One Saturday . . .

The kids and I went outside to play and noticed that there was a safety fair right across the street! They were having bike safety tips.

Banana kicked back and enjoyed some free chips!

Noodle enjoyed a train ride.

And she rode a two-wheeler (sort of - it had training wheels) for the first time.

A great smiley picture of Chicken Nugget!

Brave Noodle, on the big slide!

Chicken Nugget - cute girl, pretty flowers.

Security

Poor Chicken Nugget. It seems she has the gift of frequent pottying, just like her mommy. Last night as I was going to bed, Chicken Nugget, who had been sleeping for a few hours, got up to use the bathroom. It is annoying not to be able to sleep through the night for having to get up to go potty. But, it gave Chicken Nugget and I an opportunity for a little hug and sugar before she headed back to bed.

However, like an episode of the Simpsons, the first five minutes of this story have little or nothing to do with the rest of it.

I thought Chicken Nugget was headed back to bed. But thirth seconds later, she emerged into the doorway of our bedroom. Very groggily, she kind of walked around in a circle, blinked, and headed to our bed, halting every few steps.

"What are you doing, sweetie?" I asked her.

"I'm getting up here," she mumbled, and it was scarcely audible.

Buffalo Wings was already mostly asleep, but when she got into our bed, he looked up, put on a silly face, and looked into her sleepy face.
"What are you doing?" he asked, in his silly daddy voice.

"I'm sleeping in your bed," she answered, settling in and pulling covers around herself.

We shrugged and settled in ourselves.

It's been awhile since Chicken Nugget has gotten into bed with us in the night. But as I snuggled next to her, I was happy about it. Our eight-year-old feels safe enough to get into bed with mom and dad for no good reason. There's not going to be any trouble for her to snuggle next to us. She just wants to get into our bed, so she does it.

As I drifted off to sleep, I thought about children who live worlds apart from the world my kids live in. No, I'm not a perfect mom. At times, I'm not even a good mom. Sometimes a really terrible mom! But at least . . . I'm a safe mom, and my kids think that being with mom (and dad) is a safe place to be. I know that many children out there don't have that sense of safety, that crawling into mom and dad's bed would be the last thing on their mind, that fear might be a way of life. I'm thankful that BW and I can offer a safe place for the kids God has given us.

As we are considering becoming foster parents, as I drifted off to sleep, I also thought that maybe God will let us help someone else feel safe someday. Maybe there's a little girl out there who really wants to crawl into bed with mom and dad . . . maybe one day she'll stumble into our bedroom some night and find safety and comfort there. I hope so.

Happy Birthday, Noodle!

Noodle's birthday was on Thursday! She turned three. We had her birthday party today, and it was so much fun! Pictures to come soon.

I love Noodle so much and am so glad that God sent her into our lives three years ago. We have been blessed beyond belief. She is wonderful, lively, fun, full of laughter and energy, and though she is a bit stingy with her hugs and sugars, the ones that she gives are outstanding!

We all love you Noodle! Happy birthday!

Kindness

Community is a wonderful thing.

We had not lived in Texas long when one day, Chicken Nugget and I were driving down the road. We saw out in a field that there were some Texas Longhorns and some white cranes all congregating together.

"Now that," said Chicken Nugget, in her usual dramatic way, "That is a community."

She had just learned in school about different species of animals who, though they may be very different in many ways, occupy the same space and help each other out in some way.

I really like that illustration of community.

I have several communities in my own life, as does most everyone. I have my family community, my immediate neighborhood, my Sunday school and the larger church as a whole; I have a work community, and my work community is inside a larger community, which many might know as a mall.

In the mall are several independent shopowners. One in particular, Mr. Sam, owns a formal dress shop. He comes into our store on occasion to buy nice work shirts. The first time I saw him, he had his back to me as he was speaking with another associate. I noticed that he had some lint on his suit jacket, so I got the lint brush and brushed it off for him. He left the store and returned with a pocket calendar and pen set with the name of his store on it, and told me if I needed anything for a special occasion, to come see him.

