Care to Join Me?

Good evening, everyone! I trust that you had a wonderful Christmas with your friends and family, and that you have snuggled in for a cozy winter. We are busily getting ready for our last Christmas celebration, and even though we have been celebrating for quite some time now, we are really very excited to get together one more time with family and friends. One of the benefits of both of us coming from large families...always something and someone new to see.

Anyway, back to the title of my entry. I'd like to invite any and all of you who are interested to join me in an online Bible study of sorts. I have just recently purchased the new study by Priscilla Shirer entitled "Can We Talk? (soul stirring conversations with God)". Anyway, this is a 6 week study covering 6 different topics. I don't know everything about it, but I heard her speak, and am really, really looking forward to reading this book. Truth of the matter, I stink at personal Bible study unless I have a format and someone to be accountable to. So, I thought this would be a new twist on the traditional Bible Study.

If you are interested, we'll begin the 2nd Monday in January (the 12th). Then, each week, I'll post one entry devoted to the study, and you can leave your comments on what you liked/learned/rediscovered through the study. That way, we'll all be able to "chat" about it without sitting at the computer for hours on end.

The book is available at Lifeway stores, and I'm sure other bookstores as well, in addition to its availability on Priscilla Shirer's website www.goingbeyond.com. Furthermore, here is a link to a video clip about the study http://www.goingbeyond.com/feature4.asp. If you're interested, grab a book and join in on the journey. Hope to see you there!

Blessings! Talk to you next year!

Leslie

Happy Thursday!

Just wanted to say hello. We've had quite a busy week, as the "bug" was shared by everyone but me! The house is now back to normal, and we are anxiously adding the finishing touches to our Christmas preparations. I have lots to blog about, but am having a bit of trouble finding the time to do it. Eventually I'll get around to it. Until then, have a wonderful week before Christmas, and enjoy the preparations as much as the actual holiday! No matter your circumstances, God is good!

Love to you all! Thanks for your continued prayers...I head to Oklahoma for another treatment tomorrow...which means I'll be back in my own home by tomorrow night. YEAH!

Blessings,

Leslie

(the photo above is an actual photo of a snowflake from the website www.snowcrystals.com. Isn't it beautiful?)

Well, well, well...

The above title is more of a "name it, claim it" rather than a window into the topic of discussion. Jeff and I have been up since midnight with two little boys who are each sporting their own variation of the "flu"...one...the true respiratory version, the second, a nasty stomach bug. I have done more loads of laundry that I care to count, and none of them contain the necessary clothes we will need for the weekend. It is nearly 4pm, and Jeff has taken off work early to pick up Owen from school.

"Meanwhile, back at the ranch...", Isaac is resting and watching a movie, while Levi snoozes on the couch. My kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and living room are finally tidy (with the exception of the large mountain of laundry on the loveseat...clean laundry from yesterday that I was going to fold and put away this morning). My house boasts the fragrance of Vicks (from the little boys room), Lysol (from every room), Clorox (again...everywhere), fresh air from the freeze out I produced a few hours ago...all windows open, exhaust fans on, and hoods up! Now, I'm trying to regain some sense of peace by burning a holiday spice candle. Will know in a bit if that was a good idea! Anyhow...WHEW!!! But even still...I'm here to take care of it! YEAH! Last year I was on the road and puny and ICK! But now, I'm back in business, and it's wonderful!

Levi has been a hoot and a half. So, so sick, and yet ever inquisitive and comical. His latest question, "Why do they call it throw UP? Shouldn't it be throw DOWN, because, you know, it's goin' down (insert vision of hand gesture here)?"

"Good point, Levi! You're so smart!"

"Momma?"
"Yes?"
"I sure don't like this."
"I know. I don't either...you'll be better soon."
"I do like stayin' home, though." (Never you mind that he missed "Santa's Workshop" at school today! I scored higher! Woohoo!)
"And I like having you home. Are you about done in here?"

