Scouting for Food

B-10's Cub Scout Pack, along with many other Scouting Packs, participated in Scouting for Food this February. The idea is that most churches and civic organizations hold food drives in November and December, which is wonderful. However, come February/March the food pantries are hurting for food, and don't have near the amount of drives going on.

Cub Scouts traditionally collect food in February, and this year B-10's Pack collected over 382 items. Which were all loaded in the back of my Explorer...and the middle of my Explorer...and the front passenger seat of my Explorer!

Husband unloaded everything into our living room yesterday, while B-10 and CW helped me sort for a while. Then Husband and I packed the sorted items into bags/boxes and reloaded my Explorer.

Today B-10, CW, and another boy, who is also homeschooled, came with me and the Committee Chair to the Lilburn Co-op to drop off the food. The boys had their picture taken in the food pantry where the actual "grocery shopping" occurs.

Our Committee Chair (who's job I will be taking over sometime between June and October), was able to see their overflow room, which was full - especially after we unloaded our donation. Even then, however, the volunteers said they would go through everything by Easter. More than 5 families came in for donations just in the few minutes we were there.

I know the boys don't totally understand yet exactly what they are doing, but my hope is that they grow up knowing that helping is just what we do. No matter what, not matter when.

~Lone Butterfly )i(

Dessert Options

We've been becoming more and more diligent about the saving money/decreasing our debt lifestyle over the past few months. Part of this has been determining exactly how much we can spend to feed a family of four (two of which are growing boys).

One of the places that we've saved money is on dessert. There are plenty of elaborate desserts out there, but many aren't good for our health - or they aren't good for our waistlines - or they are just plain expensive when we need four servings every night.

So, we've been having Jello with Cool Whip each night. The boys take turns helping me make the jello after dinner the night before, and then they get to choose the flavor for the next night. I serve them in special dessert glasses (that Husband found for $1.00 each) and that makes it seem so fancy when I put sprinkles on top.

~

(As a side note - I save money by purchasing the holiday sprinkles AFTER the holiday when they are less than a quarter a pack. The boys think it's hilarious to have Christmas sprinkles in February and Valentine's Day sprinkles in April!)

~

For Sunday night dessert, however, I found a great deal at the grocery store (not as great as 33 cents for a box of Jello, but close). Kroger had the tiny, individual shortcakes on sale for 89 cents for four. Last night I warmed strawberries and we had strawberry shortcakes with Cool Whip and sprinkles.

~

~

It was delicious! B-10 didn't enjoy the strawberries, so he had a peach shortcake with the leftover peaches we had. It was such a wonderful treat!

~

Tonight it's lime Jello (B-10 helped make it last night).

~Lone Butterfly )i(

If This Is the Only Post of Mine You Ever Read -

I downgraded my Netflix membership today.

From 5 movies a month to 2 movies a month.

I wish I could say that I had made enough of a sacrifice.

By doing so, this allows me to sponsor two boys through Compassion. My intention was to sponsor one. A little boy that would be around B-10 and CW's age. Somewhere between 6 and 8.

We did, I will withhold his name for now, until we receive our first packet and I can share a suitable nickname with you. He's from Brazil, though, which was exciting for my boys who are already talking about when we can go visit him.

The most amazing moment for me was when we were looking at the children and I was reading the profiles. I came upon the part of our Compassion Child's "likes" and both B-10 and CW began with: "OH! I like that, too!"

They saw nothing but the similarites between themselves and this 8 year old boy living in poverty in Brazil.

How often do we see people in need and think of all the ways that we are different than they are. How much more we must deserve what we have, and how if they could just work harder or have a better attitude then God would help them, also.

We are ignorant and full of disgusting pride.

I am humbled to see that somehow my children know the truth. We are all the same in God's eyes. And He cherishes us equally.

After adopting our Brazilian boy - who had been on the website over 6 months waiting for a sponsor (the tiny red heart on their pictures indicate this), I began looking at the country where Boomama and Shannon from Rocks visited - Uganda.

I cannot tell you why I felt it neccessary to search for older boys, but I knew as soon as I saw the 19 year old's face, the only male 19 year old on the Uganda site, that he was meant to be ours. The little red heart sat on his picture and I wondered just how long past 6 months he had been there. How long he has been waiting in his country for a sponsor, knowing that many people will choose the cute little ones - the adorable four and five year olds that also need sponsors.

He'll only be ours for a few years. I know that, and yet I know that it's never past the point where God can impact a life.

