noise levels

After spending time with an auditorium full of high schoolers, and a fast food place full of pre-schoolers, I am having a tough time deciding which one was louder... I think it is about equal! LOL

My Praise God day

As I travel to my dd's play, I have to stop and wait while numerous preschoolers cross the road with their grown ups on their way to trick or treat. Great, this will make me late. But..Praise God, they are so very cute, and their presence brightens my day. DD will understand if I am late. Praise God again, I arrive early to the play.

Afterwards, I go eat lunch at a fast food place. All the children that were trick or treating are eating here. I'll praise God for that too, they are really cute. And I was able to eat outside.

Finish eating, and get in my car to head home. Except I soon realize I have a flat tire. I'll praise God for this, it happened to me, in a town where I know some people, during the day. Plus, it didn't happen to College Kid at night, in the middle of nowhere, halfway to college. Praise God again, College Kid is across the street from me!

College kid gets the flat off, and puts on the spare. Except it's flat too. Praise God for this, not only for the same reasons as above, but also because we are in two separate vehicles, so we still have wheels to get to the tire shop.

Tire shop fixes both tires, and we are set to go. Praise be to God! Oh, and the candy in the office wasn't bad either. hehe.

Total cost: $15.00 for the tire repair
one chicken meal for the college kid

Praise God! Thank You for seeing me through another crisis. Love You!

Boston Brown Bread

This recipe looks intriguing, and I plan to give it a try soon.

6 (14-16 oz) empty clean vegetable or fruit cans
Cooking spray
1 lb chopped dates
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups boiling water
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
4 cups sifted flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 325. Coat insides of cans with cooking spray.
Combine dates and baking soda in a bowl. Pour in boiling water, and let sit for 5 minutes.

Combine sugar, shortening, and eggs in large bowl. Using a mixer, beat at medium high speed until creamy. Add date mixture and flour and stir until well blended. Add nuts and raisins, mix well.

Fill cans about 2/3 full with batter. Bake 1 to 1 1/4 hours, until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool cans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from cans and cool on wire rack. Makes 6 loaves, 6 servings each.

busy weekend

What a busy weekend! It started out on Friday, with a football game. Middle school kid was playing with the high school band, an event they do once a year for the up and coming band students.

The game was lousy, as we lost 50-14. But the band was great, and kid did a really good job with cymbals. The high schoolers had so much fun playing, they were dancing in the stands, and having a great time. It makes it so much fun to watch when they are happy like that.

We got home from there after 11, and to bed about midnight. Up early the next day for a road trip to see college kid. We had an amazing time, and had a delicious lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. In the park, they had a set of three water fountains. One for the adult, one for the child, and one for the dog. Yes, one for the dog. I have never seen anything like that!

I have to say, though, I am not a big city person. Almost my whole life, I've been in small towns/boonies, and big cities really intimidate me. There were so many cars, so many people, bicyclists, people on segways, horse drawn carriages, so many people! Complete sensory overload. Even the buildings were huge! College kid likes it, but I'll just stay in my little town.

We got home at midnight, and off to bed. High schooler was on a trip with her school 3 states away. We were planning on picking her up at the airport, but the tickets were messed up by the airline. They planned for the group to fly in January, not Saturday. So they had to rent a car and drive home. They didn't arrive home until 8:30 this morning. God bless them, especially the adults that had to drive.

Please keep college kid in your prayers, he is having some serious roommate problems, and student housing isn't helping at all. Thank you.

We got up and made church this morning, although no students in our CCD class. Director thinks they may be in the Phillipines. How exciting! Now we are home, and I'm curled up in my comfies. School starts tomorrow. Yawn!

Have a blessed week!

Chela

Thursday morning

This week is fall break, so the kids are off of school. High schooler is a few states away at a convention, it's just the two boys and me. And if they don't quit fighting, I'm going to send them a few states away!