Mr. Sam is a dear grandpa of a man, with a thick accent; he is from Iran. He is full of gentleness and kindness and I am so glad he is part of my community. Since we met, I have made it a point to go into his store to look around if I can when I am on a break, and he particularly likes it if I am out shopping with the kids, that I bring the kids into the store so that he can see them. I don't see him often, but when I do, he always has warmth and kind words and a hug for me and the kids if they are with me. He is the same way to my coworkers and I would probably not be wrong in assuming, with everyone he knows.

Yesterday, I had some errands to run and decided to go by the mall to look at some sales. Mr. Sam was standing outside his store when the kids and I came by, and he was right there to greet us and make us feel special. Noodle started talking about her upcoming birthday party, and Mr. Sam said, "Come, you must come into my store."

We walked in and started looking around and he said, "You must choose a dress!"

I said, "Oh, Mr. Sam, I wish I could; they're all so beautiful."

He said, "No, no, it is my gift to Noodle for her birthday!"

I was stunned to the point of tears. Mr. Sam gave Noodle a dress right off the rack! He got her out of the stroller, asked her which dress she would like, and helped her find just the right size. She felt like a princess and didn't want to take the dress off. I tried to protest, but Sam said, "No, no, it is my gift. You choose which dress."

He quietly wrapped up the dress and handed me the bag, ducking his head and avoiding every one of my attempts to praise him.

This after telling me that business had been very slow for him just recently.

It may seem small to anyone else, this story. Not that incredible, not that exciting. But I am still emotional just thinking about it. It may have even small to Mr. Sam, but it was wonderful for Noodle and me. Thank you, Mr. Sam for your kindness.

Just a little update from the Tasty Names Family

Things are going well in the Tasty Names household. In fact, life is good! I included the above picture because I love the Life is Good series of clothing, but also because it reminds me of my life in Marin County. It was during my time there that I started running. Since I left CA, I haven't been running that much. It was a little hard to run on the snow in Iowa, and it's been a challenge to learn the right times of day to get out and run here in Texas so as not to suffer from a heat stroke. In fact, the first time I went for a run down here was about a week or so after we moved in, and I almost did have a heat stroke! I got home and collapsed on the lawn. Chicken Nugget was outside playing and as things started to get fuzzy and far away for me, I told her she needed to go get Dad right away, and make sure he came out with a glass of water. Thankfully, everything was fine.

We've been here long enough to learn the climate, and the relatively cool times of day (relatively). For the past couple of days, I have been going to a lovely, shady park here in town. It has a great walking track and I have been utilizing it! Since it's been such a long while since I've done any kind of good running, I decided just to test the waters. I really surprised myself! After several times around the track, doing some brisk walking and pumping my hand weights, I decided to use my last few times around to see how I'd do running, and I did great! I'm not up to a mile again yet, but I don't think it will take that long. Hopefully soon, I'll be back up to running four miles at a time like I did in CA.

I have to thank Leslie Sansone again for getting me back in some kind of shape so that I had the endurance to try the running thing again.


Just last week, I turned in my application for Region 4! It has taken me several months to take the plunge, because we had some decisions to make about where our family would be in the coming year. As it stands, everything will be the same for now, so we decided it would be best for me to proceed with become a teacher liscensed to teach in the state of Texas. I am nervous, excited, and apprehensive about the whole thing, but am also ready to dive right in and become a teacher!

This summer we'll be taking quite a trip! Buffalo Wings is teaching summer school, so after his session (end of July-early August), we'll have a two to two-and-a-half week vacation! We can NOT wait! Our first stop will be in Texarkana to see Charley and Marianne, and I cannot find enough joyful words to express how I feel about seeing them again! We were at GGBTS together, and they (like so many others) took Chicken Nugget and me in and loved us and what's more - Charley is from Arkansas AND has the same birthday as me! Marianne seems like she is from AR because she does a great AR accent and she is CRAZY!!!! I just cannot wait to see them and their sweet boy Joshua!

