Update On The Dwellers Of The Castello

* The Warrior fractured his finger at the knuckle, therefore requiring a cast. The cat is midway up his forearm.

* My Knight was at home on vacation all last week... YEAH!!!! We really enjoyed having him home with us 24/7. :o)

* Soaring Amongst The Clouds went to NC for a weekend with an adventure group from her university. They went kayaking, horseback riding and hiking. The purpose of this trip was to see the changing of the leaves. She had a FANTABULOUS time! Thank you for your prayers. God has really showered her with peace. She's having a great time this semester in school. She's getting to teach a Junior Achievement class in a local private school. She's enjoying working with children. She's meeting new and interesting people and loving it.

* Daughter of the King changed her major from teaching/minoring in sign language to communication disorders. With that major she'll be able to work as an interpreter and with the hearing impaired. She's thrilled, because she really didn't want to teach, she wanted to focus on sign language. :o) She's still trying to learn how to jump through professors hoops. So she's still struggling a little with her school work. We are so proud of her for sticking to it.

* G.I. Joe's soccer season ended last night. They made it to the 1/4 finals, but lost. This is the first time in eons since the school he played with made it to the finals. He had a great time and is looking forward to playing again next year. This season he scored a total of 5 goals. Which is great considering he's never played soccer before. We are so proud of how he has risen to the occasion.

* Still Waters is really blossoming! I'm so proud of her. She's loving what she's studying, digital art. School work and working in the media center is keeping her very busy. She's the one that's going to give me more gray hairs. She plans on purchasing a Harley once she finishes school and gets a job. YIKES!

* Basket ball season has started and G.I. Joe is playing in the JV team. He's never played basketball before. So, we went out, bought him basketball sneakers and a basketball. Now I get to watching him play my Knight's favorite sport. Hope he enjoys it too.

* My great-niece's christening was yesterday. It was good to see the family, except my sister in law and her husband. I avoided them like the plague. At the end of the day, my Knight hugged me and told me he was proud of me. I didn't loose it and treated them cordially. :o) The tigress in me comes out when someone messes with those I love. But I kept my composure. Thank you Lord.

* My mother in love came home with us from the christening and will be here until tomorrow. She has already made negative comments about us and our home. URGH!!! But I'm trying hard to grin and bear it. I tried my hardest not to let it get to me.

* I'm having trouble eating. I can't quite figure out what food give my belly a reaction. So I'm limiting my food intake. What's funny is that I seem to do fine with fast foods or restaurants food. Maybe it's my home cooking?! When I do eat, I eat very little, for fear that it will send me running to the bathroom. Which leads me to...

* My size 7 jeans can literally be pulled down without it being unbuttoned or unzipped! YEAH! The 3/4 is fitting a little loose, but still a good fit. Now if I could do something about the effect gravity has on my body! I'll leave it at that! LOL!

* We bought a new van and we are loving it! We all love being able to ride together instead of going out in two cars. :o)

* I'm trying really hard to be a good steward with our finances. Please pray for me not to be tempted. I'm even avoiding going to Wal-Mart. LOL!

My Poor Warrior...

... was injured the other night while playing baseball. Soaring Amongst The Clouds has already posted about it. So please feel free to read her post called...

Baseball, Fractued Bone, and a Marine in the Making...

I will say that The Warrior is an unbelievable young man and has high pain tolerance. At the time of his injury we didn't now it was fractured. Yes it was swollen, but not to the point that it was concerning. Once we got home, had taken a shower and had eaten, we took a look at his finger and knee again. We applied ice, buddy taped his fingers and gave him some anti-inflammatory. During this whole time he didn't complain, wince or cry.

Next morning, the swelling had not gone down. We called the orthopedist and he worked us in. Sure enough he's got a fractured pinky. The fracture is at the knuckle. A cast was required. We were told to come back in 2 weeks . The cast will be removed and another x-ray will be taken. If everything is healing correctly, no surgery will be required. The the bone has moved out of place, surgery will be needed to put a pin in to help stabilize the bone for correct healing. We are praying surgery will not be necessary. He's already done through that with his elbow a couple of years ago.

Oh, did I mention that he also has a hematoma in his knee? Well he does. He got hit by a foul tip in the knee while he was catching. His knee was the size of a grapefruit!

The Warrior, amazes me. I know that I know, that God is going to use him in a mighty way...

Look What G.I. Joe Found...

.... in my Gardenia flower bed.....



A dead bird. :o( We have no idea how he got there. You see we have no trees near our home.



