photo 92

We celebrated Amy's Happy Happy Birthday a day early with steaks and yummy yummy Chocolate Ganache Cake from Publix.

-

Happy Birthday to you A. Love you!

photo 91

These two donated their gorgeous tresses to Locks For Love.

photo 90

Thursday's this summer are reserved for "Library and Grandparent's Day".
-
First, we checked out our books, and then we headed to my Grandparent's house. We carried along leftover Fajita Soup (miracle of miracles, I cooked two nights in a row) and carrot cake. Grandma and Papaw were happy to visit with the kids, and the kids were excited to read their books to them.
-
My Grandparent's live in Portland...which just so happens to have the best strawberries in the state of Tennessee. We stopped and bought a gallon on the way home. They are incredible...sweet, sweet, sweet and juicy. They also look gorgeous in a simple white bowl.

photo 89

Chloe has discovered the joy of good old fashioned games. Uno, Candyland and Guess Who are her favorites. She begs anyone and everyone to play game after game...her favorite playmates are Mark and I, followed by Forrest and Hannah. Cammie and Sophie are at the bottom of her list, but will do when everyone else says no. When Cammie or Sophie play her, they all three cheat which leads to much arguing and much refereeing.

photo 88

I decided to cook dinner for the first...okay second time this month. Mark requested spaghetti...which was great because I actually like cooking spaghetti and, my spaghetti is quite tasty if I do say so myself.
-
When I went to find the hamburger, I discovered that it was missing...Carol had used it when she stayed with the kids. Yes, that was a month ago, and yes, I am just now noticing that it's gone, and yes, I know I need to cook more often. Okay, moving on...
-
So, I had to improvise. I found a package of ground Italian Sausage...and since spaghetti is an Italian dish, I decided to give it a try. I am happy to report that it was yummy. My little husband is happy to report that we actually ate a meal at home.

photo 87

You may remember that I mentioned that Mark and I had steered clear of the Lost bandwagon until I discovered during the season premier this year.
-
And, you may remember that once we recognized the error of our ways, we spent many an hour watching episode after episode trying to catch up. Well, that frenzied back epsiode-athon lasted through Season 1 and Season 2 (47 episodes total). Then somewhere around the 9th episode of Season 3...our watching fizzled out. Not because we had lost interest, but maybe because we had ingested more TV in three weeks than we had in the past three years combined.
-
Since our cook out was rained out and we were not able to work outside...we decided to watch a few episodes...which ended up turning into 10. We only have 4 left, and then we are on to our Tivo'd episodes of Season 4.

photo 86

Forrest has had friends over every night since school let out. His room is showing the effects...it is also smelling of the effects. Eu De teenage boy.

photo 85

The Popsicle truck made it's first visit to our neighborhood today. The kids were SO excited...they were squealing and jumping up and down and laughing. Of course they ended up with drips and dribbles of sticky goodness from the their foreheads to the tops of their feet...and in Cammie's case, all down her pink velour leggings.

photo 84

Our landscaping in the front yard was looking a little rough. Actually, it was looking very rough. The drought last year killed off most of our shrubs. In November, we spotted several good looking holly bushes that a neighbor had dug up. We loaded them into Mark's truck and brought them home. They did the trick through the Winter...but looked a bit scraggly this Spring. So, we had everything pulled out and replaced. Some things we moved to other places, and some got tossed.

-

These lovely Care-Free roses (similar to Knock-out roses) make me happy. There are now three pink and two yellow rose bushes making me smile every time I pass them.

photo 83

The girls spent the night with a friend last night...stayed up late, got up early. Then, they played outside in the sprinkler for most of the day.

-

Muffin came in and climbed into a pile of towels awaiting folding...and fell right to sleep.

photo 82

Forget the market...these little piggies went to the salon.

photo 81

While the Artist Brown is yummy, it also dark. Which meant we needed a little more light. Two of these lovely little lamps on the buffet did the trick.

photo 80

Ch-ch-ch-changes....

-

The painters have arrived and the Terrazo Tan (terracotta) kitchen walls have given way to Artist Brown (Hershey's kiss). Yuummmyyy.

photo 79

We have entered a new phase, and I am scared.

-

A week ago, Mark and I were talking about the special service that was planned at First Church. Forrest piped in and asked if I could get him a new shirt and TIE.

-

I was happy...I thought that maybe he wanted to get used to wearing a necktie since he will be required to wear one to school everyday next year. So, I made the mistake of asking why he wanted it.

-

His response? "You know, because of all the ladies that will be there".

-

Lord help me.

photo 78

The Brownies had another field trip today...but this one was for the whole family. We started out at Owl's Hill Nature Sanctuary in Brentwood for Butterfly Day. We were lucky to find this Monarch caterpillar chomping away on a Milkweed plant.

-

Next, we headed to Granny White park to do experiments on erosion and to eat our picnic lunch.

photo 77

When I realized that this purse would match my dining room table centerpiece *perfectly*...I took that as a sign that I should definitely buy it. Makes complete sense.

photo 76

During graduation, Chloe couldn't seem to keep her toesies in her shoesies.

photo 75

Remember WRA #1?
-

Remember my newly planted herbs?
-

The water-filled pot on the right would be WRA #2 and the half-dug-out pot on the left (including the dirt) would be WRA #3.
-

Of course we would end up with a dog that digs.

Surprisingly, I still love him.

photo 74

Me...in need of eyebrows, concealer and lip gloss.

photo 73

I love it when a new shipment of coffee arrives at my door.

