Thanksgiving In Our Castello

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. My family from Miami came up to visit. The Seamstress is living with us, so she was here too. Steps also came over. Scrapper, Airman G and KT came by to pay us a visit too. It was a weekend filled with family and friends. The fun and not so fun kept us busy all weekend long.

Where do I even start! My family arrived late Wednesday night. They drove up in one car. Boss Lady's (my sister) car is nice big suburban, so it was a comfortable ride. Papa (my nephew) was the only one that didn't come this time around. He's been having some anger and attitude problems. Due to an altercation they had, the therapist said he should not go on the trip. Papa is 11 years old, but he's a tall, big boy. He is physically very strong. He has gotten physically assertive with my sister. We all missed him terribly and were sorry to hear that he wasn't able to spend Thanksgiving with us.

We took so many pictures, but I'll spare you and only share a few. Be forewarned, I look very tired and haggard. I was a little emotionally stress and physically whooped, but the why, I will leave for another day.


Here I have the first love of my life... my dad and the man of my life... my Knight. My Knight is the one that cooked the turkey. Oh, and no, that was not the only turkey plate. There were a total of three overflowing plateful of turkey and some still left in the pan. My Knight is an EXCELLENT chef. I love my man in blue! He's sooooooo HOT! And not because he was in the kitchen!


Papi (my dad) and his four and only granddaughters. From left to right: Drama Queen, Soaring Amongst The Clouds, Daughter of the King and Still Waters. My dad loves the t-shirt he has on. He owns over 25 of them. He loves this country. He passed down his patriotism to all his children. We are so blessed to live here.


Step's family had their dinner earlier than we did. They had invited Daughter of the King to eat with them. So they had two Thanksgiving dinners. LOL!


Boss Lady and my two Squires. From left to right: The Warrior, Boss Lady and G.I. Joe. I was amazed that I was able to catch both of my Squires smiling at the same time. You think that they are getting use to this "mamarazzi"? LOL!


The only one missing in this picture is the Boss Lady. Then again, she's the one taking the picture. Step's mom is all the way on the left. We took this right before she left. Steps was with us until 11p. We played games after our dinner. We had a great time playing Imaginiff.


I love this picture. I guess it's because I love my dad. :o) I miss him not having him around. At least I get to talk to him. Praise God for modern technology and cingular phones. ;o)


My mom Sabimbi, is a difficult one to get a picture of. I guess now you know who my children take after. LOL! I know it's hard to see, but my mom has the smoothest complexion that I've ever seen. Her secret? Water and aloe. She buys fresh aloe. She cuts it and puts on the creamy milk on her face. She lets it dry and then rinses it off. She is very much into the "natural" stuff. She is 65 years old. Takes no medication for her arthritis or any pain relievers. She eats lots fresh fruits and vegetables and drinks LOTS of water. If she does have pain, she makes her own home remedies.


WOW! All but one is showing teeth. LOL! Instead of saying "smile", we say, "show some teeth". Mainly cause my Fair Maidens manage to smile but with closed lips. As for my sister and my niece, they "show teeth" without even anyone asking. Smiles are so contagious. We should all do it more often.


Need I say it again? I LOVE MY DAD!!! I miss you Papi, wish you were here...

A Visit With My Doc

For quite some time, I've had some trouble swallowing. Not just food, but liquids too. In 2003, I was told I had something called cranial settling or cranial instability. I was told that having trouble swallowing is one of the side effects. But I wonder if that's what I have or is it something else.

What is Cranial Settling or cranial instability? Here's what I found: The uppermost bony portion of the neck is called the dens or odontoid process. The skull rests on this process and rotates. Cranial settling occurs when this bone protrudes into the hole in the base of the skull called the foramen magnum. This can be congenital (from birth) or from conditions such as Paget's disease or arthritis. Cranial settling can cause pain in the lower part of the skull and upper neck. It may also cause compression of the spinal cord, which may cause extremity weakness, numbness and symptoms found in chiari malaformation. This condition can be treated by surgical removal of the dens followed by instrumented cervical fusion.

A couple of months ago, I decided to see my family doc about it. I had noticed (quite some time ago) that the right side of my neck was swelling up. Aside from the swelling up, I could also feel a small lump. He ordered a barium swallow. Nothing showed up. Praise The Lord! \o/ But my problem still continues. So I saw him a couple of months after that. He gave me some steroids to see if it would help. I don't like taking steroids. It makes me feel great. But on the flip side, it makes me very moody and it make my temper's ugly head pop out. No matter how I try to be be calm, the ugliness comes out.

Today he gave me some antibiotics. He wants to see if that will take care of it, that's if it's a salivary glad inflammation. I'm taking the med for two weeks. Should it go away, then all is solved. If it doesn't, he's going to order a ct-scan. He's thinking it might be a cyst, lymph node or something else. I can't remember the name. If it is, it has to be removed. I'm not worried about it cause I know who is in control. ;o) What ever it is, it will be good to be able to look sideways and to swallow without having pain. Once again, I have to say, I'm thankful that this is happening to me and not my beloved family. God is good... ALL the time!

It's Not "Just" A List

This mornings service was unbelievable! It had was about being thankful. Mr. Dr. Pastor Sir (our pastor) focused on three things to be thankful for, Friends, Family and Faith.

First off let me explain how we (my family) came to call our Pastor by that name. Plain and simple, he's a Mr. he's got a doctorate, he's our senior pastor, and he's a Sir. That's a lot of titles for someone that's only in his early 30's! We are truly blessed to have him as our pastor.

Ok, back to this mornings service. Mr. Dr. Pastor Sir had us open our bibles to Romans 16. He spoke about how Paul listed some of his friends. He shared a little about them, how much they meant to him and the effect they had on his life. He then had us write the names of people who we were thankful for. People who had an effect on our lives. This list was about people in general, not family. I listed people who helped me in my spiritual walk. Cunningham was the first Christian I had ever met. He not only talk the talk, but he walked it too. He was my Knight's Army buddy. His light shined so brightly that others "wanted" to be around him. Even when he asked those around him not to use fowl language. They respected him for taking a stand. They honored his request. Carrie, a very young lady who worked in the department next to where I worked. We weren't really friends but we were acquaintances. She saw me hurting when my beloved brother died. Even though she was not attending church, she invited me to the church she grew up going to. My Knight, how can I not have him in my list. He's my accountability partner. He's my soul mate, he's my better half. Emily and Carlos, they answered all my questions and helped me realize that I needed Jesus Christ. My Knight and I asked Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior while sitting on Emily and Carlos' couch. Myrna was my neighbor and closest friend. I could share my heart with her and know that she would not gossip about it. Carol and Dave were our first Sunday School teachers. They ministered to my Knight, my family and I. For that, I will forever be grateful. Cheryl took me under her wing. She was my mentor without her even knowing it. She was and is what Proverbs 31 talks about. The Ladies of the HAUS are prayer warriors. They are wise and knowledgeable. They are my sisters in Christ.

After we wrote our list, Mr. Dr. Pastor Sir, went on to say how this list, our list, is not "just" a list. This list mattered. Where would we be without the people on this list? He shared about the impact, the Vietnam Wall in Washington had on him, but not just him, those around him too. The list of names was not "just" a list. They were someone's son, father, brother, nephew, cousin, friend, daughter, sister or niece. Those people mattered. I'm a visual person and when he mentioned the Vietnam Wall it brought it all in perspective to me. I've seen this wall. I do not know any of those names on the wall. But I couldn't help feeling a sense of loss. Those names mattered to someone.