The above picture is from Bella Vista, AR. We will see beautiful scenery like this as we travel into the Ozarks to visit my Aunt Nancy. I cannot wait to see that dear lady! She's never seen Banana, and the last time we all saw her, Noodle was about eight or nine weeks old. We are definitely due a visit! And Aunt Nancy is a sweet and gracious host, always happy to have company and treating any visitor like royalty. She's got a great house with a fabulous deck that looks out into her wooded yard. I'm looking forward to some relaxing evenings of good coversation and a glass of good wine out on her deck, as we watch dusk turn to dark over the beautiful mountain trees.

Ah, Iowa!!! Drink in that skyline, folks. Just drink it in. We'll be there before you know it. Oh, you didn't recognize it? Yeah, I almost didn't, either. It's Des Moines! Stops in Iowa will likely include Winterset to see some dear old friends and some covered bridges, Knoxville to see Grandma and Grandpa and more friends, Pella for a walk down memory lane (that's where we got married, on the campus of Central College) and some Dutch letters and some tiptoeing through some tulips, and possibly LeMars and Britt or someplace in the middle to see some more friends.

And then - and then - on to Chicago!!!! We'll have some pizza, hot dogs, see a Cubs game, go to the aquarium, the Sears tower, and who knows what all! It was my suggestion to go on up to Chicago, since we'll be so close, and BW thought that was a great idea. He adores the city, and he is a die-hard Cubs fan. I'd never known anyone who truly lives and dies with a team, but BW really does just that with the Cubs. So we're all very excited about what our summer adventure has to offer us!

In the meantime, we'll be wrapping up school, BW will start summer school, BW and I will celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary on June 14, I'll continue with CWJC and begin with a new ministry team at church, the New Vision Ministry Team. We look forward to seeing some other great friends, Jonathan and Tamara, and going to AnitaMarita's wedding shower! The Woodard family will be coming to Houston to visit us, and we look forward to a fun week of Vacation Bible School during the last week of June - I get to teach the missions class again! I can't wait to give more and more updates as the summer unfolds!

Much love to all of you, and I cannot WAIT to hear about all your summer plans!

Sleeping Little Angel

Too cute not to take a picture! By the way, that quilt is the baby quilt my mom made me when I was a baby! It's just as comfy and cozy after all the years. As you can see.

Cute Kids and Scrapbooking Weekend

The girls in their Easter dresses.

Um . . . Banana wasn't into picture time. But he sure had on a cute outfit.

This is me arriving at Memoranza last weekend. I could not contain my excitement!

These are the dedicated scrappers that attended Memoranza. Look how intense they are in their efforts!!!!

This was my scrapbooking partner - her name is also Tarimisu! Crazy, huh? We had fun sharing a table for the weekend.

Kelly and me. Not only a fabulous friend, but a fabulous Creative Memories consultant!!!!

Kelly took me out for some yummy treats at the Cheescake Factory after the Memoranza VIP party on Friday night. This is a view just outside the Cheesecake Factory at the Mall of the Woodlands in The Woodlands, Texas.

Tony Soberon

After looking at my friend, Carrie's, blog this morning, I saw this. Yes, I'm way behind - both on checking her blog and being up on pop culture, so if you've already seen this, I apologize. If not, ENJOY!!!!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7008748856381833702&q=singing

I also found this site that mentioned him, just in case you want to know what Tony is up to these days. He's pretty famous by now. I found about 47,000 sites for him when I Googled his name.

I'm adding him to my list of people that I want to meet.

More Specifically . . .

Rather, more correctly, we'll be going to Litomerice in the Czech Republic in the summer of 2008. The above picture is of the Czech Republic, which is in the center of Europe. The below map shows the red dot indicating the city of Litomerice.

Destination: Slovakia, 2008!

Buffalo Wings and I have commited to a mission trip for the summer of 2008, to Slovakia! Please look at my new blog for more information and updates. Much love to all of you!

Scrapbooking and Go, Leslie Sansone!

