Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Does anyone know where to find any gopher wood? It's time to build an ark! The rain has been unbelievable this year. Right now while I'm typing this, thunder is booming and the heavens are releasing even more water. While it's been wonderful for our grass (and consequently, our water bill) I think I'm ready for it to stop. I came across this poem earlier and thought it was rather appropriate.

If I were as rude as the rain
And came when I was uninvited
And stayed too long and ruined people's fun,
(like going to the baseball game with my dad
and eating hotdogs in the sunshine)
And made children (like me) miserable,
I'd be sent to my room for quiet time,
Until I learned to behave.
--Author Unknown

I hope you're enjoying the weather wherever you are!

And the Mopping Continues...

Even Abigail is being forced to mop the bedroom floor. Not really -- she volunteered. For some strange reason that I cannot even begin to imagine, the child loves to mop. This mopping is to clean the floor before starting actual staining. Jeff and I just returned to Fort Worth from Austin, so no actual work has been done for 2 days. Jeff will float (I think that's the correct term) the holes in the floor left from the tack strips which held the carpet. After that, he will sand those spots and then we can begin staining. Finally!

A smooth, clean floor ready for staining at last...

Nothing much to report on this week. Austin was nice. I hung out at Starbuck's while Jeff did his architect talk. We had a nice meal at Outback Steakhouse last night. The most fun was driving to San Marcos to surprise Rebecca. She was so excited to see us. I believe Jeff and I hugged about 20 kids. It seems that when you're away from home and your parent is not available, someone else's parent will do. I hope to have pics and trip reports from Katherine and Rebecca in the next couple days.

Oh, Our Achin' Backs...

These pictures are taken of our bedroom before we started removing the paint
and various weird spots of who knows what from the concrete floor.

I don't know what this brown stuff is, some kind of glue, I think.
It came up much easier than the paint.

Here's a hard-working young man using Prosoco's Fast Acting Stripper
on the paint around the edge of the room. (A plug here for the products
our company sells.)

Not a picture that you see very often -- me on the end of a mop.
This is the most I've mopped in years!

You've heard of waiting for paint to dry. This is waiting for paint to
remove itself from the floor. First, you brush on the product, wait, spray on water,
then wait, then wait some more, and then get a mop and go over it until the paint
is gone. It seems like it takes forever.

Other than our hurting muscles, it doesn't seem we have a lot to show for today's work. However, if we didn't clean the floor properly before staining, it would definitely show in the final result. We're taking a break for now to go over to the James' house and work on another floor. Hopefully more pics tomorrow of our floor -- all sanded, smooth and ready for the acid stain.

Reunion Weekend

Jeff spent the weekend in Madisonville at the home of Todd and Teresa Faries. Several of the ol' Buna High School gang gathered to reminisce about the "good old days." Everyone had a great time. (Although I am concerned about Scott...who is apparently still harboring anger about Jeff winning the Math Award.)


The gang's all here...looking pretty good for 24 years out of high school.
Scott, Jeff, Mary, Todd, Teresa, Carla, Kevin, Renee


Mary and Jeff...proof that Longhorns and Aggies can get along

On Mission

We just returned from dropping Katherine off at church where she is headed to Green Bay, Wisconsin for 8 days with our youth group. They will be ministering to the youth of that area in several ways next week. Tomorrow afternoon, Rebecca leaves with the preteens for San Marcos, Texas. They will be working in conjunction with Calvary Baptist Church, leading Bible studies at apartments in the area. Both girls will return on Saturday, June 30. Please pray for their safety and well-being this week. Pray that God would use them to change lives, and for their own to be changed as well.

Abigail and I will be busy this week at home. We have a couple sleepovers planned with her friends. Jeff and I will be acid staining our bedroom floor, too. Pics of that will be forthcoming, I'm sure.

Have a blessed week!

Car Trips and Country Cousins

These are random photos of our weekend trip to Buna. The drive (6 hours) always seems to take forever. This trip was RAIN the entire way. Katherine took this picture out of the car window. Pretty much the view for most of the trip -- tall, straight pine trees blurred by rain.

Rebecca and her pal, Houston (I think?)

Are ya'll hungry or what? Waiting for gumbo from left to right:
my sister, Amy; her daughter, Ashlee; Katherine, Abigail,
my niece, Madi; my sister-in-law, Shanna

Ashlee, Katherine, Madi, Seth
The kids had a great time playing together.
We don't get them together as often as we should.

The award for most effective use of an iPod goes to Katherine and Abigail:
one set of ear buds in 2 different ears.
Rebecca in the back seat being the perfect child!

Father's Day

We traveled to Buna over the weekend to see our dads for Father's Day. Jeff's dad was waiting for us on the porch when we drove up. He was so excited to see us. On Sunday we went to church with them; Jeff to the Methodists and Genny to the Baptists. It was great to see people that I had not seen in years. We ate lunch, or dinner as they say in Buna, with the Holmes: one of my favorite meals -- fresh corn, beans, and potatoes all from Jeff's dad's garden. We had dinner, or supper, with the Martin's -- Stella's Cajun gumbo with potato salad. My sister made fresh banana cream pie. Yes, I gained about five pounds this weekend!
Jeff with his dad, Bobby, and brother Gary

Genny with her dad, Will Martin

Just Peachy

I seem to have a fruit theme going this week...