Mr. Dr. Pastor Sir went on to say how important a family is. He asked us to turn to Ephesians 5:20-33. As Christians we are to submit to one another in fear of God. Now, the word fear in this passage, doesn't mean be scared, but it means: awe, reverence, respect, and devotion. He spoke of how we, as wives are to respect our husbands. He also spoke about how husbands are to love their wives. How they are to love their own wives as their own body. Talk about drying to self! All we, as wives have to do is, to our husbands as we submit unto the Lord. Our husbands have it much harder. They are to love us as they love themselves! Being that they are the head of their wives, just like Christ is the head of the church, the leadership falls on them. As wives if we stay under our husband's covering and our husbands are to stay under God covering. By doing this, we will be honoring God. I know that it's easier said than done. But if done, imagine the blessings! From there he went onto Ephesians 6:1-4. Children, no matter what age, meaning me of 44, are to honor our father and mother. Why? So that it may go well. Think about the peace and harmony that can be achieved if we obey God's word. I know that "when" I do obey God's word, I have a peace about what is happening. There is comfort in knowing that you are following Him. There is peace knowing that you are obeying.
Mr. Dr. Pastor Sir also spoke about, how we as parents are not to "provoke" our children. Without realizing it, I provoke my children. I don't realized until it's too late. The words have been said, the deed has been done. But our God is a mighty God. The word "sorry" is a mighty word. Asking for forgiveness is very cleansing. It helps to restore relationships. The key is to catch yourself before you provoke them. Lord, help me not to provoke my children.

The last thing Mr. Dr. Pastor Sir spoke about was faith. He asked us to turn to Ephesians 1. To tell you the truth, I was so into what he spoke about friends and family, that I didn't get to take notes on what he said about faith. I thought, no problem, I'll remember when I get home. Yeah, right! Then our evening service ROCKED so much, that it made me completely forget write down what he said about faith.

For the evening service. The youth theater group performed some skits. They were all great. Then Mr. Dr. Pastor Sir continued talking about "it's not 'just' a list". He mentioned how the Book of Life when mentioned in scripture is really more a Scroll of Life. He went into detail about that. It was very interesting. He's big on history, which we love, cause we are big into history too. Well from there we went into a business meeting. Towards the end of the meeting there were people who needed to be added as members to our church. He said that membership matters. It says, "you are committed". What he did at this time, to me, was beyond words. We got a glimpse of what it "might" be like, when we get to heaven and they'll look for our name in the Book of Life. He had all the names of the new members written in a scroll. He opened it up and started reading the names. After he read each name we would all quote a scripture. First one was, "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord". Then we sang Victory in Jesus. The next scripture we could (after each name called) was, "Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name."-1 Chronicles 16:8, then we sang Amazing Grace. Next was, "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever."-1 Chronicles 16:34 and we sang Bless The Lord Oh My soul. Then it was, "Oh Lord my God I will give you thanks forever."-Psalm 30:12. After that one we quoted, "Now our God we give you thanks and praise your glorious Name."-1 Chronicles 29:13 and we sang, Great Is Thy Faithfulness after the series of names. During this series of names, our children's names we called out. We quoted, "We give thanks to you O God, we give thanks for your name is near."-Psalm 75:1. For the next names we said, "We give thanks to you Lord God all mighty." -Revelation 11:7 and we sang Victory In Jesus. For the last group of names we said, "Thanks be to God for His incredible gifts."-2 Corinthians 9:15 and we sang the Doxology.

Today's services were AMAZING! What I've shared doesn't even do the service justice. It was certainly Spirit lead. I am a visual person. When Mr. Dr. Pastor Sir rolled out the scroll and started to read the names, it helped me to "see" just how important it is that our names be in the Book of Life. That list of names is not just a list, it's THE LIST. Every person matters to God. I know that my name is on that list... is yours? I pray it is. If you aren't sure, ask me how you too can have your name in the Book of Life.

All In One Day

I have got to say that my children have outdone themselves. I've always known that they can do anything they set their minds to. They have accomplished more in one day, than anything I could ever have done. Where do I even start?!

I had a rough night last night. I was up all night, I felt for sure I was going to end up in the hospital, but God had mercy on me. PTL! \o/ So, I didn't meander out of bed until 10a. By the time I got up, my Knight and Daughter of the King had done the Thanksgiving groceries and everyone had had breakfast. What did they have? Well, Daughter of the King fixed biscuits and gravy. YUCK!!! I won't even tell you what that makes me thing of. Glad I missed that! But my Fair Maidens like it and so does my Knight. The Warrior woke up feeling much better. PTL! \o/

Soaring Amongst The Clouds spent most of the day at LS working with her partner. They have to put together a project for one of their classes. She's so organized. Thank God she takes after her dad. Her partner isn't as organized and is struggling to understand what they need to do. I'm sure that it will all come together and they will do an outstanding job.

We are having Thanksgiving dinner at our home. We are all very excited about it. My dad, mom, sister, niece and nephew will staying with us for 5 days. My mother in love (The Seamstress) is already living with us, so she's having dinner with us too. More on her on another post. We've also decided to host the college/career Sunday School class Christmas party. Since we really won't have much time in between to decorate, our children decided to get it all done before Thanksgiving. So....

Today they spent the day doing what my friend calls, "blessing our home", known to others as, cleaning our home. I'm not talking about dusting and vacuuming. I'm talking about nick and cranny, organizing, moving around type of cleaning. I started helping them out. I got as far as dusting and then I got dizzy. So I had to take a brake. After my brake, my Knight and I went to Lowe's to look for a French Door (more on this on another post). From there we went to purchase another cell phone. Our next stop was Wal-Mart. We bought a universal tv control (ours was dying) and a new pair of jeans for our G.I. Joe. He's growing up so fast. Then we headed home. Oh no, one more stop this time at Walgreen's. We picked up a medication refill and two bars of chocolate. Which we started to eat the minute we got into the car. I love having "dates" with my Knight. It doesn't matter where we go, as long as we are together. While we were gone, G.I. Joe mowed 1 1/2 of our acres. He cleaned himself up and started to help his siblings.

I scrapbook, well, I use to. I've got quite a collection of "stuff". I had it all stacked up on and under a card table, in the corner of our dinning room. We also had two of our sewing machines, some material and sewing patters stacked around that area. I had pictures galore in my hutch. It was all quiet unsightly. I'm quite the pack rat. I'm proud to say, that they cleared out EVERYTHING in that area. It doesn't even look like the same dinning room! Where did they put all of my "stuff"? In the school room. They made room for ALL of it! My children ROCK!

By the time my Knight and I got back, everything was done. This year we won't be able to have a Christmas tree. The only place our Christmas tree fits is in our living room. But the Seamstress is staying in that room. So, the tree doesn't fit there. We are trying to come up with different ideas of what to do, until then, not tree. Even so, they had most of the Christmas decorations up. I was amazed. They even had candles lit and everything. Our Castello smelled heavenly. I'm sorry to say that I have pictures of anything that happened today. They did all this while I was gone. I'm doubly sorry to say that "they" did not take pictures either. They are definitely their father's children. Oh well, I won't have the memories of "seeing them" doing it, but they will have the memories of their time together.

