Linda's Birthday 2015

The Birthday Girl was smiling as usual as the family gathered at Mom's house to celebrate Linda's 62nd birthday.

 Brianna's daughter Janae wanted to sit on Linda's lap and check out the balloon.

 Though Linda smiles all the time, she rarely laughs out loud. When I said something like, "Now you know that if you have a balloon in front of you, children will want to sit on your lap," she gave a little snort of laughter!

 I'm not sure if there were really 62 candles on that cake, but there were enough to inspire awe in the hearts of the children there!

 And she blew them all out!

 Jamie (Jean's youngest) was quite impressed! (That lovely scarf is her gift from me!)

Now on a side note, I must point out that our dear Beaver believer brother Doug struggled just a bit with the idea of eating a Duck-decorated cake….

Doug and Joel (Hope's son)

but chocolate cake won out! He's only human! (Jean brought the remaining cake from Chavon's birthday.)

 The kids had some checkers fun. That's my Eric on the right.

 (Don't worry, Brandon, I honored your request not to put your picture on Facebook!)

Baby Sister Jean, Big Sister Linda, me, the former Baby Sister Hope

After Linda's recent hospital stay, it was extra special to have her back on her feet and celebrating her birthday. We don't really know what caused the medical problems, but she has made an excellent recovery and seems to be pretty much back to where she was before. She is at work again this week and enjoying it very much.  My brother John and his wife Betsy were visiting from British Columbia, and we had a family dinner at my house the day before her birthday party. I thought it might be too much for her to be out two nights in a row, but when I talked to the staff member at her house, she assured me that Linda had already heard about the dinner at my house and was excited about coming!  And last night, Linda made sure to point out to me, "LeAnn, I guess I saw you yesterday and I saw you today. I saw you two days in a row." (No chance that she could say, "I haven't seen you for a long time." which is her standard opening line with nearly all of us!)

When the staff came to pick her up last night, I mentioned we hadn't had a chance to sing with her yet, other than Happy Birthday. Linda immediately started singing "Happy Birthday" so we joined in and sang it again!

Here's to sisters!

My 12-12-12 Birthday Party!

It's here and gone, the last repeating date in my lifetime, 12-12-12, which just happened to be my 54th birthday. I wanted it to be a day to remember, to be surrounded by people I love, and to give gifts instead of receive them. I sent invitations to my family members inviting them for cake and ice cream. I told them I wanted them all to bring me a gift, but I was very picky. The only thing I wanted was $12 to donate to the Duane Troyer Uganda mission trip fund and to surprise him at the party. I also had just seen a Wish List in the paper for Sunshine Industries, where my sister Linda works, so I listed some of those items, in hopes we could collect at least 12 things to donate. I also threw out a few ideas of fun things we could do to stick with the "12" theme, like at 6:12, walk around our loop 12 times, have 12 kinds of cake, and stay til 12 midnight.

In spite of that, 23 people filled up my house that night. Even more delightful, most of them were wearing purple! I hadn't received that memo, but just happened to be wearing purple pants! I started things out with a 12 hunt: list things they could find 12 of in my house (without opening doors or cupboards). (Didn't want a bunch of people opening my fridge to see how many eggs I had!)

There's Duane and Rachel working on it together. My guests found all kinds of things, but my sister Jean was the only one who noticed I had 12 nativity scenes, and no one noticed that the word "Joy" could be seen 12 times (on my plates, napkins, wall decorations, kitchen towel, and a holiday planter). I also had 12 poinsettias and sent one home with each family. Merry Christmas to them.

My sister Linda was a very special guest. She beams with delight when she is around family.

These lovely ladies in purple, my nieces Venisa and Serena, enjoyed some quality reading time from my selection of children's Christmas books. Hmmm, were there maybe 12 of those?!

Anisa made me a special gift, my very own sturdy, practical, large bag with handles and everything! And 12 of her wonderful crocheted dishcloths plus some fuzzy purple socks inside!

