Chuck-Bob

Makes you feel kinda old when the baby of the family turns 30!

Happy birthday to a great brother and uncle.

We love you!

Life Saving Station

I tend not to put too many videos on my blog because I know that it can be time consuming to sit through them. And while I don't want you to feel obligated, I promise that this one will be worth your while if you're a Christian and go to church! Our youth pastor, Dave Duron, showed this video clip last Wednesday night to the Jr. and Sr. highers. Their eyes might have been a little glazed over, but the parable really struck me! Take it to heart.

Duct Cleaning Gold Mine!

(*** Hi Thursday morning ladies! If you're visiting for the first time and looking for some spiritual exhortation, skip this post and watch the video on the next one. :) I'm not always very spiritual on my blog. Sometimes I just get down to the nitty-gritty. Thanks for the advertising, Mom.)

Yesterday I had the lovely task of trying to clean out our air ducts. I made a couple of calls in the morning and realized that it would cost quite a bit of money to have it done professionally, so I decided to tackle the job myself. (We have lived in this house for a little over 4 years and I have only attempted this job one other time.) I usually just remove the vent covers and reach as far as I can with my regular vacuum attachments. Cobwebs, dust and other small particles are about the only things I find within one arm's reach. But not so yesterday. Oh no! We have one vent near our back sliding glass door that is covered with a wooden grate. I must have skipped it last time, but yesterday I pried it up with an old fork. Here was my first view:

(EW! So gross that I had to run and get the camera so that Marc would believe me.)

I kid you not, here is what I found inside the vent after sucking out the cobwebs:

*5 quarters

* 5 dimes

* 3 nickels

*14 (fourteen!!!) pennies

(Grand Total:$2.04)

* several plastic play money coins in various colors and denominations

*2 wallet size family photos (not our family!)

*one hair band

* one dry pinto bean

* one Mr. Incredible sticker

* several paper hole-punch circles

* one nail file

* one Big Bird trading card

* one math flash-card (#5 to be exact)

* one paper clip

* two rubber bands

* one blue bead necklace

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry! So....I'm asking you: Have you ever paid to have your air ducts cleaned professionally? Was it worth the money? Do you recommend any particular company? HELP!!!

Living Eternally - Francis Chan

I may be the only Christian on the planet who hasn't read "Crazy Love," and I really don't know much about Francis Chan, but I ran across this short clip on a friend's blog this afternoon and it made me think: Am I one of the "stupid ones"?

Fast Forward

Marc and I found these little dollies on clearance a couple of days before Valentine's Day and knew that the girls would fall in love with them. They did! The dolls are about 5 inches tall and their real names are Ashley, Briana and Paige. Each girl came with an itty-bitty hair brush and a pet. I only wish that the real girls that they represent always got along as well as the dolls seem to. It is so much fun to listen to the conversations that these cheap pieces of plastic have with one another. A glimpse of things to come?!

Does God make mistakes?

Today at lunch...

Sierra: "Mom, I know that I shouldn't say this, but I don't like so-and-so's face."

Me: "Oh, Sierra. God made that person's face and He doesn't make mistakes, does He?"

Sierra: (dejected) "No."

Me: "Do you like my face?"

Sierra: "Yes."

Me: "Even though I'm a little chubby?"

Sierra: "Yes. I think you're pretty anyway."

Me: "Well God made me even though I'm chubby."

Sierra: "Yeah, but God didn't make you chubby. He made you just like me AND THEN YOU ATE TOO MUCH CANDY."

Nice.

Beater-lickin' Good!

Valerie + Pudding = True Love