Tale of the Franklin Realm

Once upon a time...



















There lived the princess of the land of terrible two. She reigned with an iron fist. She would decimate her foes with a mighty scream. Then there came a young knight from a far off land. He ignored her screams and threats. Many times he would even smile and laugh at her. The princes was angry and would sneak into the castle of the young knight and steal his blanket and teddy bear and throw them out of his home and banish them beyond his reach. Yet the young knight didn't mourn this midnight raid. Rather, he squealed with delight at the sight of the princess and angered her. She slammed doors despite repeated punishment from the owners of said doors. Then the queen and king returned from the land of Master bedroom and threatened the princess with her life if she should dare treat young knight this way again.

And for the moment... all is well in the Franklin Realm.

NEWS FLASH!

ALL 6 FRANKLIN'S WERE CLEAN LAST NIGHT!
This has been a news flash of the Path 31 blogspot.

(Also the dishwasher was used)

God blesses

We are technically in our new home. It is beautiful! I also purchased some furniture for our new home. It is beautiful.

On moving day, God blessed. The furniture company came and found that one of their tables for me were scratched. I was regretting not getting another table... and they GAVE me the table and said they would bring me a perfect one on Friday!!!

Then our phone situation was a mess... no phone no internet for one whole week?!?! But I made 1 phone call and asked if there was anything they could do... and within 24 hours, I am blogging.

Also, it may not seem important... but I just had a shower... 5 out of 6 members of this family received a bath tonight. That is something we haven't done since we left Southern California. We have never had enough hot water. John would have had a bath as well... but he fell asleep.

Tomorrow's goal: 6 out of 6!

I am having a difficult evening.

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up with the time comes." Matthew 6:34 (The Message Translation)

Fleece (Defined)

We have had a fleece before God this week. We have been unclear on our renting of a house across the street.

Our fleece?

"If the landlord doesn't contact us by Thursday and give us keys, God doesn't want us in this house"

The landlord called us the very next day and gave us keys... unfortunately the key doesn't go to any of the doors on the new rental.

New fleece?

"If we do not have THE RIGHT keys by Thursday..."

Chick Video

Chicks 2008

We ordered 26 baby chicks.
All Female!
We only kept 6. And gave
The rest to a friend.





This is Sprint.
She is fast.







This is Scarlett.
She is the red head.







This is Puff.
She is the blond.







This is Night Crawler.
Maggie named her.







This is Curious.
Maggie Named her too.
She looks like Sprint...
But not as fast. I wanted
to name her Verizon...




Here is Curious Sleeping.








This is Mo.
She will have a Mohawk.
Yes I am crazy.

Vacation 2008

Here are some of our
Vacation photos for our
trip to Southern California.

Isaac loved John. He is
eagerly awaiting the day
he can play ball with him.







We were able to spend
time with my brothers
and their wives.










And thanks to my brother Greg, we were able to replace the car bed that was lost in the fire.

Yes, there is a small yellow car on top of ours... Yes, it is a toddler bed.
Yes, it is funny.
Yes, it creates a lot of drag and sucked up our gas.

Story with an Abbieism ending

I am on drugs... Amie is watching "Incredibles" and there is a scene with a smoke alarm going off... not good.

As I was re telling this freak out to Jason at the dinner table, we discussed the fire. We clarified to the children: The smoke alarm went off. We didn't FREAK OUT, we just grabbed you guys and put you in the car. After we knew you were safe, we weren't scared any more.

Abbie: "Papa, Thank you for saving me from the fire."

Oh Crap!

When under stress... My neck turns into a pretzel.

So I am currently on Baclofen. (Not my first choice) It isn't working well... full effect lasts for 2 hours and sporadic relief for 3-4 hours after that. My Dr. is unavailable until Wednesday!!!

So I look up to see the dosage increments and instructions online. Apparently my Dr. would tell me to increase by 5 Mg each day until I get the desired results or my pain/stress is gone.

I also continue to read the warnings of this drug:
(note the opposites... constipation or diarrhea, Anorexia or weight gain)
(Back pain and exacerbation of psychotic disorders?!?!?!)