Finally I gathered everyone around to watch me open my cards. I was so excited and amazed as each envelope contained $12! There was even money from Venisa's in-laws, and from people I didn't know (Venisa's college friends who've been praying with her about Duane's support)! When I finished, I had $132. I got my purse and opened it, babbling about counting how much money I had. I counted out $132 of my own and wondered what I could do with so much money.

Then I asked Duane to come up and help give me some ideas. I put all the money in a bag and told him I wanted to give it to him for his Uganda trip. He was satisfactorily surprised!Then I gave him a hug and stole his awesome purple stocking cap. A few guest came late, and we ended up with $300 for him! We also have three bags and more than a dozen things to take to Sunshine Industries.

I loved the hat, but my sons forbade me to wear it for the group picture. Something about it sticking up too far and blocking whatever.

Back row, left to right: Kevin, Serena, Galen, Nick, Craig, Eric

Middle row: Will, Anisa, Carol, Doug, me, Stephanie (w/Craig), Molly (w/Eric),
Jean, Rachel (w/Duane), Mom

Front Row: Duane, Chavon, Cody, Linda, Venisa

My dear husband got the camera all set up on the tripod and we organized ourselves quite nicely, but he had to fiddle with it a bit to get the timer set up, and the natives got a bit restless. There was a bit of pinching and tickling going on, and possibly some claustrophobia as well. The first attempt failed. Will is not one to hurry, and he thought he had time to walk sedately to his spot in spite of the frantic urging of his sons. He didn't quite make it. I felt a warm glow, not just from all the body heat around me (or a side effect of my advancing age), but from realizing how much my family loves me to put up with the prolonged invasion of their body space. They stayed in place for the next attempt, which found Will hustling over and grinning as if  he'd been there relaxing all along. My youngest nephew Jamison wandered off during this never ending photo shoot, so he's the only guest not pictured.

But he wandered back in time to be caught in one of the sibling/spouse photos.

Will sent me a gorgeous bouquet with 12 purple balloons, and the children enjoyed them. After tears resulting from a balloon slipping up to the vaulted ceiling, Uncle Will kindly employed a slip knot to keep it on a wrist.

Several wrists actually. Jamison wasn't so sure he liked it tied on.

So I just have to share my fun decor. I made 4 groups of three "12" posters. Each group had a theme This one was "Christmas Joy" and included 12 pictures, old through recent, of family at Christmas.

This one was "Youthful Adventure Joy", with 12 pictures from our hiking and skiing adventures in days of yore.

"Birthday Joy", with, of course, 12 pictures of family birthdays.

And 12 pictures of "Family Joy", old and new group pictures.

So you may be among those thinking, "She is really nuts, obsessing about this crazy 12-12-12 birthday and throwing herself a party."  I detected this attitude from my dear children, who seemed to think my party invitation was hilarity inducing. So maybe I shouldn't have enthused, "Sometimes I just have the best ideas!" Oh, well. It was fun planning it, and even more fun sharing it with my generous family, who kindly puts up with my eccentricities all year long, just as families should. Hmm, I wonder what my next great idea will be?

Treasures from my Mailbox

My sister Hope called me from Costco on Thursday to confirm my address. She had run into an old friend of our parents, Mae Etta Kennel, who said she had just come across my birth announcement and would like to send it to me.

Sure enough, today an envelope from Mae Etta was in my mailbox. Inside was a note from her and a 3-cent postcard postmarked on December 22, 1958 in Cairo, Nebraska, addressed to the Kennels in Toledo, Oregon. Written in green ink in my mother's familiar handwriting, it began:

"A BABY- That which makes the home happier, love stronger, patience greater, hands busier, nights longer, days shorter, purses lighter, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, the future brighter -

On December 12 at 12:17 PM, LeAnn Sue arrived, weighing 7#11 oz. We were looking for her two weeks before - everything over by Thanksgiving, but we patiently (?) waited awhile."