So I'm looking forward to sleeping in a bit, before life gets back into the usual grind next week. Not today, however. Dog wakes up at 6:15am, and starts whining. I try to ignore her, but she wakes up the kitten, who starts howling. I get up at that, no use trying to sleep in, and all 4 cats start howling at me. I check their bowl, and no kibble. Fill that up, and take dogs out, to no avail, it's more interesting to sniff out who walked through the yard last night.

Come back in, and feed the dogs. All this commotion wakes up the quail, who have quite a loud call despite their small size. How can something the size of a lemon yell loud enough to empty a factory? Maybe it's because there are 7 of them.

Now the dogs are done eating, so they curl up in their beds, and go back to sleep. By this time, the guinea pig is up, and he is demanding to be fed as well. It is now 7:00am. Remind me why I have all these loud pets again? Maybe I should shuck them all, and settle for goldfish. A nice quiet hotel room sure sounded good this morning. A place where nothing will wake me up for breakfast before the sun is shining.

Have a great day, God bless!
Chela

night time visitor

Tonight Dh (dear husband) and I were relaxing on the couch, watching Seven Pounds.(Very good movie, by the way) when the dogs asked to go out. I asked high schooler to take them out, but said kid fell asleep. I took the dogs out, and they started going crazy around our car. I hustled them inside to dh, and he asked what was wrong.

I told him there was something under the car, and by the looks of the ears, it wasn't a cat. So he came out, and hooked up our work light. Sure enough, there was a baby possum under the car. Cute as a button, but I happen to know first hand what those teeth feel like. so we left him alone.

That's the second possum we've had in our carport. I suppose they are after the cat food left on the work table for our tomcat. Nothing else is out there. I hope he stays away from our pool.

Have a good week! God bless!
Chela

Walk On the Wild Side

Tonight was our big zoo fundraiser, Walk On the Wild Side. It featured various restaurants with goodies to sample, live entertainment, and a live and silent auction. My job, as a docent, was to stroll around through the crowd holding the animal of my choice and talk to people about it. I chose Poe, our ball python.

Now I had been told that after we finished docenting, that we had to leave. Unless of course, we bought a ticket. So I planned to leave, and go on home afterwards. Well, when I showed up, my friend and co-worker L presented me with my very own ticket! Another volunteer, G, had bought all of us one. Then she fell ill, and couldn't come. :(

I had so much fun! Talking to the visitors about my snake, listening to the band playing soft jazz, very nice ambiance as people moseyed in and set about getting their food. It's funny, if you're holding a bird, or something fuzzy, you're guaranteed to get a lot of people wanting to learn about your animal. Hold a snake, and not that many will come near you. As one guest told me today, "No one likes you!"

I wonder if it had to do with the fact that the snake I was holding was big enough to take up both my arms. Umm...Poe has grown!

We put our animals up, and went back to the zoo to enjoy the evening. I didn't eat much, but that wasn't for lack of options! There was pizza, bbq, seafood, Italian food, breads, cupcakes,probably more that I am forgetting. Also soda, beer and wine. My friends took advantage of the alcohol options, but I chose not to. Good thing; I encountered a police checkpoint on the way home!

We sat down and listened to the auction and talked. Some people were bidding quite a bit of money on stuff. I know it's for a good cause and all, but if I had that kind of money, I'd get my bills paid. The evening was just wonderful, and I had an excellent time. Even if L did try and throw me out of a moving golf cart.

Have a great weekend, God bless!

Chilean Miners

Praise be to God, all 33 miners are safe and back above ground. I have been praying all day in thanks and asking for all of them to be recovered alive. God is truly good, and all of them are rescued. This truly gives truth to the promise of God that He loves us and will never forsake us. Isaiah 49:15, See I will not forget you, I have you carved on the palm of My Hand." Matthew 28:20 Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, until the end of the age."

The experience of these 33 has truly taught us about faith, perseverance, and the resiliency;of the human spirit. I pray they are able to adjust to their new lives, and live many more years in comfort and peace. God bless all of them, and all of those who gave so selflessly to see the rescue through. God is good!