It is Still Waters turn in the kitchen this week. But with her schedule, she really isn't home to be cooking, so Daughter of the King is the one that fills in. Still Waters enjoys cooking, so since she was home today, she wanted to cook. She made spaghetti and garlic bread. Our Squires have been wanting to learn to cook. So tonight, the Warrior helped with dinner. When I say helped, I mean he really did cook. He loved it. While he was stirring the spaghetti sauce, Soaring Amongst The Clouds went and patted him on his buttocks, he gave her "the look" and told her, "Not while a man's cooking." LOL!

In our Castello, we have a, "no phone until you get your driver's license" rule. Not the permit, but the license. We feel they don't "need" a phone. We are the ones that drive them everywhere. Also, where they go, there is always a phone, so they don't "need" one. Well Daughter of the King got her license last week. My Baby Girl is growing up. This coming February she will be 18! So we went to get a new phone. Except... the new phone is for me. Another rule is, mom or dad get the "new" phone and then the eldest can decide if she wants the "hand me down" phone or keep the one she has. Soaring Amongst The Clouds wanted to keep her own phone. Still Waters got mine and Daughter of the King got her sister's phone. Everyone is happy with their "new" phone. It's wonderful to have grateful children.

My children reminded me of the Army commercial on tv. The one that says, "We do more before 8am than most people do all day." My children have great work ethics. I wish I could say I had something to do with it, but I have to give credit where credit is due. My Knight has taught them well. I'm the dreamer, free spirited, easy going one. He's the straight arrow, by the book, wise, practical one. I bring goofiness into his life and he lifts me up. We balance each other out beautifully. I'm so blessed.

The Cows Do

Last night my Warrior had a fever of 101.6, so I gave him some meds. By the time he went to bed, he no longer had a fever. He's had a cold for the last 2-3 days. Hate is a very strong word. It's a word we don't use in our home. But between you and me... I hate it when my children are sick. My heart goes out to them. But this morning he woke up with no fever. He's still congested, but at least the fever is gone. Today for school, we will focus on just reading.

My Warrior is more susceptible to getting sick than the average child. He was born with Alpha Thalassemia. But to look at him you'd never think he has this blood disorder. He does have dark circle under his eyes, but come summer time, one can't tell. He is very active and a great natural athlete. He excels at whatever he sets his mind to. He's got his daddy's drive and competitiveness. Well, he's got a double dose of competitiveness. ;o)



My Warrior carries this quilt with him, whenever he gets up in the morning. The quilt will be on the couch for the rest of the say until bed time. He loves it! His sisters made it for him for Christmas. Soaring Amongst The Clouds and I do not sew, but we helped pick the materials. Still Waters and Daughter of the King were the ones that made the quilt. If you look closely, there are cow prints. He LOVES cows. When he was two years old, the property next to us had many cows grazing. We would walk up to the fence and call the cows. He just loved looking at them. One day he and I were looking out our bay window. I told him, "Looks at the birds, God created the birds and God loves you, look at the sky, God created the sky and God loves you, your sisters love you, and you know who else loves you?" He told me, "The cows love me." I couldn't help but laugh. I was expecting him to say, "You love me or mommy loves me." But no, the cows love him. LOL!

This morning he was laying on the couch wrapped in his quilt. I laid down beside him and kissed his little face. I told him, "Your sisters love you so much, you know who else loves you?" With a twinkle in his eyes said, "Yes, the cows love me." Then he kissed me. Be still my heart...


*notice: In the first picture, hi little pillow case has a "moo moo" print. Our Daughter of the King made that for him.

One Of Those Days

I woke up today feeling like I was run over by a truck. I know my body well enough. I could feel the flare up coming up. Today was the day it decided to strike.

I wasn't able to get out of bed until 12 noon. When I say that, I mean I wasn't physically able to get out. I was in too much pain. Once I was able to tolerate it, I took my meds and a heating pad and laid out in the couch. My Warrior needed some help with Science so we "schooled" on the couch. We do that very often. Ah... the beauty of homeschooling.

Camping Outside The Castello

My Knight decided to set up the tents. He enlisted the help of our Squires. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of them setting up four of the tents. I believe we own about 6 tents, but only 4 were . LOL! Well, what do you expect, our family kept growing and we had to keep buying bigger tents! :o) They only set up 4 cause those were the ones used recently and they needed to be cleaned up.

Since the tents were up, someone had the bright idea of camping out tonight. NOT ME! I'm cold blooded. It's only 58 and my fingers and toes are white! Those of you that know me personally, ah... know that, well, I'm of Cuban, Panamanian, Italian heritage. White is not my shade. LOL! Well, my fingers and toes turn white because I have Raynaud's Phenomenon and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (lupus for short).

Ok, back to camping. Daughter of the King turned in early so she didn't camp out. The rest were waiting for a football game that they were watching to finish up. The team they were rooting for won. YEAH! So off they went...



Here we have my Knight and Still Waters. They were the last two to get into Camelot. This is our biggest tent. It sleeps 8. Which means, when we go camping we need another tent to hold our backpacks and whatever else we decide to take. Cause when it says it sleeps 8, it really means, that's it, only 8 can sleep there, no room for anything else!



This is the foyer of Camelot. All shoes are lined up and ready for slipping on in case someone has to make a dash for it. A couple of days ago, our neighbor called to warn us that a pack of 15-20 coyotes had tried to get to their cows. They took off when he shot at them. But we could still hear them howling. Not a sound I like. Oh, before everyone had headed out to sleep, we were all sitting watching the football game. Someone said we need to lock the gate. Then Soaring Amongst The Clouds said, "No, it would make no difference, they'll dig under the hole." LOL! We all couldn't stop laughing. Another one of her "isms". We all knew she meant, that they'll just dig a hole under the fence. Her words can't keep up with her thoughts. Never a dull moment around here.



Soaring Amongst The Clouds (the one with the flashlight) is making sure there aren't any critters in the tent. She's very adventurous and loves the outdoors, but she DOES NOT like bugs! G.I. Joe is telling her, "There is nothing there!"



Still Waters is the one that gives me the hardest time when I try to take a picture of her. She was holding her flashlight, "Let's see how this turns out mom!" Very funny missy!



Four of my precious children. I don't think they'll be too cold tonight. I made sure they took their quilts or fleece blankets. G.I. Joe and Still Waters have their fleece blankets inside their sleeping bags. Sleep tight... I pray the ants won't bite.



I tried to sneak a picture of my Knight, but he's much too quick. URGH! Now you know who our children take after. :o) But then again, who better to take after than their dad?! MUAH!!! Love ya Babe. He kept asking me, "Are you sure you don't want to come and cuddle? I said, "Sure I want to cuddle, but not out hear, let's go inside." ;o)



Notice the skull cap my Warrior is wearing. It's a Marine skull cap. Airmen G gave him that cap. My Warrior is always talking about being a Marine when he grows up. I know he'll be great at whatever God leads him to be.



I know she's thinking, "Ok mom, enough is enough." But I love my sweet faced Still Waters. Thank you for being so tolerant. I know it isn't easy.



I can't believe that I caught her laughing. It is pitch dark out there. All the pictures I took I had no clue how they were turning out, unless I would stop and play back what was taken. Since none of them are very co-operative, I have no time to check. Except for some reason, I saw that the picture taken before this one (not the one of Still Waters), but a picture I took of Soaring Amongst The Clouds, did not turn out. She had her eyes closed. So I was telling her, "Let me take it again, you had your eyes closed." She thought it was funny and was laughing about it. Unbeknown to me (or her), I clicked at the right time. YEAH!



