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.

It's Been A While

I can't believe my last post was on July 16th.  We've been busy around here and I thought I had posted some of our happenings, but I guess I hadn't. 

Oh, where to begin? I will give a brief synopsis now and, hopefully, a more indepth look at a later date.

*  Hannah got her ears pierced on July 17th.  She is so excited and can't wait until she can start wearing other earrings.
*  I had the mole on the side of my nose removed on July 19th.  I've had it for about 25 years and I'm glad to finally have it gone.  The biopsy showed there was nothing to be concerned about (standard procedure).  YEAH!
*  Registered the kids for school.
*  Vacation with Mike, Hannah, Andrew, Will, Melanie and Nathan to Pigeon Forge.  This subject deserves a completely separate post when I have time.
*  I got to visit with a friend I graduated with.  She moved away right after graduation and I hadn't seen her since until I found her on Facebook.  Turns out, she lives in Pigeon Forge!!

The next bit all occurred after we returned from vacation on Monday:
Tuesday:
*  Dad had knee replacement surgery.
*  Our air conditioner decided to stop working sometime while we were out of town.
*  Washing machine wouldn't fill up and would just run.
*  Needed to make cookies for a football team our church sponsored. (Remember, our air is out)
*  While I am cooking dinner on the grill, we run out of gas.
*  Remembering Mom's knee replacement surgery and the nightmare that followed.  Not fun!

Wednesday:
*  Air still out.  Temperatures inside reached 87 degrees in our hallway (the coolest part of the house).
*  Washing machine is still messed up.
*  Kids put dish soap in the dishwasher; soap and water get all over the floor.
*  Bug man is suppose to come out and spray for ants.  Thanks to the good Lord above, he came early.
*  Worried about my dad and his surgery (it went fine but I wasn't able to see him due to everything going on at the house).
*  Remembered it was a year ago Gracy passed away.  Still get really sad when I think about it.
*  Get into a fight over my dad.
*  Find out the air conditioner has a slow freon leak.  Air conditioner man recharged it but said we will probably need a new unit (and a new furnace) before long.   GREAT!

Thursday was MUCH better.  Went to the Pink Palace with my friend Tracy and her kids then saw my dad at the hospital.

The kids started school today.  Yes, I know it is early.  The temperatures this week and the end of last week have been in the 100s with the heat index between 112 and 125.  It is a good thing school started because the kids are busy with school work and not watching t.v. or playing on the computer all day because it is too hot to go outside.

Hannah is getting baptized Sunday.  She is excited and a little nervous.  We were paying the storage unit note and Hannah told the clerk she was being baptized Sunday.  They talked about it for a bit afterwards.  It is neat to see her interested and excited about this.  It is a really big step.

Sorry this post is all over the place.  Mike will be playing his online game with some of his friends in a few minutes so I only have a short time to write. 

Visiting With The Links

No, not golf links, my friends Barry and Stacy Link and their kids.  They came here to visit with me and my family and take in all the sights.  Stacy is originally from this area but is now living in Virginia.  They arrived Monday afternoon and, after checking into their hotel, came to visit with us here at the house for about an hour.  It was so good getting to see her again.  It has been eleven years her last visit.  All of the kids played in the backyard while Stacy, Barry and I got to visit.

Tuesday was a lazy day for them, swimming in the hotel pool while I was at a funeral.  That evening, they came back to the house.  The kids played outside again while Stacy, Mike and I visited.  Barry wasn't feeling very well so he stayed back at the hotel and rested.

Wednesday, we braved the heat and humidity (it was really bad) and went to Graceland.  As long as I have lived here, I've only been to Graceland once and that was to visit Elvis Presley's gravesite.  It was neat looking at how he furnished the house.  It wasn't as big as I thought it would be.  My kitchen is bigger than Elvis' was.   I think my living room is about the same size.  Sometimes you can see his horses out on the grounds but they weren't out Wednesday (I don't blame them).  After the tour, we thought about seeing the other exhibits on display like his airplane the "Lisa Marie" and his cars but the kids were hot, tired and hungry.  Stacy found out that we can use our other tickets on other days.  The only thing we had to see on that day was the mansion.  I am planning to go back and take the kids one day.  I think they would really enjoy it.

