St. Jude Marathon and 1 Mile Run/Kid's Marathon

This December, Mike is participating in the St. Jude Marathon. The kids and I are doing the Family Race (1 Mile Run/Kid's Marathon). We would love for you to join us by sponsoring us. Click on the link below to go to Mike's page. While there, you can make a donation to help us fight childhood cancer.

www.mystjudeheroes.org/mjinnette

This will be Mike's third year to run in the marathon.  This year, the kids said they wanted to participate in the Family event.  So, on December 3rd, all of us will be out in the cold weather.  It is all for a very worthy cause: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. 

If you aren't familiar with them, check out their website.  They were started by actor Danny Thomas to help cure childhood cancers.  They also work with Sickle Cell Anemia patients.  St. Jude does not turn anyone away, even if you do not have insurance or money to pay.  They have a very high cure rate for some cancers and are constantly researching cures for the rest.  I am very proud of Mike and my family for wanting to help out.

It's A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

God blessed us with an absolutely gorgeous day today!!!  The temperature was around 71 degrees.  The sun was shining.  There were a few clouds in the sky and there was a slight breeze.  After basketball games this morning, I made the kids go outside to play.  The last time they did that was when it snowed on January 10.  That day, we built a snowman and had a couple of snowball fights.  We all needed to be back outside again.  (All three kids were sick with a stomach virus for almost two weeks.  We really needed this!)  Mike and I opened all the windows in the house to air it out.  The kids rode their bikes in the backyard, painted, played on the playgym and clubhouse, played horseshoes and badminton, practiced getting baskets for their next basketball game, and leaf fished (fishing without a hook).  Quite a few times I had to deal with them not wanting to stay outside but after a while, they forgot about watching television and playing inside.

After playing for a while, Mike and Will started raking the leaves in the backyard.  All three kids had fun jumping in the huge pile of leaves then picked them up and putting them in bags.  Only a quarter of the backyard was done and we filled three 55-gallon yard bags and most of a 30-gallon yard bag.  This is after Mike raked up leaves this fall.

It is suppose to rain tomorrow and everyday through Wednesday.  The high tomorrow is supposed to be 55 degrees.  Mike said a chance of snow is predicted for Wednesday.  Only in the South can you have snow one weekend, sunshine and warm weather the next weekend, and snow predicted again the week after.  Gotta love it!!!

Thanksgiving Celebration and Fun

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year.  Mike and I load up the kids and drive for two days to visit Mike's aunts, uncles and cousins.  We always have a great time and hate to see it end.  Every year after we eat Thanksgiving Dinner, the guys like to play in the Turkey Bowl.  It is a touch football game that gets more serious every year.  This year, a couple of the guys went and lined the field and set up cones to mark the end zones and the sides of the field.  I even found t-shirts at Old Navy that were perfect for the game.  Later that evening, Mike's cousin Andrew took a picture of the whole family on the staircase and a video that he is going to send in to Good Morning America for their "Three Words" segment.  We hope it will be picked.  If it is, I will try to post something here.

Here are some pictures from the weekend of the Turkey Bowl and a few of the kids.

Isn't this a handsome group of men?

Hannah and Ashtyn were the cheerleaders

 Andrew and Will playing in the sand

 

Some action shots

Mike has the ball!

Hannah and Ashtyn enjoying their time together

Aren't these some beautiful ladies?

Will being silly

The Grissom, Frazier, Edenfield, Jinnette, Chitwood, Hoyle and Nowiski  Families

Mike and Andrew were on their way back from the restroom when this picture was taken. (LaNell, Will, and Isabelle were looking at them.) I think another one was taken with them in it but I do not have a copy.  They were in the video which was done next.

I just love this family!!!

Mike's Birthday

Today is Mike's birthday!!  He opened his presents this morning at breakfast.  The kids and I got him a pair of sandals, a red patriotic t-shirt, the newest Newsboys cd and Casting Crowns' "Altar and the Door" cd.  For dinner, I made his favorites: salmon with asparagus and carrots.  For dessert, I made him a strawberry pizza.  He really enjoyed everything, especially dessert.