Yes...all his great questions and quotes in the past 24 hours came from the bathroom, a place in which I'd rather not do my visitin'! He's just such a hoot! Jeff and I were bustin' up laughing last night, Levi was just so funny!

Hopefully, all will be well in the morning!

Oh...did I mention that Owen had the stomach version Wednesday? Yah...can you say "New toothbrushes for everyone!?"

Well...I'd better go. Won't you join me in a sing-a-long with Amy Grant?

"It's the most wonderful time...of the year! It's the hap-happiest season of all..."

Blessings,
Leslie

Merry Christmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Need a Gift Idea? Check this out!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a blast yesterday at Jeff's folk's house. Just 2 doors down they were livin' it up with a potato gun, daredevil jumping into leaf piles, bow shooting, and as this video shows...go cart riding! Isaac had a blast! Just testing my luck with posting videos...if this works, I'll add another! Happy Thanksgiving! Leslie

A Little Maxine Humor

Gotta Love It!

Well, I returned from Texas with a stomach bug that held on for an entire week. I wasn't alone, though, as my mom brought a stomach bug of her very own back as well. We've both been sick since last Sunday, and although I'm feeling much better, as of last night, she is not. Hopefully a real "day of rest" will do us both some good.

This week, Levi celebrated his 6th birthday! I am so pleased with the sweet little boy he is still. He loves to make us laugh, he loves to read, he loves anything with wheels, he has begun to collect baseball cards, and he joins his brothers in wanting....really, really wanting...even longing for...a dog! (We have no fenced yard, and we're not the indoor pet type people, so we settle for buddying up with our friends' pets, and keep hoping for a farm of our own...)We celebrated Levi's day with a trip to Jump Mania (a room full of inflatables) with the Parker family and the Glenn family. Big time fun. Then we had dinner, and came home to birthday cake and presents. Levi is still recovering from staying up til nearly 9 o'clock! Party animal!

The weather is much cooler here this weekend. We giggled with excitement as we watched the first few snow flurries float to the ground yesterday. The boys are aching with anticipation to use their barely used sleds that Santa brought them 2 years ago. This was also opening weekend for deer hunting here in Missouri, so we've all enjoyed hearing the updates from our friends and relatives as they bring home their bounty (or lack thereof).

I have some good news on the medical front. I have found an oncologist a bit closer to home where I can receive my "every three week" (tri-weekly?) doseage of Herceptin. This oncologist was actually recommended to me by my Dr. at MD Anderson as a physician he has worked with before, so hopefully everything will transition smoothly. I am still scheduled to be back in TX in January for more tests and treatments as well as reconstructive surgery.

I am looking forward to being close to home during the holidays, though, and we are all enjoying the holiday preparations. This past week, we enjoyed attending Owen's school Thanksgiving program, where they sang songs with titles of "Give Thanks" and "Count Your Blessings", themes very near and dear to our family. This coming week, Levi has his Thanksgiving program, as well as a "Friendship Feast" in his classroom. Sounds like a party to me! Then, next week, Owen has his "multi-cultural, non-denominational, can't call it Thanksgiving" feast in his school, and then we're all off for the Thanksgiving break! YEAH!

Thank you for checking in on us still. We are very appreciative of your prayers and your notes of encouragement. Thanks for all you've done to help me in the past year. What a whirlwind that was! You have no idea how wonderful this Thanksgiving/Christmas season is and will be to me and my family, and it's because you kept us in your prayers. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Have a wonderful week, and I'll write again soon!

Love,
Leslie

Right now...

I am unwinding after helping Owen finish an "Election 2008" poster, complete with a thorough description of the duties of our President, which candidate we feel is most qualified, and why...all in easy to explain third grade language. Give it a whirl...it's more difficult than you might think!

I am needing to clean my kitchen, as our supper of cocoa puffs and left over BBQ is still sitting out on the counter top. I have yet to eat...