So Still Waters dug a whole in our "pet cemetery". Which in a corner of our property. Well, I say pet cemetery, but we only have two hamsters buried there. We also have our Morgan horse, Smokey buried in our property too. But he's at the other end of our property.



She wanted to make sure the bird was buried nice and deep....



So she dug...


dug...



and dug until it was deep enough. That way the coyotes or foxes wouldn't be able to get to it.



Then she covered it up and packed it....



... until it was level with the ground. She did a great job. She my outdoor nature loving one. She the one with the green thumb. The pineapples she's planted are growing. I really need to take a picture and share it.

I'm Back!

I can't even begin to share how busy I've been. So I wont' even try. But I will share what my family is up to...

As I type this, Soaring Amongst the Clouds is in North Carolina. She went with a group of student from Alumni University. This morning they went kayaking. They'll also be horseback riding and backpacking through the mountains. That's right up her alley. I'm sure she's having a FANTABULOUS time!

*Oh, feel free to visit Soaring Amongst The Clouds' blog. She's shared about a trip she took.

Still Waters and Daughter of the King are camping at the beach, with the college/career group from our church. They are having a great weather and LOTS of fun. I text them and asked how it was going. Still Waters said... FUN! Daughter of the King said... Good! They take after their dad... he's a man of few words. Straight to the point.

G.I. Joe scored 3 goals yesterday. Did I ever mentioned he's never played soccer before this season? LOL! Yep, he's played baseball since he was 5 and played some football too. He just started playing soccer 2 days before the first game. Which means he missed 2 weeks of practice. We even had to go and buy a soccer ball cause we didn't own one. I'm so proud of my baby. He's scored a total of 5 goals this season. :o) He's having a great time. Being that we homeschool under an umbrella school, he's unable to play for our local high school. But a local private school allows homeschoolers to play if the umbrella school you are registered with doesn't have an athletic department. Which ours doesn't. :o)

The Warrior is playing baseball and my Knight is coaching his team. It's such a blessing to see my Warrior and my Knight working together. You can see the respect in my Warrior's eyes when "The Coach" is talking to him. He really does look up to him, as it should be. My Knight is such a good role model.

My Knight is officially on vacation! YEAH!!!! That means he'll be home 24/7 with us. YEAH!!! I'm looking forward to having some one on one time with him. :o)

Well, that's all I can share right now. I have to get going. Come back cause I have LOTS of pictures and LOTS to share about two of my Fair Maiden's trip to Panama. You'll want to read about that.

I'm Blessed

Last night around 9p, I let Nicodemus (our golden retriever) out. About 20 minutes later, I called him back in. As I was calling him, I saw him doing his business around where my Knight usually parks his car. I quickly got onto him and tried to get him to stop. I was too late. URGH!!!

I believe Nicodemus was missing my Knight. You see he had to work last night, so he was gone since noon. So as retaliation, he pooped right where my Knight parks his car. Not only that, but it was right where one steps out of the car. So I got the shovel attempted to "scoop" it up. But it wasn't happening. URGH!!! So I decided to hose it down. I cleaned the shovel and went back into our Castello. I sat down to watch the rest of the debate. After a while our children went to bed (at different times). After the debate I decided to change into my pj's and brush my teeth. That's when I noticed that poop was all over the bottom of my slippers. OH MY WORD!!! I was LIVID!

It was 10:30p and I was mopping the floor down stairs. I mopped the whole down stairs. I couldn't remember where I had walked so, I cleaned it all. URGH!!! I also bagged up my slippers and put it in the trash. Yes, it was that bad. How I didn't notice before, I'll never know. I can't believe I hadn't notice the odor. Needless to say, I told my Knight that once Nicodemus passes away, we won't be getting another dog. I know that's kind of drastic. But I said that in the heat of the moment. So that's how my day ended yesterday.

The last couple of days, I've been feeling a little under the weather. I thought that by today, I would be feeling a little better. Ah... no. But there were things that needed to get done. Pain or not pain, laundry, groceries and errands needed to get done. The library called,they had some items waiting for us and other items were ready to get turned in. When I got home from all the errands, the laundry had been done, all the clothes were folded and some were put away. I didn't ask anyone to do that for me. The Warrior had seen the basket of clothes on the couch and took it upon himself to fold it and put it away. I was blessed by his gesture of kindness.

