Bar Hopping

Last night Mark and I went out bar hopping. It was all for research, really! I have a good friend getting married in Salem later this month but she's from out-of-town and so is the rest of the bridal party. I am the only one who lives here in Salem so I so willingly gave of my own time to do a little bachelorette party information gathering. And of course I dragged my husband out for a date we wouldn't normally have gone on. The only bars we've been to together in recent history are at a Red Robin and the Olive Garden. I felt rather silly when we went to the first place and I had to ask what a well drink was. I think I know now after asking for a couple of things that did not qualify. I'm sure the waitress thought I was completely ridiculous. We shared a plate of cheesy fries, and since I was the one driving, I stuck to the ol' Pepsi. But I also learned that on Thursday nights (which is when the party is to be held) all Call Drinks are $2!! However, I don't know what a Call Drink is. But it's only $2!! We went to two more places that evening just checking out the environment of each bar to see what might be a good place. In the end it's hard to say. Afterall, we were home by 9pm! Ha! Ha! Ha! We are so old!!

Back to Normal

Elise is doing very well. She has pretty much completely recovered. Her throat of course is still healing but she has an appetite like she used to, she has energy, she's running around and getting in to trouble . . . all the things a six year old should be doing. We are now finding out that there are a couple of things about her that are new. Her voice is different. It's much squeakier and high-pitched now. She can now make noises that I've heard out of other little girls especially when they get excited and start screaming. We had been told by several people, including the speech therapist, that her voice was raspy

and kind of hoarse, but we never noticed. Now I can hear the difference. Hmmm . . . not sure I like the squeally little girl voice so much but maybe it'll mellow out a bit. The other thing that's new is that finally she has stopped snoring! I was concerned for the first week after surgery because she was still snoring at night but now that I stop and think about it, I haven't heard her snoring when we go check on her before we head to bed at night for several nights. Yippee!!

Here's the kids several days ago playing with the humidifier. What great fun!!

Heading Back in to the World

This morning Elise headed out in to the big world and actually got out of the car this time. (Over the weekend we went on an adventure as a family to locate an intriguing building that we can see from up on our hill. It was great fun trying to look through binoculars to see what landmarks were nearby then heading down in to town to find it. Elise never got out of the car that day.) But this morning she did get out of the car. We went to a new bakery down the hill from us and bought a loaf of sourdough bread. We'll make great french toast for dinner tonight and make it nice and gooey so Elise can actually eat it. Mmmmm!! Then we headed to Fred Meyer to grab more children's Tylenol and a couple of other things. I think this day is really a turning point in her recovery; not just because she made it out of the house, but also because she is actually eating and drinking today without us begging her to. She had a bit of oatmeal for breakfast! For lunch she had the left over oatmeal & canned peas & carrots (Yuck! But whatever . . . she's eating! That's great!) She's drank more plain water today than I've seen her drink in a week. She has mentioned wanting to return to school. I asked her what she thought of the idea of going back tomorrow and she said, "Maybe even today."

I think the turning point may have actually been last night. Yesterday was a pretty sad day. She just seemed so depressed. She wanted to sit in her bed alone rather than being out in the living room during the afternoon. As she went to bed last night, she complained of her stomach hurting and it dawned on me that she must be starving. So we said, "Up, out of bed, you need to eat." She sat with Mark and I and actually ate. She ate two helpings of applesauce and two helpings of ice cream!

2 Days Post Tonsillectomy

Elise seems to be doing really well. The doctor and everyone warned us that the pain would get worse for about three days and then start to subside. So far I haven't noticed it getting worse at all. Immediately after surgery, when she was laying in my arms and crying, was the worst moment I think. She does have a few times a day, probably when her meds are starting to wear off, that she will complain a little, but not like I expected. Last night when she was having one of those moments it was right before bed and she was brushing her teeth. We were both standing in front of the mirror and she was crying a bit. She said, "Why did he do this to me??" Oh, it was so sad! So I gently explained to her that breathing was really important and we'd like her to breath better at night.

The photos were taken yesterday, the day after surgery. Shawn took a nap for the first time in forever. He actually fell asleep sitting up in a chair in the kitchen while eating a popsicle. Too funny! Elise wanted me to lay him down with her. So cute . . . until she starting kicking him in the head. He then was moved and able to take a peaceful nap on the other couch.