My children are snuggled into their beds, having crashed from their weekend-long Halloween sugar high. The trick-or-treat buckets are securely (ha!) out of reach on top of the fridge. All candy has been dutifully sorted into chocolate, bubble gum, sucker, and chewy-fruity groups (for easier consumption I'm told!).

I am needing to get ready for this week. School, elections, and another trip to Houston await me, and I should be home again, resting in my own bed by Friday night.

I still need to write a letter of reference for my friend Kim. It's written, in my head. Now I need to get it onto paper.

I need to prepare for two separate child care orientation trainings that I'm doing in the next two months. Ought to brush up on those since I took a year off.

I need to send cards...lots of cards...I've missed birthdays, thank you's, and who knows what all. I'm spinnin' a lot of plates here, ladies, with a chemo-tainted brain! Better stand back!

I have enjoyed a wonderful 3 1/2 day weekend with my children and husband. Thursday night I visited with girlfriends around a fire pit...quite relaxing (even if I did come home smelling like a smoked ham!). Friday...friends, food, and candy! Lots of fun! Saturday...garage cleaning and reminiscing with my husband as we dug through all those boxes I blogged about last week. Lots of wonderful memories we've shared. And what fun we've had...and what a pretty bunch of little people we've made! Life is good! Sunday...Sunday School with breakfast casserole and cinnamon coffee cake, then off to meet Jeff's folks and Granny for her 88th birthday celebration lunch. A couple of pairs of jeans for the boys from the outlet mall, and we're back home in time to gather our thoughts for next week.

I'd love to have time to blog about everything I "write" in my mind. Someday...someday! Right now, I'm trying to spend more time with the boys...and Jeff...so I'd better go sit by him in the living room. I'm sure he's missing me terribly! (Ha!)

Thanks for your continued prayers. Thursdays appointments are lengthy...concluding with an MRI at 7 pm. I am praying that everything looks as healthy as it did in May!

Blessings,
Leslie

Furthermore...

It has been brought to my attention that I was a bit harsh about Halloween in an earlier post, and I'd just like to say, for the record, that my aversion is to the ghoulish decorations being right in the entry. I just think they could sequester those things in an area of the store that you could visit if you wanted, but preschoolers would not have to walk through, that's all. Levi is still afraid to go to Wal-Mart, even though I've assured him that it's all Christmas-y now. Hopefully, time will heal his frazzled mind, and we can shop in blissful harmony again, soon (as if...).

Okay...that's all I have to say about that!

Leslie

7 Things You Might Not Know About Me!

I have been tagged by my friend Shelley to post 7 things about myself, so here goes:

1)I was so chubby as a child that I was nicknamed "Moose"! No joke! Uncle Don even convinced me that I was sprouting antlers. I have since passed those nicknames down to either of Anita's children...as infants, they both fit the bill!

2)I have moved 16 times since I was born! All within the state of Missouri. I have a garage full of unpacked boxes to this day. Just last weekend I returned home from my folks with even more boxes of "Leslie's Stuff" that had not been unpacked! I'm 36 years old...you do the math.

3)I love country and bluegrass music! Even more so in the fall. My friends once laughed b/c at a holiday "Ladies night out" for my church, I listed one of my favorite Christmas tunes as "Two-Step 'Round the Christmas Tree", and was the only one who didn't list a traditional Christmas melody...much less religious! It held/holds special memories for me, as Owen and I would "dance" to that when he was a toddler and his daddy was out of town. It counts!

4)Since chemo, I can no longer drink coffee! Go figure. Even though it sounds good, and smells good, I just can't drink it. It's as if it acid washes my mouth and tongue. Isn't that sad? I just drive past St*rbucks and sniffle...don't you feel for me?

