EGGSPLOSION!

If you are like most families in America today Saturdays are crazy in your home. Saturday, the 28th we had cheerleading practice in the morning across town, then rushed home to pick up the boys so we can race to the outskirts of town for District Finals for the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby races. When Katie and I left for cheerleading, I left a small to do list for Mark and the boys. They did great, got everything accomplished and then some. We were gone for about 3 hours at the races and left for home excited and exhausted! Caleb came in 5th out of 56 cars and Seth had placed 15th! So it was a TON OF FUN!

We pulled in the driveway, gathered our gear and headed for the front door. I commented that it was pretty “stinky” in our yard, but we had just put fertilizer down a few days ago and well, that stuff stinks, so we brushed it off. The smell got more intense as we stepped onto the porch. I opened the front door, and the NASTIEST THICKEST BLACK SMOKE rolled out to greet us. I can’t even describe the smell. The kids are screaming “Call 911, Call 911”, Mark shoves me outta the way and runs full tilt to the kitchen, shouting “OH CRAP!” Being the good wife, I was following quickly behind him, gagging from the smell we discovered that hard boiled eggs can EXPLODE if left on the stove on high for several hours. There was no actual fire, but we had 18 (YES 18) EGGSPLOSIONS in our home. It was Nasty Mc-Nasty!

So here I a week later finally blogging about this adventure, I am sure many of you are wondering why it took soooo long to blog about it. #1: I am still cleaning the smell out of the house, it’s in the closets, carpets, clothes, and it’s everywhere! We have gone through several bottles of Febreze and multiple boxes of baking soda! #2: I have finally stopped laughing, it really was funny. Smelly, disgusting and gross, but very very funny! And #3… tomorrow is Saturday, I am sure something else will happen this weekend that I just have to blog about, so I better get this one posted!
Take a look at these pix below… you’re gonna love it!

On a much more serious note, our smoke alarms NEVER went off w/ the smoke. After an hour and a half of airing out the house with every window/door open Mark inspected the smoke alarms. The 9-volt batteries were not connected to the prongy things to engage the alarm, once he connected them all of the smoke alarms went off. Keep in mind this was 90 minutes AFTER we had started to air the house out! I know several of you are concerned for our old dog… she’s 15+ years old (that’s 105+ in dog years), she is fine. We found her by the back door with her nose pressed up against the door crack breathing in fresh air! She still loves us, but she’s been sleeping in our room since then!




Some of the eggs in the sink that we scrapped off the counter and floors.


The pan the eggs were in... it's totalled. I have to buy a new one!

A piece of egg 15 feet away from the pan, on our kitchen table, several pieces also landed on our benches!

What's left of the eggs... Anyone for breakfast?

The underside of the microwave above the stove... That was like "egg cement" on that!

My stove... I scrubbed for a long time to get it clean!

Lesson for the weekend: God is loving and full of Grace. He saved our house and saved our dog. Our home could have easily burnt down or we could have created a horrible back draft (that might have killed us all) when we opened the front door. He is merciful and cares about us in so many ways. Mark and I handled this dangerous and serious situation with love, not one fight, but a lot of laughs. The main thing is we are all okay, even if our home burnt down, we, the five of us, are okay and in the end that is all that really matters and I think God smiled when he saw our true reaction to it, grateful hearts and unwavering commitment to each other. Thank you Lord for protecting us from ourselves yet again!

Seth got the Checkered Flag!

Pinewood Derby season is upon us and Seth won 1st Place in our Pack for the Webelos Den. He advances to districts along w/ Caleb. Caleb is going on the "best paint job" award. Go Figure. Both boys worked hard on their cars, not going for fancy but going for FAST! And they did it... Can you tell that Mark and I are very PROUD of them!

Here is a picture of the cars they raced against on Saturday. Seth beat them all!

Seth's Car... the Arrow of Light (the highest rank/award in Cub Scouting)

Caleb's Car... Who Cut the Cheese! Very simple paint job, all of the black flecks is the residue of the stuff that makes the car go fast...

Official NC License Plates!

Seth crossing his fingers at the big race...

The faces of Champions!

*The Seed*

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together. He said, 'It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. 'The young executives were Shocked,but the boss continued. 'I am going to give each one of you a SEED today- one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO.

'One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure. Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him! When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives. Jim just tried to hide in the back. 'My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown,' said the CEO. 'Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!' All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, 'The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!' When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed - Jim told him the story. The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, 'Behold your next Chief Executive Officer! His name is Jim!' Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed.'How could he be the new CEO?' the others said. Then the CEO said, 'One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!'*

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust*
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends*
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness*
If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment*
If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective*
If you plant hard work, you will reap success*
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation*
If you plant faith in God , you will reap a harvest
So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.
(Author Unknown, but so good I had to share it. Thanks Aunt Peggy for passing this on to me.)

What are you planting today? I had a very interesting day at work, it will be interesting to see the harvest that comes from it.

How things can change just by talking...

I find it interesting that our perspective or one's interpretation of a situation can change so quickly just by talking about it. Why do we as women avoid confrontation, avoid conversations that aren't going to be easy and fun? I had a great talk w/ my BFF yesterday, we hadn't talked in a while and I felt very disjointed, stressed and wondering where I was headed. You have to understand that my BFF is also my business partner. We have a very unique friendship b/c our relationship started out as a business relationship, and we've grown to BFF's. So it can make for a challenging friendship. She brought up a very interesting point yesterday... why can men say it like it is to each other, speak frankly and not be afraid to hurt each others feelings (yes, men do have feelings!), get it all out in the open, and then have lunch together and act like nothing ever happened? We women are afraid to do it... why? What's holding us back, for me it's I hate confrontation. There is this underlying fear associated with it in my subconscious. So how to I kill that fear, or concur it without jeopardizing my friendships or relationships that are so dear and important in my life. I am very glad to say that b/c of the conversation I had yesterday, I feel more confident in our friendship, secure in our business relationship and am moving forward. Hey BFF, thanks for pushing me to talk and forcing these issues on the table.

This is what we did after yard work today! Men and their toys... each other! Here is Seth cutting Caleb's hair, thankfully Dad had his watchful eye on them so no one lost an ear. Poor Caleb's in the background. Look what Seth did to him... payback Seth, just wait! Look Dad, I'm giving Seth a MOHAWK! Ain't he cute... He didn't keep it though, he kept a tuft of hair on the back of his head. I couldn't take pictures... it's tooo painful! I am praying it's shaved off by morning though.

I made this small layout in honor of my mom's friend, Mary Abraham. She was killed in Continental Flight 3407 on February 12, 2009. She was an avid motorcyclist and a member of Motor Maids. She will be greatly missed, but will forever ride on the streets of gold...

Angels in the Outfield

What a beautiful snow angel made by my Junior. I love this, it reminds me of the fun snow should be and the washing that it brings the earth.