Day After T-Day

We all awoke to Elise's screaming and coughing this morning at about 5:55am. She was complaining that she had swallowed a piece of hair and couldn't get it out. Mark came and checked it out with a flashlight and then had to explain to her that her throat is just going to feel really different for a few days. No hair in her throat, just a scab trying to form where her tonsils once were. Of course Mark added, "You won't ever have to go through this again. Just hang in there for a few days."

For patients who have had a tonsillectomy they recommend that you sleep with your head elevated. A six year old is not going to stick to that throughout the night so the doctor suggested that one of us sleep in her room the first couple of nights to keep an eye on her. I tried last night but her snoring was so obnoxious I just couldn't relax. Poor kid! I do hope we see that calm down soon or I will be very depressed.

Mark headed back to work today so it's just me with the two kids today. We'll be fine. I told Mark yesterday that the worst that will happen is that the kids will both watch 8 hours of TV today.

Yesterday we read an e-mail from Poh & B (her grandparents who are off at sea right now on a scientific voyage) and they suggested she draw a picture of her experience to show them when they return. Not only did she draw a picture, she has now illustrated the entire course of events . . . waiting in the waiting room, sitting with Mom & Dad when the nurses and doctors came to talk to us, changing her clothes in the bathroom, and my favorite, the parts I wasn't there for, being put to sleep and waking up in a different room. She just used up the last piece of her drawing paper so I'll have to go find her something else to use. And maybe later we'll put it together in chronological order and make it a book.

T-Day

I haven't blogged in months. Today's as good a day as any (or maybe a better day than any) to pick it up again. But not better as in, "Woohoo! Excitement! Happiness! Thrilling event!" Today Elise had her tonsillectomy. She's been looking forward to this day for weeks. Over the past few days she's even been playing hospital and acting out being sick. She's taught her brother everything she knew about having tonsils removed. After today she'll have a few more things to teach him.

The surgery center actually called us this morning just moments after she was out of bed and asked if we could come in early. So we were off and running. Shawn got to go play with Grama this morning so Mark and I could both attend the surgery. The first part was boring . . . signing paperwork, paying, etc. Then they took us back and Elise got to put on hospital pajamas. Not just a gown. There were cute little scrub-type pants that matched. She even got little booties and a lovely blue shower cap to wear. Then she got to sit in this huge recliner chair while one nurse, then the doctor, then the anesthesiologist than another nurse came and talked to her. I was really surprised though when we didn't get to stay with her while she was put under. The nurse just said, "Okay come with me," and she led Elise off without us getting to say, "Good-bye," or give her a hug. Well it went very quickly and soon the doctor was out in the waiting room calling us back. Everything went well he said. She did have huge tonsils and he's sure we'll see an improvement with her snoring at night. Just another quick wait in the waiting room and we were escorted back to see her. She was already awake and asking for us. My poor little bug was trudging along with two nurses and an IV pole. She just wanted to curl up in my lap and the first thing she said was, "It hurts really bad!" Then for the next 45 minutes she just dosed in and out of conciseness, coming to when she felt like she was going to throw up and after no success with that, she'd go back to sleep.

We are back home way ahead of schedule and she's sleeping again. The odd thing is, she's snoring really well! Hmmm . . . Mark says it's just from the swelling after surgery. I think I might need to get a flashlight and look in there to make sure they're really gone. :)

Now the challenge is keeping her pain level down and her body well hydrated. Our kitchen is well armed with Strawberry Quick, green Gatorade, Chrystal Light, Popsicles, jell-o, and juice. Hopefully there is something in there that will appeal to her enough to keep her out of a hydration clinic. The doctor's challenge to her at her pre-op appointment last week was to keep her urine clear. Prior to surgery she was paying attention to this. We'll see later today if she even cares about her clear pee as much as she did yesterday.

Thanks for the prayers and well wishes from everyone!

Blessedness

I just read the greatest thing in my Bible study for Hearts at Home. The lesson is on The Road to Blessedness. Even though I rarely go back and reread studies from the past or look at any notes I've ever taken in a sermon, I think this is a quote I will write down and read often. "We all should learn to notice, drink in, and appreciate moments of blessedness. Then, we should talk about them and celebrate them. In a world filled with bad news, let's learn to rejoice in the great moments of blessedness and delight that take many shapes and forms." I love it! It inspires me to ask my family at dinner, "When did you feel great today?" "Did you have a chance to help someone else today?" "Tell me about a really fun thing that happened at school!" I know I am blessed an insane amount in my life. There are even times when I realize the blessing in the moment. There are times that the kids are laughing their heads off with joy and I try to take a mental picture and say a quick, "Thank you God for putting this moment in my life!" But right at this moment, after reading these words this afternoon, I feel excited to take more notice of those blessings. I want to say, "Thanks God!" more often in my day. I want my kids to learn to recognize moments of blessedness too. In so doing, they will learn that GOD IS GOOD and HE LOVES US!

