Grievous Grammar

Well, it's been a while since I posted a "Grievous Grammar" sighting, but this one is worth the wait!


The really sad part is that there were four or five of these signs hanging in the store just waiting to be snatched up by some unsuspecting, far-from-ordinary (albeit grammatically-challenged!) farm girl, who would proceed to hang it proudly in her kitchen, which is probably smartly decorated in a sweet cow and/or pig motif.

We can only hope she learned the proper use of "your" and "you're" in that one-room schoolhouse on the outskirts of town!! Yikes!!!

Quote of the Day........

Payton: Mom, I think our fish are Jewish. (referring to the goldfish that mysteriously appeared while I was in Costa Rica and REFUSE to die! Everybody else I know has 24-hour goldfish but not me! Mine seem to be related to Jack Bauer!)

Mom: Really? Why do you think they're Jewish?

Payton: Because they haven't eaten in a few days--I think they gave up eating for Lent.

hmmmm.............I think we have a little religious education to tend to over here.

The Red Envelope Project

As our new President continues to seek/enact changes that threaten the lives of unborn children, here's another opportunity for those of us who are pro-life/anti-abortion to let him and congress know how we feel.

This is a great opportunity to involve your older children and reinforce how much God values EVERY life--from the moment of conception!

The Red Envelope Project

www.redenvelopeproject.org

Get as many red envelopes as you can. You can buy them at Kinkos or at party supply stores or the website above lists several online sources.

Address the envelopes to:

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington , D.C. 20500

On the back of the envelopes, write the following message:

This envelope represents one child who died because of an abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception.

Mail your letter to President Obama, then pray that it will touch him somehow. It may not seem like much, but if we all do something, we CAN make an impression.

Finally, be sure to go back to the website and let them know how many you've sent. So far, more than 136,000 envelopes have been sent to the White House! Don't miss this opportunity!

Costa Rica--by the numbers

It would be impossible to relay all the great experiences Sydney and I shared in Costa Rica. The country was beautiful, the food was better than I expected, the people of CR are amazing. But the best part by far was the other moms and all the laughter--and tears--that we shared. I know I have some new lifelong friends! So, without further ado, here you go! It's good to be home!

2:30 a.m.--number on the clock when we headed to BWI on Friday morning, February 13.
64--number of parents/students/staff who assembled at BWI at 3 a.m. in BRIGHT orange shirts
53--number of pounds my suitcase weighed before some creative "rearranging" (50 pounds is the limit!)
18--number of platforms I landed on (not always gracefully!) in my 1.5-hour zip line ride!
1--number of contacts I lost on the aforementioned zip line
1--number of very busy doctors who took great care of many sick kids in Costa Rica! (thanks Dr. Carter!)
3--number of days Payton was home sick from school last week
2--number of dear friends who helped with (sick) kids, meals, and the dog while I was gone! (thanks Ann and Kari!)
0--number of pages I read in all those books I took with me!
2--number of guides from Joshua Expeditions who led our trip to Costa Rica
20--number of approximate hours we spent on various bus rides around Costa Rica.
550--number of youth who attended the event we put on in La Carpio
1000--number of hot dogs we served to the aforementioned youth!
6--number of carnivals we held while in Costa Rica
600--approximate number of gift bags we packaged for the kids that came to the carnivals.
40--number of children who raised their hands to receive Christ at just ONE of those carnivals in Cot, Cartago.
7--number of mornings I ate eggs and fresh pineapple for breakfast
12--number of meals at which I ate chicken in one form or another
5--number of hours we spent lounging on beautiful Tortuga beach
2--number of great roommates with whom we shared lots of laughs and great memories! (thanks Margie and Courtney!)
2--number of bathrooms in our hotel suite (a minor miracle!)
2--number of times I checked e-mail over the course of eight days!
2--number of quick phone calls home over the course of eight days!
50,000+--approximate number of photographs taken by various members of our team
1--number of toucans we saw in their natural environment
1--number of monkeys we saw in their natural environment
1--number of sloths we saw in their natural environment
1.5--number of miles we hiked round trip to the waterfall (pictured above)
2--number of volcanoes we saw on the trip
2--number of goldfish who greeted me from inside my pampered chef glass mixing bowl when I arrived home! (they have since been relocated!)
2--number of days I've had to survive "re-entry" and get caught up, situated, etc.
17--number of wash loads I have completed during re-entry
Too many to count--number of great times with new friends!