I hold this postcard, yellowed and stained after all this time, and marvel that my mother wrote and touched this card nearly 50 years ago. When she penned this card 10 days after my birth, my mother had no idea that I would be blessed with her presence on this earth for only 14 short years. I am so amazed that her good friend saved it all that time and now returned it to me! Words cannot express my appreciation, but I have attempted to do so in a note that is already written and addressed to her. I will not risk procrastination resulting in inaction this time!

Another treasure enclosed was a slide, about which MaeEtta wrote, "In our slides we found this one of your family, taken when we stopped on a Sunday for church and dinner." The slide is labeled "Stan Troyers, 1965". Here it is, a never before seen Troyer family photo.

Back row, John, Dad holding Doug, Mom, Galen, Linda. Front, Mark, David, myself (Look, Will, I really did used to be a blond!), Hope. I'll email it to all my siblings.

What a refreshing and delightful change from the usual junk I find in my mailbox!

And, speaking of birthdays, a Happy Birthday to my big brother John, born more than 50 years ago today! I think you still have as much hair as you did back in the above picture! Were you about 15 back then?

Happy Birthday, Big Brother

Our family was privileged to share my oldest brother Galen's birthday celebration with his children and grandchildren last Sunday, a March day so balmy the children ate outside. These cute cousins were determined to eat their dinner while protecting themselves from each other's hitting arm. It's a difficult skill, but they seem to have mastered it. It got easier when Eric switched places with one of them.

After dinner, we saw the children playing in the back of Will's pickup and sent Eric out to supervise. The children got out and he returned to the house, saying he told them to be careful not to get caught in there by the owner of the pickup, Will, the child-eating man. They got to enjoy it later under the adult's watchful eyes. Will says pickup beds were designed for standing around and visiting. The birthday man was too busy pushing a grandchild on the swings to loiter around with the guys.

With great delight, Brendan observed the gift opening. "Open this one Grandpa, it might be a car!" No such luck - for some strange reason, no one bought this fifty-something man any new cars to play with!

In addition to being a loving, wonderful brother, father, grandfather, etc., Galen is a godly man of great integrity and kindness. I have the utmost love and respect for him. I am so fortunate to be blessed with six incredible brothers, and Galen has been an inspiring example to all of us.

"I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.... Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints." (Philemon 1:4, 7)

Wii Fun

Nick has been enjoying the new Nintendo Wii he got belatedly for Christmas. Eric explained to us about the Wii system, how it's purpose is to bring people together. The play on words (we), the visual of the word Wii being several people together. As usual I don't remember all the details that Eric so thoroughly explained, but the Nintendo company is certainly wonderful to have family togetherness as their goal. The Wii Sports are played by actually swinging the controller like a bat, doing the bowling motion, using a tennis raquet, and wow, you should see Nick box. He becomes exhausted with all the jumping around. Will, on the other hand, is able to down his opponent while standing still and using minimal hand motions.



I don't understand why at the beginning of my turn everyone was yelling at me to attach the wrist handle. Like they think I would accidentally throw the controller at the screen like some crazy people have done?

Tonight Doug's family came over for last minute tacos. Duane talked his dad into bowling with him. Doug was good. He can really focus when he plays sports. Fun times. It's cool to have brothers and nephews. Oh yes, sister-in-laws and nieces are good too.

A New Nick Name?

We were blessed to have Jody's children Brenden and Jenna in our home this evening. It was entertaining as always. While Brenden was holding onto Nick's head, getting a wild ride on Nick's shoulders, Brenden told him, "You have a furry fart head!" Jody and Kevin are so proud! Ready for a haircut yet, Nick?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Day was just as it should be - a relaxing day with the people we love most, being thankful for the many blessings we enjoy, including lots of wonderful food, (made by me) if I do say so. Actually, it became a relaxing day after we finished moving some furniture around. As always, Will did an excellent job of supervising the boys. It was just us, our boys, and two girlfriends for dinner. It was the first time we have had such a configuration for a meal. Rather noisy but wonderful. Will was heard to complain that when he was asked a question, people did not give him time to answer before conversation quickly moved on. Check out my marvellous men! (Note Eric's goatee color even after bleach AND peroxide treatments! He is not willing to use hair dye to change its' color!)