My G.I. Joe was thrilled to be camping out. We had him sleep on one of ends because The Warrior moves around too much. Water would be seeping through before the night was over. Didn't want that to happen.

I can't wait to hear how it all went. As for me, I will sleep warmly in my heated waterbed, covered with my quilt and fleece blanket. Ah...

A Day At Our Castello

One would think that at a home with 8 dwellers, one wouldn't be able to hear them self think. That's not the case at our Castello. Keep in mind, that we no longer have babies, toddlers or young ones. Our children are older now.

Gone are the days of days of running around inside our Castello, cleaning little hands that have peanut butter and jelly on them, cutting up grapes so they don't choke on them, saying "no" a million times a day and telling them why, wiping dirt smudged cheeks, tripping over toys, using outdoor voices while we are indoor, well, you get the picture. That chapter of in our book of life has ended... at least for now. One day my Knight and I will once again be in a similar stage of our lives, but it will be as grandparents. We look forward to that day. For now when we see younger ones, we think, "Remember when...".

Our Castello is full of life. How can it not be with 8 dwellers! But it's a little different now that they are older. Soaring Amongst The Clouds attends classes all day on Tuesday and Thursday. Still Waters attends classes all day, all week. When they get home then they are busy doing their school work, in their room. Daughter of the King does all her work in her room. G.I. Joe and The Warrior, do their school work in our dinning room. That way, I'm right there to help if they need it. They do their reading on their beds. They are all self motivated. They got that from their daddy. By the time they were in 2nd grade they figured out that the if they got their seat work done early, they could have the rest of the day to do what they wanted to ... within reason of course. Well, all except The Warrior learned that at an early age. It took him longer. LOL! While they are busy on with school work, I'm usually on the computer, doing laundry, cleaning the bathrooms (mine & the guest), on the phone, doing a Sudoku puzzle or reading. If I'm having a flare up or a chiari day, I'm either in bed or on the couch. I could say that I don't have many of those days, but I'd be lying. More often than not, I'm having one of those days. My children know and understand. They are very caring and helpful. They ROCK! Here are a few pictures of what happens on any given day, at our Castello...



The Warrior: "Mom, can you come here?" I'll go and look, but can't find him. As I call out to him, I realize that I passed him. Look at the quilt closely....


He's hiding under the quilt. Yep, that's the Warrior. He's eleven and yes, we still play hide and seek. He likes to sneak up to me and just stand there quietly until I realize that he's there. He doesn't scare me, but he likes to see how long he can be standing behind me, without me realizing he's there.



Depending the homework they are doing, Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Still Waters will come down and grace us with their presence. They'll do their homework in our dinning room or on the couch, where we can all be together. I love it when that happens.



If the Fair Maidens are done with their homework, they'll play games. Blurt! is not a quiet game. I know that it's hard to believe, but the Fair Maidens are quite boisterous when they play. It's their competitive genes. They have a double dose of it, my Knights and mine. :o)



Card games are very popular at our Castello. I love watching them play together. Our Squires really miss having their older sisters around. If the phone rings and it's them, while I'm talking, he'll holler, "Hi -insert name". When the Warrior sees their car driving up, he runs yelling their name and saying, "-insert name... is home!" He'll greet them with a big hug and kiss. Everyone hangs around because they want to hear how their day went.

I'm so blessed that I've been able to stay home and be with my children 24/7. I look at them and I can't believe how time has flown by. Just yesterday I was changing diapers and tucking them in bed. Today I wait until they come home and share with me how their day went. I love my children. I love being a mom. All I've ever wanted was to be a wife and mom. I'm so blessed...

A Day With Daughter Of The King

This weekend Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Still Waters went camping with the college/career Sunday School class. They went on the same trip last year and they had a great time. They get to camp on the beach.

They left the church, Friday around 2p. Since Still Waters has classes until 2:30p. and it's on the way to where they were heading, they stopped by the US to pick her up. I rode along so I could drive the car she used back home.

Well the meteorologist reported, that the temperature was going to dip and the Fair Maidens packed accordingly or at least one of them did. As Soaring Amongst The Clouds was packing some last minute stuff, we got to talking. We were wondering if Still Waters had packed her sweatshirt and jacket. Well she checked her sister's closet and she hadn't. So she packed it for her. Ah... sisterly love.

Since two of the Fair Maidens were gone for the weekend, that meant that the women were outnumbered in our Castello. That does not happen often. LOL! I decided to have a daughter and mother day on Saturday with my Daughter of the King.

Our day started out with her taking care of little ones at church while their moms attended a gathering. She was there until lunch time. I picked her up and I let her decide where she wanted to eat. She wanted Burger King. From there we went to Books-A-Millions. All of my Fair Maidens enjoy reading. We were there for over 2 hours! :o) We ended up purchasing Scooter's Christmas present. (*more on this later) Daughter of the King purchased a Christian t-shirt (yes, they now sell Christian accessories) for herself (in pink- which shocked me and will shock everyone else cause she never wears pink), a card for a friend and two gifts for two other friends. Oh, about Scooter's gift, I told his mom, that I was going to help build his library. I know he will get lots of toys from his grandparents and uncles. He has already has lots of cute outfits, so I figured books would be the way to go. She even takes him to mom & tot library time. So for his first Christmas present we got him, The First Christmas, The Night Before Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas dvd. We walked the mall for a little while and then headed out.

We really didn't want to go home, so we stopped at Dairy Queen to have some ice cream. The Dairy Queen is close to a quaint little town. I love visiting this little town. We decided to visit this little town's down town. We ate our ice cream while we window shopped. Once we were done with our ice cream, we went into my favorite shops. I shop so often in one of the shops that they know me by name. I know the owner likes me cause she knows I have 3 daughters and we are all fans of Vera Bradley. So when she sees me walk in, she sees $$$. LOL! But I have to admit she's an real nice lady and she always gives me the best deals. I also stopped in my favorite little shop that sells Crocs. Apparently new crocs are coming out for the winter. They have fleece lining to keep the toes toasty. I need to look into that. By the time we were done it was almost dinner time.

I can only speak for myself, but I had a wonderful time. We laughed and we talked. I had forgotten how wonderful it is to just laugh and talk with just my Daughter of the King. She has a smile that just brightens those around her. Thank you for spending the day with me... I love you sweetie!

I need to make a point to spend one on one time with each of my children. We really don't get to do that. My Fair Maidens are older now and are busy being college students and a senior in high school. I won't say I'll try, I'll say I will be spending some one on one time with them. That's if they have the time to spend with me...

“Do or do not, there is no try”
- Yoda

True Confessions

One of the blogs I read regularly challenged her readers to be true. By this I mean to share the truth about themselves. She mentioned that bloggers only tend to share the good and not the bad. I think that if we share it all, it could minister to someone. It will help others to see that we are all human, we are all sinners. That none of us are perfect.

I don't want it to come across as I'm airing my dirty laundry. I will only share about me. I want to start of by saying that with me, what you see is what you get. What I've shared has not been sugar coated. Years ago, God convicted me of lying and gossip. He also convicted me of what I call, the sin of omission, that's when you don't say the "whole" truth, just part of it. I can't get away with lying even if I wanted to. Why? Because my Knight and Fair Maidens read my entries. They would so call me on it. Isn't accountability wonderful?! :o)

This is just sharing from my heart, in hopes that it might minister to someone. I'm a sinner saved by grace. Well, I'll start off by sharing 15 things off the top of my head, cause I don't know where else to start. LOL! So here goes...