The sight of a jar filled to the brim with Kcups is oh-so satisfying.

*The pods are used in this fabulous little coffee maker.

photo 72

Happy Mother's Day to me...

I heart Bath Junkie.

I also heart that one opened up in the shopping center behind my house.

I heart, heart, heart that my little family gives me a "filler up bag" for Mother's Day each year.

If you haven't visited Bath Junkie, you should.

You see those little bottles?

Well, you take them to bATH JuNKiE, and you decide what you would like in them.

Me? Hmmm...in that round jar, I will have exfoliating body scrub. In the silver spray bottle, body spray. I'm thinking the other two bottles will be a lotion and either a shower gel or bubble bath.

After those tough choices are made, you choose from a few hundred scents, or make your own. Next, you choose which color you'd like your bath stuff to be. Finally, you sit on a cute stool and watch the little lady mix up your custom beauty potions.

Good stuff.

photo 71

Chloe's Brownie Troop went on a field trip to the new Fire House. All the girls thought that touring their sleeping quarters was the coolest part.

photo 70

A sure sign that we are indeed home. The bills that were supposed to be paid on the 1st but couldn't be since we were out of the country...finally got paid today, on the 9th.

-

Don't worry, we have a good payment history so I don't think they'll be cutting off the lights or the phone...I hope.

photo 69

I love handprint art from the kids...especialy this one...Cammie's last Mother's Day gift made in pre-school. *Sniff*

-

My baby will be in kindergarten next year...and no, I'm not okay with it. *Sniff*

photo 68

We missed Winston about as much as we missed our kids...shhh...don't tell the kids that.

-

He, however, was blissfully unaware of our absence...the owner of the training facility took Winston home with him every night instead of boarding him with the other doggies and spoiled him rotten.

-

While he was given the royal treatment, he was also taught *puppy manners*. I am happy to report that we picked up a better behaved puppy. No more biting, no more barking, and no more jumping. He also walks on his lead without pulling...which may not sound like a big deal....but in 3 months when he weighs 100lbs, it will be a very big deal.

photo 67

Home.

-

Slipping back into regular day to day life...and things like tennis lessons.

photo 66

Our final destination was the cemetery/dump.

-

The cemetery is located right next to the dump. Thousands of families live in the dump. They have built there homes from their findings and they make their meals from other peoples refuse. Their clothes are scavenged from the piles and they sell what they can in order to make a meager living.

-

When we pulled into the cemetery (where people also live), we looked around for a few minutes. There are crypts that belong to the wealthy (which is a relative term here), but the majority of the huge cemetery is filled with walls and walls of tombs.

-

Immediately, you notice where a casket has been removed from the wall...a gaping hole in the midst of the markers. You see, you have to rent your space in the wall. This debt is passed down from generation to generation. After awhile, when you are paying for grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, etc, it becomes too much.

-

When that happens, and you fail to pay for one of your family members, their tomb is opened. Their casket is pulled from it's enclosure and opened. The bones are buried in a mass grave in the dump...which is conveniently located just over the wall, and their casket is tossed over as well.

photo 65

We attended two different churches. In the evening, we visited the church in La Comunidad.

-

The week before we arrived, they painted the church in anticipation of our arrival. Before, it was gray bricko-block and sheet metal.

-

We had what they call a "hundred chair service". What's that? They determine how well a service went by how many chairs th hey have to remove in order to make room for the worship. Guatemalans are very exuberant in their worship (most Pentecostals are, but believe me when I say they are VERY). It was incredible! 15 people received the Holy Ghost in the evening service, and 10 in the morning service!

photo 64

We ventured into Antigua for a day of shopping. After touring a coffee plantation and visiting a Jade factory, we headed to the market.

-

Mark and I found our souvenirs in the "tourist market" quickly. Then, our new friend Amber (an *AIMer from Alabama) took us on a tour of the "local market".

-

To say that the local market is an assault on the senses would be an understatement, but oh how I loved it.

-

The produce heaped in baskets and on tables was gorgeous, the flower market was brimming with exotic stems, and the meat...well, it was interesting. No one wore gloves, flies were buzzing, and the smell...powerful.

-

Fascinating.

-

*Aim is a missions program through the UPCI.

photo 63

This is the kitchen at the orphanage.

-

This cook top was the only means of preparing meals for 19 children and 5 adults.

-

A 4 burner cook top smaller than our camping stove.

-

No oven. No microwave. 2 pots. That's it...for 24 people.

-

Also, there was no dryer. The "rainy season" began on May 1st. During the the rainy season, they have to dash outside and take the wash down every time it rains, then dash back out to hang it back up as soon as it stops.

-

Can you imagine?

-

While most in the group played with the children and got to know them better, several of us piled into the back of a small pick up truck and went to the store to buy a real stove, a microwave, a dryer, a deep freezer, 4 large stock pots and 7 fans.

photo 62

We spent the day working at the bible college/central church in downtown Guatemala City. This is where pastors are trained and is also the main church in Guatemala City.

-

This "room" was two class rooms and hall when we arrived. Over the course of the day, we tore out the drywall on the framed walls, ripped out the framing of the walls, stripped all of the electrical wiring, removed the tin roofing and then pulled out the framed roof. Afterwards, we cleared all of the debris.

-

All of the materials except the drywall were saved for the rebuilding. This room will be a part of the new sanctuary.

-

While one crew was working on the demolition, another crew was busy painting the bunkbeds in the dormitory and re-painting one of the class rooms.