Later on, Doug, Anisa and family sandwiched a visit to us between their day's social activities. Quite an exciting time, between soduku and crossword puzzles and My Space. Although it seems a little strange for a cousin upstairs and a cousin downstairs to be communicating via My Space at that moment.
Then there was wrestling/rough housing between Nick and Duane, Nick and Doug, Nick and Will, then finally Nick and Craig, pictured below. (Do you detect a theme?) Thank goodness Nick and Eric don't wrestle.
Then we drove out to Galen's and got to see his kids and grandkids. Nick nearly ruined Brendan's day by leaving some uneaten chips on the table when he walked away. When Brendan noticed them, he urgently requested that someone clean them up. Craig hurried to oblige. We drove to Galen's twice, because I left my camera there the first time. It was much quieter during the second visit, fewer people/children. Aren't Lucy and Jenna cute!
Now it's time to get my beauty sleep so I can look good for shopping tomorrow!

Remembering Tyler

One year ago today, I was (strangely enough) shopping with Nick for a jacket/sweatshirt when I got the phone call that changed our world. One year ago today, my 21-year-old nephew Tyler John Troyer lost his life in Iraq. Today the family will gather at our house for a potluck dinner to remember Tyler's life.

Eric produced a video for me in June and we managed to get it a shortened version of it posted. We ran into some technical difficulties and I tried to call my brother Tom for help. The guy who answered the phone sounded exactly like Tom but he didn't have a big sister named LeAnn and insisted his name was Joe. I guess I need Tom's Indiana phone number. You can see a shortened version of the video Eric produced for me online. I'm really dumb about these things, but the first address will put it on full screen when you click the play button. The second address will show it on the screen where you can read and leave comments about it:

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-2233016266182086829&hl=en

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2233016266182086829&q=tyler+troyer&hl=en

Yikes, it looks like I need Tom's phone number. The quality of the video is not very good. I'll see if he can help me improve it!

Dirt vs. Decor

Yesterday I was preparing to host a "moving out shower" for my neice Brittany. Back in the distant past, this would have involved intense scrubbing and cleaning all day long. But yesterday, I preferred to shop, bake and put together a family recipe book for Brittany. (By the way, family, send me more of your favorite recipes please! I have some great ones so far and I may share them with all of you!) When I was shopping, I noticed many fall decor items on sale. I was first attracted by the "Buy 2, get 1 free" on the big florist mums. Three of those went in my cart. Then it occurred to me that if my house wasn't especially clean, people might be less likely to notice if there were seasonal decorations around. Besides, they could do double duty, both as decorations and gifts! Sadly, I failed to take very many pictures while people were here to show the cheerful effect, but this shows a bit of it. I even dashed out in the rain to gather some colorful leaves for an arrangement. Notice the new tablecloth on the dining table in the background and the blooming yellow mum centerpiece. You can't see the leaf design on the tablecloth, but I assure you, it speaks of autumn. McKenna, Dave, Brittany and roommate Angela. Dave understood my request for recipes to mean that he should prepare and bring the prepared recipe, so we got to enjoy his delicious baked beans as well as my pumpkin pie.

When I downloaded pictures, I realized I forgot to post about Halloween. Nick wanted to go out with a friend and scare small children, but of course Will forbade it, muttering something about "criminal mischief". So the boys went to Plan B and scared children as they came up our driveway. They put on masks and sat in my car, which Nick had carefully backed up. One little girl was so frightened she wouldn't walk back to the sidewalk until her mother came up to the porch to walk her back. Most of the other kids just laughed.
That's my cute little masked Nick!

