The Monday after Judgement House

We Survived!

It was a long, exhausting, crazy weekend of Judgement House, but it was also incredible.

Over the course of the weekend, 1,011 people came through to see Judgement House. In case you’re wondering, we performed 16 times on Friday night, 26 times on Saturday night and 27 times on Sunday night. By the time Sunday rolled around, we were all beginning to get a little crazy. It was almost like being in that “Groundhog Day” movie with Billy Murray, as we kept doing the same scene over and over again. But I can’t even begin to tell you what fun we had. Spending that much time together locked in a room really brings people together. I think we had 7 people in our room and we know far more about each other now than we ever dreamed!

Funny Moments and Bloopers from the weekend:

- Wayne introducing the grieving parents as “Charles and Douglas Peterson” (we’re an alternative church)
- The insane amount of food that was brought in over the weekend that resulted in the mortuary smelling like brownies and the hospital smelling like Zaxby’s chicken.
- GrandDad getting his jacket caught on the chair and almost having to drag it up to the podium with him.
- Satan being sighted walking down the hallway with half a pound cake.
- The African-American church group whooping and hollering when they got to Heaven,
- The two girls wearing bunny ears (and tails) that completely distracted us during one scene
- The importance of 3 Knocks vs. 2 Knocks (those poor, poor children!)
- Jason forgetting to knock at the hospital scene and one group just walking in to see the grieving parents kicked back, listening to the football game.
- The paramedics looking at the victim’s head and referring to it as a chest fracture


Did I mention that the casket in our room was blue velvet? We kept expecting Elvis to pop out at any moment. We finally decided that it must have been the clearance casket.

But after all the fake crying, people choking on hot dogs, a round of the stomach flu, lots of fog machines and Satan walking down the hallway with half a pound cake, what matters is that 82 people came to know the Lord. 62 people on Sunday night alone. So that made all the long hours worth it.

I’m already looking forward to next year!

Rainy Tuesday

Well, I’m feeling some better today. The throat doesn’t seem to be any worse and maybe slightly better, so we’ll see. I plan on hitting the bed early tonight and getting as much rest as possible.

I did leave work a little early yesterday so I could catch up on some things around the house and get some chores done since this week is going to be so busy. While I was taking laundry to the laundry room, I noticed a taxi cab parked at the end of our street and the taxi driver yelling at someone. I was just about to call the police when our neighbor came out (this was happening in front of his house) and then I saw that the person in the cab was my next-door neighbor, an elderly man named Mr. Williams. He was dressed in a hospital gown and looked horrible. Our neighbor got him out and up to his house and before too long, Mr. Williams’ son arrived. About two weeks ago I had seen his son bring him home one afternoon and he was dressed in a hospital gown then and seemed very out of it.

A little while later John came up to the door (neighbor) and explained what had been going on. Mr. Williams has been suffering from dementia and has been leaving his house during the night and wandering around the neighborhood. Apparently he wakes up and doesn’t realize where he is, even though he’s lived in that house for 50 years. John found him on his front porch a couple of nights ago and then again Monday night, except this time Mr. Williams was barely dressed in the freezing cold and covered in blood. He had fallen somewhere. John had to carry him up out of the woods and before long the police, fire department, ambulances and a news truck were on the scene. How we (at least I) slept through all of this I don’t know. They took him to the hospital and his son didn’t even know until he was called yesterday afternoon after the hospital discharged Mr. Williams, threw him in a cab and sent him home. This situation just breaks my heart.

For some reason his son keeps bringing him home to live by himself. Now DFS has gotten involved and will be making home visits, so this might be the wake up call his son needs to finally get a full-time nurse to live with his father or make the decision to move his father to a nursing home. It’s all so sad, but Mr. Williams obviously can’t stay by himself anymore. Who knows what could happen? A car could hit him or he could fall into one of the wooded areas. And it’s getting colder at night now.

That was our drama for the evening yesterday. A very sad situation that I hope has a happy ending.

I cannot be sick

All last week I was feeling the slightest sore throat coming on, but I kept ignoring it. I thought it was just some fall allergies and would go away. Let’s just say it hasn’t gone away. It’s gotten worse over the weekend and I’m starting to get that “I just want to lay down and sleep” feeling.

