Just RK

You’ve probably heard and read more than you care to about our financial adjustments and “struggles” over the past couple years. (The word struggles makes it sound oh-so-dramatic…but I couldn’t think of another proper word, and I’m short on time.) I’m getting better at being ok with things in their current state.  We’re actually doing better than we have been thanks to M’s new job.  But sometimes it seems like a few steps forward can’t even be celebrated before there are a couple steps back.  And 9 times out of 10 I can deal just fine.  Then there’s that one little day that catches me when I’m weak.  On those days I wish thing were different… **I wish I could buy the fresh fruit and veggies that would help me do so much better on my healthy-eating plan. **I wish I could splurge on a better quality cereal instead of whatever is the cheapest for the most—with the requirement ALWAYS that it’s not a “sugar cereal.” **I wish I could afford a better type of d...

At Beth Moore conference. Rockin' to some amazing Victory in Jesus...not your grandma's hymns. It is pretty cool to hear 10,000 women sing their hearts out. This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless! To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture . Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.

Not my birthday. Don’t worry. You didn’t miss it. Yesterday was my BFF Melanie’s birthday. I won’t say how old she is. We’ll just say she’s a few months older than me, and I’m 36. tee hee. We started the day meeting at the YMCA to test out some guest passes. We’re wanting to join, so we thought we’d go workout and see how it went. It was a great workout, some girlfriend therapy included, of course, and we felt really jazzed for the day. She hung out with her guys for the day and then we met up to go out on the town for dinner and whatever else we felt like. Theme of the day: How in the heck is it possible that we’re this old??? We don’t feel any older than we did 19 years ago when we met on our first day of college orientation. We might look a little different, though. Want proof? Here’s us all ready to head out last night for dinner. Now get ready for a very scary trip down memory lane… don’t take a drink, though, you’ll spit as you laugh. Where it all began….St. Louis Ch...

Preschool Prep is a company I just now am learning about, and so far, I’m a fan of everything I’m seeing.  Shelley’s giving away a great set, so go over and enter to win!  (Isn’t her blog especially cute???  wink, wink) If you’re someone who buys Braska gifts at any time, put this on your list of options for the next birthday or Christmas.  It is all stuff we could really use to work on things we’d like her to be learning currently.  The first one on the list would be Meet the Colors—DVD and Books .  I’m gonna have to see if there’s room in the budget soon for that one…  If money were no object… this would be my choice, ordering it today if I could!  Ultimate Preschool Prep & Sight Words Pack Truthfully, I just want all of them. How great would that be!?!  For working with both the girls.. we’d be all set!

I'm so darn fortunate to have buddies like you commenters/emailers in the last 24 hours. This is why I blog and love the blogging community. (And for the 2 of you who actually have the privilege of knowing me personally and in the flesh...tee hee...you remind me why I must not be TOO bad at making friends. So great, you guys!) Thanks for your input. I'm not depressed or sulking or anything. Just thinking and pondering and musing and internalizing and mulling. And enjoying my thesaurus apparently. If you haven't read the comments on the post from yesterday , it's worth your time. I have some really wise friends, and I love that they share honestly with me.

I'm getting all philosophical and a little cynical about blogging lately. I love it, I think about it far too much, but I never get time to post what I really want to talk about. It's a great outlet for me, and it has been a life-saving connection to so many of you who have walked this journey of abbreviations, therapists, and special education challenges ahead of me. True, I've mentioned before that blog traffic has been way down, on both Braska's blog and this one. I know I need to be more consistent with posting, but it seems that even when I do, there's just not much action. Very little traffic. I stopped paying for the premium tracking since it was down to piddly numbers. I've even debated taking a full internet break for a while. But I fear I'd shrivel up and die. I get that it's supposed to be for me, my place to say whatever, but what fun is it to say stuff when it just goes into nowhere? And I know I've shot myself in the foot with t...

I’m trying to figure out this chaos of drawing winners for Braska’s giveaway.  What was I thinking with all those options and different points and crazy things??  Ah well, I’m just excited to find out who won! In the meantime, you want to read a little story that makes you shake your head?!? Backstory… A common occurrence at churches are people who come knock on the door and ask for help with an electric bill or with their rent.  Often these needs are met and assistance is given.  But I’ve never heard of anything like this. Read as my mother-in-law tells about her day at work.   Click here .

I wannabe known. I wannabe wanted. I wannabe heard. I wannabe liked. I wannabe a great mom. I wannabe a cherished wife. I wannabe a good example. I wannabe a true reflection of Christ’s love, mercy, and justice. I wannabe effective in my encouragement. I wannabe genuine in my generosity. I wannabe liberal with my loyalty. I wannabe positive in my purpose. I wannabe funny. I wannabe firm. I wannabe friendly. I wannabe forthright. I wannabe helpful. I wannabe convincing. I wannabe motivating. I wannabe desired. I wannabe devoted. I wannabe determined. I wannabe better. I wannabe improving. I wannabe growing. I wannabe hopeful. I wannabe thoughtful. I wannabe fanciful. I wannabe more.