Chela

my hair

I thought it would be really nice to have long hair. I've had short hair for so long, and other women looked so pretty with hair cascading past their shoulders. So I let my naturally curly hair grow out to halfway down my back. When wet anyway. It still made it to about my shoulders, maybe a little longer, when it was dry.

 A couple months of that, and I was through! Other people can have long flowing locks, but mine went the way of sharp scissors yesterday, and I couldn't be happier. It's shorter than I had planned, but I love it now. When my hair was long, it took two rounds of shampoo to get it washed. One for the hair on my head, and one for the length. Same thing with conditioner. It would tangle so bad in the shower that it just felt nasty and unclean.

 I'd get out of the shower, and wrap it in a towel for a few minutes until it stopped dripping. Then I'd comb it out, and handfuls of hair would fall out. By the time I got it combed out, my hair would be dry, and I'd have to hose it down again. Then I'd have to gel it with copious amounts of gel to try and control the frizz. No matter what I used, by the end of the day, my hair would once again be out of control. Remember Hermoine in the first Harry Potter movies, how bushy her hair was? That's how bad mine would be.

 This morning, I washed and conditioned it, easily done in one step, combing it out took 5 seconds, and a bit of gel, and I'm ready to go! My husband may miss my long flowing hair, but he won't mind how much quicker I can get ready in the morning!!

 God bless, and I hope you have a good hair day today. :0)

Chela

video games and college kids

I haven't updated in a while, sorry. I've been busy with college kid coming home for the weekend, and life in general. College kid is learning to design video games, so naturally, that takes over when he is home.

 Last night, he downloaded an old favorite of ours onto the Wii. (Good thing he is technically gifted, because his poor mom sure isn't.)  He told me the name of the game, but it didn't register until he pulled it up on the tv. Super Mario Brothers 3. We used to spend hours playing this game when the kids were little.

 I couldn't wait to play, but it's been YEARS since I have tried my hand at it. Oh boy. I could not believe how easily everything came back to me-where to jump, what enemies I had to deal with, which direction to go in certain mazes. One's brain must hold a file somewhere marked "things you don't do often, but which are too important to forget entirely".

 Of course, you don't know it's there until you need it again. Strange how the brain works. We had a really good time playing the game again, like old times. Of course the kids are better at video games overall than I am.  A lot better.

 College kid was showing me some of the animation he is doing in class now. As he was giving me a physics lesson, and explaining how it applied to his work, I just remembered him as a little boy, bringing me tree frogs and lizards he had caught outside, excitedly telling me things he had done or learned in school.  Sigh. How did he grow up so fast? He'll be 20 next week. I think one day I had a little boy, then someone replaced him with a grown man.

 Something interesting college kid told me. He ran to the store to get some cough medicine and a drink. His total came to $6.66. The cashier told him to go grab another item to change his total. So he did, and his new total was $7.77.

 Take care, and God bless!
Chela

The Holes Under Your Deck

You complain about the craters  your children are digging under your pool deck.  How they  are unsightly, and things get lost in them.  You call the children in from digging, and they  have to go straight into the tub. The shirts and shorts they were wearing may be soiled beyond any  washing.

One day you walk out to sit on your deck, and see grass growing up between the boards.  The path  they  used is now overgrown with weeds. You think about it, and realize it’s probably been a few years since any of your children dug in that dirt. They are now busy with driving, first dates, and the prom.

Your mind flashes back to a grubby little boy, smiling as he emerges with a fat toad. You remember the little voices drifting up from beneath the deck. The laughter, and occasional bumped head.

Tears fill your eyes as you become aware of how big your kids are getting. They re standing on the edge of the nest , testing their wings. Soon, they  will spread their wings and fly  away.

As annoyed as you once were with the holes, you wish you could go back there for a little while. To innocent little hearts, grimy little hands wanting to hug you. Children who had all day to dig in the dirt. The pure love of a child who isn’t embarrassed  to hug her mom and say, “I love you Mommy.”

God Bless the little children.