G.I. Joe had soccer practice and The Wariror had baseball practice too. My Knight took The Warrior to his baseball practice. Did I mention that my Knight is coaching The Warrior's team? Well , he is. When I got back from soccer practice, I was all tuckered out. I was not looking forward to cooking a meal. When I opened the front door to our Castello, I was greeted by some wonderful aromas. Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Daughter of the King had cooked dinner. I was blessed by their thoughtful gestures.

I'm so blessed. Thank you Lord for my family. I'm so underserving...

My Warrior Is 12... Be Still My Heart!

I can't believe that MY BABY is 12 years old. Time has flown by so fast. But I'm so thankful that God has made it possible for me to be a stay at home mom. Not only that, but that He called us to homeschool. What an AWESOME blessing. I have been able to enjoy my children 24/7. THANK YOU, JESUS! \o/

In honor of my Warrior's 12th birthday, I will share 12 things about him...

* He loves animals. His favorites are cows and dogs... particularly german shepherds. When he grows up his german shepherd is going to be named, Smokey Stewart Stallion Johnson Buddy. LOL!

* He can't stand injustice and will stand up for those that need defending. On different occasions he has stood up for those that have been picked on, by others.

* If it was up to him, he would eat chicken for lunch and dinner. But he's also a lover of hamburgers... plain, nothing on them.

* He loves his sisters dearly and misses them terribly when they aren't home. When they aren't home, he'll say things like, "The house feels so empty when the girls aren't home."

* Gaming runs through his veins. There is no video game he can't master in a couple of days.

* His dad is his hero. He admires him, loves him and is proud that he takes the time to coach his baseball team. Once when a player was complaining about a call my Knight had made (when he was umping), The Warrior stepped up and told the player that, "The upm (his dad) was a fair and just man."

* He's quick witted. There is never a dull moment in our Castello. He keeps us smiling and laughing.

* The military fascinates him. He talks about being a Marine one day. He also wants to be a paratrooper.

* He's a homebody. He would rather be at home, than anywhere else.

* His favorite clothes to wear are... his pajamas. He's in them ALL day long. If we have to go out, he changes clothes to go out. But the minute we get home, he will change back into his pajamas.

* He enjoys photography and video taping. He is often found playing around with my camera taking pictures or video taping those around him.

* He has a HUGE Beanie Baby collection and he plays with them. I've seen him pretend that they are soldiers, ninjas, football players, baseball players and soccer players. He's creative and has an incredibly vivid imagination.

I have no favorites. I love each of my children unconditionally, with ALL of my heart. But I will be the first to say, that he is my favorite (insert his given name here) in the whole world and he knows it cause I've told him. ;o) Just in case I'm misunderstood... my (insert Soaring Amongst The Clouds' given name here) is my favorite (insert her given name here) in the whole world. My (insert Still Waters' given name here) is my favorite (insert her name here) is the whole world. Well, you get the picture. To me, my children are my favorite in the whole world. :o) I hope and pray they know it. I hope and pray that I've shown it.

My Dearest Warrior,

I get all emotional just thinking how fast time has passed. I can't believe that today we are celebrating your 12th birthday. You've grown up in a blink of an eye. What a blessing you have been. You bring joy and happiness to our family. God has a mighty plan for you. I look forward to the coming years. The best is yet to be. I love you Sweetie and don't ever forget it.

I'll love you forever...
I'll love you for always...
As long as I'm living...
My Baby you'll be...

love,
Mom~

Moving On...

I know that I ended my previous post with the statement, "to be continued...". Well, obedient wife that I am (I hope you didn't spew on your computer!- LOL!), I will do as my Knight has suggested... "let it go, it's not worth your time." I LOVE my man!

God is good... ALL the time. So much has been happening. Some good and some not so good, but in the end, He gets ALL the glory. Cause He... ROCKS!

Where do I begin?! I'll start with the not so good. Not because I'm a pessimist (cause those that know me, know I'm not!) but because I just want to get it out of the way and focus on the good. :o)

Daughter of the King has not been feeling well. My poor Baby Girl has been running a temp (on and off) of 101-104! She's also been having some pain on her right side. First we thought it was stress related. She's not too thrilled about being a student at UCF. She wants to continue her studies in sign language, but taking the prerequisits is not what she wants to be doing right now. Well, the pain was getting worse and we took her in, cause we were thinking, appendicitis or something like that. I'll have to share what happened to my Knight, but I'll leave that for another day. Hope I remember! Anyway, when we got to the doc's office her temp was 96.4 and that concerned him. She was pale and anemic. After "poking" around on her belly he sent us to the hospital to have a pelvic/abdomen ultrasound (stat) and he ordered some lab work too. Praise the Lord it all came back negative. \o/ He asked us to keep an eye on her and he's leaning towards it being colitis. Now stress does not cause colitis, but it does aggravate it. URGH! Please keep our Fair Maiden in your prayers.