We ate lunch at Steak N Shake.  The kids all enjoyed is, as did the adults.  Found out, our drinks were half-price (even the shakes) because we were there during Happy Hour, which is 2-4 p.m. (and a.m.).  COOL!!  Stacy's family had never eaten there before and they loved it.  My kids were all excited when I told them where we were going.  They love it too.  After we ate, we went back to our house.  Barry's birthday was Tuesday and, since he was sick, we ate cake and sang Happy Birthday.

That night, some friends of Stacy's from high school got together and had a Girls' Night Out at Maria's Cantina and invited me.  They all were really nice and very friendly.  The food was really good too.

Thursday, we went to the Pink Palace Museum.  We saw "The Cowboy Astronomer" at the Planetarium.  Everyone, even Andrew, loved it.  Andrew sat in my lap the whole time and was very still.  Found out, some time during the show, he fell asleep.  Sweet!  Afterwards, we looked around the museum and checked out the gift shop.  Andrew got a clown fish and a whale toy.  He sat the clown fish on the escalator hand rail and it started moving.   It was so funny watching this little toy travel up on the escalator hand rail.  Nathan went to the top and caught it as it fell off.

We ate lunch ate Krystals.  This was another place the Link family had never been so Stacy wanted to make sure they experienced it.  The kids all seemed to like it.  My kids were excited about going too.

This morning, the Links headed out.  They are going to Stacy's dad's house then to the Cincinnati area to see the Creation Museum before heading home.  It was so good getting to see them and spend time with them.  Hannah had a blast with Christy and made a new friend.  Will, Nathan and Andrew enjoyed playing with Philip and BJ.  Joseph and Daniel were very helpful with the younger kids and are fun young men to be around.

Here are a few pictures that I remembered to take while they were here.  I kept forgetting to get my camera out.

Hannah and Christy were playing around at Steak N Shake

Stacy and me in a self portrait

Andrew acting silly at Steak N Shake

Busy and Interesting Weekend

The weather man predicted our area would get between 1-4 inches of snow along with some ice on Friday and Saturday.  Instead, we got sleet and freezing rain on Friday.  After the freezing rain, it started raining really hard and continued until late Friday night.  Thank goodness, Mike stayed home and worked from home using his laptop.  The water and sleet froze and everything was covered in ice. It was soo pretty.  Quite a few people in Tennessee and North Mississippi lost power but we were blessed not to.  Saturday we stayed home.  The kids played the Wii most of the day while I nursed a sinus headache and pressure. 

Sunday, we went to church and enjoyed the beautiful scenery as we drove.  The trees, bushes, grass and power lines were covered in ice.  The sun made everything shine, like they were covered in diamonds.  It was stunning!!  Ernie's message was wonderful as was Marty's Sunday school lesson on the first part of Revelation 7.  After church, we went to lunch at Back Yard Burger.  Towards the end of our meal, the power went out.  It looked like maybe a transformer went down because we could see nearby traffic lights were also out.  As we were leaving, the traffic lights started working again.

Once we got home, Hannah and I got to work going through some boxes we had in the attic.  Most of them were toys that had been relegated to the attic about three or four years ago.  (Hannah loss the use of her toys when she got into trouble; now, I don't remember the exact reason why.)  Mike found a box of books for Hannah to read that I had as a child.  They include Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, The Dana Girls, and Bobbsey Twins.  There were even some of my Little House books!!  I can't wait to read them again.  While Hannah and I were busy, Mike reswept the kitchen and mopped it. Busy, busy, busy!!

Party at Build-A-Bear Caps Off A Busy Day (plus a few thoughts thrown in)

We are home after a long, exhausting, and busy day.  On the way to church this morning (we were running late as usual), we saw a familiar van in front of us.  It was the Berryman ladies on their way to their church.  Even though they live about 1.5 miles from us, they also attend church in Collierville (their church is not too far from ours!).  Bettie (Mama Berryman) is the Nursery Director at their church.  Her girls, Breanne, Brandyce, and Brittney, were with her.  Carey (Papa Berryman) was at the fire station, I'm guessing, because he was not with his girls.  Brittney is one of Hannah's best friends.  They have known each other since their first day of 4 year old preschool and became the best of buds. 