My husband sent me an e-mail a few minutes ago begging me to blog again. He said that the picture of Rosie was beginning to distress him. So I'll begin today with a picture of Leslie Sansone. But I'm going to talk about scrapbooking right off the bat.

Over the weekend, I got to go to Kelly's for Memoranza, a scrapbooking weekend put on by Creative Memories. Kelly has been a consultant for a few years now, and she taught me to scrapbook as soon as we moved to the Houston area. I can't believe I had never delved into it before! I LOVE IT!!!! This weekend, I chose to work on my wedding album (I got married almost four years ago now - yeah, I'm a bit behind). I got thirty pages completed in only one day! Yay for me! I'll have to take some pics and add them later. We had such a great time at Memoranza, with lots of tips, games, prizes, yummy food, talking and laughing. I love going every year.

As for Leslie Sansone - she's my newest person that I want to meet! I adore her! I have really fallen in love with Walk Away the Pounds. It's so easy - no weird aerobic moves or anything that I can't do; just lots (and LOTS) of simple movements that give you a great workout. I highly reccomend anything she's put out. I'm hoping to move up to the three-mile walk very soon.

I love all of you very much!

It Could Be Me!!!!!

No, I don't want to be Rosie O'Donnell. But I want to take her place on The View! Now that she's leaving, I totally see my chance.

I truly don't watch The View that much (truly). But yesterday, after I turned of my Pilates tape (no, I'm not lying!), I caught Rosie saying to Elisabeth, "Now that I'm leaving . . . !" I e-mailed BW to tell him the news of the day, and included the fact that I'd just found out that Rosie was leaving The View. He e-mailed me back saying that I should take her place!

I can be outspoken at times, but feel that I may a bit too much like Elisabeth for them to want to hire me. I should give it a go, anyway. So I'll put it to a vote, of all both of you that read this blog, how many of you would like to see yours truly on The View? (BW, your vote doesn't count.)

One Little Cookie, One Big Fuss

Tonight at work, my boss Big Boss got some cookies from the Great American Cookie Company. She was asking everyone if they wanted one. She asked me, and I said no. I was obviously the only employee who refused a cookie.

"Why not??!!" asked Big Boss in an incredulous tone.

The assistant manager, Big Boss But a Little Bit Littler Than Big Boss, said, "She's dieting."

"One little cookie won't hurt!" Big Boss said.

I told her thank you anyway, but I heard Big Boss and another employee continue to talk about it.

"I don't know how one little cookie is going to matter," Big Boss said to Employee X, and Employee X said something that I couldn't make out.

I went on with my tasks, trying to get them finished in a timely manner so as to get out of there and rest my weary head at home. By and By, Big Boss slid up to me, put her arm around me, and said in a hushed tone, right into my ear, "Ooooo, Tari, that cookie was so good. It tasted so good and it was warm and chewy. And it was chocolate chip, too. Oooo, that cookie was so good."

I said, "Well, my size 10 jeans are going to be really good, too."

Everyone laughed.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law, Melanie!!!!!!!!!!
I hope it is wonderful and happy, Mel!!!! Wish we could celebrate with you!
Everyone wish Mel a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How well do you know me?

Work and Play

Imagine walking into your favorite department store - JC Penny, Dillards, Sears, whatever. Imagine all those racks full of clothes. Now imagine moving all of them about three times each. Well, that is why my boss, my co-worker Judy, and myself did last night. We had the carpets cleaned and it was up to the three of us to do all that work. So, to break the monotony in-between moving racks, we had a little fun, as you can see below. My sweet boss let me go a little early - she let me out of the store at 10pm (the store closed at 6pm). Joe (not his real name - at least, we didn't think it was) still wasn't finished shampooing the carpet.



Dorothy Zbornack



Why, yes, I was Kate Winslet's body double in Titanic - why do you ask???



My girls.



Some of our hard work.

She's Eight!

5:57PM, April 20th, 1999 - the first time I heard Chicken Nugget cry. I was so happy to hear that cry. And she's been one of my best friends ever since the nurse at the hospital first handed her to me. I remember holding her in the hospital room, all alone, just she and I. Tears were streaming down my face as I was kissing her over and over again, telling her how much I loved her, thinking, "She's mine . . ."