For the salmon, I combined a couple of recipes.  I cut up a lime and lemon and squeezed the juice over the fish.  I seasoned it with salt and pepper and topped it with lime slices, lemon slices and onion slices.  Wrapping it in foil, I baked it for 25 minutes at 400 degrees.  Mike and the kids gobbled it up.

Hannah did the asparagus for me.  After she rinsed and snapped off the ends, I sprayed a pan covered in aluminum foil with cooking spray and laid out the asparagus.  Hannah sprinkled it with salt and pepper after I sprayed it with cooking spray.  We then broiled it for 10 minutes on 400 degrees.  The kids also ate it up.  It was rather good.

The Saga Continues

In my last post, I mentioned all the things that have occurred in the last two weeks.  The story is not over yet.  Thursday, after picking up the kids, the lights on the van's dashboard came on and wouldn't go off.  After dropping the kids off Friday morning, I took the van to Meineke to have the oil changed, the tires rotated and to see if they could figure out why the lights came on.  Five hundred dollars later, the oil was changed, tires rotated, two belts were replaced (the old ones were cracked), fuel injectors were cleaned and the O2 sensor was changed.  I noticed a whine from the engine area when I left that I had not noticed before.  A few hours later, while I was waiting in the car line to pick Will up from school, the van died completely.  No lights, no radio, no air conditioner, no power for the windows, NO NOTHING!!  Andrew had just fallen asleep and Hannah was in the back.  Did I mention the temperature outside was about 101 degrees and the car line was out to the street?  Yea.  When I called Mike at work, I broke down crying and went into hysterics.  It was not a pretty sight.  After a few minutes (and a few honks) the cars were able to get around me.  Will's teacher was working the car line and told us to take refuge from the heat inside the building.  Mom picked up the kids and took them to her house while I waited for Mike.  We talked to my dad, Dick (Mike's dad) and the Meineke guy and they all came to the same conclusion: the alternator needs to be replaced. 

When I got home from Meineke, I noticed the thermostat was reading 86 degrees in the house.  Come to find out, the capacitor on the outside unit went out and had to be replaced.  God blessed us by having the air conditioner repair man headed home when I called.  We were on his way so he came by and replaced the part immediately. 

Dick came in last night from Dothan to be here for Hannah's baptism.  Daphne stayed in Dothan to help take care of her mom, who recently had knee replacement surgery and lost her husband (and Daphne's dad) last Tuesday.  Mike and Dick are going to replace the alternator in the van today.  I hope they don't have any problems.

Well, enough of my whining for now.  I hope everyone has a great week.  Remember, God loves you and is with you every step of the way.

Pictures

I cleaned the pictures off my phone today and found quite a few I have been wanting to post.  So, here they are in random order.  Enjoy the show!!

Andrew and Hannah 9/5/09

Will and Andrew 9/5/09

Andrew's ice cream goatee 7/3/09

Hannah and Will just after Hannah returned from camp 6/5/10

Hannah and Will 6/5/10

(back) Michelle, Alyssa, Will

(front) Andrew, Nathan, and Hannah

at the Zoo 10/12/09

Hannah, Andrew and Will 4/3/09

me 3/16/10

Mom's car after her wreak 4/15/10

Mom's car after her wreak 4/15/10

Will's chocolate goatee 7/3/09

A plant in the "Once Upon A Farm" exhibit at the Zoo 10/12/09

A water feature in the "Once Upon A Farm" exhibit at the Zoo 10/12/09

Mike feeding a parakeet at "Birds and Bees" exhibit at the Zoo 5/28/10

Will and Hannah feeding a parakeet at the "Birds and Bees" exhibit at the Zoo 5/28/10

One of the panda bears at the Zoo 10/12/09

 Andrew feeding a parakeet 5/28/10

Will, Hannah and Andrew at the Teton Trek exhibit at the Zoo 10/12/09

Andrew and the Easter Bunny 4/1/10

Andrew and the Easter Bunny 4/1/10

Baby Shower and Rants About A Car Dealer

Today, Melanie and I drove to Ripley together for our niece's baby shower while the kids were with Mike and Mom. Jessie is due any day with baby number 2. Riley, her first child, turned one year old on January 27th. The shower was fun. We got to see family we haven't seen in a while and get our baby fix with Riley. After everyone left, Melanie and I spent time with Dad and Joan talking. It was nice getting to hang out with Melanie today. We had a good time talking, laughing and having a good time.