Little Miss Drama even poses in her sleep. Priceless.

This girl is really silly. And cute. And she is now 16 months old. She’s gaining skills so fast I’ve sadly missed documenting most of them.  I keep starting to put together a comprehensive post, and then I get distracted by aforementioned 16-month-old, and nothing gets completed.  Over and over and over. So I’m going to try again really quick.  Even if I need to do it in parts… She is 20 lbs 5 oz, same as she was 3 months ago.  She’s 30.5 inches. Kinlee is still Little Miss Drama.  She is also pretty fearless when it comes to climbing and playing rough. This combination leads to many a very pathetic meltdown when she gets hurt in the midst of exploring.  And I use the word “hurt” very liberally.  She often just thinks that she might have been close to getting hurt…and that’s all it takes.  She is very emotional, cries frequently, whines even more frequently.  And it can get old quickly. No doubt. But on the positive side, whe...

Braska’s got some fun things that she’s decided to share with her friends.  Make sure you see what she’s got goin’ on… generous little Beauty. Braska’s Fashion Statement

Today I read at least 3 articles/blog posts that used the phrase “could have cared less” referring to someone not being at all concerned with something.  Example: I could have cared less if they were serving spaghetti today. I wanted fettuccine. If taken literally, this would mean that the speaker DID care somewhat that they were serving spaghetti.  But her point was that she didn’t care at all. If you are saying that you absolutely don’t care at all about something…then you would say you could NOT have cared less .  There is no lesser amount of caring that could be achieved.  You really don’t care. Not a care in the world. If you COULD have cared less…then you would have.  At least if the point is to show a complete indifference, which is generally how it is used. I know. It’s petty.  I’m not slamming you, my friends.  But it’s one of those things that just keeps going because no one points it out.  Lesson over. Class dismissed. ...

I'm at St L Childrens Hospital today. Braska has a couple appointments with ENT and audiology and we did labs for GI. The girls are cooperating well so far, especially since KiKi should be napping now. I generally don't let them play with toys in pediatric offices...or in pretty much any public place, but today--amidst regular sanitizing--I did let them play. It wouldn't be such a problem if Braska was not so constant with her hands in her mouth. But oh well. Updats on the visits soon.

It’s now 2 minutes before midnight. In barely over 5 hours I’ll be getting up to drag a TON of stuff out of my garage for the biggest yard sale I’ve ever seen in person. It’s all to support Dashlyn’s adoption from Eastern Europe. Julie and I, with help from various friends and family, have worked all week, very diligently, to prepare the amazing amount of donations that we received. All proceeds go to the adoption fund. It’s beyond comprehension how the idea of doing a yard sale to get some money to help with the adoption turned into a HUGE event. It has really been overwhelming at times. We have 10 families who have donated alot of REALLY nice things, not just your typical yard sale stuff. We have a never-worn wedding dress, for Heaven’s sake!! But now we’re ready to go. We’ve got a couple hours worth of work to do in the morning to get it all out and set it up. No doubt it will fill my front yard, my driveway, and my 2-car garage. I’m excited to see how people respond to t...

I’m shoulder deep in a garage FULL of donated items for Julie’s sale for Dashlyn’s adoption. It is going to be MASSIVE! So we’re very busy sorting and pricing and it’s overwhelming… but Saturday is the big day, so we’re getting close. While I’m not able to blog anything particularly interesting myself, please check these out… quality stuff! ~~Jessie has a REALLY hysterical story (with pictures) that she posted today. Anyone got a husband whose smarts mysteriously seem to run out when they attempt dressing a little girl?? Totally worth a read (and laugh!). ~~Shelley has a new blog and had some interesting ideas for snacks for your kiddos yesterday (pretty snazzy blog design, too, right??) ~~And the always-witty-and-honest Tricia has another great post today about Georgia’s school future…including one phenomenal picture of Miss G, and an adorable shot of Rainer too! And do me a favor…will you report back what you think of these friends of mine? I like to know if what I think ...

This child was in the playroom. I went outside for a few minutes to take a cold drink to the neighbor who was mowing my lawn. When I returned, this was what I found. There was no stool or chair. She managed to get up and in. And it is not even her chair! She is going to keep me on my toes. No doubt.

Yes, sir. That's right. That would be our neighbor mowing our lawn. And he asked if he could trim too. He saw that our mower was broken over the weekend. And the grass is quite high. Amazing. First time I have ever talked to him other than a particularly stressful day several weeks ago.