented a trailor & took the big kids to a track day with him. Then we all met at his mom's house for thanksgiving dinner, which was wonderful as always. Afterward, we had a gingerbread house contest. very fun! a great way to pass thanksgiving afternoon. Afterward, the big kids spent the night w/their cousins, while the rest of us slept in the trailor.

Friday, we went to a nearby lake/campsite & spent the day. The ment took turns taking the scooters out & riding around, while the women-folk & Micah stayed w/the kids & played with guns. Chloe & Gideon really enjoyed learning to use the BB guns.

I've posted a few pics here.

Happiness

I had so much fun doing a photo shoot for some friends today. Lots of great pictures, but this was one of my favorites. Thanks for letting me play with your family, Jamie. :)

I am Thankful...

for giggles and grins, and snuggles and hugs, and I-love-you's

And little eyes and little hands, and great big smiles, and messy kisses and the pitter patter...

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Our first practice

We had our first practice on Sunday. Oh my goodness! i never thought it would be so hard to teach a bunch of kids how to walk around in a circle.

Don't let it happen to you!

With thanksgiving around the corner, i thought you might like to hear some handy-dandy tips that I got from the plumber, about how to properly care for your garbage disposal, so you don't have to go through what I went through.

-Don't put in celery

-Don't put in potato peels.

-Always use cold water when running the disposal. this keeps everything crisp & easy to grind.

-Afterward, run hot water down the drain for a few seconds to rinse everything though the pipes.

-Once a month, or so, fill up all your sinks with hot water (& someone else told me: a little bleach) & pull all the plugs, so the water can clean out your pipes.

Angelic

Took some pictures of chloe yesterday, for a contest. the challenge was, "The letter A" This was "angelic" I thought they turned out really well.... i submitted the middle one.

kids say the darndest things

So yesterday, we were driving around, & Zachary says, "mom. are pretend skeletons nice?" Well, I figure as long as you pretened they're nice, then they are, so i said yes. Then he asked if real skeletons were nice. so i said, "a skeleton is just you bones, so.... *my* skeleton is nice. how about yours?" and he said, "My skeleton is itchy!" heehee!

And then, last night, we were eating these little yellow cheese puffs called Pirate Booty (y'know, like "pirates treasure"?) And Gideon kept calling it Pirate Booties (y'know, like pirate butts). And i remembered the little chant that he made up when we bought it: "Pirate booties, Pirate booties! We all love piiiirates! 'cause they have booooties!" :)

And *then*, chloe & i went shopping at old navy, and i was reminded of how she used to call it "Old Maybe."

What have I gotten myself into?

So my church is have this big money-raiser/celebration service on December 2. The children's pastor had this great idea that it would be fun to have the children to do a dance during the service. But her assistant is burnt out, trying to get a christmas program together. So... she asked me if i would make up a dance & teach it to the kids. --i don't know why she thinks i have any dancing ability, but she's very mistaken. BUT... i figured, how hard can it be to make up a cute little dance & teach it to some kids? so i said yes. (little did i know that i'd only get to have THREE thirty minute lessons before the perfomance!) Now i just got the music yesterday, & have spent ALL day trying to come up w/some cool dance moves that little kids can do. I'm very excited that i've come up w/something, but when i actually tried to teach it to my kids & the neighbor girls, i realized that i've got a lot of work to do. It apparently *is* pretty hard to come up with a dance & teach it to kids!

when i was trying to come up with some steps, i came across this video:

Lord You Are Good - Chrisitan Music Video Body Worship Dance

Add to My Profile More Videos

mine's not going to be NEAR that good! did i mention that i only have 3 times to meet with the kids before they perform? ak!

anyway... the whole reason i'm telling you this, is because i'm not sure how much i'll be online for the next week or so, since every second of my free time will be spent teaching *myself* the dance steps, so i can teach the kids. :)

Right Here in River City!

Trouble! With a capital "T" And that rhymes with "E" and that stands for Evy!

Siiiiiiigh!

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh

last night, as we were getting ready to go to a meeting at church, all our sinks got backed up & water started pouring out of the dishwasher. We got it all under control, & planned to call the plumber this morning. But before we had the chance, it all errupted from the dishwasher again. The plumber came out & de-clogged our pipes, & looked under the dishwasher to see if there was any damage to the wood floors. while he was looking, he discovered that our dishwasher is leaking, which he won't fix. So we have to call an apliance guy to come take care of the. Also, there's no water *under* the dishwasher, but it's gotten under our sink cabinet. And we can't get to it unless we cut a hole in the bottom of the cabinet. So it's just sitting there, seeping into the wood floors. and it's not just any water... it's stinky, garbage disposal, been-sitting-all-night water. And every time i walk near the sink, the stinky water seeps out between the cracks of wood. The plumber was very encouraging & let me know that the smell is just going to get worse.