Adverse Reactions

Cardiovascular

Hypotension; palpitations; chest pain.

CNS

Drowsiness; weakness in lower extremities; dizziness; seizures; headache; numbness; euphoria; depression; confusion; lethargy; insomnia; hallucinations; paresthesia; asthenia; anxiety; agitation.

Dermatologic

Pruritus; rash.

EENT

Tinnitus; blurred vision; taste disorder; nasal congestion.

GI

Nausea; vomiting; dry mouth; constipation; diarrhea; abdominal pain; anorexia.

Genitourinary

Urinary frequency; enuresis; dysuria; impotence.

Respiratory

Dyspnea; pneumonia; hypoventilation.

Miscellaneous

Hypotonia; slurred speech; muscle pain; ankle edema; excessive perspiration; weight gain; back pain.

Precautions

Warnings

Intrathecal

Abrupt discontinuation has resulted in high fever, altered mental status, exaggerated rebound spasticity, and muscle rigidity that in rare cases advances to rhabdomyolysis, multiple organ system failure and death.

Give special attention to patients at apparent risk (eg, spinal cord injuries at T-6 or above, communication difficulties, history of withdrawal symptoms from oral or intrathecal baclofen)

Epilepsy and psychotic disorders

Use with caution because of potential exacerbations.

Fatalities

Fatalities occurred in premarketing trials of intrathecal baclofen; baclofen's role in these deaths is unknown.

Please pray

Insurance is a dirty business. Our lives have been thrown up in the air again by our insurance company. We were supposed to get keys to a new place on Friday... The insurance company will cover the rent... but won't say how long. (SO DO I SIGN A 1 Year lease?!?!)

Also, homes are flooding the market right now. A 4 bedroom 2 bath has become available ($40,000 above what we have...) and it is far from the church and school... but it is "modern" (1955) and is on a double lot.

We have so many fleeces before The Lord... we can't even check them all!!!

Please pray for our decisions... Also, please pray for me. I am not handling this well. Yes, I am posting at 1:20 AM... I don't sleep anymore.

Quote of the day

Faith makes things possible, not easy.

Panic in Dreamland

I was peacefully sleeping when I heard a "beep". A loud familiar beep that only comes from a failing smoke detector. My chest tightened, my gut liquefied, and I could hear my heart pounding in my head. I tried to go to sleep. I stuck my fingers in my ears... but by the second "Beep" and the following irregular heart beat prompted me to wake my poor husband at 4:41 am. He was WONDERFUL and changed the battery at the butt crack of dawn.

Epiphany

*I may have issues with smoke and smoke detectors forever*

Abbie's odd statement of the day

"Good people don't rip arms off."

Prayer

Click on the box to learn about Kennedy and her spine surgery.

My big girl...

Maggie has been at camp this week. We have missed her.
It is her first time away from home.

Thank you to my in-laws for providing
this awesome opportunity for her
and the great pictures!

Must be some kind of joke!

Sometimes I am against the death penalty... but not in this case.

Google Earth

I enjoy google earth. It shows satellite pictures of your area and places you want to go. I also like checking in on our old house. It's bright silver roof, the big cherry tree, the 55 foot tall spruce... It is still there on google earth. Like a little petri dish, or a time machine, our life still remains untouched. I will mourn the day that the house disappears even from Google Earth.

FREAKING OUT!

I am not the type to scream, "THE SKY IS FALLING!"

...but...

The last time there was a forest fire in our area... my house burned down.

The town is filled with smoke... the sky is red... and I am FREAKING OUT!

Baby John Video (LONG)

Amie had a birthday party!

Amie finally had her party on Sunday.
We combined the father's day BBQ with the birthday party.
A good time was had by all. Crystal made the cake... It isn't made of ice cream.

Bad Babysitter

So we are babysitting a child from church who is 20 months old. I failed to ask what he likes to eat for lunch! So I made our usual (PB and J) and gave him half of a sandwich. I gave it to him last so he could see the big kids eating the sandwich. He proceeded to open the sandwich, pull up his shirt and adhere the sandwich to his belly.