If you are looking for a car, I don't know if I would recommend the place where we recently purchased ours. The night we bought ours, the dealership was not prepared at all. The ad we looked at online said the name of the dealership and the location. It didn't say there were at least two locations and the place listed was not where the car was located. So, the salesman we spoke with at the first place followed us to the other lot. We beat the salesman there and waited about 15-20 minutes for him to show up. (It only takes about 15-20 minutes to go from one dealership to the other.) While out on the test drive, the salesman told us that he had only been on the job one week and wasn't familiar with the area. Luckily, I knew the area pretty well and was able to get us around the neighborhood. After making our decision to purchase the car, we waited another 10 minutes for the salesman. He wanted us to fill out all this paperwork for financing that we didn't need (Mike had gotten his own financing through the credit union). After another 10 minutes or more, we are told we have to move to the third building to complete the rest of the paperwork. When we walk over (it was on the same lot), we are directed to a dark waiting area and sit for another 15-20 minutes. While we are sitting in the finance office, the finance person is pulling the paperwork we need to sign instead of having it ready. (Now, have I mentioned that NO ONE was there except salesmen? NO ONE!! No other customers were there AT ALL!!) Mike and I then spent the next 30 minutes filling out paperwork. Form after form was completed saying we weren't purchasing this option and that warranty, etc. While all this is going on, Mom was keeping the kids and called wanting to know when we would be home because she was tired. When we finally get the car, the gas gauge is sitting on empty. We had just enough gas to get home. We arrived at the first car lot just after 6 p.m. We left the last lot about 8:45 p.m. Most of that time we played the waiting game.

Oh, Mike was also told to bring the car back in the next day or so to get a new drive out tag and to get it cleaned. The tag they put on the car was for another vehicle. Mike was also told the car manual and key card (for the keyless entry) was in the glove box. When Mike looked for it the next day, it was not there. When Mike called the dealership about the missing manual, the manager we spoke to the night before told Mike he would have to go to a Ford dealer (the car is a Ford Taurus) and purchase another key card and we would not be reimbursed. The manager said the key card would be about $60 but he wasn't sure. Luckily, Mike was able to download the manual off the internet onto his computer.

Mike took the car in to get it serviced and cleaned this past week. The people that cleaned it put the temporary plastic back in the floorboard wet underneath. They took the empty gum wrappers that were in the console and put them in the glove box instead of the trash. Yes, I said the glove box.

A few days after we purchased the car, we got a call from the salesman saying they needed a copy of Mike's driver's license because they forgot to get it while we were there. Then, they called a few days after that asking for a copy of my license. Mike called and spoke to the Finance Manager about the shoddy job the finance people were doing. Come to find out, the finance person had only been there about a month. The FM agreed to help out and took over the job himself to complete the paperwork. He came out to the house to get the Saturn's car tag, have me sign a paper, get a copy of my driver's license and get our tags taken care of (this is something the dealers do now for the owners. Not sure yet if I like this.) If you want to know the name of the dealer, just ask. I would be happy to tell and strongly advise you to find another one. The only good thing I have to say about them is that we got a good deal on the car. A really good deal.

Our New Car

It just dawned on me that I haven't blogged about our new car.  Mike and I bought a 2006 Ford SEL.  It had four doors, power locks, power windows, a CD player, a sun roof and runs like a dream.  It is a beautiful medium blue color outside with tan leather seats and tan interior.  Mike feels like he has hit the lottery.  He called me the morning after he bought it and said he was going to have to remember something when he drives the car.  Thinking something was wrong, I asked him what it was.  He has to remember that the car will go without any hesitation when he presses the gas pedal!!  I cracked up laughing.  I am behind on taking pictures and getting them downloaded.  When I remember and get a chance, I will post some pictures of the car.  It is nice and, best of all, it fits all five of us comfortably!!