So, for any of you who were thinking of getting hardwood floors (heather) i would be sure *not* to put it anywhere that might get wet, like your kitchen.

On a lighter side, I told the plumber how i have the utmost admiration for plumbers & how they deal with other people's nastiness for a living. So he was kind enough to share his most disgusting experience with me, which was at the morgue. Since I've never dealt with the business of death before, he explained that they have an embalming table where they drain people's body fluids & cut their hair & fill them with embalming fluid. Well, apparently, the table drain got clogged & he was called out to fix it. He said it's the only time he had to run outside & gag because the smell was so bad. YUCK!

Fro Boy

Ruth asked how I dressed for halloween. Well, nobody took a picture of me, but Zachy wanted to try out my wig. :)

Other names...

okay... here's another fun one... thanks, Linda. :)

1. YOUR REAL NAME:
Karina \

2 YOUR GANGSTA NAME:
Karizzle

3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (fav color and fav animal)
Lavender Dolphin ooh.. sounds more "hippy" then detective. :)

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME):
Anne Freeman

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: Vankajau

6. YOUR SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color and fav drink)
Green Hot Chocolate? eew!

7. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's middle name, and father's middle name)
Lois Louis. hee-hee

8. YOUR GOTH NAME: (black, and the name of one of your pets)
It's a toss-up between Black Bubbles, Black Hermie, and Black Bob

fun things to do in an elevator

found this years ago, but i still think about it... thought i'd share.

1) CRACK open your briefcase or handbag, peer Inside and ask "Got enough air in there?"
2) STAND silent and motionless in the corner facing the wall without getting off.
3) WHEN arriving at your floor, grunt and strain to yank the doors open, then act as if you're embarrassed when they open themselves.
4) GREET everyone with a warm handshake and ask him or her to call you Admiral.
5) MEOW occasionally.
6) STARE At another passenger for a while. Then announce in horror: "You're one of THEM" - and back away slowly
7) SAY -DING at each floor.
8) SAY "I wonder what all these do?" And push all the red buttons.
9) MAKE explosion noises when anyone presses a button.
10) STARE, grinning at another passenger for a while, then announce: "I have new socks on."
11) WHEN the elevator is silent, look around and ask: "Is that your beeper?"
12) TRY to make personal calls on the emergency phone.
13) DRAW a little square on the floor with chalk and announce to the other passengers: "This is my personal space."
14) WHEN there's only one other person in the elevator, tap them on the shoulder, then pretend it wasn't you.
15) PUSH the buttons and pretend they give you a shock. Smile, and go back for more.
16) ASK if you can push the button for other people but push the wrong ones.
17) HOLD the doors open and say you're waiting for your friend. After a while, let the doors close and say "Hi Greg, How's your day been?"
18) DROP a pen and wait until someone reaches to help pick it up, then scream: "That's mine!"
19) BRING a camera and take pictures of everyone in the lift.
20) PRETEND you're a flight attendant and review emergency procedures and exits with the Passengers.
21) SWAT at flies that don't exist.
22) CALL out "Group hug" then enforce it.

#18 made me laugh out loud.
I really wanna try #10 some day.

Picture Day!

Every year, we go to The Picture People to get our photos done. They're not the best in the world, but they have cute poses & they're cheap. I get a membership every year which gives me lots of discounts. Well, our membership was going to expire in a couple weeks, so i called to make an appointment, & found out that they closed down! Well, i've got no clue where else to go, so we decided that just for the year, we'd drive an hour & a half away, to the nearest picture people, so we could use up our discounts.

anway... thought you'd like to see the pictures.

These are from last year:

And this year:

Zachy was very shy. Every time the camera people got him to smile or laugh, he would turn his head & hide. Finally, i told him that I'd give him a penny if he smiled. :)

Me & Chris pretending to love each other. :) They told us to kiss. I held it for about 3 seconds & then burst out laughing. I mean, really. How long could *you* sit there & pretend to kiss with a camera in your face? made a cute picture, though. --way better than the kissing one.

And Evy finally smiles!