* I'm OCD about keeping my white clothes, white. But also about keeping my colored clothes stain free. I'll spray oxyclean and scrub by hand until all stains are gone.

* I'm a coke-aholic and a junk food junkie. I know it's not good for me, but I have an "I don't care" attitude about it. BUT...

* Because I know that junk food is not good for you, I'm more careful about my children's eating habits. So I guess you could say that I'm basically telling them (with my actions), "do as I say, not as I do". I know, I'm not the ideal roll model.

* If I'm not going out, I'll stay in my pj's all day.

* I clean my commode every other day.

* For some reason, when the laundry is all caught up, I feel that all is well. Needless to say, that laundry is always caught up.

* Now, that doesn't mean it gets folded right away. LOL! But as I take it out of the dryer, it gets laid out carefully in the basket so it doesn't get wrinkled.

* I'm not organized and to boot, I'm a pack rat. BUT our Castello only takes 30 minutes to tidy up, even though it's almost 3000 sq ft. Remember, there are seven living here. That's lots of hands to help tidy up. ;o)

* I am the last one to go to bed and the last one to get out of bed. I know I'll be chastised about this but, there are days I don't get out of bed until 10am.

* But there is a reason for that, I don't sleep straight through the night. I get up 3 or 4 times a night. And no it's not to go to the bathroom. Since I'm up during the night, I pray.

* For the last three months I've been having inner struggles. My mother in love, The Seamstress can no longer live on her own. She has dementia. So she is now living with us. She is a negative, criticizing, prejudice person. I'm not use to that. I have laid it at my Heavenly Father's feet and the weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I know that He is in control.

* I am an impulsive or compulsive buyer. Which is not good since we are a one income family of seven.

* I know that my Knight is level headed, logical, organized, methodical, think ahead kind of person. Even so, I still struggle with submitting to him. I know in my heart that I am to submit to my husband. But my mind and flesh sometimes want no part of that. Not only do I end up paying the price for my foolish pride, but so does my family.

* I know that this will ruffle some feathers. I don't believe there is anything wrong with drinking alcoholic beverages. But I do feel that we need to be careful not to get drunk. Scriptures says, "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit"- Ephesians 5:18

* I also know that I can not cause some one to sin. We can't make someone do something. But I feel strongly about tempting some one to possibly sin. I know my limit of alcohol... 1. LOL! FOOT NOTE: MY KNIGHT DOES NOT DRINK ANY ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES. I on the other hand, enjoy having a Margarita. My mom (Sabimbi) makes an AWESOME Pina Colada and Egg Nog (family recipe). I enjoy having some of that. But I will not have it around others. My reason is, because I do not know if others can handle alcohol. I do not want to cause someone to stumble. Let me share why... Years ago, my Knight and I went dancing. We went with a my sister, her husband, our cousins and a high school friend of my sister and her husband. This young man unbeknown to me could not control his drinking. No the men (except for my Knight) had ordered a drink. Then every one went to the dance floor to dance. All of a sudden we heard a commotion. The bouncers were attempting to escort my the young man who came along with us. All them men went over and tried to calm him down. He was belligerent. I had never seen anyone act that way. It made an impact on me. Ever since then, I vowed that I would never have alcohol in front of any one or have it in our Castello. The alcohol is not bad. It's just that some can't control themselves. One never knows who can or who can't handle a drink, so why tempt them?

So there, now you know 15 pretty private things about me. Well, not that you have to, but care to confess? :o)

A Quote On Love

I was browsing through some of the blogs I occasionally visit and came across a quote that just leaped out at me. The quote is by my Still Waters' favorite writer.

"Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket–safe, dark, motionless, airless–it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable."
~ C. S. Lewis

The young man's blog was listing 13 random quotes. This particular quote really got to me. We can all read the same thing, but it can touch us in different ways. It also depends on where we are at moment as to how it would affect us. I mean I read it today and it affected me a certain way. I could read it in a couple of months or years and I could get something totally different than the last time I read it.

Today, that quote made me cry. So many people are missing out on an incredible blessing, because someone they loved has hurt them. Why is it that we hurt those we love? What makes us do that?

I think that we only hurt ourselves when we don't love others or allow them to love us. We become hardened, withdrawn, sad, lonely and empty. I'm not talking about loving a special person. I'm talking about loving someone in general. A hardened heart hurts the one that's building the walls around it. Yes, we become vulnerable when we love, but think about what comes along with allowing yourself to love someone or allowing someone to love you.

To me loving someone fills me with joy. It brightens my day. Makes my heart skip beats. It makes me smile at the thought of them. Makes me laugh. It gives me people bumps, as my children use to say when they were little, cause they were not geese. LOL! It gives me hope for tomorrow. Hope that by loving or allowing me to be loved, things CAN change.

Mom, Can I Talk To You And Dad?

One isn't sure what's going to be said when one hear, "Mom, can I talk to you and dad?" Your heart starts racing. Your mind starts reeling. You wonder what's happened? Is it something serious? Is my child in trouble?

When I heard my G.I. Joe say those words to me, I was at peace. I knew what we were going to talk about. I knew that something had happened. Something every mom and dad hope and pray would happen. I had noticed something different for quiet some time. I had seen the change in his countenance. When he walked into my room and said those words, I knew. I knew he had rededicated his life.

How did this all come about? Well, God has been working in his life. I had noticed some changes here and there. Not that he had a bad attitude, but every once in a while it would pop up. I wasn't seeing much of that. He would do things without being told to. I saw a commitment and self discipline in him that wasn't there before. Then tonight the youth from our church went to what is called The Judgment House. It's not a haunted house. A group of volunteers from that church put on a play. It's a situation play, you get walk from scene to scene. This year it dealt with two teenage girls, who skipped school and decided to go to the beach. They stopped at the bank to get some money. While they were there, the bank was held up. One of the girls was killed. The dad of one of them was killed also, they hadn't noticed that he was also at the bank. So, the story evolves from there. The made one of the building look like a bank. They even had a squad car and policemen acting out their parts. It all looked very real. They even had one room that was "hell". In that room, they turned up the heat and left it very dark. You could hear wailing and gnashing of teeth. It was as close to Revelation as they could get.

G.I. Joe asked Jesus into his heart when he was 8 years old. He had the faith of a child. I can still remember him bowing his head and asking Jesus to come into his heart. When he looked up he had a huge smile. I know that he didn't do that to please me or any one else. He decided to rededicate his life because he now has matured in his walk with our Heavenly Father. I'm so proud of him. My little boy is growing up. Be still my heart...

Another Day On The Set For The Movie...

Well, I can't tell you the name of the movie yet. :o) The title is still hush hush. What I will tell you is, that I didn't see Part 1 or Part 2. The only reason I'll see Part 3 is because my children are in it. LOL!

It's not a bad movie, it's just not my taste of movie. I'm more of a epic, war, action, western, love story, thriller, drama kind of gal. I DO NOT do horror, slice them, blood spilling, gruesome type of movies. I also don't particularly care for comedies or slap stick type of movies. I guess I have no funny bone.