I cried today. Tears for the children I could not sponsor and tears for the two boys that are now a part of my family, an addition to my prayers. Tears that no matter what I could never make a difference.

Then I had the greatest feeling in the world - because I logged back into Compassion and did the same search that I did before. And you know what? My boys didn't show up. Their pictures are gone. Two boys who have been waiting, and sitting on that site, for over 6 months are gone.

Because I can make a difference, and by God's grace I will. Will you?

~Lone Butterfly )i(

For This I Pray -

In my life of Wii and work -
as my boys play with their toys that are too numerous to count -
as I stroll through the 10 rooms in my house -
as I freely drive in a car wherever I want to go -
as I sit in a church that can seat 2,000 and sing hymns -

May I never forget to pray and act on behalf of those who cannot.

15 Christian Bloggers have traveled to Uganda, to stare into the Worldly Poverty of Satan. To smell his stench of pain and suffering which he has, through sin, spread through the world and into the lives of the innocents.

They speak of the poor with grace and compassion, remembering always that the children they see are not the lesser of this world.

I don't know what to say, nor do I need to find the words to explain it all to anyone here on earth. I am grateful to know that I have succeeded as a parent - because when I show my sons these pictures - they respond the same as I did - the same as Christ wants us to.

"How can we help, Mummy? Tell us how we can help."

Here is how we can all help.

~Lone Butterfly )i(

Two Things...

Two "big" things occured on our electronic front this past week.

First was the death of my digital camera. It was a good little camera, coming in at a fine 5 pixels - but I had been hoping to upgrade to a nicer one since last summer. Husband and I had talked about what kind we wanted to get and how quickly we wished to purchase this newer camera. We looked at the after-Thanksgiving Day sales and the Christmas sales and the after-Christmas sales...but never actually bought something.

Then, on Thursday, at CW's 6th Birthday party (right at the beginning, of course), my camera breaks. The on/off button won't turn on or off.

Now, you can do a lot of things when a digital camera has issues, but there's nothing in the world that's going to make one turn on if the on/off switch is broken.

So, I ended up with precious few pictures of my baby's big family birthday party at the really awesome (and brand new) bowling alley, but at least he had a blast.

The second item of importance in our electronic lives was a birth, per say.

We finally got a Wii.

Wii!

A Wii!

Wii got a Wii!

I would post pictures of the family playing (watching), but if you'll recall - we had a death in the electronic family. ;)

Aunt Boo and Uncle Firefighter found the Wii at their Gamestop. They live in a much smaller town, about 30 minutes further out of Atlanta than Husband and I do. We are eternally grateful for the quick-thinking (and grabbing) skills of Firefighter. He protected the Wii with his life, while Boo was calling me (so I could call Husband) to confirm we wanted it.

Um? YES!

Always buy a Wii if you can get your hands on it. Don't believe me? Take a look at what you can sell the thing for on eBay if you have the receipt and an unopen package. I am SO glad we payed retail.

We only purchased the boys one extra game - Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga.

I was very surprised at the E+10 rating (ie: For everyone ages 10 and over). I would hardly call this a violent game, or in any way inappropriate for my 6 and 8 year old sons. In fact, I think it's rather adorable, when you "kill" another character they simply break apart - because they're all LEGOS! And there's virtually NO sexual connotations at all. Princess Leia in her "Jaba the Hut" outfit? Sure - it's painted on the flat square LEGO block. There's no cleavage to be found, no inappropriate shaking of various backsides - it's all LEGOS!

All in all - this has quickly become a family favorite to play.

After we take our daily fitness test, of course. Which is awesome. Everyone has their own Mii, that looks like them. Then we can daily (and only once a day) take a fitness test. If we have time, we can use the Wii to train. (As a side note - the boxing leaves you SORE the next day - you're throwing punches hard!) And there's something for everyone. CW is the reigning bowling champ - on one of the games he scored 3 strikes in a row!

I have to give Nintendo credit for taking the video game to a new level of family fun. It's truly something that we can now do together, and we aren't sitting around like lumps on a log. (Poor Husband, who does most of the Lego Star Wars playing, has to stand the whole time so he can dodge and swing his lightsaber!)

So, there you have it - the Circle of Life complete in one weekend.

Now, I'm off to play some Tennis with my sons - on the Wii.

~Lone Butterfly )i(

It's Sweeter the Second Time

(Image Andy Lyons/Getty Images - FOX Sports on MSN Website)

I'm not sure what to say about last night. I actually had tears in my eyes when the final second ticked off the clock - Eli kneeing down.

It was a hard fought win, but I think that you fight a lot harder for your first ring than you do for your fourth.