After hearing a very interesting discussion on the latter part of chapter 6 and the first part of chapter 7 in the book of Revelation in Sunday school, Mike and I went to the second service.  Ernie did a great job preaching and teaching us about having passion in our lives.  Not physical or emotional, but discovering what you are passionate about and serving God and others in that area.  It was really good.  One of my passions is studying God's word, looking at the original Greek and Hebrew meanings and words to get a better understanding of what God says to us through His servants, the writers of the Old and New Testament.  I am not a scholar by any stretch of the imagination but I find it exciting to see what is actually conveyed through the original languages.

The family went to Carrabba's for lunch.  As usual, everything was delicious.  Our waiter, Jared, was great.  When Hannah told him her birthday was Friday and that Andrew's was this coming Saturday, he brought both of them a free birthday sundae with a candle on top.  Jared even brought an extra bowl for Will to share their dessert.  In the bag of extra bread he packed for us, he included a small packet of olive oil and the seasonings they mix with the olive oil.  In all the times we have eaten there, I've never had the oil and seasoning included in my take-home bag.  I was very pleasantly surprised.  I LOVE their bread and oil to dip it in!!  Now, I get to have some at home.

The party was a great success.  Hannah had a good turnout: Brittney, Gracie, Layne, Jonas, Samantha, Will G., Kara, Seth, Will J. and Andrew.  Instead of making an animal, we had a Make-Over Party where each child picked out an outfit and/or some accessories for their animals.  The only one who didn't already have a bear or other animal was Jonas, so his mom Donna bought him one to have.  Afterwards, we went to The Great American Cookie and had cookies.  Hannah had loads of fun and so did the others. 

Mike and I are exhausted after trying to keep up with everyone.  But, all in all, it was a good day.

Busy Weekend Leads Into A Busy Week

Ever have one of those weeks where you feel yourself meeting coming and going? It looks like it is going to be one of those weeks after a busy weekend.

In case some of you weren't aware, Mike, the kids and I went to Chattanooga for a quick, almost last minute trip. Mike's dad was celebrating his 70th birthday with a party for friends and family. Dick's birthday isn't until the 11th but he wanted to take advantage of the long weekend. When he first called about the party, we didn't think we could make it. The kids were suppose to have their first soccer games on Sept. 5. Since Mike is coaching Hannah's team and helping Will's coach, we couldn't miss. Monday, I called the lady directing the Upwards teams to check the schedule. Because of the holiday weekend, she decided to move the first games to the next weekend. This now freed us up to go to Dick's party. We had to find a house/dog sitter since our usual sitter was also going out of town. Thank goodness, a dear friend, Sandra, volunteered to help us out. With that taken care of, Mike and I packed for our trip.

On the road, I remembered I left my ring soaking in ring cleaner. When we stopped to get gas and take a bathroom break, we found out the diaper bag was missing. Mike left it on Will's bed when he changed Andrew's diaper before we left. When we arrived in Chattanooga (about 1:30 a.m. ET), we found out Hannah's suitcase was left on her bed back at the house. Andrew was awake for most of the trip out. He finally went to sleep around 2:30 a.m. (I'm guessing on the time because it was after I went to bed). Saturday, the fam went looking for Walmart since we had to get Hannah all new outfits, pajamas, toothbrush and toothpaste. We went WAY out of the way but finally found it. (Oh, our Tom-Tom decided it didn't want to work at all while we were gone.)

The party was great. It was held at Vandergriff Park in Hixson where there was a great playground area for the kids right next to the pavilion. The kids played on the equipment and in the sand next to the tables. Mike got to spend time talking to Brent and Rich. Mich, Jennifer, Toni and I got to spend some time talking too. This weekend was the first time Mich and I had gotten to meet Toni. She is married to Mike's half-brother, Richard (yes, Mike has two brothers named Richard). Her Richard wasn't able to make it this weekend but Toni came. Afterwards, we went to Brent and Jennifer's (Daphne's son and daughter-in-law) to cook hot dogs and s'mores. We were all exhausted and went to sleep pretty quickly once we got back to the house.

Sunday was quiet. It started raining sometime during the night and continued off and on during the day. The kids enjoyed watching the Scooby Doo marathon on Boomerang while I enjoyed a nap on the couch.

We slept late every morning (at least 9-10 a.m.). This morning, we got up, packed and got on the road about 11. When we were almost half way home, I remembered we left Andrew's sippy cup and the container of milk we brought with us in Dick's refrigerator. A perfect ending to a busy weekend!!