I shouldn't be a motivational speaker

I like to go and sit on my front step and watch ants... They toil in the hot sun. I enjoy watching them carry heavy things from our trash can. They are so small, yet can carry such heavy burdens.

Yesterday, a single ant was carrying a little caterpillar. The caterpillar was 3 or more times larger than the ant. I was trying to think of some motivational/scriptural reference to make this illustration work... but I am not the kind to tell the "Ant": Give Him your burdens, you can do more than you imagine and so forth... but on the flip side: Dearest Caterpillar: Don't worry, the end is near.

Frequent flyer card

Amie spent one hour of her birthday at the ER. Unfortunately she dislocated her elbow... with some help from Papa and living room wrestling. But all bones are where they should be. The ER nurse (Who recognized Jason and Amie) was very sweet and the new ER Dr. informed Jason of the proper procedure to re-assemble our child.

Amie's New word combo: Elbow boo boo.

Measure

Abbie: Since Jesus has a body, how tall is he?

Gardening

I love to grow stuff... unfortunately my children like pulling up stuff.

But today we planted a modest garden. 4 feet by 10 feet. We planted onions, carrots and tomatoes.

I have no hope for the tomatoes... it isn't warm enough here. But the carrots and onions will do well, be diced and frozen for winter use.

Happy Birthday Baby!

Nap

Mama: I am tired of grumpy girls. You will not throw things or yell at me. You are going to take a nap!

Abbie: It's too bad I'm not tired.

Mama: (Giggling) It's too bad you're still taking a nap.

Not for kids!

So I have been looking up greenhouse plans for quite a while...

Apparently in Europe they are also called "Hot Houses" so I googled "Hot House"

Unfortunately in this country, it is a meeting place for homosexuals and several porn websites.

Googling "Hot House Plans" came up with better results.

Spring Picnic

Sorry for the lack of posting lately.
I have been having a difficult time...
Little John has been sick,
our housing situation is a disaster
and I have been in a bad mood....
it is better not to post during these times.

Just for a laugh

Maggie is running late for school. We didn't do homework last night. So after breakfast, she is doing her math homework.

I inform her: "Maggie, as soon as you are done, come here. I have your clothes and I am going to manhandle you."

She informs me: "Mama, you are a girl. You can't manhandle me. Can you girl-handle me?"

I admit it.

If Jason didn't hand me a cup a soon as my head left the pillow, this would be my only alternative.

Hoooray!!!

(Moms who have had 2 in diapers will rejoice)

So Amie has been telling me that she needs to poop every morning around 8. So I purchased a baby potty... figured when she tells me I could just plop her on the potty. ~And Today~

**Success**

Amie is in Panties for the day. She is carrying around the (Clean) baby potty around the house! She is so excited!!! (So am I)

~Update #1~

I forgot to mention to Amie: Take off your panties before you try to go potty.
She was pretty embarrassed.

~Update#2~
Snack time + TV = urine on the floor

Pray for us please

Our "Design Review" for placing a mobile home on church property has not been allowed. We can appeal, change the roof pitch to match the roof pitch of the rest of town or buy a foreclosed home. Pray for our decision making.

How did China win the bid for the Olympics?

Smart baby

We are watching a children's program that features Chinese vocabulary words.

Today's word of the day: Hat (Mao tse)

Me: Amie, where is your mao tse?

Amie: Points at her mouth.

Me: good girl!

It's true!

Abbie always disagrees with my plans for her day.

Today's plan: pick up house, play outside, take baths, eat lunch, take naps, play on the computer, eat dinner, play with papa, and go to bed.

Abbie: Why do we have to go outside? (Here we go)

Me: You can't watch TV all day. It will rot your brain.

Abbie: I don't think that will really happen.

(long pause)

Me: You are still going outside.

Watch for falling cars!

It is anonymous artwork in London.

You know it's true!!!

Juice me up, baby!