I cannot be sick. Not this week and not next week. We have Judgement House at church and I have a part and we’re tied up with it Wednesday-Sunday evenings. I just cannot be sick. Next week is Halloween (trunk or treat at church), a MOPS meeting, and then we’re going out of town to visit my grandparents. So I’m sitting here drinking some hot tea and giving myself until tomorrow afternoon to get a doctor’s appointment.

I hate being sick.

Finally Friday!

Is it Friday already? This week seems to have gone by really fast. Between dentist appointments and flu shots, time flies.

We’re taking Brady to Boo at the Zoo tonight. It’s Member’s Night, so hopefully the lines won’t be as long. I am a little worried about the rain, though. We desperately need it, so if we have to postpone to one next week then it wouldn' t be the end of the world. It’s a great event that the zoo puts on every year. The kids get to wear their costumes and walk through the zoo at night, collecting candy from various groups along the way. Lots of fun and not scary at all. Plus we have fun as well. Brady had a blast last year. I think a lot of zoos are doing things like this now.

Saturday – I’m not really sure what’s going on tomorrow. I know I have to do some grocery shopping and make a stop at Old Navy. I’d also like to get Brady some pumpkins. Lennon may or may not be working, so we’ll have to see. I also need to prep for the Sunday School lesson.

Sunday – Busy day! Sunday School and church in the morning. I might be lucky enough to get a quick nap in the afternoon before my Bible Study at 4pm, church at 6pm (we’re keeping the nursery) and a fellowship afterwards.

Next week gets really busy with Judgement House activities Wednesday-Sunday. A few prayers for good health and a little rest would be appreciated!

Have a fabulous weekend!

A short giraffe

Remember my great idea to have Brady dress up as Elvis for Halloween? Then that idea didn’t really work out, so I decided on a cowboy? The search for Brady’s Halloween costume quickly rivaled the search for Three Bean Salad a few months ago.

I couldn’t find any cowboy costumes I liked (have I mentioned before that I am rather particular?), so I kept looking and eventually found a Peter Pan costume from Disney.com that was really cute. Well, Lennon hated it. I picked 3 or 4 other costumes, including an astronaut, a bee and a lion, for Lennon to pick from. He picked the lion. I went to order it online the next day and wouldn’t you know, it was totally sold out.

Now I was getting desperate. I was about to make the child a pirate for the second year in a row when I found an adorable giraffe costume. Everyone liked it and it was actually available in his size. I ordered it and it was even cuter in person. The problem? Brady wanted nothing to do with it! Over the past week we’ve been trying to get him to wear the costume every night. The first night he just put it on his head. The second night he would put his head and his arms in it. By last night he was actually wearing it for short periods of time. My hope and prayer is that he’ll at least wear it for Boo at the Zoo Friday night and trunk or treat at church. This has been quite the ordeal!



This, of course, isn't Brady. I just wanted to post a picture of the costume so you could get an idea. I'll post pictures of Brady wearing the costume (hopefully!) at Boo at the Zoo sometime next week.

I’ll be so happy for next year when he’ll pick out his own. That will free up some of my time to worry about other things, like the news we got this morning from the dentist that Brady has an overbite and will eventually need braces. Don’t you think they could have waited until he was 4 or 5 to give us that news????

It's back!

I am a magazine girl. Really, it’s an obsession. I can sit and read magazines for hours. My favorites include Southern Living, Cottage Living, Southern Lady, Parents, Country Home, Redbook, InStyle, Marie Claire…………………. Need I go on?

A few years ago, one of my most favorite magazines was discontinued. But thanks to the fine people at Hoffman Media, Victoria Magazine has been brought back to life! I’m so excited! This magazine is simply gorgeous and provides such a blissful escape from everyday life. Their premier issue is a holiday issue and I can’t wait to dive in later tonight with a cup of tea after Brady goes to bed.

So if you’ve never seen Victoria, go look at your local bookstore. You won’t be disappointed!

Autumn Apple Pork Chops

I found this recipe last year in one of those free magazines at Publix. It was all about apples and this looked so good, so I finally made it last night. Four stars!!!!!!

Autumn Apple Pork Chops

Ingredients:
4 boneless pork loin chops
Salt and pepper
1 Tbs. flour
2 Tbs. butter
½ cup sliced onions
1 cup apple juice

Season flour with salt and pepper and lightly dredge pork chops in the flour. Cook in a skillet with the butter on medium heat until browned on one side. Flip pork chops and add onions and apple juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 7-9 minutes.