And then I've had to learn the hard lesson over and over again - she's not really mine. She's a gift, and I try so hard to be very careful with her, to raise her in a way that would honor the One who gave her to me.

And I've had to swallow hard as I've watched the years passed. Another one passed just Friday. She turned eight years old.

I love that little Chicken Nugget. All her ways and how she really cares for people - her brother and sister, her friends, always trying to make BW and me happy. She's not perfect. She's perfectly normal! But still . . . she's mine (not really) and I'm so proud of her.

Happy Birthday, Chicken Nugget!

Things That Happened, Things That Are True

I got to Arkansas on Tuesday. I met up with Elizabeth on Wednesday and we spent most of the day together, and most of it at the funeral home. It was very hard to see the father of my best friend . . . surrounded by flowers, by all the things that reminded us of him . . . like his deer trophies, his cowboy hat, lots of pictures. He was wearing camo; a hunter to the very end.

Wednesday night was the visitation. Mandi and her husband and I stayed pretty close to one another. Mandi's mom stayed close too. They had just lost her dad short weeks before. I went out to visit Mandi's mom on Thursday morning before the funeral. The days are still difficult.

The funeral was nice, and just as I think her dad would have wanted. His mother-in-law read a story he had written. It was about a boy and his hunting dog, and about how they grew up together. It was very good, very discriptive as we heard of quail floating up from grasses and dazzling sunrises. I never knew Mr. Curtis wrote stories.

I got to have dinner with Elizabeth and her family after the funeral. We all had a nice time, a little rest and some joy at being together.

Courtney came by Thursday night, and we talked and talked as I started to fade into sleep. I had a long drive ahead of me the next morning, but I hated for the visit to end.

So many things about Easter weekend and this weekend struck me . . . it's never easy to say good-bye, no matter what. There are bonds that go beyond years and miles, beyond blood relation. There are things that will always ache in my heart, things that time and new memories will never erase. There really is a "peace that passes understanding." Tears and laughter are healing. Embraces from friends only grow sweeter the older we get. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things.

There are people who you know will always be there for you. Not that they or you will ever be perfect . . . but just that always, always, always . . . they'll be there for you.

Elizabeth's Dad

My best friend has always been Elizabeth.

I was born in November; she came along the following July, and we went to church together until after we graduated from high school. She's always been in my life. I've never not known her.

Elizabeth's dad, Curtis, died after battling cancer. I got the call just a little while ago. Please pray for Elizabeth and her family as they deal with the loss.

Much love to all of you.

Life Goals

When we first moved to Texas, I was visiting Kelly one day. This was almost three years ago now. On her bulletin board, among pictures and post-its with phone numbers and reminders, there was a list. It was on yellow legal paper and it was the list of her life goals. I was impressed with her list, which included writing a book and learning Spanish, and many other things. It inspired me want to write my own. Being all AR as I am, I've never much into lists. I prefer to let the thought process go in any direction it wishes. But I thought that seeing all these dreams of mine in black-and-white might actually give me some kind of push to take action. So here's the list. And, being AR as I am, these aren't necessarily in the order I hope to achieve them:

1. Grow my family in the Word of God.

2. Make sure my kids know they can always come to me and their dad with anything, and that we will never love them less; make sure my kids are happy and healthy and that our family is close; invest in my family.

3. Plant a church - hopefully an Hispanic one.

4. Visit my friends who are missionaries, both in the US and abroad.

5. Encourage my husband to follow his dreams of furthering his education. Do what I can to make that happen for him.

6. Learn Spanish; be fluent.

7. Work with youth again one day.

8. Finish the books I'm writing.

9. Read the Bible from cover to cover.

10. Memorize many verses of Scripture.

11. Have more children; adopt children.

12. Finish my seminary degree.

13. Become a teacher.

14. Become a chiropractor.

15. Run a 5K.

16. Run a 10K.

17. Run a marathon.

18. Do lots more mission work.

19. Open the 10-to-10 Donut Shop.

20. Help with or start a nursing home ministry.

21. Become healthy and stay that way for life.

22. Share the love of Jesus with all my friends and family who do not have His love in their lives. Live my life consistently so that my commitment to Christ will be evident.