We had to check in at 7am. I've mentioned this before, but just in case you don't know, I am NOT a morning person. Don't get me wrong, I don't wake up a grouch or anything like that. I'm a night owl. But when I wake up, I get up and go. I'm not a slow started. So we checked in and filled out our paperwork. This time around only Daughter of the King, G.I. Joe, The Warrior and I attended. Soaring Amongst The Clouds had to attend classes today. She was having a test in her Science and Psychology classes. So she really didn't want to miss it. We were asked to wear the exact same thing we wore on the last shoot. We were done by 10am! Turns out they only needed to do over three lines. YEAH BABY! We got a full days wages for working three hours. :o) Not only that, but they let us stay in the amusement park the rest of the day! WOOOO HOOOO!!! My children rode ALL the roller coaster rides they wanted to. After that, we left the park and had lunch. It was way too expensive to eat at the park. We stopped at the good ole' Golden Arches. Four of us ate until our belly's were full... cost... $21! You can't beat that!

Everyone had a great time, but they all kept saying, "I wish Soaring Amongst The Clouds would be here. She would love these rides." I was touched that they were thinking about their sister. Once we got home, all three of them were in the kitchen sharing with Still Waters about their day. It was sweet to hear them because they were being careful not to be too loud, so as not to make Soaring Amongst The Clouds sad about not going. Still Waters does not like anything that has the word coaster attached to it. LOL! Well actually, she's come along way, cause she'll now ride coasters as long as they don't have loops.

I have to say that I was very impressed with Soaring Amongst The Clouds. If she wanted, she could of skipped her classes and earn a little spending money AND get to go on the rides. Her work ethic amazes me. I would of said, "I'll just make up those test and get the notes from my other classes from another student." She showed character. Funny how when I first had children, I thought I was teaching them. I see that as a parent, we "haven't arrived". We are "still" learning... even from the younger ones. I have learned that, I have much to learn. I'm so blessed...

Homecoming Alternative

Today, our church sponsored a "Homecoming Alternative". People might look at that and think, "What is that!?" Well, it's exactly what it says it is. Who thought of it? How did it get started? Who goes to this event? What do they do there? So many questions! The normal response would be so little time. BUT, this is my journal and I've got all the time to share. :o) My dilemma is... where do I start? I guess the beginning would be a great place to start.

Through the years, Homecoming dances sure have changed. I guess might I might be sounding like an old foggy, but think about it, they have. I personally, REALLY enjoy dancing. Yes, even at 44, I can AND like to " get jiggy with it", "shake a leg", "get the groove on", "cut a rug" and all those other "I like to dance" idioms. I enjoy watching others dance too. BUT... some of the way people dance today, I feel, should be reserved for their boudoir. Some of the dances are very suggestive. Leave very little to the imagination. It's all laid out there in front of you. The way some dance look like they are animals in heat. Honestly, I for one, do not want to see my children dance like they are in heat! Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like them. But why do this in public? Where EVERYONE can see you grinding? Why tempt someone else that way? Why tease, if you don't plan on following through? Yes, go ahead and dance, have fun, enjoy it. BUT why not save the suggestive dancing for your spouse? Just think, little ones are watching. They idolize teenagers, who intern idolize the 20 somethings and so on. I see younger ones mimicking the ones they look up to. They are watching how the older ones dress, talk, dance, act and so on. Which means, that the younger ones are ALSO dancing suggestively. I know that ultimately it's up to the parents. The parents are the authority figure for their children and teenagers. BUT if we all try to lead by example, WOW!!! Imagine the impact! All that to say that I really enjoy dancing, but certain moves, I do only at home.

For the last four years, our church has sponsored a Homecoming Alternative. A young lady while in 9th grade decided she did not want to participate in her high school homecoming dance because of what goes on at the dances. So she organized an alternative. She spoke to the Pastor, the Youth Minister and the elders of our church. She shared with them that she wanted to invite other teenagers to our church for a homecoming party. They would have *Christian music (more on this later on), wonderful meal, pictures taken, and a white elephant gift exchange. Instead of dancing, an "outing" would be planned, which the church would provide transportation (church bus). They elders loved the idea. They liked it so much, that they decided to make it a "free" event. Yes, the "outing" and the *white elephant gift (more on this later) are also free!

Any teenager who is in the 9th-12th grade is welcome to attend. It's advertised at the local high school, which happens to be 4 blocks from our church. Formal attire is not required. Sunday best is not required. They wanted to make it so ANYONE could go without making any extra expense. Some prefer to dress up and some don't. One year, Soaring Amongst The Clouds wore a Hawaiian sundress, but the year before she had worn a long evening gown. One year Still Waters wore a beautiful Victorian gown, the year before she wore jeans with a beautiful, white embroidered shirt. Their senior year they decided to wear a long evening gown. They weren't sure when they'd get another chance to wear one. LOL! Daughter of the King has worn a long evening gown every year. Last year she even made her own dress. One year a young lady came in right after work, with no chance to change. She was not made fun of , she was welcomed with open arms. The young men wear what they choose to also. Some have worn suits. Some have worn slacks , long sleeve shirts with a tie. Some have worn jeans long sleeve shirts and a tie. Some have worn a jeans and a shirt. Some have worn sneakers with their suits. Some have even worn hats. We've seen it all.

The event is held in our dinning hall. A couple of the youth help some of the moms decorate the room. A local flower shop donates an arch or columns and flowers to decorate. The tables are beautifully decorated with linen table cloths, flowers, candles and beautiful china ware. The staff that cooks dinner for our church prepares the dinner for this event too. It's not your average meal, they go all out. To top it off, they also have a delicious dessert. The youth minister, his wife and two moms are the ones that brings the dinner plates to the guests. They also make sure that their drinking glass (soda, water and/or tea) are always full.

After dinner, they play the white elephant game. Now the gifts are not a gag gift, well if it is, something else comes along with it. In the past, some of the gifts have been $10, $15, $20 or $25 gift card to a store, a mug filled with candy, cute fluffy slippers, character pajama pants, Christian t-shirts, a cd, gift card to a local restaurant or a fast food place, journals with pens, Nerf guns, hand held games, x amount of pounds of candy and so on. They get to swap their gifts, whether they want to or not. The item can only be "taken away" three times. They have a great time playing this game.

The outing is always a fun. In the past they've gone bowling, put putting and on a river cruise. The youth know in advance where the "outing" will be. The year they went bowling, some of the girls still wore their long gowns. They had a WONDERFUL time! This year's outing was at what my Soaring Amongst The Clouds calls, The Happy Place. The Happy Place has a putt putt. The young men putt putted in their suits while the young ladies putt putted in their dresses. Some of the young ladies decided to putt putt barefooted, some stayed in their heels while others took a pair of flip flops for the occasion. All in all, they had the time of their lives. They were back at church by midnight.


Daughter of the King decided to wear a long evening gown. She wanted me to help her get ready. I always tell my Fair Maidens that, "I live for this moment!" LOL! When I was driving her to church, I glanced over at her and my eyes watered. My Baby Girl has blossomed into a beautiful young lady. I told her she looked like a mermaid. She smiled and said, "Gee thanks mom, I look like a fish!" LOL! I said, "No sweetie, mermaids are beautiful, fairy tale ladies. Every girl would like to look like one." Be still my heart...


I know that all mom's think this, so I'll just go ahead and say it any way. Baby Girl, you looked absolutely exquisite and elegant. You radiated beauty from the inside out.