5)I met Jeff in college at the Baptist Student Union while I was "promised" to another guy! Wowzer! He opened doors for me, sat beside me during Bible studies and church sponsored meals, and even walked me to class. Once, we even won a free-throw shoot-out contest at SMSU to win 20 tickets for our organization (the BSU) to the season opener of the Bears basketball season. Later that year, I heard him and his brother, Bob, and good friend, Mike sing at Harmony Baptist in Rogersville, and I'm sure I swooned! To top it all off, he wore Wrangler's and Ropers, and if that doesn't make your heart skip a beat, there's just something wrong with you! My high-school sweetheart broke up with me on a Sunday night, and Jeff called my dorm room on Monday night to ask me for a date. And the rest, as they say, is history!

*** Have I used enough "quotation marks" yet? I just realized I'm like Joey off of Friends! Good grief!

6) My dream house is a white farm house with a wrap around porch, huge kitchen, and an upstairs (my 100 year old childhood home on S. Clark street would be great...or the Walton's house would do fine). I'd like a wood stove (or pellet...I'm rational about this part of the dream). I'd like a creek nearby, a clothesline, and a garden...and while we're at it, I'd like a well stocked pond so the boys can fish. I'd also like a barn (to hide all my unpacked boxes in!) and a chicken house...with chickens. Oh...I'd also like a couple of rocking chairs and a porch swing on the front porch. Let's see...yep! That about covers it. Oh...and a jar of sun tea brewin' on the porch. There...that's it. Zinnias...did I mention zinnias....and peonys...

7) Hmmm...let's see. I love to hear old timers tell stories. I could listen to Uncle Howard, Granny Fannon, or my Uncle Keith for hours on end (all of whom will never read this blog, so I feel safe in referring to them as "old timers"). I love to hear how things used to be done, what used to be where, and how to make something from nothing, a skill very few possess these days. I love to hear content people talk about life...it causes me to be more content!

There you go! And I now tag Kim and Carrie to post 7 things about themselves!

Thanks for the Poo-poo!

A big thank you to the ladies at Salem Avenue Baptist Church in Rolla for inviting me to speak last night. As I learned at the Ladies Luau, "poo-poo" actually means "apetizers" in Hawaiian, and I'd just like to say that the food was amazing! I'd share more Hawaiian greetings, but Nelda swiped my Hawaiian glossary, so that's all I remember! Thanks again for having me! I had a wonderful time!

Blessings,

Leslie

Bah Humbug on Halloween

I have had it...really, I have. Is there honestly any reason for my children to have to see all the freaks of the poly-vinyl variety every time we enter a store? Could they not just put up a sign that reads, "All un-holy, un-natural, scary, freakish apparel and accessories located in the dark recesses of the store." Is that too much to ask? Apparently so.

I have just spent the afternoon with my children looking for costumes for the Fall Festival (Halloween alternative) at our church. They both wanted to be specific characters which I did not have the resources to build at home. So, we set forth to price store bought costumes. ( A big shout out to Aunt Suzan who began this costume search tradition last year when my illness kept me from being all that holiday-ish! )

Anyway, we walked into the Factory Card Outlet, only to be greeted by a foul looking ghoul who was mechanically "alive" for all intents and purposes. The little boys came unglued...I'm not kidding. That should've been a major hint, but I lured them into the birthday aisle, where they were momentarily mesmerized by Backyardigans, Thomas the Tank Engine, and Diego...relatively harmless animated characters.

All was well until....they looked UP! MORE GHOULS! Hanging from the ceiling, of all places! Heaven help us! There were tears, wails...I may have been hot lined for all I know. They were just a mess. Owen, on the other hand, was content to peruse through the assortment of light sabers. "Just find that costume lady, and tell her what you want!", I insisted. He did, and we proceeded to the checkout, only to be startled by gummie snakes, tarantulas, and the like! My goodness! At this point, I was questioning whether a 9 year old could make a purchase alone if given my debit card. I knew the answer, but I was tempted.