Our Dearly Departed Saturn and Hannah's New Room

Well, our Saturn finally bit the dust Thursday. Mike went out to check the oil when he noticed the dipstick was completely dry. Further investigation found oil in the coolant reserve and oil and coolant underneath the car. It has been a good little car. I bought it brand new in 1996 and drove it everywhere. When I was eight months pregnant with Hannah and as big as a house, I drove this car back and forth to Midtown. While I was off work during Christmas break, Mike started driving it to work in Collierville because it got better gas mileage than our new-to-us Blazer. Mike kept driving the car up until Thursday. It would have been 14 years in June that I bought my baby. It was a good little car.

One of my favorite memories was a trip home from Florida. Our Singles class took a trip to Panama City every year. One year my friend Richard, who is at least 6'2", rode back with me and a friend (I can't remember if it was Lisa or Debbie). Poor Richard volunteered to ride in the back most of the trip. (If you aren't familiar with my Saturn, it was an SC-1, a small sports-type car with a tiny backseat.) A couple of times during the trip we switched seats so Richard could try to stretch out his long legs.

Another favorite memory was a trip Mike and I took to Johnson City for the Marine Corp Ball. After Mike was able to leave his unit, we started to head home. Since we were so close to the Virginia state line and since I had never been to Virginia, I asked Mike if we could cross over then turn around. We did and it was so much fun. We were both being silly. After crossing the state line (and taking a quick picture of the "Welcome to Virginia" sign), we got off the interstate at the first exit, turned around and got back on heading west. It was a great trip.

Friday while Hannah was in school, Mike and I changed out Hannah's bed and rearranged her room. Melanie gave Hannah her old daybed. It is a lot girlier than her old one. Hannah had mentioned a few times that she wanted to move her bed around too. So, while we were assembling the bed, we took advantage of the extra room (since everything had been moved out) and moved most of her furniture around. It seems to make the room look a lot bigger. When you walk in her door, her toy box is to the right where her bed used to be. Her shelving unit moved from the wall beside her window to underneath her chalkboard. Her bed is now on the wall that had her toy box and shelving unit. Her desk was moved over closer to the window just a little. I like it a lot and so does Hannah. I guess Hannah's approval is all that matters. Mike took a couple of pictures and I'll try to post them later. I'm too tired right now to do it.

St. Jude Marathon

On Saturday, December 5, Mike and his friend Bill ran in the St. Jude Marathon, which benefits the St. Jude Childrens' Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.  They started training about 12 weeks ago.  Mike had set a personal goal of finishing in four hours and finished the race in 4 hours and 2 minutes!!!  Bill finished about 20 minutes behind Mike because he started cramping some during the race.  After he got to the car, Mike called and asked how long it would take him to get home.  When I told him, he asked me to have our whirlpool tub ready and waiting for him.  His knees and legs were sore.  The kids and I babied him and let him take a long and well-deserved nap.  When I asked Mike if he would do another marathon, he said to ask him in 3-4 days, after he had a chance to recover.  He said he would definitely do a half-marathon (which he has done two or three times before).  I AM SOOO PROUD OF HIM!!!  (For those who aren't familiar with the distance in a marathon, the participants have to run 26.2 miles.  A half-marathon is 13.1 miles.)

We had a few friends that ran in the marathon and 5K.  All of the races (marathon, half-marathon, and 5K) were completely booked.  In all, there were about 11,000 people racing that morning.  I had thought about taking the kids to see Mike run and cross the finish line but decided not to.  It was really cold (the high was about 45 degrees) and the kids would have been bored out of their skulls.  The marathon raised about $1.65 million dollars that will go towards cancer research and helping families that can't afford the treatment.

WAY TO GO MIKE AND BILL!!!!!!!