A Chilly Sunday Afternoon

My delicious Sunday dinner was ready; I prepared to cut the beautiful golden roasted "Israeli Chicken" and was so sad to see pink juices flowing when I moved the chicken leg. So back in the oven it went. So often my best laid plans fail me.

Then again, sometimes things work out for the best. Will's sister just called him from Idaho, so he is free to have a leisurely chat. So the pressure is off to hurry up and get lunch on the table. (Not that a napping man actually pressures anyone.)


Eric discovered yesterday that his coat of many colors is not only beautiful, it's useful. The front pocket is just the right size for his kitten. They were heading out to visit Molly and her kitty, Oden. Eric brought home a three-story kitty palace/scratching post from her place earlier this week. It lasted a couple of days in my living room before I ordered it out. Now it's in his room. Lucky kitty.

Will and Nick went up to the posse camp yesterday and helped work on a roof. Upon their return, Nick was eager to show me the scrape marks on his stomach and legs from a fall on the roof. Fortunately he caught himself as he slid off the edge and didn't suffer a full-fledged fall. I think my sympathy and dinner at Denny's made him feel much better.

Ok, it's time to try for lunch again.

A Confession

A faithful reader called me last night and mentioned he was shocked as he read my previous post where I proudly boasted of successfully navigating my way to my sister Jean's house in the hinterlands of the south county. I apologize to him and can only blame this lapse on my amazing ability to block and temporarily forget things that I prefer not to remember.

The truth is, as I prepared to leave on Thursday night, I realized my mind could not picture where I should go after taking the Harrisburg exit. I have multiple excuses for this. Sometimes we take Hwy 99, other times we go on I-5. The first time we went, even Will missed a turn. Having full confidence in his ability to find any given address, he did not call anyone for directions; instead he gave us a lengthy tour of the back roads.

Lacking any confidence that perhaps once I was in the area I would recognize and remember how to get there, I realized I needed to get help. It's a little embarrassing to admit I can't figure out how to get to my own sister's house, so first I attempted to get help from MapQuest. Since it was already time to go, I couldn't get it to do what I wanted in a timely manner. So I dashed out to my car and called my baby brother Doug while I was enroute. Doug did not ridicule me for needing this advice. He gave me very clear and simple directions. What he doesn't realize is that for me, it is quite a triumph to go directly somewhere even with clear and simple directions.

So I apologize for not giving credit where credit is due. Without Doug's directions, I would have driven aimlessly around in the dark, become completely discombobulated, and missed all the fun, games and food at Jean's party. It was just one of many times he has cheerfully used his skills to rescue me. Several years ago, he made a house call at 10:00 one Saturday night on his way home from a Beaver's game to solve a puzzling mystery of why water was pouring out of our kitchen lights when Nick was taking a bath in the bathtub above. He has always been there for us to demystify and easily correct all the minor but puzzling plumbing issues we've had over the years.

So here's to my helpful, talented, cute and fun to be with brother Doug. Thank you, Doug. (If only I would have also asked you for directions to return home!)

Update at 7:52 p.m.: Speaking of giving credit where credit is due, I realized upon reading the comment below that I also failed to do that for my other baby brother. I so admired Tom's use of the word "discombobulated" on his blog "Iced Tea Forever" last week that I vowed I must use it soon. Thank you, Tom, for the inspiration and entertainment you provide with your creative use of the English language.

And to all my other brothers, Galen, John, Mark and Dave: space does not allow me to adequately thank you for all that I owe you also. Thank you.

A Utopian Week

Can my fellow Utopians believe how gorgeous fall is here? Yesterday was a record breaking 79 degrees! I had to put shorts and a tank top on to go for a walk after work! I also picked another nice bowl of strawberries. We ate outside last night! The flowers are still blooming, the leaves are a gorgeous array of colors, the sky is incredibly blue, the sunsets are awesome. This is a great place to live!