The little boys were once again distracted, this time by the mylar balloon assortment over the counter. Thomas, Diego, Charlie Brown...all sorts of friendly faces inflated and smiling down on us. But then...we had to leave the store. I kid you not, never in all my life have I seen two children simultaneously freak out before, but I saw it today! They were crying, kicking, running the other way. Totally blindsided me. What in the world? I looked at the lady and stated, "You might want to move that thing from the entrance." Turns out, the boys were not as distracted as I might have hoped, and I literally had to fight my way out of the store. It was an intense struggle...no joke. They wanted to leave, but were too frightened. Good grief!

And me, well, I was really very understanding. I tried to bolster their confidence. I tried consoling. I tried carrying and shielding. I relied on all my motherly, child-development educated, common sensical resources, but I failed...girls, I failed miserably!

Owen and I were laughing, it was all just comical. I mean, understandably terrifying, and had I known, I would have made different costume shopping arrangements. But it was hysterical...in every sense of the word. My babies had to be dragged in front of and past a hell-ish looking mechanized ghoul to get out of the store.

Isaac actually threw a shoe kicking in refusal, and Levi was just walking with his eyes covered, screaming "NO!" and running into who knows what! It was a mess. I think from now on the boys will be baseball players, or football players, or my suggestion...Norm Abrams from This Old House! Anything but anything that has to be purchased in a store. AND...I will be shopping alone until all Halloween decorations are gone.

I must go now...I need a LONG rest!

Just a thought...wouldn't it be amazing if we all had that kind of reaction when confronted by sin? The sudden urge to flee...to get away, no matter how crazy we looked or how rediculous we behaved as we headed the other direction...back toward Christ and his righteousness. I've been made numb to the ugliness of sin...in so many areas. Wow...what a wake up call!

Blessings,

Leslie

There's Another Man...

It's true. There's another man in my life. I've known him as long as I can remember, but just realized this week how much I love him. He called me on Wednesday...wanted to do lunch. I had planned to put Isaac down for a nap, but agreed to meet him anyway. You might know who he is...many of you have even seen me with him. Oh, calm down already...it's my dad! Yep! He called me on Wednesday, and said he was selling some calves at the sale barn, and wondered if Isaac and I would like to meet him to watch them sell, and then eat a burger in the cafe. ABSOLUTELY!

I love going to the sale barn with my daddy. Actually, I like going anywhere with him. When we were little, he'd let me tag along with him to ball practice. Sometimes, he'd let me go with him to a tournament planning meeting (they had doughnuts there!). I almost always got to go with him during the paper drives for the Booster Club in Vandalia. And to go grocery shopping with him...well, that was just fun (Oreo's anyone?). In high school, he first took me to a livestock auction, though, and I've loved them ever since.

Farm folks are just my favorite people in the whole world. They're practical, they're sharp, they're friendly, and they are fun to listen to. I suppose if I went to the sale barn daily, I'd grow tired of the sights (and smells) of the place, but when I take my boys and meet my dad, it's a special day.

Ordinarily, I abhor the smell of tobacco smoke...but at an auction, it's just part of the atmosphere...as are all the other smells. I love the fragrance of sizzling burgers from the cafe, coffee, pipe tobacco, and dirt. I like the denim, the boots, the hats, the trucks, and, well, just all of it. I know...I'm crazy...but I love it.

We were too late to see dad's calves sell, but we sat and watched the sale for awhile anyway. Dad's an excellent teacher, so as we watched, he answered all my questions I used to be to embarrassed to ask, like "Is that per calf, or for the whole lot?", or "How do you know those are all steers from way up here?" (well, obviously I know the physiology of a steer, but when the whole pen is full of cattle, how do you know what the ones in the middle are?)

Anyway, we watched the sale, walked the catwalk overlooking all the livestock. Isaac especially enjoyed that, because you are above the cattlemen and their cattle, and to watch them open and close all those gates and lead the cattle to the arena...well, it's just heaven for a little boy. And I just followed my daddy, and listened to him explain the whole process from beginning to end to my littlest boy, who felt 10 feet tall as he walked behind his grandpa.