Giant Tomatoes Take Over Salem

The city is all in a frenzy over the giant tomatoes that have invaded. Eye witnesses in South Salem say the tomatoes are larger than a VW Bug. No one knows quite what has happened here, but everyone has their own theory. Elise M. says, "They just grew and they grew and they grew!" "Steroids," was one more neighbor's explanation. Another witness simply screamed, "Noooooo!" and ran away in fear. So far the tomatoes don't seem to be causing any chaos. Residents here say that if the tomatoes prove to be "just tomatoes," they will have a record breaking batch of salsa!

Elise's 1st Day of Kindergarten

Today was Elise's first day of kindergarten. I am way more excited than sad so it's a good day. On her first day of preschool I cried in the car a little bit on the way to drop her off. But this year I am just so excited to see her growing up and becoming more independent. I didn't cry at all when I dropped her off. She quickly busied herself with an activity soon after we got in to the classroom. She was totally fine without me. I'm sure she was thinking, "Gee Mom, would you hurry up and say hello to the teacher then LEAVE!" A funny side note . . . I asked her, "What would you like for lunch today since it's your first day of school? You get to choose." Out of the blue she replied with, "Raspberry pancakes!" Until today, I'm not sure I've ever made raspberry pancakes and if it ever did happen, I'm sure it wasn't for lunch.

He's Asleep!

Today was our trial run for our new fall schedule. After a lot of thought, we decided to put Elise in to afternoon kindergarten. My HOPE was that Shawn would be able to nap right after we get back from taking her to school and then I would be able to use that time to work. Well, over the past few weeks, Shawn has decided that taking regular naps is no longer fun. He would much rather terrorize the house and fly off furniture and build bouncy houses out of the couch cushions. Gone are the days where he would run in to his room and climb into bed on his own. Right when it was time to start adjusting his nap schedule to be a little earlier in order to fit the kindergarten schedule, he decided to not nap at all. After a long weekend with Mark home, I'm back on my own today and it's time to get serious!! So we took Elise to school this afternoon (not technically her first day of school. There is some sort of testing they do but it's the same time she would normally be in school.) After we got back home we grabbed the dog and went for a bit longer walk . . . you know . . . to get him nice and sleepy. . . . mmmmm . . . didn't work. So we came back home and I thought I'd lay down with him for just a little bit (you'd think I'd learn that I can't just lay down with him for a little bit. It's all or nothing.) But finally after two baby gates stacked on top of each other in his doorway, about 45 minutes of crying, and one trip to the bathroom, he finally fell asleep!!! Yeah! When he does manage to nap it's a good two hours. He's only got one hour today though before we need to turn around and go get Sister. But he's ASLEEP! I did it! I feel like I accomplished something great! Thank you Jamie D. for the extra baby gate! I feel like the parent again.

Guilt?

I recently received an e-mail from a dear family friend whom I have known for a long time. It was in response to my last blog entry. She really gave me something to think about. GUILT. What is it? What's the difference between guilt and conviction? I use the word guilt a lot in daily life. "I feel guilty for leaving my kids at Grama's all day." "I feel guilty like I should be getting something done right now." I probably am not using the word correctly even in those type of situations. Guilt in the spiritual realm is something I've always thought I did not have a problem with. Accepting Jesus' forgiveness has never been an issue for me. I've always known and believed that God loves me no matter what. But how well is God going to use me if I never open my mouth?


Here's a bit of my e-mail back to her, "'Guilt? I'm not feeling guilt.' I thought what I was feeling was a genuine desire to be on fire for God. I want to be passionate. I've never had trouble accepting that Jesus loves me. I've always been secure with that. What I'm not secure with is my own response to His love & forgiveness and the truth of the Good News. I know I am saved by faith and not works. I also know that we are called to be fishers of men and I am feeling that I need to be a little more bold with my 'lures.' So I don't know. Is that guilt? Is that conviction?"

Am I Living Out My Purpose?