This recipe was super easy and quick. We served it with broccoli and potatoes.



* Don’t forget today is Boss’s Day! Happy Tuesday!

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!!!! We are having absolutely fabulous weather here in Upstate SC. Low 70’s in the day, mid 40’s at night, and “abundant sunshine” as the weather man said. Perfect fall weather for all the great outdoor activities going on this weekend.

Our plans:
Lennon is off tonight (amazing!), so we’ll be hanging out at home with Brady and watching “Little Children” (after B. goes to bed, of course).

We’ll be having wings for dinner and enjoying the rest of our Great Pumpkin Dessert later on.

Saturday – Brady and I are going to the zoo while Lennon works a bit, then we have Date Night! J&B are keeping all the kids this month and we’re planning on heading downtown to our favorite Italian restaurant and do a little wandering around.

This weekend is Fall for Greenville and the place will be packed. I’m sure we’ll be able to find some fabulous dessert at one of the stands.

Sunday – Sunday School (the lesson is about Samuel hearing God’s voice in the night), church, some lazying around in the afternoon, my Bible study and church that night. A busy day, but in a wonderful way. Then it’s back for another work week.

And to all my "Belle" friends who are meeting up in Gatlinburg this weekend, have a great time and be careful!

Chat with you Monday!

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

Well, not quite. But this "Great Pumpkin Dessert" recipe is super yummy and super easy, too. I hope ya'll enjoy it and this GORGEOUS fall weather we're having.

Great Pumpkin Dessert:
1 14 oz can pumpkin
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 c sugar
4 t pumpkin pie spice

Combine all with a whisk. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.

Sprinkle one box of yellow cake mix over the top of the pumpkin
mixture. Drizzle 3/4 cup melted butter over the top of the cake mix.
Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of chopped walnuts or pecans over the butter. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Serve with cool whip

Pink Ribbons

In case you haven’t heard, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Last night at our MOPS meeting, we had a representative from the Susan G. Koman Foundation speak to our group. The statistics are staggering and while the number of deaths from breast cancer has fallen recently, it’s still a disease that will affect a million women in the United States this year.

Early detection and screening is so important, especially the older we get. Don’t pass on those monthly self exams and those yearly mammograms. You’re the best person because you know your body and you know what has changed from month to month.

Save the Ta-Ta’s!

My Man

I copied this off of some other blogs:

1. Who is your man? James (Lennon)
2. How long have you been together? We had our first date 8 years ago on February 22 and have been married for 6 years.
3. How long did you date? We dated for a year and 9 months before we got engaged. We were engaged for 5 months. We got married on April 25, 2001.
4. How old is your man? 33
5. Who eats more? Oh, he does without a doubt! When we were first dating, he would be on his second huge plate of pasta and I’d be halfway through my little dish. I thought I was dating someone with a tape worm!
6. Who said "I love you" first? I honestly don’t remember.
7. Who is taller? He is. He’s 5’10” and I’m 5’.
8. Who sings better? Neither. We’re both equally bad.
9. Who is smarter? He is. He was valedictorian of his high school class.
10. Whose temper is worse? Mine. He’s extremely easygoing.
11. Who does the laundry? We both do.
12. Who takes out the garbage? We both do.
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does. Don’t know why, it’s just always been that way.
14. Who pays the bills? I do.....unfortunately.
15. Who is better with the computer? Me! I sit in front of one all day.
16. Who mows the lawn? He does. I’ve never mowed a lawn in my life and I don’t intend on starting now.
17. Who cooks dinner? Whoever gets home first.
18. Who drives when you are together? He does most of the time.
19. Who pays when you go out? Whoever isn’t wrangling Brady. If it’s just us, it’s whoever grabs it first.
20. Who is most stubborn? No comment.
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Me.
22. Whose parents do you see the most? Mine because they’re only an hour and a half away. We see his mom about once a year (she lives in Texas).
23. Who kissed who first? He kissed me.
24. Who asked who out? He asked me. I already had plans that night and he told me to cancel them. So I did.
25. Who proposed? He proposed to me in the Japanese Garden at the Memphis Botanical Gardens.
26. Who is more sensitive? Me.
27. Who has more friends? Probably me. But we have many mutual friends, too.
28. Who has more siblings? He does. He’s the youngest of five and I’m the oldest of four.
29. Who wears the pants in the family? He does. But I definitely try to put them on somedays!

I love you, Honey!