It has been posted many times ... I cannot survive without COFFEE! I can't even make coffee without drinking coffee. I needed to install something on my computer... before my coffee was ready... I have no Idea what I have done. So far I see no ill effects. I also signed myself up for all sorts of junk email.

I guess I shouldn't blog without coffee either...

(Sip, Sip)

Just had to! Congratulations!

Yes baby!

Amie must eat when she wakes from her nap. So I have baby food for her to eat a quick small meal at around 4. As I was feeding Amie, Abbie came into the kitchen.

Abbie: Mama...?

Me: Yes baby...?

Abbie: Can I try it?

Me: Sure! (I hold out a spoon of baby food)

Abbie: (Giggles and runs away)

Me: (Figures it looks gross)

Abbie: (Returns) Mama?

Me: Yes baby?

Abbie: Can I try feeding Amie with a spoon?

Insert foot in mouth

I was informing Becky that I do not make coffee.

I don't... my WONDERFUL HUSBAND does. So this morning he reheats some coffee from the previous day for me and goes to work. I am still dragging... and drink another cup... awe crap! It's the decaf from last night!

So I wander to the coffee area... I open the microwave... "NO that's not it!"

I eventually made coffee and I am currently drinking it... It is 1:25 pm... I should be functional soon!

The Franklin Ballet

So I know some basic Ballet... and I am dancing and singing the Theme song to "Pinkey and the Brain" as loud as I can. Amie and Abbie are dancing around me and interjecting NARF in the appropriate place. No... I will not be taking pictures or video.

Abbie's odd request of the day

"Can you help me make a blue rainbow hat?" - Abbie - Age 4

Movie Critic

We have a DVD player in our car. Last night we were watching "The Little Mermaid"

During the song Part of your World- When she sings "Look at this stuff, isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think my collection's complete? Wouldn't you think I'm the girl, the girl who has everything?"

my oldest Daughter Maggie commented, "She doesn't have everything... she doesn't even have a lawn mower... or a Car"

"Or a motorcycle" my husband chimed in.

So long to home ownership!

Someone completed escrow on "our" home. We were 1 week from the end of escrow when Countrywide fell apart. I am emotionally struggling with this today. I really wanted some place to call my own... some sense of stability. Stability may equal stagnant in some vocabularies... I want a safe place for my kids to grow up that won't be taken away. A parsonage doesn't offer that luxury. Honestly, after going through a catastrophic house fire, will I ever feel stable? or will I cower in constant apprehension that we will once again lose everything?

How many titles can you make up for this Picture?

Here are mine:
"Excellent" - Mr. Burns (The simpsons)
"One Million Dollars!" Dr. Evil (Austin Powers)
"Try to take over the world!" the Brain (Pinkey and the Brain)
"Victory shall be mine!" Stewie (Family Guy)

Yes, I watch too much TV!

Growing season

I cannot find reliable information about our growing season... So I am going to use Chester's info... 17 miles away... and at 700 feet lower in elevation... the numbers may be flawed.

This will be my first year planting something here. Jeremiah 29 has been a constant in my head this last year. I have been in exile and now it is time to plant and build.

So what can you plant with a last frost date of July 22 and the first frost date of August 3rd? Yes, I am guaranteed 20 days of frost free summer! Yipee!

New home

So we are looking at a manufactured home... Here is a picture.
Pray for us and our sanity.

He is risen!

Therapy

Before the fire (Just over 6 months ago), I was really quilting up a storm. 3 days after the fire, my quilting frame was delivered to a burnt house. I haven't set it up. Thankfully all my quilt tops pictured before the fire were saved. Unfortunately, the matching fabric for the setting, rails, binding and backing, were lost.

My wonderful husband, set up my quilt frame (It takes up the whole living room) and I have the backing and batting to finish one quilt. I will take pictures later this week.

Good bye to Abbie's long hair!

Few of you know the torture we have had with Abbie's hair. It involves screaming and dreadlocks... So here is her new look.

Baby Pictures

So sorry Jonathan hasn't been featured much lately...

Isn't he the most beautiful boy you have ever seen?