This morning a friend of mine wrote on her blog (http://allthingshenderson.blogspot.com/) a bit about Senator Kennedy's memorial service. She included a portion of President Obama's speech:

"We cannot know for certain how long we have here. We cannot foresee the trials or misfortunes that will test us along the way. We cannot know what God's plan is for us. What we can do is to live out our lives as best we can with purpose, and with love, and with joy. We can use each day to show those who are closest to us how much we care about them, and treat others with the kindness and respect that we wish for ourselves. We can learn from our mistakes and grow from our failures. And we can strive at all costs to make a better world, so that someday, if we are blessed with the chance to look back on our time here, we can know that we spent it well; that we made a difference; that our fleeting presence had a lasting impact on the lives of others."

"Live out our lives . . . with purpose . . ." " . . . we can know that we spent it well . . ." What does that mean? For so many it means being a good person, treating other like you'd like to be treated, maybe throwing in some volunteer work here and there. Yesterday, Pastor Steve Dangaran at our church here in Salem, gave an amazing message. I was in tears. I was convicted of how I am not living out my purpose as I should be. Yes, we should love. Yes, we should be generous to others. Yes, we should treat others as we would like them to treat us. But by far, the most important purpose in my life should be introducing others to the One who loves them more than anything they can imagine. The One who wants us to spend eternity with Him. The One who created the Universe; everything in it, the mountains, the sky, the trees, every hair on my head (even the ones going gray). While I'm loving, and giving, and spending time with people, I NEED to be showing them who Jesus is. I NEED to be telling them truth.

The truth is God loves us. He created us. The truth is we are ALL sinners. The truth is God is so Holy, so good, so unexplainable that we in no way deserve to be in His presence. The truth is God so desperately wants us to be in His presence. The truth is He is pursuing us. We mess up and mess up and mess up and God pursues us still. The truth is He provided a way to bring us from our lowly, sinful human existence in to his presence. The truth is He sent His Son, Jesus, to die a torturous death; to pay the penalty for us. Jesus, God in flesh, the One who was sinless, blameless, perfect . . . He suffered in your stead! There is a Heaven. There is a Hell. God wants us with Him. This is truth.

Oh God, please use my fleeting presence on this earth to have an everlasting impact in the life of someone.

Elise Loses Her First Tooth

Elise lost her first tooth this morning. She is out at Grama's for the day so I missed it, but they made sure to document it well. First, here is some sideways footage of her trying to pull it out this morning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOBRWtEKI9I


Around 1:45pm I was driving down the road (on my way to get a pedicure! I have the whole day to myself. A great early birthday present!) and I got a phone call from Grama & Elise. She had lost her tooth while eating mandarin oranges. How funny! After all the apple and crunchy cracker eating in an attempt to get it out, she loses it while eating mandarin oranges. Pudding or Jello might have been funnier.

I just received a notice from the Tooth Fairy council. It says, "I hear your child has lost a tooth. Congratulations! I know this is an exciting time for your family. However, new requirements are now in place which state that the 'parent or guardian of said child must be witness to said tooth and verify its authenticity prior to a visit by the Honorable Tooth Fairy.'" Great!!! That works out perfectly for me since I won't see her before tomorrow. I would have been so bummed to not be around when the Honorable Tooth Fairy made her very first visit to Elise. Being Mom is so cool!!

Camping Adventure Part II - The Wind's A Changin'

Drinking cocoa at Camp Side-of-Road


We fell asleep, and awoke to, the beautiful sound of a rushing river. In the daylight was realized we had pulled off in a beautiful area. There was a path that took us down to the river and we all took a little walk. Elise thought it was fantastic. It was "Fairy Land." With a full night's sleep and renewed enthusiasm, we set off to find a place to camp. The real Frog Lake? Some place else? We weren't quite sure.

We stopped at Timothy Lake so the kids could see this really cool reservoir where the water was pumped under the road and out in to the canyon on the other side. The water shot out like 15 fire hoses and the sun was hitting the spray just so to make a perfect rainbow. Spirits were definitely high at this point. We stopped in at a campground on Timothy Lake just to check out the availability. Of course there was none, but the camp host told us that since we had our reservation for Frog Lake for two days, they HAVE to hold it for at least 24 hours before they can give it up to someone else! Wahoo!!! "Let's go to Frog Lake! We've got plenty of time!"


