Friday, July 31, 2009

Off on an adventure

Wait, must get coffee before I blog... Ahh! Better.

Well, the long awaited weekend is here. A fem members of the Computer Widows Club are heading out to the hill country for some R&R. We've left the children with the menfolk and are not going to look back. For the first time in... well.... ever.. we get to go have some "us" time.. just the chicas.. and I couldn't be more excited. No plans, no one else to take care of. Just doing what we want. I bet you're a little jealous right now. Don't be. You can do this too. Let me know if you want to be a Computer Widow and I'll put you on the "list". hee-hee.

WAIT! Yes, I can be more excited.. because we have a new truck. After over 25 hours in dealerships in the last 2 weeks, we finally got it yesterday.. Kudos to my hubby for fierce negotiations. I feel pretty good with getting it for over $11,000 under sticker price! Definately a peace from God on this purchase. No real pics yet, but here a factory pic. Ours is just like this, except two tone paint.. silver on the bottom with chrome running boards (so I can get it without jumping).


It's all very exciting. This is the first new Willingham vehicle since 1996. Yep, 1996.. think about that.. before gray hair.. before children.. fresh out of college. That long since I've owned that new car smell. All the cars have been preowned. Much love, but preowned. What's really scary is that Ryan might learn to drive on this truck! Wow, that's a blog for another day.

So, I need to get my clothes washed, my floors vacuumed and myself packed for our little trip. Wish us well.. I might bring back gifts! :)

Monday, July 27, 2009

Quote of the Day

"If I tell you once, I mean it forever, not just for that moment!"

Yes, I said that today after a re-explanation of why belly sliding down the stairs stacked on top of each other is a no no.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Quote of the day

Yes, dear, pants are required for going outside.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Ahhh, the Innocence

Getting to spend so much time with my boys this summer has been a fantastic treat. Since the school year is hard and schedule driven, I love the lazy days of summer and how I get to reconnect, at an unscheduled pace.

I love listening to their backseat conversations while I drive. I get to hear what they are thinking and what they know and sometimes even get some tips about how to do things better. So yesterday, as I was driving, I got to eavesdrop on a little conversation the boys were having about babies.. It's one of their favorite topics... "babies are smelly", "Mom, can I have a little sister", "why can't babies talk?".. you know, things they think about.. Well yesterday, it was the the "where do babies come from?" answered by Ryan. He assured his little brother that babies come from being married. And Josh's follow up question was "So, if people don't get married, there wouldn't be babies?" and Ryan assured him that marriage was how babies came and yes, if you don't get married you can't have kids. And he was sure about that.

As I grinned, so happy that I wasn't having to answer those questions, I was happy to know that they are still so innocent. Yes, the sex talk will come soon with Ryan. It's just part of the age, and if you've been around 9 or 10 year old boys, they talk about what they think they know.. and there is always THAT kid who really does know. But that's for another day. Today I get to enjoy them as little boys without the responsibilities and concerns of teens. No matter how grown up they think they are, they are still my little guys.

Innocence is something that is so easily pushed aside in this day of enlightenment. As parents we are told that kids should be free to talk about sex and know the facts of life as soon as they know to ask. I agree that parents should be truthful. And I will faithfully do my part of sending them to Daddy when they need to have that talk. (M shudders at the foresight of the "You let him to THAT to you???" exclamation) But there is a sweetness and purity of heart before they have to think about such things and I am glad my guys have had that time. No rush into knowledge here. It'll come soon enough. And, being boys, they'll have plenty of time to ponder the facts of life later. When they are older.. like 25! :)

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Fast Food friends, pt 1

Dieting update!

Well, the Willingham's are still on the "less crap, more veggies, gotta get our act together because we are getting old" diet. It's not easy and the last two weeks have proven it. With Chris working crazy ministry hours, and Me on summer "whatever" time, food becomes a last thought, which usually means eating out. And since I'm not paying $7 for $1 worth of wilted rabbit food I hate eating anyway, I don't make great choices on the fast food menus. So I thought I'd start a list of some of my "fast food friends" that I can keep around the house.



1. Turkey bacon.. microwaves in a minute and is a great addition to any salad or BLT type sandwich



2. Fresh fruit.. filling, no cooking needed, and can count as 1/3 of a dinner plan



3. ground turkey.... easy to brown and freeze, so it's ready to just defrost and be added to, well, anything.. salads, pasta dishes, casseroles, anything



4. carrots .. to munch on while cooking.. if it's running into a late night, they can keep the "let's just run out and get something" disease from taking over.



5. cereal.. a great "dinner? oops, I knew I forgot something" filler.. the kids don't mind and the hubby is so kind, he just is happy for food.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Thankful Thursday

Today, I am thankful for:

** paychecks, 2 of them, hitting the account simultaneously,it's been a long time coming

** McDonald's hashbrowns.. because it made my morning happy

** good friends

** a church who seeks to spread the good news of Christ locally and internationally.. Check out the blog of our current mission in Mexico and Costa Rica here.