Tomorrow starts a busy week. I have a board meeting at church; Hannah has soccer practice; there is a PTO meeting for Will's school; and Will's school starts selling cookie dough as a fund raiser. Thursday will be an equally busy day. Fun, oh fun!!!

Busy and Productive Day

Ever have one of those days where you worked and worked and worked but felt like you had nothing to show for it? That's how I feel about today. I finally got caught back up on the HUGE pile of laundry. Everything is washed, dried, folded and put in its place. The dishwasher has been emptied and refilled. The dog pillow covers and dog towels are washed, dried and put up. The hall bathroom is clean and put back together again. Mike put a window air conditioning unit in our bedroom while I went through about six or seven bags of odds and ends. Busy, busy day. I still have lots to do: sweep and mop the kitchen, vacuum the house, finish the dishes, dust the living room and clean the master bath. A woman's work is never done!!

Here are some pictures of our new hall bathroom. Mike and I took down the striped wallpaper. He painted the walls and installed the new tile floor. I think he did an excellent job!! I don't have pictures of the old bathroom but here a some of the new:

Sorry for the glare in these two pictures.

It was hard to get a good picture without it.

Here are some pictures of Hannah in her softball uniform.

There is black under her eyes put there by one of her coaches.

Hannah

#3

Hannah and the boys

Easter 2009

Easter and the days leading up to it were busy around the Jinnette household. Between ball practices, cleaning (or attempting to while the kids were home), grocery shopping and everything else we had scheduled last week, it was surprising that we didn't pass ourselves on the road.

Hannah's friend Gracie spent Thursday night here since they were out Friday for Good Friday. The girls would not settle down until I separated them around 10:30 p.m. Like always, they were asleep in about five minutes. Gracie woke up first a few minutes before 7 a.m. and woke Hannah up. After getting a bite to eat, Gracie went running down the hall, talking in a loud voice and slammed Hannah's door shut. Hannah then went racing after her, talking loudly and knocking loudly on the door. Needless to say, they woke Andrew and Will up. I was not a happy camper because I didn't sleep well the night before. The day did get a little better and the kids got along great with minimum fighting.

While I was checking my e-mail later that day, I saw a note that Grandma sent us a e-card from Blue Mountain. I opened it thinking it was an Easter card. There was a note that said something like "sorry to hear about you hurting your hand. Hope you are better soon. Love, Grandma Loach." Confused, I scrolled upwards and saw it was addressed to Will. After he saw it, he asked if we could call Grandma Loach and thank her. (He can be such a little gentleman.) Nathan and Hannah also spoke to Grandma for a few minutes before passing the phone to me. It was nice getting to talk to her.

Friday night, the kids, Mike and I went to Baskin Robbins as is our custom. Afterwards, we came home and got the kids ready for bed. Mike and I actually went to bed ourselves about 10:30, which is VERY unusual for us (our normal bedtime is between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.). We got to sleep until 8 Saturday morning. IT WAS SOOO NICE!!! The kids were tired from their busy day and slept in. Saturday was spent cleaning house and finishing up some last minute grocery shopping.

Sunday, we went to the 9:25 service instead of Sunday school. We still had some things to do around the house and finish cooking some of the dishes before our guests came over. The early service is called a "blended" service, which is more traditional. The 11 o'clock service is a contemporary service, which is what we like with a praise band and more contemporary type worship songs. The service that morning was nice but I still prefer the second one.

We had a smaller group at our house this year. Mom came over and our friends from church, Susan and Todd with their boys David and Michael. Melanie, Nathan and his friend Coltlin came over and ate then had to leave to meet Coltlin's dad. Patti, Alyssa and Matthew didn't come over this year. Patti didn't want to be around our dog Gracy. She said she would cry about Gracy being sick and didn't want to be around her. We missed them not being there but we still had a nice time. Because it was raining outside, we had an Easter egg hunt in the living room. Susan and I hid the eggs all over, in obvious and not-so-obvious places. Susan hid some in the pile of Lego's that were in the floor, thinking that the kids would never find them. (They were some of the first to go.) Some places we thought would be easy for the kids turned out to be a little more difficult. They were hid on top of the VCR, in a candlestick on the mantle, on the floor in the entry hall closet doorway, under pillows on the couch and in Hannah's sweater on the back of the love seat. One was hid on top of the cloth medallion on the curtain covering the front door. It was in plain sight for Susan and me but the kids almost never found it. The four of them (David, Michael, Hannah and Will) had a blast looking for them. It was almost as fun as if they had been outside.