Still Waters is enjoying this semester. Well, kind of. Her university is undergoing some construction. Which means that the students have to find different routes to their classes and park in... ah.... Egypt. My poor Baby Girl has to tote a backpack that weighs 5 times her weight. Those that know her, know she doesn't even weigh 105 soaked and wet! Aside from all that, things are looking great for her.

Soaring Amongst The Clouds is staying pretty busy. She looking into taking a trip with a group of students to North Carolina. They will be kayaking, whitewater rafting, horseback riding and hiking. Exactly what she (and her siblings) loves to do. What can I say, our children are thrill seekers! Ok, now for this part of the news, you better sit down. Starting tonight she'll be taking swing dancing lessons. YEAH BABY! I KNOW she's going to love it. She's stepping out of her comfort zone, but I know she's enjoy learning these dances. YOU GO GIRL!

G.I. Joe's soccer team won yesterday, 4-2. He scored his first goal too! I'm sure they must of heard me in the next county... "YEAH BABY... WAY TO GO BABY!!!" What can I say, I couldn't help myself! The photographer got some good picutres. I'll post them as soon as I get them. :o)

Last week after the soccer game, the team and the families stopped at a fast food place to eat dinner. While we were in line, a teammate went up to G.I. Joe and told him he should go on a date with Country Girl. Apparently she likes him. Did I mention that she's 16 and G.I. Joe is 14? Well, now you know. G.I. Joe told his teammate that he's not allowed to date, cause we don't believe in dating. The teammate didn't believe him. So G.I. Joe told him, "Ask my parents." We were not even two feet away. The teammate came over and asked if G.I. Joe could take Country Girl out on a date. We smiled and told him, "We don't believe in dating." The look on his face expressed disbelief and confusion. He had never heard of people not dating. We talked briefly about what we believe and he was very surprised. I later talked to G.I. Joe about it and he told me he felt a little relieved. Boundaries are good. Too much pressure is put on the young to date and be a "couple". Things would be so much better, if they just hung out and do things as a group... supervised of course. ;o)

Fall Ball has started and The Warrior is thrilled that his daddy is coaching his team. Not only that, but his best friend Bro is also on his team. I know they will have a great time. My Knight is a wonderful coach. To him it's all about the children learning and at the same time having a little fun too... perfect balance.

Homeschooling is going well. At first we had some adjusting to do. We've been use to getting school done before our sport practice (be it baseball or football). Practices were usually at 6p or later. Well soccer practice is at 3p. Games are usually at 4p or 6p. That's one of the reasons why I love homeschooling... flexibility. After changing some of our routine, we are now able to get what we need to get done, done. Granted, there are still times when my Knight has to help G.I. Joe with a subject. But it's all coming along nicely.

So, all in all, things are moving along nicely. Life is good...

My Knight Was Right...

Let it be known that my Knight is seldom wrong. I'm not saying that sarcastically. I'm just stating it as fact. :o) I love my man... I really do.

Airman G and Soaring Amongst The Clouds are no longer courting. Being a cadet at the academy, school work, distance and working on a relationship has proven to be a little too much for Airman G. It's good that this was realized now and not when too much had been invested in their relationship.

Now you must be wondering, what does my title have have to do with what I just shared above. Well let me tell you. During Airman G's summer break visit, my Knight told Soaring Amongst The Clouds, that it seemed to him, that Airman G had lost interest. But that he just didn't quite know how to end the courtship.

When she went to visit him with his family last week in Colorado, once again things were "different". Soaring Amongst The Clouds wondered and asked, but nothing was said. But actions spoke louder than words. When she got home she knew, but waited until they had a chance to "talk". Then he spoke the words that went along with the actions he had been showing since summer.

First off, I want to say that God is good... ALL the time. He always has a way of working things out for the best. I see a change in my Fair Maiden. She has matured. I know this can't be easy. But I see God's grace, mercy, love, peace washing over her. I have seen her smile more in the past couple of days than I have since her summer break.

I haven't seen him or spoken to him. But I'm sure he feel less stressed out. I know that it wasn't easy for him to balancing a relationship, family, friend, school and work. He'll now have the time to focus on being a college student. I know he will apply himself and do a great job.