Once again I have endured a week of being single. Will left for Idaho to visit his family last Saturday and will return Sunday. It's been a much busier week for me, parties everywhere. Niece Jody had a Pampered Chef party Tuesday and Will was happy that I spent money there. He wants my old stuff for the trailer. He believes in getting the best equipment and I tend to buy the cheap stuff. But there will be no more wimpy spatulas for me! He can have them in the trailer!

Sister Jean had a Home and Garden party last night. I had better self control there. Or perhaps the temptation was less because of fewer essential items and more lovely items. My decorating genes are dormant right now. As always, it was good to talk to my sister Hope, the only person I know who has as many ditzy moments as I do. She makes me feel pleasingly normal. When we were growing up, I always thought I was the mature responsible one and she was the ditzy one. But over the years, maybe that's leveled out a little!

The half-hour trip down there with the sunset glowing along the horizon above the mountains was enough to make me want to drive on forever. I feel quite proud of myself that I made through the back roads of the unfamiliar south county to her country home with no wrong turns. On the way back in the blackness of the night, I only made one wrong turn. But I realized I was going the wrong way and turned around long before I got to Eugene! However, I did not honk and wave at my sister and nieces as I passed them later on the freeway, because at the time I was foolishly feeling a little embarrassed about my little detour that had put me behind them instead of 10 minutes ahead of them where I should have been, and kind of hoped they wouldn't notice it was me.

Tonight Nick has some friends over for a pizza and movie night. He and his friend were behaving like fairly well-adjusted and normal 14-15 year old boys before the two girls got here. Even though the girls are long-time friends, the boys behavior changed dramatically upon their arrival. Actually, shortly before their arrival they started trying to impress them by making sure they were out on the street doing cool things on their bikes. They became much louder, trying to outdo each other with silly attempts at humor. I guess they're trying to be especially cute and fun to be with. I'm just shaking my head. I think they are much more likable when they just act normal. But they are getting a lot of laughs.

The girls got to see the first screening of the video the boys completed today, a four minute "horror movie" entitled "The Tangent Scooter Handle Massacre" that involves a lot of running and screaming by neighborhood teenagers. They had a dilemma because one of the extras uttered a bad word during the filming, but talented big brother Eric came to the rescue. The screen momentarily goes black as Eric murmurs an expressive "Oh Dear" that is just perfect for the moment and completely eliminates the offending word. The opening and ending credits are impressive. Garrett is listed as "Captain Killer" and Nick is billed as "The Important Guy".

I hope you're not sadly shaking your head and thinking what a bad parent I am.

That was life at our house this week.

He's Back!

Will arrived home today after spending the past week on his annual fishing pilgrimage on the Rogue River with his friend Dave Dean. It has been an unspeakably dull and dreary week around here without him. Nothing to blog about since Nick's bleach incident. (The black dye did very little for the sweatshirt by the way.) I can't stand for him to go out in public in it, so I bought a new sweatshirt for him. There's a lot of yardwork that he can help with this time of year.

To celebrate Will's homecoming, I prepared a pot roast in the oven with all the accompaniments. Nothing is too good for the returning dominant male of this household. We spent dinner time catching up on all the important events. Here is the condensed version:

Nick: Got a new cell phone due to his dying and me giving him my upgrade, much to my relief because I didn't want to learn to use a new phone. ("Mom, I'm so glad you don't like technology!") Nick also was pleased to announce to his father that he had successfully configured the household laptops to wirelessly print from our printer.

Eric: Got a haircut and sideburn trim to be presentable for his senior portrait sitting which occurred yesterday. He was told that when he smiles his eyes go shut, but when he tried to keep them open while smiling, he was told not to look surprised. (Can you think of any Troyers with that problem?!) Can't wait to see them! We had to raid his father's closet because his clothing options are quite limited. A tie dyed shirt with jeans might be fine for a picture with his guitar, but we needed a little dressier look as well.