And, a totally unrelated, but very important, number.........
3--number of work days left until I am officially "working from home" Yeah!!

Off to Costa Rica!

We are off! Have a great week. I'm sure I will be full of posts and pictures when we return!

I fought the bra, and the bra won......

**Disclaimer** This post will not be of interest to any male readers. Consider yourselves warned.

For as long as I can remember, it's been a Lenhart family joke that whenever one of us kids was going away to camp or a missions trip or college (!!), my mom made it a priority to get us new "underthings". For some reason, children's undergarments (especially boys' undergarments, in my experience!), have a dire necessity to be replaced before being seen by any human being who is not a member of the immediate family. It's a strange phenomenon, but I know it exists. In fact, yesterday, I experienced it for myself.

Sydney and I are heading to Costa Rica tomorrow morning (at 3 a.m. to be exact!) and so this week, I have been making final preparations for our trip. As I was compiling, laundering, and surveying my clothing options, I happened to take a good, hard look at my own, shall we say, undergarments. When I noticed that most of them seemed to have assumed the ever-fashionable "dinge du jour", I knew it was time for action. So I did what any good, self-respecting Lenhart with a 30 percent off Kohl's coupon and a Victoria's Secret free panty coupon would do before going away--I went shopping!

Immediately after work yesterday, I headed to Kohl's. As I surveyed the endless sea of panties, push-ups, and playtex, I decided there was no time like the present and dove in. After about a half hour, I decided that, out of 53, 679 bras, I could surely find one that fit, and I headed for the dressing room.

It's at this point that I feel the need to interject my strong belief that if the latest "stimulus" package can include all the ridiculous funding that it does, why in the world can't someone establish uniform bra sizing standards to which undergarment manufacturers must adhere? How is it that Mr. Maidenform, Mr. Bali, and Mr. Olga all interpret a size 34B differently?? Every undergarment I tried on was the EXACT same size---on the tag---yet some were too big, some were too small, some gapped, some pulled to the left, others pulled to the right. How does that happen? Is uniform sizing too much to ask?

And while I'm on the topic, I don't want push up, extreme push up, or water in my bra! Nor do I want a minimizer, a maximizer, or any other kind of "izer". I don't care about leopard print or zebra print. I don't need a bra that eliminates "back fat" (seriously!) or one that "plunges" to various levels of immodesty. I have nursed four children for a total of 63 months, and I am not going on my honeymoon. I am going away with 40 eighth graders on a missions trip, for heavens sake! I just need something utilitarian that will keep "things" where they belong when they belong there. (Is anyone else quietly humming "Love, lift us up where we belong"? No? Okay, then, it's just me.)

After a few unsuccessful attempts at new underthings, I sighed deeply and decided that maybe a sports bra would be a good choice. They are pretty utilitarian. No frills, nothing fancy, they just get the job done. That is.........if you can get them on. Have you ever tried one? Evidently, the term "sports" is used because the makers naturally assume that the woman who is trying them on is in the best physical shape of her life. I realize that they are meant for, shall I say, "anti-bounce", but seriously, the material was so tight and so unforgiving, that I thought, for one horrifying moment, I may have to scream for help. I looked around frantically for one of those call buttons they have in hospital rooms. My arms were up, over, and around my neck. I looked like a human pretzel. I was being held hostage by a sports bra!! I couldn't reach my cell phone, I couldn't reach my lotion (thinking I might be able to "grease" my way out of my predicament), heck, I could barely breathe.