Let me clarify this, no, Steps and Daughter of the King did not go as a couple. They are holding true to the "no dating" rule we as a family have. What's even more wonderful is that Steps and his family also believe in "no dating". Like us, they believe in courtship. I'd like to add that Steps has really "stepped" it up. He is very careful about how he carries himself. Kudos for you! There were youth who invited a date, but there were some who just came and met their friends.



Here we have KT, Congresswoman and Daughter of the King. KT and Daughter of the King have been friends for six years. Congresswoman started attending our church a few years ago.
The amazing thing is that they are all totally opposite of each other. Which makes their friendship all the more awe inspiring... it's certainly a God thing. They have learned to "love" as Christ would love.



This was the last picture I took. After I left some a couple of more youths showed up. As you can see, some came as couples and some didn't. For some this was the first time attending.

The young lady that started the Homecoming Alternative, graduated from high school two years ago. One of the other young ladies, stepped up and continued the tradition. This year the young lady that continued, will be graduating. I wonder which youth will step up and continue the tradition. Whoever God leads to do this, won't be doing this alone. There are plenty of folks willing to step in and help out.

My Baby Girl Is Now... 20!

Today twenty years ago, my first Fair Maiden was born. I can remember it as it was just yesterday. They've all heard me say it, a thousand times over. Right there still on the delivery bed, my legs strapped to a medieval device (PRAISE THE LORD they no longer do this), with my Fair Maiden laying on my chest, I looked over at my Knight and I said, "Let's have another one."

I have to honestly say that when I think of my children, I'm overwhelmed and speechless. I'm shedding tears as I sit here and share about Soaring Amongst The Clouds. She is every mother's dream come true.

Let me share why I named her Soaring Amongst The Clouds. She is a dreamer, but also a doer.
She's a romantic by heart. She likes to cook and enjoys trying out new recipes. She's not easy swayed, she'll stand firm for what she believes. She's a thrill seeker and an adventurer. She loves to travel and read about different places. She has a passion for reading. She loves all sort of sports. She could sit and watch football or baseball all day with her dad and brothers. She has a gentle heart and has the gift of mercy. When she's nervous she laughs. Which means, if she sees someone get hurt, chances are she just might giggle. But that's just her way of dealing with it. Her heart melts at the sight of children. She'll want to hold them or just sit and watch them. Her hearts desire it to be a wife and a mom. She's a girl after my own heart.

Good thing she was born in October, cause her favorite season is fall. Which is why her sisters decorated her cake with orange. We are all laughing because there are twenty candles. Well, what happens when you blow out twenty candles? You get LOTS of smoke! LOL! This was her reaction to the smoke.


This is the birthday card her siblings got for her. At first gland you would think this is how the card was made. But if you look closely, her siblings added to the word, "to Thee!" Our Fair Maidens are quite the expert on making, picking out and adding to cards. I really liked this one because there are two girls and two boys on the outside of the card. Soaring Amongst The Clouds has two sisters and two brothers. The card was perfect. The inside of the card was blank. Here's what they wrote: "Keepin' it real with the KJV (KJV in old English style)!! Hope thy (thy in old English style) Birthday is Magnificent (old English style)! We love you!



This gift was from her siblings. She loves what Still Waters and Daughter of the King call "hellish" music... that would be Country Music. LOL! Soaring Amongst The Clouds and I have similar taste in music.



They left the price on just in case she preferred a different cd. But hey, who isn't a Brad Paisley fan? Don't answer that, I don't want to know. LOL! UPDATE: we all really enjoyed listening to this cd. If you ever get a chance, check it out.



If you noticed on previous pictures, Soaring Amongst The Clouds is wearing a t-shirt that says, "Ireland". Well that's because she is fascinated with Ireland. She hopes to one day travel there. She saw this mug a few months ago and loved it. So, mom that I am, I went back and bought it when she wasn't with me. It's a little hard to see, but it has a shamrock and it says, "Life is good". Which happens to be my motto. :o) Aside from these gifts, she also got a book of the writing of Jose Marti. He was a Cuban poet and writer. She's been wanting to read up on him.
She also got a laptop computer, but it was given to her last month so she could use it for her classes.

Bigote and Sabimbi (my dad and mom) came late Friday night and left early Sunday. They came to help celebrate Soaring Amongst The Clouds' birthday. I took some pictures, but they didn't turn out. I should of checked them first, but we were all having fun taking pictures. Now I know, to check. :o( We had two cakes. They bought one at the local supermarket and the Fair Maidens had baked one too. I know that one would think, "Wow, cake for a whole week!" Ah.... no, not in this household. Cake lasted only three days. LOL!

Baby Girl,
My prayer for you is that you continue the course due north. May the best of your past, be the worst of your future. Remember that after the rain, there is always a rainbow and clouds have a silver lining. How blessed I am that God chose me to be your mom. My life is richer because of you.
I love you...
mom~

What Is Your Definition Of True Love?

... that's the question Steps posted on his facebook. When I saw that I thought, "Wow, that's pretty deep for a young man.

I wondered what prompted him to ask that question. The night he got home from spending the day with us, he looked for the book we had mentioned and started to read it... that very night. I was impressed. Jewels shared with me that it was on the list of books she was going to have him read this year. We are kindred spirits. :o) I wonder if reading that book made him post that question.

Some of his friends shared their answers. One friend wrote: "True love waits...for nothing. In other words, if you truly love them you'll get married asap." Another posted a group picture and put a heart around Steps and our Daughter of the King. Then, one simply wrote: 1 Corinthians 13. Who wrote that? My Knight did. He's a man of few words. So when he speaks... watch out... it's straight to the point.

More and more I see that people think of "love" as a feeling. Personally, love to me is a verb. It's an action. I've shared that before. You can read about it here. I also believe it's a choice. You choose to stay in love or you choose not to. You choose to focus on the negative and let it fester or you choose to focus on the positive and and watch your relationship bloom.

So what do I say love is?

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
~1 Corinthians 13

What do you say love is?

Soaring Amongst The Clouds' "Isms"

We can all be sitting around the dinning table, eating and talking. Then all of a sudden, some one bursts out laughing. Of course, then we ALL want to know what's so funny. Well, most often than not, it's due to what we call Soaring Amongst The Clouds' "isms".

The dictionary says that "ism" is: A distinctive doctrine, system, or theory. That sort of describes it. Just so you get and idea of what I mean, I'll share some of our Soaring Amongst The Clouds' isms. On any given day, if you were a fly on the wall in our Castello, you might hear...

"Turn off the door and close the light." -She was camping out in Still Water's room. She wanted to get to sleep. We all know what she meant to say.

"I was verabaling what everyone is thinking." -She meant to say that she was verbalizing what everyone was thinking.

"She was a tick bomb." - it was regarding a woman on a commercial who said , "Hello" to a co-worker and the co-worker was upset and yelled back. She meant to say, she was a ticking time bomb.

"Did my tan get back?" - She was asking if her back got tanned. She had spent the day at the beach with her siblings and friends.

"We're going rivering"- She was talking about a camping trip she's going on. They were going go canoeing.

"When are the Marylou's leaving for their vacation?" -Marylou is a friend of ours. Her whole family was going to a family reunion (in another state) and their youngest was going to stay with us (for a week) because he is in the All-Star team with our youngest. Instead of saying their last name, she called the family by the mom's first name.