Why am I sharing all this? Well, I know some will roll their eyes, but that's all right. :o) Parents do know best. Parents really have their children's best interest at heart. Did I mention that my mom knew that my Knight was the one for me? Well she did. She told me so when we were in high school. This is what she said, "Lady G, he is the one for you." Did I listen? No. But God knew even though I wasn't walking with Him, He knew. He brought us together after we graduated. I have often wondered what my life would of been like had I listened to my mom in high school. At least, I came to my senses. LOL! But even so, my life with my Knight has been a dream come true.

Now, The Boss Lady (my sister) was in a relationship with a young man. He was loved by the family and things were looking promising. Along came an old friend from high school and declared himself to her. My parents didn't think he was suitable, but her heart told her different. She ended her relationship and got married to her high school friend. They are now divorced. It's not an amicable divorce either. My poor niece and nephew are stuck right in the middle. My heart goes out to them. I sometimes wonder if things would of been different for her had she headed our parents advice.

I'm not saying that parents should run and live their children's lives. There comes a time when we have to leave and cleave to the one we are going to marry. What I'm saying is parents do know best. We should seek their counsel. We should remember everything they've taught us and make wise choices. Most important of all, we should ask our Father. After all, remember that, Father knows best...

to be continued...

Soaring Amongst The Clouds Is Back!

She went to Colorado to visit Airman G. It was family weekend at the Air Force Academy. Airman G had asked her to go visit him with his family. They left last Wednesday and they got back late Tuesday night.

We missed her terribly. Yep, even her siblings missed her. What can I say, we are one close and loving family. :o)



This picture was taken by KT, she's Airman G's younger sister. Well she's his one and only sister. :) She's taking a photography class in college. So she was busy practicing while they were in Colorado. Out of all the pictures that were taken and they've shared with me, this one is one of my favorite pictures of Soaring Amongst The Clouds. She loves being outdoors. She looks so at home.



This is my other favorite one. They are both smiling and look happy. She was happy to be able to see Airman G.

My Knight and I have been to Colorado twice, to ski. We spent one week at Breckenridge. Then another time we spent one week in Winter Park. We fell in love with Colorado. Well, hearing her talk about Colorado, made us want to go back. So our next ski trip just might be to Colorado. :o)

Welcome back Sweetie, we are so glad your home. We missed you.

The Gift Of Good Intentions

Those that know me, know that I have the gift of good intentions. Today, I'd say it's more like the curse of good intentions.

My Knight was outside putting up a net as a backdrop for our Squires to practice their hitting .


The Squires help dad built it. But I was only able to take pictures of this after it was done. Cause while they were busy doing that, I was "trying to help" out my Knight. With all the rain we've had our grass has really grown. So I thought, I'd mow the grass. I really do enjoy doing that. I'd rather do that than clean the Castello! NO KIDDING!!! Well, my intentions were good but...



... while trying to turn on the lawn mower, I apparently broke the hand lever that lowers the cutting blades. Who knew I was superwoman with super strength?! URGH!!! Can you say... chaching $$$!!! Well, since the blades were already lowered, I figured, "ok, might as well cut the grass." Right? Wrong... cause next thing I did was...



... run over the sewer system clean out thingy. Yep...



... pieces went flying everywhere! That did it. I LOST it! I was physically shaking from all the damage I had done. I was scared to tell my Knight what I had done. He already knew about the lawn mower. This was not going to go well. When I showed him, he didn't say a word. He just walked away. He needed to be alone and believe me. I wasn't going to go near him. He knew I hadn't don't it on purpose, that I had "good intentions". But I was beside myself. Did I mention that this was not the first time I had done this? Well, it's not. I've done this before.

A little while later, my Knight came over, hugged me, kissed me and said "I'm sorry Babe, please forgive me." I started crying and told him he had nothing to apologize for. I was the one that messed up... again. He just kissed me and told me, "Don't worry about it, it's ok. You're just my brunette, Lucy." Referring to redheaded , Lucille Ball from I Love Lucy.

His comment got me thinking. I use to watch that ALL the time when I was younger. Hmmmm... if it were up to the experts they would all say that the wacky things I do now are because of what I watched on tv while I was growing up. AWESOME!!! I can blame it all on Lucy...

Who Knew?!

A couple of years ago, there was a Nike commercial that went, "Bo Knows...". It was about a baseball /football player named Bo Jackson. The commercial had a ditty that said, "Bo Knows... baseball... Bo Knows football... Bo knows basketball... tennis, ice hockey." Then they show him trying to play the guitar along with blues legend Bo Diddley. At that point Bo Diddley says, "Bo (Jackson) you don't know diddley. It was a cute commercial. It all started because he played baseball and footbal. And he was good at it.