23. Visit all my friends that live in different states or countries.

24. Learn to be a better cook.

25. Learn to sew (believe it or not, this one scares me more than the rest!).

26. Learn to play piano and guitar.

27. Sing on Broadway.

28. Audition for a movie.

29. Spend lots of time in community theatre and / or teaching it on the college level.

30. Never stop making life goals; never stop learning; make sure that my life is never lived in vain, but that I can be of some benefit to others no matter where I am or what I am doing.

Arkansas Weekend - A Picture Essay

Elizabeth is my oldest and dearest friend in the world. I'm so glad we got to spend so much time together over the weekend.



We got to visit Elizabeth's mom and stepdad on Friday night. As soon as her brother came through the door, Banana ran right up to him and held up his arms to be picked up. It was so cute!



Elizabeth's brother and neice.



Banana playing with Elizabeth's stepdad and mom.



Above and Below: Dying Easter eggs at Elizabeth's Mom's house. That is Elizabeth's neice helping us.




Mandi, Amanda, me, Elizabeth. We had a fun cookout at Mandi's house (though we missed you so much, CBB!).



Banana and Mandi had fun playing!



Pappa with his little Banana. Pappa and Banana spent most of the weekend out in Pappa's shop.



Crab Cakes with his girlfriend, Sugar Cookie.



Me, my brother Crab Cakes, his girlfriend Sugar Cookie, French Fry holding Banana. I was so happy to meet Sugar Cookie and I like her so much!



The Bookends! French Fry is the oldest grandchild; Banana is the youngest. Aren't they cute cute cute???



The guineas in my Mom and Dad's back yard. The guineas run all over the neighborhood. Mamma said, "Why do you want to take pictures of those silly old guineas?" I said, "We don't have guineas in Texas!"



Grandma with her little Banana



Grandma and Banana, walking up the road.

I Hate to Fly

I've been running around the house, packing, cleaning, finishing up laundry . . . doing everything I can NOT to think about that one thing that I hate to do almost more than anything in the world - get on an airplane. I'm wanting to throw up just thinking about it. I'm nervous and shaking just sitting at my computer chair! And that thing I hate to do - getting on an airplane - I'll be doing bright an early tomorrow morning!

Chicken Nugget and I took a wonderful trip to San Francisco and Utah back in the spring of '01. The night before our flight, as CN was taking her bath, she announced, "We're going to see Jesus tomorrow!"
I said, "Oh, honey, no! I love Jesus very much, but I'm not ready to see Him just yet!"
I was beside myself after that!

A friend was driving Chicken Nugget and me to SFO once. I was talking about my fear of flying, how I'd rather be doing almost anything than get on that airplane and take that long flight to Arkansas. At the time, he was driving my car. Trying to asses my fear, he asked if I was nervous with him at the wheel. I said no, that he was a very good driver.
"So," he said, "You don't trust the pilot?"
"No, it's not that," I said, "I don't trust the plane!"

So Banana and I will be entrusting ourselves to a pilot that we don't know and putting ourselves into a plane that I don't trust. Please pray for us and for my nerves! Pray that God will ease my fears!

"I really like gum!"

I know it's just a little gross, but . . . the story is very funny.
Noodle loves gum. LOVES gum. Loves it. So yesterday, I gave her a piece of gum. No big deal. I was on the phone with mom a bit later (after giving her the gum), when Noodle comes up to me, and I can tell she is struggling with a big wad of . . . something in her mouth. I asked her what was in her mouth, and she opened it to reveal the gigantic wad you see pictured.



She had stealthily gotten a stool, gotten up on the counter, on top of the flour canister where we keep the gum, gotten a five-pack (or two), opened them all, disposed of the wrappers in the sink, and proceeded to chew it all at once. After I hid the gum in an even higher and more closed-off location, she eventually found a way to (again, stealthily) climb up anyway.