Lilly pads

Lily pads are so beautiful, they grow so pretty in ponds and lakes, growing up from the bottom of the waterway. They bloom a beautiful flower of pink, purple, blue, or white with a blush of pink or yellow. Just so beautiful in the spring.  Frogs use them to sit upon as they fill the night air with song in the summer. Sitting on the water as Lilly pads do, they offer frogs a quick escape if something comes along that is scary. One quick hop, and under the water the frog hides, safe and sound.  Small fish can hide under the pads, to avoid big water birds or other things that might want to eat them. The Lilly pads also provide shade, to keep the fish cool during the hot summer days.  If you find yourself on the banks of a river, and you are admiring Lilly pads out in the water, keep one thing in mind....  If you are watching a Lilly pad, and it suddenly dunks under water, it isn't a Lilly pad at all. Lilly pads don't dunk under the water, they ride on top of the waves. So...if your Lilly pad dunks... IT'S AN ALLIGATOR!! and you had better run!

The Under the Bed Monster

Every child knows there is a monster under the bed. It's a big shapeless monster, and it hides in the darkest recesses of the space under your bed. In that corner where your bed meets the wall.

 

 Moms and Dads never see this under-the-bed-monster. It knows not to come out when they are around. So when your parents snuggle with you and read you a book like, "Are You My Mother?" or "Goodnight, Moon", you are perfectly safe. When they tuck you into bed, and kiss your freshly washed forehead, and embrace you in a big mommy or daddy hug, you are not going to be bothered.

 

 But when your mom and dad walk out, blowing kisses, and gently closing your door, out comes the under-the-bed-monster. He'll sneak up on your bed, and start chomping on your toes. He'll envelop your room, and take the light from your little Lightning McQueen night light. He'll cast shadows on the walls, so it looks like he brought friends.

 

 It's no good to call your mom or dad. As soon as the under-the-bed-monster hears their footsteps outside the door, he'll retreat back under the bed. He's a smart monster. Your mom and dad will look all around, but they can't see this sneaky thing. So they'll say it was nothing, and walk out again.

 

 You'll beg for your dad to stay just 5 more minutes, or to sleep in their bed. But it's no use; eventually you'll have to sleep in your own room, in your own bed. And the under-the-bed-monster will be waiting.

 

 There is only one thing to do for this under-the-bed-monster. You need to have monster spray, and spray your room before bed. If you do this, the monster knows he can't come out and bother you. So he'll go bother the dentist. That's okay, you aren't there at night anyway. Then one day, you'll realize the under-the-bed-monster hasn't been around in a long time. In fact, you barely remember him at all. Then you'll know you've grown up and you're too big for him to bother anymore.

 

 I'm grown now, and I still have an under-the-bed-monster. It hides in the dark recesses where my bed meets the wall, and only comes out at night. I crawl into bed, and curl up under the covers. But when I warm up, and stretch out, the under-the-bed-monster eats my toes.

 

 My under-the-bed-monster is my cat Julie! Why won't she go bother the dentist?

seven ferrets

Hi, I'm Chela, happily married mother of 3 teenagers, and one grown kid, living in the Southeast US. Grew up in CA, moved out here about almost 15 years ago. I decided to name my blog seven ferrets after a store I ran into one day. There was a sign on the door warning of "attack ferrets". I had to see what this was about! 


 The store owner said he did indeed have ferrets, seven of them, and they occasionally come to work with him. Unfortunately, he didn't have them with him that day. He also told me of a time when he had York Peppermint Patties on the counter for his customers. One of his ferrets climbed up on the counter, and dropped patty after patty down to the waiting comrades, who squirreled the candy away under the couch. When the gentleman discovered the stash, there were 10 candies under there.


 We set up a time when we could come see the ferrets, and sure enough, he had all 7 of them set up in the back of the store! And the store has nothing to do with ferrets or animals at all.  I think anyone brave enough to tackle the challenge of seven ferrets at one time must be a bit on the crazy side. I can't imagine all of them loose in my house.


 Thank you for visiting the seven ferrets blog. Come back by, and see what I have in store. Leave me a note, let me know you were here. 


God's blessings upon you always,
Chela