After everyone left, Mike and I finished cleaning up and got the kids into bed. I was soo tired that I fell asleep on the couch. I woke up around 11 and then Mike and I both went to bed. We were both wiped!! We did get some pictures of the five of us in our Easter outfits. I will try to download them tomorrow and post them on my blog and on Facebook. Most of them turned out great.

Well, this is all for now. I need to go and rest up because tomorrow is going to be another hectic day. All three kids have school; I have a board meeting at church; Hannah has practice at 5:30 at Horn Lake High School; and Will has a game at 7:30 at Snowden Grove (clear across town from where Hannah is practicing). I don't know how or what I am going to feed them. If I make something and have them eat at home, it will have to be around 4 or 4:30. Fun, fun, fun!!!

Good Weekend

Saturday was beautiful! The temperatures were warm, the sky was clear and my dad and step-mom came down to visit. Later that afternoon, Hannah went to a classmates' birthday party at the local bowling alley. All the kids had loads of fun. While we were gone, Mike installed our new water fountain for our front garden. It has an old fashion water pump that pumps water into a small wooden barrel. The small barrel then flows into a larger wooden barrel. It is really cute.

Today, Mike's softball team played a double header after church. The temperature was nice and there was a light breeze blowing. We took a couple of our awnings for people to sit under to stay out of the sun. Our team won the first game but lost the second. After the games, we had hamburgers and hot dogs. The kids are exhausted from playing. They should sleep good tonight.

Long Day

We have had a really long day. Last night, Hannah went to a sleepover birthday party. I picked her up this morning around 9:15-9:30. She seemed upset and I asked her why. She was the first to leave and she didn't want to go. She was having a great time. After getting her, we went back to the house to get the boys and headed to church. Service was great!! For lunch, we went to my favorite restaurant, Carrabba's. Of course, we had the zucchini. The kids did really good but started acting out a little before we left. I could tell they were getting bored (plus Hannah and Andrew were tired). We then went to the YMCA to swim. Andrew had fallen asleep in the van so I stayed with him while Mike took the other two in. They said they had a ball. Of course, they're my water babies. Andrew woke up while we were on our way back to church.

Mike and I attended a Godly Parenting conference and the kids went childcare. The kids had pizza for dinner, played games and colored. The conference was great. If you get the chance to hear Art Murphy (or read his books), I would highly recommend it. Andrew fell asleep on the way home but was up and ready to go once it was time for bed. I got him settled down a little then put him in his crib. He wasn't too happy at first but soon settled down. Every now and then I hear him making noises and talking. Hannah and Will went to bed without any problems tonight. I think it was because it was so late (Their normal bedtime is around 8 or 8:30 p.m. Tonight they went to bed at 9.) and because they were sooo tired. Mike and I are going to relax for a bit (and find something to eat since all we had to eat was chex mix and candy) before going to bed.

Busy Day

My busy day started early. Mike had an early meeting so he was up and out the door long before his usual time. After I got ready, it was time to get the kids dressed, fed and out the door to take Hannah to school. My Moms group starts at 9:30 so the boys and I drove straight there, as it is across town at our church. During the meeting, Melanie called. Nathan was feeling sick and she asked if I could get him and take him to the doctor. The drive from church to pick-up Nathan is a LONG one. Since my two hadn't had lunch, we made a quick stop by Chick-fil-a to eat. Then it was off to the doctor. We were there about an hour and found out Nathan has strep throat. Hannah's school was letting out so we made a bee line there to get her. I remembered that we were completely out of milk so we went by Sam's to pick some up. Once we got home, the kids did their homework and I worked on the computer. The next thing I know, Melanie was here to get Nathan and it was time to fix dinner. After dinner, time to get Hannah and Will to bed. Andrew took a late nap due to all the busyness of today and didn't get up until after 7 p.m. He was wired for sound until he finally crashed about 10:30.

Now that it is quiet, I think I might enjoy some time watching t.v., snuggling with Mike then heading to bed myself. Ohh, I forgot to make Will's lunch and change the clothes over from the washer to the dryer. There are also the dinner dishes that need to be finished. I guess it will be another late night to go along with my busy day. Oh well.