After she spit out the gigantic ball of gum in her mouth, she got on the phone and told her Grandma, "I really like gum!"

The Longest Post in America . . .

. . . and maybe even in Guatemala, but the research hasn't made it back yet. It's a long post, because I have many topics to cover today:

THE SRC - YARD SALE STYLE

Over the weekend, Buffalo Wings and I had our annual yard sale. We've been having these yard sales every year since we married. Sometimes we even have more than one a year. We reduced our stash drastically, and in the process made about $400 on Friday (and we nickel and dime our stuff, ya'll), but got rained out on Saturday. But let me tell you, we got rid of a TON of stuff. I never know how we can accumulate enough stuff to make a yard sale each year, but each year we surprise ourselves. But I add to the yard-sale pile all year long, beginning the day after the last yard sale. That helps. I'm definitely into the purging of our stuff. If, in the course of one year, we haven't looked at it, breathed on it, thought about it, read it, discussed it, worn it, smelled it, used it . . . then it goes.

DRESSING YOUR KIDS WELL - EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT WEALTHY

Number One: You should work at a department store. I get a great discount, even if the item is on sale or clearance. My favorite find: a complete three-piece winter outfit for Banana. It had been $36. I made it mine for $1.40.

Number Two: You should shop at Ross. I love Ross. Now, you have to go in with an attitude of determination. That's because nothing is where it is supposed to be, and you have to dig and look for the right sizes. I suggest going alone. Be persistent. The cutest stuff is always the stuff that's put on the wrong rack or that has fallen in the floor. And the prices are dang cheap. Truly. Dang cheap.

Number Three: Go to the yard sales!!!! Maybe that's why I always have such a good yard sale pile for next year. :o) I can always find great stuff for the kids, and stuff for all wearing capacities: Stuff for around the house, nicer stuff they can wear to town or whatever, and church clothes. That's because kids don't stay in their stuff long enough to wear them out, usually.

Number Four: Buy off the clearance racks and put it away from next year. This is especially helpful when combined with Number One. Buy a size bigger and put it in your large Rubbermaid container. When next year rolls around, you have a whole new wardrobe for your kids and you don't even remember shopping for it!

I'M ON A ROLL

And I'm losing the roll! I've entered the Biggest Loser contest at Buffalo Wings' school, and I am currently in fifth place. BW is in third. He's lighter by about 27 or so pounds now; I'm lighter by about 9. It's great for me, because trying weight loss and healthy eating just on my own has never really worked. I like the accountability and the encouragement, and BW and I working on this together has been wonderful.

POTTY PRINCESS

Noodle is doing great! We've graduated from the plastic-on-the-outside training pants to regular all-cloth training pants, with only a pull-up at nap and bedtime. She hasn't had one accident yet. I'm still waiting for the day when she comes up and tells me when she needs to go. But hey, her being taken to the potty and staying dry in-between is still reason to rejoice! We don't even set the timer anymore; I just take her when I feel like it's been long enough between the last time she went till now. It's working! Yesterday, she pooped in the potty so BW gave her some gum. She said, "You give me gum?" BW said, "Yes, and I have gum, too." She said, "Oh . . . you go to the potty, too?"

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A TALKING BANANA?

Well, our little Banana is surprising us every day with all the words he can say. I will try to make a list, but I can't even remember all the words he now knows. He can even form sentences. So far we have:
*Banana (the fruit)
*Banana (his name)
*Chicken Nugget (his sister)
*Noodle (his sister)
*Daddy
*Mamma (but he only says it at prompting - he usually calls me Daddy, too)
*Eat
*Cereal
*Out (as in, wanting out of his high chair)
*Lunch
*Outside
*Swing
*Bird
*Truck
*Dog
*Meow
*Dinosaur (and then he growls like a dinosaur)
*Light, light on, light off
*Bath
*Pappa (my dad)
*Sleep
*TV
*Dora, Maisey (his two favorite shows)
*Bear
*Daddy's at work, Daddy's home
*Go get Chicken Nugget (his sister)
*In a minute
*Help
*Read, read book
*Yay
*Woo-Hoo
*Sooiee (as in Pig Sooie, Razorbacks, a first in all my kids' vocabulary)
*Jump
*Run
*Baby
*Diaper
*Poop