Jeff's dad planted this peach tree in our yard several years ago. We didn't ask for it, he just brought it with him and told us that every house needs a peach tree. (I remember peach tree limbs as what my parents used to spank my brothers with. Not me, of course.) Every year since it has been large enough to produce peaches we "might" get 2 or 3 peaches. The squirrels always get the rest. This year we had tons of peaches but they had some type of black spots on them. Oh well...the same as every year, I thought. Jeff asked tonight if I was going to pick the peaches or just let them ruin. He said there were plenty of good ones. And there were! I was so excited to find so many I took a picture of them. (Just in case it never happens again.) Guess we'll have peach cobbler next week...

Berry Picking Time

Abigail and I spent a little time at a farm in Arlington yesterday picking blackberries. Boy, was it hot! Sweat was rolling down our faces after only 2o minutes. I loved picking berries as a child, although I didn't have to pay for the privilege. We just picked them where they grew wild near our house. Even with the heat, we had a great time searching out the biggest, purple-est berries. As soon as we got in the car, we both tasted one. The rest went into a delicious blackberry cobbler, which we ate with Bluebell vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Abigail is ready with the necessary blackberry picking items: a bucket, a glove for one hand and a stick to pull back the thorny branches.

It's so bright out here!

There were many rows to choose from. The owner sent us to the back of the patch where people had not picked yet. There were lots of berries.

Here's Lookin' at Ya!

Katherine, Rebecca and Jeff enjoyed a picnic at a park in Arlington while waiting for Rebecca's volleyball game to start. I have a feeling we'll be going back there for picnics most every Monday and Tuesday until summer volleyball league is over. Unfortunately Mom and Abigail were at Care Now. Abigail has strep throat and had an allergic reaction to her medicine. So, back to the doctor for a different medicine and something for the reaction. Yuck!

FEE, FI, FO FUM!

A thoughtful Katherine...wondering how she's going to get out of this tube she's stuck in!

Hello there!

Oops! Are you stuck, too?

Just a few more twists and I'll be at ground level.

Youth Camp '07

Katherine spent the week at Riverbend Retreat Center in Glen Rose. She came home very sunburned and tired, but everything at camp, according to Katherine was "Amazing!" I'm sure when you see her next you can ask about how she came to be in the shape she was in in photo number one. (She tells me this pic was taken after being hosed down TWICE!) I can tell you that I have attempted to wash that shirt, and it will never be the same again.

Coming Soon to Video

An angel surrounded by light!

When they say "green screen" they mean green!

Chuck - g3, Rebecca, Elisa - choreographer

Rebecca has been a busy girl lately. She spent the day at g3 Recording Studios in Fort Worth, filming a demo for their next Kids Worship Music Pak. She memorized words and choreography to 7 songs. I was very proud of how well she followed directions and how flexible she was when they asked her to make last minute changes. Rebecca was impressed when Chuck, from g3, shared that "her" DVD would be shipped all over the United States and to Sweden. Pretty exciting!

Volleyball Girl

Rebecca spent this week at Grace Prep's volleyball camp which was held at Fielder Road Baptist Church in Arlington. She had a great time, and learned many things about the game. She is also playing in a summer league on Monday nights. Here she is with her two buddies, Amanda and Rebecca. The coaches have already decided that one of the Rebeccas will have to be called something other than Rebecca. Taryn, the freshman coach, has been calling her Baby Holmes this week, in an effort to not call her Katherine. We'll see if the name sticks.

Peru Warrior

Here stands a warrior ready for battle. Who knew he would be battling sickness instead of anacondas? Most of the team got sick while on the boat in Peru. Thankfully they recovered within a few days and were able to finish out their mission of carrying the Gospel to the Yagua people in the Amazon Basin. One team member, Angie, said it gave a whole new perspective to being willing to suffer for the sake of Christ.

The Yagua children love to have their picture taken by Jeff. He snaps the photo and then turns the camera screen around so they can see themselves.


Balloon animals are a huge hit with the kids. They also come running when they hear music.

This is the Nenita, the team's home away from home. Also known as the slow boat.

More on this trip later if I can find the time. We are just glad that Jeff is home safe and sound where he can fix all the things that stopped working in his absence. Trash compactor, garage door opener, etc., etc...

Heavenly Hydrangeas

I have long thought that hydrangeas are the most perfect flower God ever created -- the colors, the perfect petals, the tiny flower center within the bigger flower. When I was a child, my nanny had huge bushes of them in front of her house. The blooms were the most gorgeous shade of purple-blue you've ever seen. Due to the soil in my yard, my hydrangeas (when they choose to bloom) are always shades of pink. Not a bad color either! Though I do not consider myself a gardener, I am always pleased when my hydrangeas show their summer finery.

Party Time

Both parties yesterday were a hit. I forgot to take pics at the children's choir party. A good time was had by everyone and hopefully we managed to get a little sun on our too white legs! Katherine's party went well, also. We had food from Chick-Fil-A and an ice cream cake made by Katherine. Yum! Here are a couple pics of the party, playing Apples to Apples.

Jeff comes home from Peru tomorrow. Yea!!! We are all ready to see him and have him home. Maybe he'll have some interesting photos to share.

Ahhh...Summer

Abigail and I spent the afternoon getting the pool ready for two parties tomorrow. The first is for children's choir kids who memorized Scripture and the second is Katherine's belated birthday party. Abigail is a great worker. I think the pool looks pretty inviting!

Well, I'm worn out just trying to add pics to this blog. I'm having trouble manipulating them once I've uploaded them. Barb...help! I think I will call it good for now and be happy that I have pics at all. (Even though they are not where I wanted them!) Maybe tomorrow I'll try something really challenging like changing the background color. Yikes!