You must be thinking, "Woman, where are you going with this?!" Well, we have a Bo in our Castello, except his name is G.I. Joe. Let me tell you how, "G.I. Joe Knows..." came to be...

G.I. Joe has played baseball since he was 5 years old. He's very good at it too. Then a couple of years ago, he said he wanted to play football. Me heart stopped! My first thought was, "My Baby is going to get killed!" Turns out, he was very good at it too. He enjoyed it too. Much to mom's dismay. But he was asked to play in an AAU baseball team and he was thrilled about it. So football got put in the back burner. PRAISE THE LORD! \o/ After two seasons, of playing year round baseball, he went back to playing just little league. YEAH!!! No more traveling ball.

Now that he's a homeschooling high school freshman, who's enrolled in an umbrella school, he's not allowed to play for the local high school. We opted not to enroll him through the county because we didn't want him to graduate with a GED. As as student who is enrolled in an umbrella private school, he will graduate with a scholar diploma.

Since the umbrella school we enrolled with doesn't have an athletic department (no sports offered), that meant he could only play little league. Well, actually we could find any sports and be on a traveling team, but that's not cheap. It cost lots of $ and that's not a road we want to take.

So began our search to find a private school that welcomes homeschoolers. After many calls and inquiring with friends, we found a local private school, that is homeschool friendly. I called them up and asked if they had a baseball team. They told me yes, but during the Spring. Being that it's the fall season, they were offering soccer. The athletic director told me if he's interested in playing we'd love for him to come and play on the team.

After discussing it, G.I. Joe decided he wanted to play. Mind you, he's never played before. In order for him to play, he needed some soccer gear and a sports physical. All this by Monday's practice. Little did I know that the team had been practicing for two weeks already. So he was already behind schedule. Off we went early Monday morning. We bought his gear and got his physical done all by 2:30p. Practice was at 3p. Good thing the dr.'s office was close to the school.

He showed up early for practice. G.I. Joe is a friendly enough guy. But this was the first time he he would be with a group of youth that he doesn't even know. Well, turns out two of his friends from church started attending that school. One is a soccer player and the other decided to play this year for the first time.

G.I. Joe was tired by the time practice was over. Conditioning for soccer is different than for baseball. Before he left, the coach mentioned that all the players had run 5 miles during the week, so G.I. Joe had to run 5 miles before the first game on Thursday. So he had 3 days to run 5 miles. He's never even run 1 mile. My poor Baby! But he lived up to our family motto, "Max out or black out!" HOOYAH!!! He ran 2 miles on Tuesday, 2 miles on Wednesday and 1 mile on Thursday (game day). Mind you, he had practice on all those days (except Wednesday it's church day). He ran his miles at home.


Game Day was on Thursday. He didn't expect to even play cause he had joined the team late. So he was surprised when they called him over and told him to go in for someone. When I saw him in the field, my heart stopped. I mean, I knew he was going to play, but soccer is such a "physical" game. I didn't want my Baby to get hurt! But let me tell you... he held his own. WAY TO GO BABY!!! He almost scored a goal too! YEAH BABY!!! I should mention that we lost the game. I'm not trying to give excuses. The other team was better. We have some players that have never played before... including G.I. Joe.

When the game was over, we all went out to eat dinner. While at the restaurant, the coach came up to me and told me, "I thought you said he'd never played before?! He's a natural!". I thanked him and told him, it was true, G.I. Joe has never played soccer up until that week. When I went to sit down with some of the other moms, they made the same comment. Needless to say I was very proud of him. But then again, I'm always proud of my children.



Warming up a little before the game...



I believe this is the first time ever he's had an even number.



So, now you see why this week I was reminded about the Nike, "Bo Knows..." commercial. Except that (since this is my blog) I, saying... "G.I. Joe Knows... baseball... football... soccer...". I wonder what he'll try next?

My Fair Maiden.. Still Waters Is 20 Today!

In honor of her 20th birthday, I will share 20 things about her that I admire. There are many more but I will limit my list to 20 for obvious reasons. :o) This is in no particular order...

* She's a wise Fair Maiden... wise beyond her years.

* Love of learning... if she doesn't know something, she will research it in detail.

* Her humor... has a dry sense of humor but at the same time, finds silly things funny, she's also quick-witted.

* Her kindness and gentleness.

* The loving way she always allows her brothers to go into her room to play or hang out while she's busy studying.

* Her gracefulness and elegance. It reminds me of the great actress of days of yore... like Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn.