And I really cannot remember all his words, but there's a sampling. He and Chicken Nugget were verbal very early - Chicken Nugget more so than Banana, but Banana's vocabulary is growing much faster than Chicken Nugget's did.

A REAL LITTLE READER

Last year, Chicken Nugget preferred to read Junie B. Jones. She's made quite a jump. She's been reading more difficult chapter books, such as Stuart Little. I found some Babysitter's Club books at a yard sale the other day and thought she might like them. I didn't start reading them till about the fifth or sixth grade. She's had no problem tearing right through them.

SOMETIMES EVEN I GET TO READ A BOOK OR TWO

I started reading Fannie Flagg's Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! at around Christmastime; I finished it sometime in February. It was really good. Then I read A Redbird Christmas, also by Fannie Flagg, and I liked it so much. It was such a good and heartwarming story, and the characters are so easy to get to know. Buffalo Wings is reading Simple Church, by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger. Eric Geiger came to our church a few weeks ago to lead a seminar on the concepts found in the book, and it was refreshing and eye-opening. We are going to be working to be implementing some of those principles at our church very soon. It's exciting, and I can't wait. I also can't wait to read the book in its entirety, when BW finishes it, that is. I just started reading Wingspread; A.B. Simipson: A Study in Spiritual Attitude by A.W. Tozer. BW found it as he was going through his books for the yard sale, and he said it was worth the read. So far, I agree with him. I'm hoping to finish it over the long weekend.

A GOOD WORKOUT VIDEO

BW bought Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds, and it's great. It has about three different levels of walking - a one, two, and three mile, and each increases in intensity. Sansone has several workout videos out. I'd reccomend any of them, and they're resonably priced, or you could probably pick them up at your library or video rental store. Just in case you're looking for an exercise video.

LONG ENOUGH

So maybe this wasn't the longest post in America or Guatemala, but it was pretty dang close. Either way, it's long enough. So I'm going to stop now!

In Anticipation of Arkansas

No, I'm not going to see an Arkansas game! But I am going to Arkansas. I leave Friday.

It was several weeks ago that ESF told me her father had cancer. It was so sudden and unexpected. I wanted to be with her then. Then another friend, MHW, lost her father. He was in his yard cutting limbs when one fell on him, and he died. I was in total shock. I didn't get to go to the funeral, but Buffalo Wings was nice enough to search around and get me a cheap flight over the long weekend. The decision was made pretty quickly and we bought the flight. BW and the girls will stay here; Banana and I will go for an extended weekend to Arkansas.

Banana and I will be spending most of our time with ESF; Saturday will be spent with MHW and other friends. I will get to see ESF's mom and will go see her dad probably Saturday morning. I'm excited about this trip. I really think that my friends and I will be able to be a healing balm to one another. This has been a difficult, confusing time for everyone, and being away from everyone has left me aching. I'm glad I get to bring Banana (he flies at no cost!), because he is a funny little guy and cheers everyone up.

Of course I'll spend Easter with Mamma and Daddy, my brother Crab Cakes and my nephew, French Fries. Crab Cakes also has a new girlfriend, Sugar Cookie! I can't wait to meet her. I'll miss seeing the girls in their new Easter outfits on Easter morning, dying Easter eggs and all those things, but we saved a couple hundred bucks and I got two extra days flying this weekend, so . . . I'll look forward to the many more Easter mornings in the future.

CBB - - - BBQ @ MHW's house Saturday! Can't wait to see you!!!!!

And while I'm in Arkansas, I plan on picking up some Razorback souveniers to bring back! Ahhh, to be back among friends and family in the land of milk and honey . . .