Controlled Chaos

Because of all the rain we have been having, we have missed three or four games and a bunch of practices.  So, to help make up some of the games, Hannah's team had a game Tuesday night instead of practice.  There is one other 1-3 grade girls team, the Soccer Angels, so the Huskies, Hannah's team, has the same opponent each week.  Jessica, the Soccer Angels' coach, wasn't able to make the game so she asked Mike to help out.  So, Mike coached BOTH teams AND was the referee.  He commented that he would be happy no matter which team won.  Plus, he couldn't argue about the call the referee made.  Coaching both teams was challenging, to say the least, and they were playing against the clock.  We only had one hour to get whole game in before it went completely dark.  Like my title says, it was controlled chaos.

Van and Bathroom Pics

While we were on our trip, we had a little trouble with the van. When we were getting ready to leave for home, the van didn't want to start right up like usual. Instead, it sounded like the battery was low after someone left an interior light on. I checked all the switches but everything was turned off. On the second try, it started right up. We had trouble again when we stopped for gas. But, it started back up on the second or third try. The rest of the trip was uneventful, thank goodness. This same thing had happened once before we left but I thought one of the kids had forgot to shut their door all the way or left an interior light on.

Yesterday, the van was slow starting but was soon running like a dream. When Andrew and I left the Board Meeting at church, the only sound I heard was a click-click-click. Oh, great!! I went over my checklist - all the lights were off and the doors were all shut. Tried the ignition again - click-click-click. Great!! I'm thinking it was either the starter, alternator, or battery. It finally started on the third try so I started home. Afraid that once I shut it off it wouldn't start again, I picked up something for Andrew and me to eat through a drive-thru and headed straight for Nathan's school. We arrived at 12:30 p.m. and left the car running. Nathan got out at 2:20 then we headed to Hannah's school to repeat the process. As soon as she got in the car, we headed to get Will. I finally shut the van off at 3:30 when we got home. Mike got home early and we went to Auto Zone. The technician there said the battery was extremely low. After soccer practice, I dropped off Mike at Walmart while the kids and I went to Chick-fil-a to get a bite to eat and to leave the van running (we had trouble getting it started after soccer practice). Mike changed out the batteries. Good thing he did because it was leaking battery acid. Now, it runs like a dream. It's nice not having to worry about getting stuck somewhere.

Now - for the BIG REVEAL!!!

Our Master Bathroom is done!!!

This is our bathroom closet.
Look at the beautiful floor and walls!!

Isn't it nice and neat?

Our bathroom sink and toilet area

Another look at our sink

The far bathroom wall (before pictures)

The far bathroom wall (after pictures)

The bathtub area

The bathroom window

Didn't Mike do a great job?! It is a big change from the pink paisley wallpaper and tan carpet. It has taken a little time to get use to it but we love it.

The End of an Era and Experiments

The last of the wallpaper came off tonight!!! YEAH!!! We aren't sure, but Mike and I think the wallpaper was installed when the house was built 16 years ago. Goodbye wallpaper!! Hello paint!! Here are some pictures of Mike as he removed the last pieces.

On a different note, the boys decided they wanted to sleep together in Will's bed tonight. So, I thought we would try it and see how it goes. Here are pictures of the boys just before we tucked them in for the night. This is an experiment because Andrew has never slept in a big boy bed before. If this works out okay, we may have to get him a big boy bed of his own before long.

Pictures of Our Ongoing Project

Here are some pictures of our master bathroom. The first few are from two years ago when we first started thinking about renovating. The last few are of the work in progress.

BEFORE

Shower stall

Bathtub


Counter and door


Far wall

Bathroom closet

Work in Progress

Wall above the tub

Will and Hannah painting the far wall

The far wall with a sample of the paint

Door to bedroom

Bathroom closet

As you can see, we have come a long way but still have a long way to go. Mike and the kids finished the first coat of paint yesterday. Tonight, Mike is hoping to put on a second coat so we can start on the trim tomorrow. He would like to start laying the tile by the end of the week. He is going to tile half the wall behind the toilet and the far wall, along with the floor. The floor tile will be the same color and size as in the hall bathroom. The wall tile will be 6x6 in a lighter tan. The trim will be in white. We are hoping that the tile and trim, along with the beige counter top, toilet and tub will tone down the paint color.