The final run that set up the win - with the scrambling Eli showing more footwork to get out of being sacked than I think anyone's every seen from him, to David Tyree's unexplainable catch, it was breathtaking. When Plaxico Burress caught the winning touchdown, and 35 seconds was left on the clock - I still held my breath.

35 seconds and 3 time-outs: that's not impossible odds to scoring a field goal, which is all Tom and his little band of boys needed to do to tie it all up.

But he didn't, he couldn't, and the reward wasn't his.

I'm a Manning fan. Anyone who knows me knows my entire family loves the Mannings. My grandfather (and father) are from Mississippi, and watched Archie in college and then through the 'Aint's. I can remember listening to conversations about the prospects of the boys when they were in High School, and the shock when Peyton committed to Tennessee.

We watched both boys play college ball (and would occasionally discuss how much we wished we could be watching Cooper, also.) I'm a Colts fan and a Giants fan, only because of their quarterbacks. The day Eli or Peyton moves teams - I'll buy an entirely new wardrobe for Football Season.

Last year, I watched with delight as Peyton won the Super Bowl. While I liked Eli better, I have long felt that Peyton was a better player. This year, watching Eli win, it was even sweeter.

My point in all this is that you would be hard pressed to find another family who has been as dedicated to the Manning family as long as we have. Archie's leadership, Peyton and Eli's talent, even Cooper remains involved in his family's trade - coming out every year to the Manning Football Camp.

But the Manning that holds them all together? The one whom I most admire?

There's a reason that you don't see Eli and Peyton making fools of themselves. A reason why when they speak they don't use foul language and coarse humor. A reason why trash-talking isn't associated with the Giants or the Colts Quarterback.

Their Mama. Olivia Manning, who is, as anyone who knows me well will tell you, my favorite Manning. Husband and I will be naming our first daughter after her. As I raise my sons, I can only hope that I teach them to be good strong men first, and excellent at their chosen vocation second.

I can only imagine that while this win is sweet for me, it that much sweeter for Mrs. Manning this second time around.

~Lone Butterfly )i(

Resolutions

I wanted to begin January with a resolution – and then as the days wore on, found myself changing that resolution constantly.

At the same time, I felt God challenging me through two of my close friends to evaluate a habit I have. One that is destructive to my own well-being.

I have an obsession with ignorant people. When I meet an ignorant person, they drive me crazy. I find myself constantly trying to correct them, and convince them to be reasonable. If they don’t, or if they simply continue in their overwhelming ignorance, it can affect my attitude.

Mind you, I am not talking about the “stupid” people in the world. Those who just aren’t smart, but they have common sense and a good work ethic. God didn’t bless everyone with brains, and He sure didn’t give me athletic ability or the patience to teach toddlers.

I’m talking about those who should know better, but refuse to research the facts before opening their mouths and spouting off. I have people close to me who fall into this category, and my very closest friends will tell you that it drives me batty. I can spend hours composing emails, refuting the ignorant statements with actual fact, and then I end up deleting the document, because it’s caustic and, frankly, not very kind.

It’s always been hard for me to temper truth with kindness. I’m much more of a straight-forward, lay it all out there kind of girl, I am not going to coddle you into feeling good about your mistakes. If you are spouting falsehoods, especially when you’re claiming what you believe comes from “Scripture”, it makes my hair stands on end.

As a woman who has been a Christian for 24 years, and actually has a degree (and almost a Masters) in Religion, it’s hard for me to deal with the ignorant who “share what God has laid on their hearts.” Especially when it’s contrary to what God said in Scripture. At times, I’ve even been directly lectured to, and it takes every ounce of self-control not to whip out the Bible and correct them.

Now, I’m not perfect. Goodness knows I’ve made (and will continue to make) mistakes. But to allow people, people close to me, to spread lies and glorified falsehoods – I can literally make myself sick thinking about it.

I have come to the realization that what I need to do is ignore them when possible. This is hard for me, because on the “obsessive level” I drive myself to read or listen to what they are saying. It’s unhealthy, though. I have to decide what truly affects me and my family, and what can be forgotten.

Most of these people I can deal with on an individual basis. Some will never be allowed to care for my children, or even be near them – but I can show up at a function and handle being polite for an hour or so. On the other side, I’m not sure God isn’t preparing me to deal with inaccuracies on a more personal level, and trying to teach me the way to soften my words and share His truths.

Either way, this is my resolution as I begin February: to let go of my obsessive frustration and admit that only God can bring ignorant people to His light.

~Lone Butterfly )i(