** coffee, because it is God's gift to tired people

** boys who are growing up into fine young men

** cut off shorts

** sandals

** lazy summer schedules

** clean clothes

** cheesecake

** wireless internet connections

** working appliances

Thank you, God, for the gifts you give above and beyond what we need. Thank you for a life of abundance. And may I share that abundance with people around me for your glory and honor.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Not Me Monday

Alright, my blog friend from back in high school has started doing this and it makes me laugh! So, I'll give it a try... It's a tongue in cheek report of what's going on.. because I would Never do these things.. nope.. NOT ME! (ok, maybe a little, but I hope you get the point)

Today I did NOT take the easy way out at lunch and feed the kids Chef Barf from a can because they begged for it.. nope, NOT ME.

And I certainly did NOT force my precious darlings to work in their room and sort out their toys into "keeping" "trashing" and "going on vacation" piles.... because that would be wrong to let them think they had options about the future of their junky toys. nope, not me, I'd never do that.

And I most definately did NOT speak kindly to the lady at the AC company at 8 am this morning after being up most of the night too hot to sleep to suck up to her so she would send out her tech to re-fix my AC that hasn't been cooling well all weekend after they cleaned the evap coils and unplugged the drain line. not me.. I wouldn't ever exhibit such gracious and kind behavior to the lady who has nothing to do with fixing the ac. And I most certainly will not send brownines home with the tech if he fixes it with no additional charge. Nope, not me!

I did NOT watch too many Harry Potter movies this weekend to get me all excited about the new movie opening on Wed. Nope I would NEVER postpone things like dinner and family time so I could finish watching a movie I've already seen.

Nope, not me.. I wouldn't ever do any of these things!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Some more vacation pictures

The boys got to sit with a bear. They were really good sports.



Here is the outside of the lodge. Some pretty imposing wolves kept watch.


And the boys with the stuffed fake bear outside of Buccee's. A fitting end to a great weekend.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Great Wolf Lodge

We had a great July 4th weekend. We traveled to Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine. It was a hit! Here are some of my favorite pictures.

Here is a little firepower!


This is the boys playing MagiQuest. The whole lodge had "enchanted" items that would light up when they pointed their wands at it. They were trying to collect certain items. Just some good old fantasy fun!



This is everyone on the night of the 4th.. waiting in the parking lot to see some fireworks.. Seems that Ronald's truck is just the right height to balance a camera on.



Here's the fam in the obligatory picture in front of the lobby fireplace.


And finally, we picked up a hitchhiker.. Buccee has a new home in Madisonville and he was tired of the crowds, so he snuck a ride with us. The crowds were so big that the feeder road on the opposite side of the freeway was backed up.. Only in Texas will tourists pile in to a roadside store because it boasts clean bathrooms. But, they really are clean and it is a lot of fun to stop there!





Super big thanks to Cheryl and Ronald for a restful and fun weekend. We all had a blast!

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Upcoming..

I can't wait to share our vacation pics and stories.. We had a blast..But I'm too tired to share now. Come back later.. it'll be here eventually.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Thankful Thursday

Thought I'd make Thursday my day of thanks-sharing. You know, because it starts with TH

I am thankful for...

**living in a country that allows me freedoms
**children who are well adjusted
**desserts, especially since I'm not eating as many these days
**coffee
**Wii, so I can workout in the peace of my own home
**Air Conditioning
**non leaky plumbing in one spot in my house
**free public libraries
**authors who take the time to write fiction that is not laced with sexual innuendo and crass humor
**parents who love me unconditionally
**family that loves each other
**the ability to work
**hair bands that don't pull out my hair when I take them out
**neon colors that don't occur naturally
*whoever invented the oscillating fan

Happy Thursday, ya'll!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Busy Wednesday

So much to do, so little time. My summer list isn't shrinking as much as I want it to. But I have had some great fun with my niece this week. So today, we've got Girls Bible Study in the morning, then lunch, then a drive to Columbus to pick up the boys. When I get home, I get to start washing clothes for Friday's trip to Dallas.

So, I just wonder, When do I get my pajama day??? I almost made it last week, but then I had to go out to the store or something. Maybe next week I'll get to it.

But, I am so looking forward to this weekend's VACATION! Yep, the whole extended Willingham clan is going to Great Wolf Lodge near Dallas. Waterpark, arcade, Pacific Northwest themed resort of fun. I sure hope it lives up to it's expectations. Even if not, it'll be nice to just get away for a bit.

Chris will work a long day today. I'll probably be picking him up around 10 pm tonight. This one car business since his is not doing well at all is just no fun. Just a little while longer and we'll have some new to us wheels. That's the plan anyway. And a plan I hope we keep.