What He Said

"If the US Government was a family, they would be making $58,000 a year, they spend $75,000 a year, & are $327,000 in credit card debt. They are currently proposing BIG spending cuts to reduce their spending to $72,000 a year. These are the actual proportions of the federal budget & debt, reduced to a level that we can understand." - Dave Ramsey

Finally, a scenario that makes the federal budget fiasco make total sense to me.  I mean, I got it that the government was spending more than it made, and was in debt to it's eyeballs, but this cleared everything for me.

My family can't survive with that kind of behavior.  Can yours?  Yet, I know there are people that live like that--maybe not the same kind of ratios of income to debt, but they live beyond their means.  And who ends up paying for that irresponsibility?  All of us.

It makes me crazy...and a more than a little depressed.  It is like looking across the grand canyon and wanting to get across with only flip flops on my feet.  It is seemingly impossible.  That is depressing.

Can You Hear Me Now?

With the summer swim team, I have found a comfortable place to volunteer my time:  the Bull Pen.  This is where we line up the kids in the correct heats for each event, giving them lane assignments and heat numbers.  It can be a very crazy place.  It can also be very loud.

Each summer swim meet runs in the same order.  The events have the same number at every meet, so the parents (and eventually the swimmers) get used to which event is theirs and will get their swimmer (or themselves) to the bull pen for these assignments. 

To help the parents (and swimmers) out, we try to walk around the pool deck calling for the event numbers we need to come to the bull pen.  Over and over and over.  By the end of a long meet I can easily loose my voice...and make me fully useless in any of these roles.

In a completely thoughtful and usefully generous way, I received one of the best birthday gifts ever--to help with this reoccurring problem.

Yes.  My family bought me my very own MEGAPHONE!!  Isn't that crazy?!  I giggled about it all last night, after opening their present.  But you have to hand it to them--they really came up with something I would use, but would never buy for myself.

Can YOU hear me now?!

Ode to Buttercream Frosting

I love cake.  I love good cake.  I love good cake that I don't have to make. 

I only buy cake four times a year--at birthdays.  The reason for the purchased birthday cakes is really easy to pin down.  When The Girl turned two, I tried to make her birthday cake. 

Her first birthday cake was a store bought one simply becasue we are living in Califonia at the time, and that weekend we had traveled north to visit my parents and celebrate their first granddaughter's first birthday together.  That, and the supermarket had a "buy a 1/4 sheet cake for the family and friends, get a single layer, round Baby's First Cake free" deal going on a the time.  Who doesn't love a deal?!

So when she was reay to turn two, I made a cake.  A simple two layer round job that I then decorated myself.  Remember, this was long before all those terrific cake-decoration shows on the food network.  Heck, it was before the Food Network.  This homemade cake tasted fine, but it was the ugliest thing ever!

Genius Golfer told me, in essence, that it was a nice try, but next year be sure to go to the store and order one.  So I have.  Ever since.

The best week fo the year is the back-to-back birthday week.  The first week of August we celebrate The Girl's birthday at the end of July and later that week, we celelbrate mine.  I try to stretch at least seven days between the two cakes.  But the week of double buttercream is hard to beat.  And it sure makes waiting six months until GG's birthday a long wait!

A Birthday List

Since today is my birthday and I print my blog annually--at my birthday--as a journal of sorts, this is the final entry into Volume Three of Life on Celestial Circle, the book.

Since that is the case I'd like to make today's post a list of top five things I am thankful for in my life.  Please feel free to add or comment on whatever strikes you.  Or make a list of your own and share.  I'd enjoy that.

1--My family, of course.  And I mean my family of origin and my family here on the circle with Genius Golfer.  How else could I have ever learned all the things these precious people have taught me?!

2--GG's job.  Or his career, to be more specific.  Because he works--consistently and regularly--in a field  he is really good at, he makes a comfortable living for all of us.  And because he does that, I am free to do the PTA, community and church volunteer work I love doing.  I wouldn't have the time to do all this if I had to work too.

3--My health.  Let's face it: the older I get the more my body want to rebel.  And who really knows how long I have with all the parts in working condition?  I just relish the days when all systems are go, and I feel great.  It speak to my age that I even can tell the difference, right?

4--Wonderful friends.  One of the best things I enjoy is a collection of friends, regardless of the place I am.  I have groups of friends I have met in church, through PTA, with activities my kids are involved with, and as neighbors.  Lucky for me many of my groups blend into other groups thus giving me double-dips of friendships with people I really care about!

And 5--The Gospel of Jesus Christ.  All of this experience on earth would really be a disappointment if we didn't have a plan for the next life.  Our experiences here will only add to our understanding, knowledge, relationships and appreciation in the hereafter.  Without a loving, wise and ever faithful Savior, it wouldn't matter at all.  None of it.  But because of Him, we have the opportunities of reuniting with loved ones, living as families, and making personal improvements throughout eternity.  And what could be better than that?

Pool Tatts Are Cool Tatts

One of the highlights of the end of summer swim season finals is the creation of the fish tattoos on the kids' backs or shoulders.  This year, I spaced out and because The Boy was away at Flaming Gorge the week prior to the meet, I didn't contact our darling friend, Bill H, who has always drawn the killer fish tatts for us.

The Boy asked Friday afternoon if I'd contacted Bill about setting up a tattoo appointment.  DOH!  I forgot.  I called and left a really lame, and pathetic sounding, voice mail at his home.  I didn't expect to connect with him before we had to leave early the next morning for the swim meet.

But, bless his heart, he called me back at just after 6 AM Saturday morning.  He said he was getting up to go on a bike ride and could run down to the house for us if we still wanted.  Aw, man.  He is so good to us.  But when I couldn't get a hold of him the night before, The Girl took it upon herself to draw something mean and fishy on The Boy's back.

And so she did.  Not too bad for a tatt made from Sharpie pens?

And They Are Off

For the record, I am still waiting for the "lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer" to begin.

Today I have my first PTA assignment for the new school year.  I am teaching a class for presidents at secondary schools this morning for all the PTAs within our district.  Potentially this would include presidents from 8 high schools and 11 junior high schools.

The differences between the job of PTA president at an elementary school and a secondary school is huge.  At the elementary it never seemed to slow down.  At least at the Jr High and High schools, there is a more of an ebb and flow activity level.  Plus these older schools have students councils, clubs and teams that do their own things throughout the year too and so it isn't JUST the PTA doing activities.

I think the bulk of what I have to tell these good folks today is that this will so much fun they just won't know what to say to their elementary colleagues.  "Sorry for you" is about the best you can plan on.

Video Sunday

In honor of Harry's birthday, as well as The Girl's Sweet 16th!