Happy 7th Anniversary to Us!

Today is our seventh wedding anniversary! In many ways, it seems like it should be much, much longer---although not because we're miserable, LOL! Mainly because Scott and I have known each other for over 20 years, so sometimes it seems odd that we have only been husband and wife for seven short years!

It's true what they say, marriage is not to make you happy, but to make you holy!...but I'm thankful to report that we are also very happy indeed! Scott and I went through some pretty rough turbulence; not the kind you end a marriage over, but just the kind that makes you think you will never have the true intimacy you so deeply desire. It was difficult! The Lord is so faithful when His children cry out to Him---He (I wanted to say 'finally' here, but decided that it was HIS perfect timing and His will, so it was only human-me who was rolling my eyes and saying, "FINALLY, Lord!!", haha) gave us a major breakthrough a few months ago at Christmastime.

The past few months brought so much growth in our relationship! It really feels like we are on our honeymoon all over again. He is so good!

I just wanted to post and tell the world how much I love my husband! I wanted to try to find a photo of us from the late eighties, just to make you all chuckle, but I'll save that story and photo for another post sometimes! ;)

Happy Anniversary, Mr. Bartholomew! I love you forever!

Who loves a RIDDLE???

Hey ya'll!
---really quick, here's a riddle I sent to Scott last week:

What do the following sentences have in common?


The glass balanced precariously on the edge of the table
A mangy dog slunk down the alley looking for scraps of food
The two political candidates were in a dead heat in their race for the nomination
Yesterday was the first day the old man felt like himself after his illness
The social and economic climate in the nation gave many people unrest
Each child received a small gift for attending the birthday party


They have no periods! (Me neither!)
---and there's TWO BLUE LINES!!!! (Wow! Me too!!!)
heehee!!!
get it?

Liar, liar!!!

Have you ever just wanted to DIE of embarassment??
I don't think I can EVER step foot in our (relatively new) church home again!

We have recently become members at a new church home. We love it! We are really enjoying getting to know people there, and becoming part of the church family. We have been very welcomed, and feel right at home. The children are also happy about having some wonderful, Godly activities in which to participate.

Tonight, my mom went in my place to pick up Patrick, Natalie, and Jason from Royal Rangers and Missionettes. Rachael was fussy, trying to break two new molars through tonight, and I stayed home to nurse her and try to calm her into sleep. Matthew had also stayed home with me, but that's another blog post. :)

When Mom returned with the children, the first thing she said was, "You are not going to believe what your daughter did tonight!" This is not exactly what every mom wants to hear! I asked her, "Am I going to be able to go back to church on Sunday?", and then my next thought was "I wonder how much this is going to cost us??"

Mom said that my friend A. had pulled her aside as soon as she arrived to pick up the children. With a look of deep concern, A. said, "WHAT happened to Natalie's daddy???"
My mother said "I beg your pardon?"
Apparently, during the opening prayer time in Missionettes, while they were taking prayer requests, Natalie announced to everyone present that her father had died on Friday!!!!!!!!!!
let me just type a few more of those!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really didn't know whether to laugh or cry! We are having such trouble with dear Natalie's truthfulness---or complete LACK thereof! It really *IS* quite funnny, but I did NOT want to laugh in front of all the kids, and trivialize what she had done. The other half of me wanted to bawl, because I feel so discouraged in dealing with this; I really don't know what to do next!

I gravely told Natalie to go get her pajamas on, that this was Very Serious, so serious that I needed to talk to Daddy so we could pray and then decided how to discipline this misbehavior.

Here's another small chuckle: when I was tucking her into bed, and reminding her that she would indeed receive discipline tomorrow for this monstrous fib, Natalie said, "Mommy, I'm sorry I told that lie! I"m sorry I said that about Daddy. I told them my daddy died and that you have a new baby, too!"

Great. So now I am a PREGNANT widow!
Sheesh Louise!!!
(Not pregnant that I know of, haha!).

Smellin' like a rose!

Just a quick update on the hair saga----I washed it really thoroughly with my Aveda Rosemary Mint shampoo, and then I rinsed it with white vinegar, and then rinsed it again with warm water. It smells fine now! WHEW!.....although I do keep getting whiffs of 'eau de pickle', HAHAHA!