* She's a good steward of her time, talents and spiritual gifts.

* Her OCD which is not as bad as CDO. Her organizational skills ROCK!

* Her green thumb. This sweet child of mine can make anything grow.

* She's got great work ethics.

* Her "stick to it" attitude.

* Her faith and faithfulness.

* Her sense of style. She knows what she likes and wears what she likes. It matters not what "the world" says is "in". If she likes it, she wears it.

* The way she enjoys being outside and taking pictures of God's creation.

* She's so imaginative and creative.

* Her artistic ability.

* How even though she's 20 years old, she still enjoys playing and being silly with her siblings.

* Her wild side. Yep, she has one. True she doesn't enjoy roller coasters, but this child of mine wants a motorcycle.

* Her spiritual walk. It's evident that God is Lord of her life.

* How she is not swayed and sticks to her convictions.


Sweetie,

I'm so proud that God chose me to be your mom. You are such a blessing to me and those around you. You are a beautiful godly young lady. I look forward to seeing all the amazing , wonderful things God has planned for you. Stay the course...

love always,
Mom~

What...

I'm up to...
* sitting on the couch next to my Knight and
* watching the Olympics while...
* listening to the movie, 300 which is being watched in the dinning room table by Daughter of the King and Steps, on her laptop (with speakers attached) ... at the same time...
* hearing G.I. Joe playing his guitar upstairs in his room (his door is open- Castello rules)



I'm thinking...
*I love my Knight and children
* people sure have a warped sense of what love is and how to show it
*I miss my brother
* how can people make comments about how others always want to get their way and are spoiled, yet they think the world revolves around them
* my Knight really makes his blue shorts look good
* G.I. Joe really needs a new guitar
* why do I keep stumbling and sinning
* why can't I die to self
* I hope my children will be loved by their spouse, more ( if that's possible) than what my Knight loves me.
* I don't want my children to suffer
* I really like the movie, 300
* I might have to get the soundtrack
* a pawn shop would be a good place to look for an acoustic guitar
* that maybe Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Still Waters should take some Salsa dancing lessons being that they're going to a wedding in Panama
* why didn't we hear more about Bryan Clay, the American Olympic Decathlon Gold Medalist
* I need to buy more candles
* what restaurant would Still Waters want to eat at for her 20th birthday celebration
* I should of never highlighted my hair
* I don't like how my hair (highlights) looks like, now that my hair is growing out... URGH!!!
* my fingernails need to be polished
*

I'm thankful...
* that tropical storm Fay has finally said goodbye to Florida
* no lives were lost due to the storm
* it's the weekend and my Knight will have a chance to chill (hopefully)
* that all five of my children are home
* for God's grace, mercy and salvation
*that my Knight loves unconditionally
* both of my parents and sister are alive and well
* for the my sisters in the HAUS
* for friends and family
* my children don't mind spending time with their mom and dad
* my Fair Maidens believe that being a wife and mom is honorable (considering it's not what the 'world' teaches)
* coke and chocolate cake


What are you up to? What are you thinking? What are you thankful for?

What Our Day Was Like Today...

Tropical Storm Fay is wrecking havoc on Central Florida. Classes were cancelled until Wednesday. Good ole' Fay has decided she loves Florida and wants to stay for a while. What is it with these storms that start with "F"? First Frances a couple of years ago and now Fay is doing the same thing. I say skip the letter "F" next year!

Still Waters got up early to attend her class today. She was scheduled to work this morning, since her classes start at 1p. But a little before noon, she got an email stating that all classes had been cancelled for the day. Even so, I took some pictures...



She has no idea how....



beautiful she is... inside and out. I love you Baby Girl!


Well, Still Waters later received an email from one of her professors. I won't go into details, I'll let her write an entry about it. Next thing I knew she was dressed and ready to go once again...



She decided to change her outfit. By this time, it was obvious Fay was going full force.



I love this picture. She doesn't like for me to take close-up pictures of her, but I can't help myself. :o) Sweetie, I would say I'm sorry, but I'd be lying.



I lover her rain boots! They have little cherries on them. They are just tooooooooo cute! Needless to say her feet remained dry and warm. :o)

So here is what we did today...


Daughter of the King went to church to quilt with the Ladies from the quilting ministry. Since they meet only on Thursdays, she won't be able to help out during the fall semester. I know she will miss quilting with the Ladies. But she'll be able to help out again in the summer. After quilting she went to have lunch with her friend KT. KT LOVES Chick-Filet, so that's where they ate. :o)

I took this picture while she was cooking dinner. She was happy because Steps was going to be dropped off at our home while his folks went to a bible study gathering. Well, due to "Fay" everything got cancelled. There's been lots of flooding and power outages. She was bummed that he wasn't able to come over, but she's very understanding. She's such a good girl. Sweetie... you ROCK!!!