Me: I went to my boss's wedding in Salem on Friday night with three of my co-workers. While at a stoplight, one of my companions pointed out the gentleman in the car next to us, who had an index finger up each nostril. After flicking the results of that exploration away, he inserted his pinkie and tried again, completely oblivious to the four women hysterically laughing at him in the vehicle to his left. But the wedding was lovely. How often are you going to get a perfect warm evening for an outdoor wedding on September 29?

Will: Enjoyed a quiet week with his only friend whose hearing is worse than his own. (Oops, not his only friend.) Spotted a bobcat in camp several times, woke up from a nap in the trailer to see a ground squirrel on the countertop helping himself to cookies (lucky the bobcat didn't come in the open door for a snack as well!), and viewed a bear up the river.

The highlight of our dinner, which I was quite excited about, was dessert. I picked the strawberries in my raised bed today, and was quite pleased with the yield. I made them admire the bowl of berries for a bit. I was also quite pleased with the bouquet of hydrangeas and roses which I cut today.
I have never had strawberry shortcake on October 1 from fresh strawberries in my back yard. I have had these everbearing strawberries for three years, and I wish I knew what variety they are so I could recommend them to you. They yield a nice sized bowl of berries about once a week from July through September.

It was delicious and enjoyed by all! No leftovers! Yes, Tom, that is iced tea in the glasses! Molly and I are drinking mint, the rest of the family likes it plain.

The Perfect Child?

I came home today from a wonderful women's retreat weekend at Aldersgate where I enjoyed the beautifully landscaped grounds in the sunshine, the company of caring, funny women of all ages, inspiring testimonies of God's faithfulness, fabulous meals that I didn't have to prepare or clean up, and an outstanding speaker who shared how God has worked through the difficulties in her life to teach her to live according to eternity thinking. So here I am, inspired to look beyond the here and now and live for eternity. Amazing how last week's hike really fit that theme, as I didn't see the beauty til I was able to look past the ugly black burnt trees to see the mountains beyond.

I was the M.C. at this event, and I shared a few of the humorous family stories that sometimes illustrated the points that the speakers made. (As well as some that perhaps didn't.) It's possible that during one of these stories I may have been guilty of referring to Nick as "our perfect child."

But this afternoon after I got home, everything Nick did was extremely irritating to me. Perhaps the sleep deprivation of the weekend contributed to that. I had to make many urgent suggestions regarding his driving on the way to and from church. We bought laundry detergent after church because they ran out and no one was able to replace it in my absence. He started his laundry after we got home, and commented how the new detergent really smelled like bleach. I sprang up from the table and leaped over to the washer. It not only smelled like bleach, it WAS bleach. The new bottle of liquid detergent, white in color just like the bottle of bleach, was still on the kitchen counter. A week's worth of new school clothes, including the new sweatshirt, were in the washer. It is amazing how many of them were splattered with bleach. I think only the three items on the very bottom of the washer were spared. Thankfully, his red Search and Rescue shirt was one ot the items left unmarred. I am appalled. Does anyone know, if you dye clothes with bleach spots, will it take the color evenly? I have never dyed anything. (At least not anything that doesn't grown on my head.) It sounds like a lot of trouble. The sweatshirt is both gray and black. I might try to mark the black with a Sharpie and see if that helps. I might go out and buy Sharpies of every color tomorrow and see if it helps! Nick does not seem too terribly disturbed by it. He even thinks the jeans and some of the shirts look cool. I have informed him I will not be buying him new clothes to replace these. I am even reasonably sure that my voice was not excessively loud or high when I made that declaration.

Our weekend speaker, who deals with some health issues, told us that often when people say, "How are you?" her reply is, "I feel crappy, but I'm still happy." (She first asked permission to use the potty language!) So when I look at Nick as he wears these pathetic looking clothes, I will think, "You look crappy, but I still feel happy!" Because this is not an event that will affect his eternal destiny. This too will pass!


But the sweatshirt may have to go away.