We find Frog Lake. The kids are ready to get out of the truck!!! BUT, guess what? The camp host gave our spot away already! She said the policy is 12 hours. Check in is 2pm. So that meant that sometime between 2 AM and 9:30 AM she gave our site away. The middle of the night???Hmmmm!!! Very odd. And we are very disappointed. We drove back down the road to Clear Lake. Oh Clear Lake!!! We love you! The camp host there was totally cool. He confirmed that it is 24 hrs. that they have to wait and asked if we wanted to file a complaint. This guy told us that he too had a family that hadn't shown up and if we just waited three hours, the site could be ours. In addition, there were two other family's taking off early who's sites we could take. Wahoo!! Our luck had finally turned. We parked the truck, got the boats out, and got to the business of having a fun time. All was well from then on. We got our campsite and finally could relax.

We had a fantastic time at Clear Lake. It was beautiful there! The kids had a blast. Elise caught her first fish!! (she also caught a salamander and a piece of wood with someone else's old line attached to it.) Shawn practiced casting and is really good at it. See video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL2njN0dbhE
There were baby salamanders and newts all over the beach. We probably saw 100 of them! We had fire roasted brie with cherry tomatoes for dinner. (So gourmet!) We roasted marshmallows. The kids fell asleep that evening so quickly and slept well all night. I didn't hear a noise from any other campers in the whole place. Beautiful!!!!

Addition to Camping Adventure Part I

Granpa Jim reminded me of some other details that added to the excitement of the evening. Here is a written comment he sent to me, "not to mention the guy in the dark at the first Frog lake had had a few beers, had a pistol on his hip and warned us about cougars..." Seriously! The guy said, "Keep the little ones nearby. There are cougars in this area." Then he offered to show Jim what super, secret fishing lure he was tying on to catch fish there. That was funny. "I shouldn't be showing you this," he said as if Jim were going to head right down to the cougar-surrounded lake with his wife and grandchildren, in the dark, and catch every last fish in it.

Camping Adventure

*Some details may be a little exaggerated for added drama.



So Granpa Jim & Plain Grama asked if we could set aside a weekend to go camping with them before summer was over. We had already been out on two other camping trips this summer and with all the home remodeling projects to get to, we decided that Mark would stay at home and get lots of work done and I would take the kids. Because we were going with Granpa & Grama, I didn't have to do much planning at all. My responsibilities consisted of packing clothes, a tent and sleeping bags (and some chocolate chip cookies of course) and Granpa & Grama took care of the rest. I knew where we were going (at least I knew the name). I, however, didn't have to know how to get there. I didn't even have to drive. It was easy-peesy.





We got a late start on Friday because Granpa ended up having to work later than expected. But still, all was okay. We should have had time to make it there before it got too dark. So we set off toward a fun-filled happy weekend of camping. About two hours in to the trip it was starting to get dark and we were on a gravel road. "Are you sure there's a campground up here?" "Yes! We have reservations for Frog Lake. We followed the directions to Frog Lake." A couple of miles up this gravel road we stop to speak to the only human we've seen in about an hour. He's just setting up a pole to go fishing at dusk. Granpa pulls up and asks him, "Are we close to the campground?" His reply? "There's no campground on this lake. I've been coming up here for 20 years. There is no campground here." Fantastic!!! Where on Earth are we??



So with this man's help we learn that there are two Frog Lakes in the area . . . about an hour apart from each other if you know the back roads. Who's idea was it to name two different lakes the same thing within that close proximity?! Ridiculous! So off we drive to find another place in the vicinity to stay for the night. Yeah right! Like you could find a campsite without a reservation on a Friday night at 9pm. So we check a couple of places. No go. Keep in mind there is a 2 yr. old in the vehicle who has been sitting for nearly 3 hours!! At one point Granpa stops the truck in the middle of this nearly deserted road in the pitch dark so we can figure out whether or not to keep going or take a cut-off. We notice a car approaching from behind. So, Granpa starts to back up and pull of the road. Smash! Crunch! Bad noises! What was that noise?!? Fortunately, it was not us running in to the people behind us. The boat trailer had tipped over! The people behind us were totally lost too so we all sat in the middle of the road and commiserated for a few minutes. They easily got the boat trailer uprighted and we got going again. We drove about 500 feet and I said, "Stop! We're camping right here at this pull-out. I can drop a tent right there." And that's just what we did. We camped right there on the side of the road.



to be cont . . . .