Well, two thrill seekers decided to brave the wind and rain...



Soaring Amongst The Clouds is leaning forward as the wind is pushing her back. She is wearing my raincoat. Little did we know...



... it needed to be scotch guarded again. She got soaked! She started laughing when she happen to glance over at...



... The Warrior. He was being his goofy self. As you can see, his raincoat is repelling the rain. He didn't get soaked. Well a least not his upper body. His lower body got soaked.



Since they were already wet, they decided to just go ahead and take the raincoats off. Do you think they are cold? LOL!!!



Ok, we've had enough... it's wayyyyyy to windy...



...... and cold!!!



I couldn't resist, I had to take one more picture. The Warrior decided to make it one of his infamous "eye" shots.

While they were busy playing with thunder storm "Fay"...



...... poor Still Waters was trying to dry off one of her books. Apparently, her new backpack is not water resistant. One more thing that needs to be scotch guarded. Guess we're going to need to get a couple of cans of scotch guard.



This is what I found when I went to open our front door. Yep, the rain is coming in through the bottom of our front door. My hands hurt from the towel wringing I've been doing.



Earlier today Soaring Amongst The Clouds and I went out. Since it was still storming, I decided to wear.....



....... water shoes! I LOVE them! My jeans will get wet, but I know my feet will stay dry AND my toes won't freeze!



Here's a better look. They are cute aren't they?! But wait.........



My rain boots are cute too! LOL! I LOVE cute shoes! I'm not into fashion. I'm eclectic. I know what I like. If it's not in style, I wear it any way. Why allow others to dictate what to wear?

All in all, things have been quiet around the Castello. I'm just enjoying having my children home. I know the time will come when they won't be dwelling with us in the Castello. They will have their own Castello. Be still my heart...

Trip To Alumni University Parte Due

Still Waters did share her pictures with me, but to tell you the truth, I didn't know how to access them. Even though they are on my own laptop! But alas, I figured it out... on my own I might add. Kudos for me!!! Below are some of the pictures she shared...



Here we are walking to the car. If you look ahead, the tree that looks like it's growing off the top of my head, is the one in my previous post. The one they all stood behind for a picture.



I decided to run ahead and take some pictures. My previous post has the pictures I took. If you look closely, you can see that Soaring Amongst The Clouds has her arm raised. She's taking pictures too. I have yet to see the pictures she's taken. (hint... hint) Please, no comment on how I look while I run. LOL!



Notice, Daughter of the King is getting ready to give me the "hand" pose she always does. URGH!!!!!!! That GIRL!



LOL! Still Waters caught me taking a picture of her and her siblings. Soaring Amongst The Clouds and I ended up taking pictures of each other too. Yet again, I have yet to see the pictures she took. ( clearing throat... hint... hint)



I wonder if G.I. Joe is having flashbacks of the day he got hit while crossing a 10 lane highway. At least there was no traffic on this day.



We stopped at Chick-Filet for lunch. Little did I know that my children weren't really co-operating...



see..........................



what..........................



I..........................



mean....................!!!!!!! If you look behind Soaring Amongst The Clouds, The Warrior popped up to do one of his "eye" shots.



Even Still Waters got on the "give mom a hard time" band wagon. LOL! Look closely... right under my arm that's hugging Still Waters, you can see G.I. Joe. See the twinkle in his eye?! He's loving this!



This picture was taken for nostalgic reasons. Our children were reminising about their childhood play days in Chick-Filet and McDonald's playgrounds. Looking back, I can't believe I EVER let my children play in those germ, infested playgrouds! The thought of it, makes me cringe!!!! WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!?! OH, did you notice Daughter of the King attempting to get away in this picture? I tell you, what is a mom to do?!



On the ride back home, Gaz decided to come out and play. You see he was hiding in The Warrior's pocket. When ever he goes on a car ride, he usually takes two beanie babies with him. They keep everyone in the car pretty occupied. He really knows how to make them come alive. I should ask Still Waters to video tape him. (hint... hint) ;o)


I am a poster mom for the quote, "Do as I say and not as I do." Here I was driving. Yes, you read that correctly... I was driving. Dare I tell you how many "takes" it took to get this picture? Once again... I plead the fifth...