It may not sound like a date to you, but on Wednesday, I had a burger with my daddy in the cafe at the sale barn, and it was definitely a date!

Love you Daddy! Thanks for the date!

Leslie

5000 Words?

Happy Fall! What a difference a year makes! Just some pictures I've taken in the past month.

Life is good...God is amazing!

Have a good weekend,

Leslie

Field Trip Anyone?

Hey...I just did another thing that I've missed out on for a year. I accompanied Levi's kindergarten class to the pumpkin patch! You haven't lived until you've gone on a hayride, run through a hay maze, and stumbled through a pumpkin patch with 50 kindergartners! Wow! I feel so alive! (Or tired...one in the same, I suppose!) It was a beautiful morning, and everyone had a terrific time. Here are some pictures!

Two's-day!

#1) I have not dropped off the face of the earth! I have just been very busy, and have chosen to go to bed at night instead of blogging. Between school and Texas, we have managed to all come down with a nice case of bronchitis or allergies...depending on the individual. Collectively, we've gone through an entire bottle of Dimetapp and 2 Z-packs of antibiotics. Other than that, we're all okay.

#2) I am LOVING this fall weather. Mostly, I've been on the run...doing things with my family and friends that I could not do this time last year. What a blessing to be healthy again and able to enjoy the sights and sounds of autumn. After my family's trip to Bennett Spring, we enjoyed a couple of trips to the Rutledge-Wilson Farm (part of the city parks in Springfield), a trip with Johnny and Rhonda and the girls to Silver Dollar city, a visit to the pumpkin patch (conveniently located on a parking lot...oh well...we saw the real pumpkin patch at the farm, and we're taking a field trip to another one tomorrow), two trips to Texas (for Jeff...only one for me), several trips to the park up the road to ride bikes, and lots and lots of backyard fun. Isaac has learned to ride without training wheels, Owen is perfecting his archery skills, and Levi is perfecting his comedy routine as well as his knowledge of all things automobile-ish. I purchased an entire drum set for $5 at a garage sale, and have honestly enjoyed watching the boys find their inner percussionist.

Anyway, all that said, I haven't really done a lot of journaling, so I will try to catch up soon.

Thank you for checking in. Leave a note if you can...I'd still love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Leslie

Hurricane Anyone?

Well, it looks as if I left the gulf coastal area just in time, doesn't it!? What a storm they have coming in. All the beaches that we walked this summer are gone today...WOW!

I just wanted to give you a quick peek into what we've been up to. Jeff's birthday was Tuesday. Upon arriving home, he was promptly ambushed by three Nerf-gun-armed children who pelted him with Nerf darts for a good half hour. Following that, we enjoyed a birthday dinner, and then an ice cream pie! What fun! Here is a picture of us on that night. Don't I have a good lookin' bunch of guys?

Hope you have a great weekend. Keep our friends and family in TX in your prayers. They surely have a hard week ahead of them.

Blessings,

Leslie

Help Bring a Child Home from Africa

Hey! Real quick, my friend Kim and her husband Bryan are in the middle of an international adoption. They are waiting for the OK to go and get their little one who is currently in an orphanage in Ethiopia. If you would like to help them bring their new little one home from Africa, you can either email me at davis-clan@hotmail.com or link to her blog listed just to the left ("KIM").

They are selling T-Shirts as a fund raiser. The monies will help them with airfare for both them and their child(ren)...yes...they might get siblings! Any help would be appreciated. Check out Kim's blog for the history of their adoption process. If you don't want a T-shirt, but would still like to help, just let me know and I'll get their contact information to you.

The cost of the T-shirt is $15 if you contact her/me directly, or $18 if you use paypal. Either way, she and her husband will benefit, and will be able to meet their financial needs more quickly.

If you can't make a donation, you should still check out her blog. What a sweet family they are!

Blessings,

Leslie