Donuts & Purple Toenails

This morning on the way to church Elise asked, "When's it going to be Shawn's birthday?" "Well, honey, Shawn's birthday is a ways away, but my birthday is in just a couple of weeks. Whatcha gonna get me?!" was my reply. With hardly any hesitation she answers, "A doughnut!" A doughnut??? What a funny girl.

It's a beautiful day here today and the kids are playing out on the back porch. I just went out to check on them and see what they were up too. Here's the photo of what I found.

It's a lovely purple, shimmery shade Elise chose.

Cute Little Dessert

Thanks to my cute Demarle football shape tray, I just made the cutest dessert for my family. I coated the bottom of each shape with melted chocolate chips.

(Thanks for the great idea Carol! http://kerickcarol.blogspot.com/) Then I added vanilla ice cream that I had softened a bit. Next, I sprinkled the top with crumbled mint Oreo cookies. So cute! They came out looking like little boats. The kids thought they were fantastic. So did Mark and I, and we're very happy that we each get a second one after the kids go to bed. As I type Mark is wrangling the kids up, getting their jammies on etc. He's on a mission. I should make Demarle ice cream treats more often if he'll be so quick to jump-to and lend a hand at bedtime. For some reason 'Add Image' is not working. I'll have a cute picture to attach as soon as it decides it would like to respond.

Granola

I've been making homemade granola for my husband for years. He takes it to work every single day. Recently I went on a Girls Weekend and brought my granola along to share for breakfast. Several people asked where I got it from so I thought I'd share the recipe. You can of course put whatever you want in, but this is typically what goes in it at the Mullenbach house.

3c. rolled oats
1/4c. wheat germ
1/4c. powdered milk
1/4c. bran flakes
1/4c. rice krispies or cheerios
1/3c. oil
1/3c. honey
few Tbs. peanut butter

Bake rolled oats at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

While that's baking combine dry ingredients in a bowl.

Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl. (I like to microwave the peanut butter a bit to soften in and make it easier to mix.)
Add dry ingredients to rolled oats. Mix thoroughly.
Add wet ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
Bake for 15 minutes. (You can stir it half-way through but I like some of it to be a little crispy, so I don't stir it.)
After it's cooled, transfer to an airtight container.
That's it.

Anything that could go wrong . . .

Yesterday the big "serious" part of our remodel for the half-bath/laundry room got underway. When they started digging up the floor with the jack hammer a water line got nicked and they immediately had to turn off the water to the house. This was before we had even brushed our teeth. Then as they started to repair that little problem, they discovered that the base of one of the walls in the laundry room is being eaten by ants. So they pulled out a piece of a 2x6 that was completely chewed up and will need to be replaced. Fortunately Mark can do that without too much trouble. Soon after they got the water turned on, they discovered the water pressure in the house was next to nothing. I went away for 2 1/2 hours at that point and came back to see that they were still working on it. Eventually, debris in the kitchen faucet was located and found to be the culprit. (A few days before, our hot water heater had been replaced and the thought is that rust and junk on some of those pipes was knocked loose and eventually got logged at the kitchen sink.) But shortly before that was figured out, I went to use the severely-reduced-pressure kitchen sink and found my feet getting wet. I thought the plumbers had forgot to hook the pipes back up under the sink but that wasn't the case. The pipes had completely worn out from old age and just by simply getting bumped they had come apart! So with a 5 gallon bucket paced under the sink, the one remaining plumber left for the day. I left a message on Mark's cell phone saying, "Um honey . . . I've got a project for you tonight."
These are all minor, fixable things and I am grateful for that. I am fully aware that things will not go smoothly all the way through this project so I am keeping a joyful attitude (so far). Hey, I wasn't even the one who had to fix all the problems. I just smile and say, "Let's go out for dinner tonight, Honey!" I respect the hard work and frustration the guys went through yesterday and I think my husband is just a stud muffin for how quickly he can fix just about anything. I often call him My Jimmy-Rig Super Hero, but not everything he does is Jimmy-Rigging . . . most things are done right. I think I need an additional nickname for him! Any ideas? (My friend Jen Henderson http://allthingshenderson.blogspot.com/ has run polls on her blog to name things like her new sewing machine. I believe Opal was the winning name but she doesn't really like Opal so I noticed her calling it Opal Francis the other day. Jen's blog is great. She updates it all the time with funny stories about life and she does a weekly "column" on Praying for your Kids.) Maybe I should run a poll too and get some great ideas from you all for Mark's new Mr. Fix-It nickname.