I took several deep breaths, let the panic subside a bit, and very slowly and carefully wormed my out of that stupid sports bra. My neck muscles would never be the same, but I was free! And, believe it or not, I bought that stupid sports bra. In fact, I bought two of those stupid sports bras. They kept things where they were supposed to be when they were supposed to be there and covered everything that needed coverage. I'm quite certain that my roommates in Costa Rica will be very appreciative of my new "underthings". I just hope they're also good at untying knots!

Let your voice be heard.....

We (those of you reading in the US, that is) live in the greatest nation on earth, and yet we take it for granted every day. Today, I exercised my rights as a citizen of this great country and I called the United States Capitol building. (The number is 202-224-3121, if you're interested.) As I was on hold, I thought about how truly amazing it is that I can just pick up my telephone and call the government of the United States of America. The people living in Iraq and Afghanistan--who we have been heroically helping to gain freedoms like these---cannot begin to comprehend freedoms like those we enjoy.

When I called the Capitol, the harried operator on the other end of the line indicated that they had been overwhelmed by calls from concerned citizens. Apparently, the calls were 100 to 1, asking senators to vote down the bill. While it would seem that's not going to happen, it's still so very important to make our voices heard. I called our democratic Maryland Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski and politely asked both of them to vote against the current "stimulus" bill that President Obama has proposed. I also called Congressman Roscoe Bartlett's office and thanked him for voting against the bill recently. It took five minutes of my time, if that.

Please don't bury your heads in the sand, assuming other people will handle this. Please, whether you agree or disagree with the bill, call and let your voice be heard. It's a right that we should never take for granted.

If the bill seems confusing (as most things that defy all logic and reason usually are), this excellent graphic in today's Washington Post may help to simplify things for you. Look very closely and you will notice that defense, homeland security, and the state department--all vital to our security as a nation--get the least of the so-called "stimulus" money. Look even closer and notice what gets the most money--health and human services and medicaid. That's called National Health Care, folks. If you voted for Obama, I hope you are prepared to get what you wished for.

If you'd like more information on understanding the stimulus package or on how to reach your state senators/congressmen, check out these sites.

www.readthestimulus.org

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/index.html

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

www.americasright.com

**One final note: please don't leave comments asking me to examine and/or present the "other side" of this ridiculous spending package. This is, after all, my blog and that won't be happening here. If you're interested in presenting the other side, feel free to post that on your own blog!

Quote of the Day........

My mom and dad came down this weekend to see the boys play basketball. Unfortunately, Payton's game was cancelled at the last minute, but Sawyer made 16 points in his game!!!! It was great to see them. I'm glad we are close enough that they can come down for a quick overnight and see the kids participate in various activities. (Not to mention, they bring us goodies from PA that we can't get down here! Thanks mom!)

Anyway, yesterday morning as we were sitting around before Sawyer's game, Payton asked my mom a question:

Payton: Grammy, how old are you? (Obviously we need to work on manners a bit more!)
Grammy: I'll be 65 in June.
Payton: Are you a senior citizen?
Grammy: Yes I am.
Payton: Wow! I wish I was a senior citizen. You guys get discounts on EVERYTHING!

(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday

Sydney Paige

Payton and Warren:
A Study in Contrasts

Keepin' It Real........

This, faithful readers, would be what happens when that good-for-nothin' laundress we have around here keeps saying "Oh, the laundry can wait one more day...." and that darn family of mine just keeps on wearing clothes and getting 'em dirty!

Now you know where I will be for the next, oh, three to four days. By which time, there will be several new piles of "redirtied" laundry. It's never DONE! If I don't surface by Thursday, please send a search party; I left a trail of dirty little boy socks to guide you. Just follow your nose!

(I know the picture isn't the greatest, but I figured you would get the idea. And, after all, it's only a LOT of dirty laundry! I know you've all seen THAT before!)