Sounds like a personal problem to me!

Okay, this is a weird topic. This has certainly never happened to ME before.....

....I think my hair is mildewy! EEEWWW! I am serious here! I cannot figure it out...

I did hear of this happening to a missionary friend previously----she had really thick, curly hair, and she lived in the tropics, for crying out loud! Right now it is forty degrees in the Lone Star State. Sheesh!

I am in a "long hair" season right now. You know what I mean---every few years, I grow my hair out, then after a couple years I get tired of it and bored, or I think I look frumpy, so I cut it off again so I can feel sleek and chic for awhile.....and then I get bored with only being able to wear it ONE way, so I grow it again......etc etc etc etc. You know the drill!!

Right now my hair is actually probably longer than it has been in quite some time. A week or so ago, I noticed a strange smell one day when I let my ponytail down. I had washed it that morning, blowdried it mostly-dry, and put it up out of my face. That night, I felt like it smelled strange when it fell towards my face when I let the ponytail down.

I asked Scott to smell my hair. Mistake number one! This man LOVES the way my hair smells when I return home from having it chemically worked on at the salon, okay? He did not notice any odd smells.....but *I* still did several days later!

Today, the same thing happened again! I dried it mostly-dry, put half of it up in a barrette, and went about my day. In the afternoon, I took the clip out, SAME THING! I asked my mom and Larry to smell it, and let's just say my mom was a bit over-the-top in her melodramatic reaction.

My hair is mildewed.
Anyone have any suggestions???
This really stinks!

Today's Quote

Okay, here's a great chuckle to start off your morning!

I was reading another blog this morning, another homeschooling mom, and her blog offered a chance to win a copy of the "Grammar Key" software. I was just pondering how best to instruct my two young men about the intricacies of grammar yesterday, so I was thrilled to see this contest---giving away 25 copies! (Guess that's a good chance, huh?).

The twins entered the room and asked what I was doing---I told 'em.
Patrick said, "What's 'grammar'?"

.....and Matthew answered, "It's the opposite of 'redneck'!"

(I don't think I need to make ANY more editorial comment on THAT one!! snort!).
:)

If at First You Don't Succeed.....

I am so happy tonight!

My dear friend from another list had her VBAC today! It is her 5th baby, and her 4th child was a truly emergent c/section (one of the few!) because of the threat of cord prolapse due to polyhydramnios (sp?). She emailed this morning a bit after 7:30 that she was having regular contractions and hoped it was the Real Deal, and her baby was born at 12:28 p.m.!!!

WOW!

I am sooooo relieved for her that she VBACed successfully. I guess part of ME is always really NERVOUS, having had FOUR stinkin' c/sections---and two of those were CBACs!

I'm wondering if there is a mental block for those of us who have never had a vag birth?Do you think that it presents a different challenge? Does the fear of the unknown hang us up somehow???I mean, my friend KNEW she could do it, because before her c/s she had successfully pushed out three babies.

I don't know if I'm making sense.....
I'm not even pregnant right now, but I think about this EVERY DAY.
I wonder EVERY DAY what will I do next time?
I question my past births EVERY DAY, and analyze what I might do differently next time....

Then I deal with all those around me who blindly (ignorantly?) schedule their inductions, not realizing or maybe not admitting that it GREATLY increases their chances of surgery. A friend of my mom has a pregnant teenage daughter who plans to induce her baby next week if it hasn't come by her due date!!!!! I am so appalled. That young woman could be changing her entire birthing future, having NO IDEA what her life holds down the road, how many babies she might have, or how many surgeries she could end up with because TODAY she is an impatient teenager who want to have Christmas pictures with her newborn.....I surely wish that *I* had never scheduled that induction with my first pregnancy!!! Four surgeries later, here I am moaning about it at midnight like a war veteran with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder!!!
...sigh.....
I really should stop ranting and GO TO BED! I think that's the best idea.......

At any rate, I am surely REJOICING for my friend Chelsey----welcome to the world, Baby Noah!!! Happy BIRTHday!