"I think next Thursday we are going to have a mosh pit" -Soaring Amongst The Clouds is part of the Disaster Relief. What she was suppose to say was, that they were going to have a "mock drill".

"Mom, Samuel's toe fell off!" -Samuel is a little boy we know from church. On Tuesday's, Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Daughter of the King help with God's Squad. It's a one day a week camp for K- 6th graders. Little Samuel had a heavy object fall on his foot one day at home, so his toe nail turned black and blue. What Soaring Amongst The Clouds meant to say was his "toe nail fell off."

"Boys if you are hungry, come get your eats!" -She had just finished baking pizza. What she meant to say was, "Boys if you are hungry, come eat!"

There are many more "isms". There is never a dull moment in our Castello. She keeps us laughing. She doesn't "mean" to say these things, they just roll right out. As she says them, her eyes just twinkle. Sometimes, right after she says them, she realizes, "Oops, that's not what I meant to say." But most of the times, she doesn't and then she laughs right along with us. She's got an AWESOME sense of humor.

"The person who can bring the spirit of laughter into a room is indeed blessed."
~Bennett Cerf

Oh No, SAT Again?!

Yesterday, Daughter of the King took the SAT again. She had a very good score the first time around. She's just trying to improve it. The goal is to get the 100% scholarship, she's already gotten the 75% scholarship. I'm so proud of her.

Steps was also taking the SAT again. It worked out great. My friend Jewels (mom to Steps) came by to pick up our Fair Maiden and took them both to the school where they were scheduled to take the test. Did I mention that Steps is also homeschooled? Well, he is. They were to give us a call once they got done with the test. They were there from 7:30a- 2:30p. I felt so bad for them. I'm soooooo glad I'm 44!

Back in July, Steps had a "talk" with my Knight regarding our Daughter of the King. You can read about it here. So being that they are friends and getting to know each other, we invited him over to spend some time with us after the test. We "talked" a little more. My Knight suggested they both read, I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Josh Harris. I bought this book back in 1997 when it first came out. That means that Daughter of the King was only 7 years old at the time her sisters were only 9 & 8 years old. Talk about planning ahead! LOL! We knew way back when we first had children that we really didn't want them to date. Oh, I have to mention too, that we weren't Christians at the time either, so it had nothing to do with religion or a relationship with the Lord. It had everything to do with how my Knight and I were raised but, I'll leave that for another day. :o) They both agreed that they would read the book. Once they're done, we'll sit and talk about what they've read. See what they agree with and what they don't agree with, what they liked and what they disliked. They are both 17 years old, so I believe this is a step in the right direction.

During his visit we watched the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. This is one of our favorite movies. It's like watching a movie about our family. The dad in the movie even talks like my dad. We spent the afternoon laughing.

We invited Steps to stay for dinner. This was his first time having an authentic Cuban dinner. We had chicken fricassee, white rice, tostones (fried green plantains) and Cuban bread. I forgot to make the salad. :o( He seemed to like it, but I later found out, that he really like the tostones. Which is both of our Squire's favorites. :o)

Even though it was an SAT day, it was a good day. We all had a quiet day at home. Good food and good company, what more could one ask for?

A Welcomed Visitor

A little over a month ago, I received an email from Lady Grace. She and her family were coming to the United States to visit family. While in the U.S., they wanted to know if they could stop by and pay us a visit. If only emails had audio, she would of heard me shout with joy.

I named her Lady Grace because she is so graceful. She is soft spoken, delicate and simply very lady like. I named him Sir Barrister because, well... he's a lawyer. Like her, he is soft spoken too but there is air of right is right and wrong is wrong about him. I can see him as a lawyer. They make a beautiful couple. Their wee one is Sir Adorable because... well... he's simply adorable!

Lady Grace is from Japan. We were her host family, a little over a year ago. She is married to Sir Barrister, who is an American. She had come to stay with us in order to learn a little more English and see how typical Americans live. I know her time with us was not easy on her. She missed her Sir Barrister, but she was brave to venture out in order to learn his language.

We had a most wonderful visit. Well, at least I did. Why? :o) I got to hold Sir Adorable the entire time. While Lady Grace was visiting last year, she shared with me that once she got back home, they wanted to start a family. This filled my heart with joy. Sir Adorable is now 7 months old. He is PRECIOUS. You can easily see that he's happy and very loved. He was nothing but smiles the entire time. I wish they could of stayed longer, but it was getting late and Sir Adorable needed his rest.

I hope and pray that if and when they ever move to the states, that they move close to Sir Barrister's grandparents. That way, they'll be close to us too. I know, it's selfish of me. But I so enjoy Lady Grace's company. When I'm around her, I want to be more like her... soft spoken and graceful. Reminds me of how I use to be in my younger years. I feel I've lost all that and I'm not sure how to get it back.

Here we have G.I.Joe, Still Waters, The Warrior, Daughter of the King, Soaring Amongst The Clouds, Lady G~ -holding Sir Adorable, Lady Grace and Sir Barrister.

Movie Stars In The Making

NOT! Yesterday we spent the day at a "shoot". We were all asked to be "background" for a movie. We said, sure why not, should be fun. My Knight didn't come along because he was working. Still Waters couldn't take a day off at the "U.S.". Soaring Amongst The Clouds didn't have classes, so she came along. Daughter of the King, G.I. Joe and the Warrior, brought their school work with them. But the time we got to our destination, they were almost done with their school work. They are diligent students. Praise The Lord they take after their daddy. :o)

Fun it was. We looked at it this way, "Why not get paid for sitting around doing nothing." They've asked us not to say anything about what we saw or who we saw. I will say this, this is not typically the sort of movie I would watch. We haven't seen part I or part II. I guess we'll see part III cause we'll be in it. LOL! We weren't allowed to take pictures or talk to the "stars". Even so, we had a great time.

We were in what they called the holding area for 4 hours before they needed us on the set. We were all outside, but under a pavilion. It a very hot day with very little breeze. But we were in the shade, so that was very good. They had quite and assortment of danishes, bagels, cream chesses, fruits, chips and drinks. We had plenty of food and snacks through out the day. We had taken some cards, puzzle books and MP3 players. All that helped to pass the time. While we were there, I ran into a mom that I hadn't seen in ages. She was there with her three children. So we had a great time catching up.

We only spent three hours on the set, but to tell you the truth, it went rather quickly. I guess cause it was all new to me. I just enjoyed being there and see how "things" work. Let me tell you, it's hot easy being an actor. You have to do things over and over and over and over... you get the picture (pun intended). It was hot. We were all hot, but at least we didn't have people trying to comb our hair, add more make-up, fix our clothing, etc. I think it would drive me nuts to have someone hanging on me like that all day! I tell you, I'm glad it's them and not me.

After the shoot we had the option of staying with the filming crew and eating a catered dinner or going home. I soooooooo wanted to stay and eat, BUT I have two picky eaters. So we decided to get our paper work done and head on home. I later phoned my friend and she told me I missed out on some GREAT food. They had ribs, grilled chicken, potatoes, macaroni, cesar salad, rolls, and delicious assortment of desserts. Mmmmm... next time I'll stay for the food too.

All in all we had a wonderful time. I thought my children would not want to EVER do anything like that again. I was wrong. They all (except for Daughter of the King) said they'd love to do it again. Daughter of the King said she's not interested. I think it's because when she babysits, she makes in 5 hours what we made in 9 hours. Smart girl! BUT does she get the catered food too? :o)