Can I just say...

we had SO MUCH FUN!!!

But before I get into that I need to recap a little baseball. Bobo's team won Saturday in extra innings, so they play for the championship tonight!!! And Bear's team also won on Saturday in extra innings so they play their second playoff game tonight!

Woo-Hoo!!!

Now, back to Ikea. Can I also just say that God is so good!!! Not only does he desire for us to live in fellowship with Him, but He also desires for us to live in fellowship with others. And He gives us opportunities to do just that. Here we are loading up to leave. Can you tell that I'm excited? To my screen right is Diane (green shirt) and to my screen left is Jenni (pink shirt). Diane has 5 kids. Four boys and a girl. Her oldest is 17 and just graduated highschool and her youngest, the girl, is almost 4. Jenni has three boys. Her oldest is 7 and her youngest just turned 1. And the husbands were in charge all weekend!

This picture is actually of us on the second day. We went straight to Ikea Saturday, shopped for 5 hours, ate dinner at Red Lobster, and then on our way to our hotel saw a Joanne's fabric. Of course we had to stop. When we went in we found out that they were having a 1/2 off sale the next day. We scoped things out and then called it a day.

So, Sunday we slept in (for mom's that's like 7:30) and then started again. We ran to Old Navy, Ross, and TJ Max. Then we headed to Joanne. All of us bought new fabric and trim for our living rooms. It was so fun having girlfriends there to bounce ideas off of. Then we headed BACK to Ikea. I wanted a dining table ($70) and Jenni (center one in pic) wanted a patio dining table that we had seen on Saturday, prayed about Saturday night, and felt OK to buy on Sunday.

Well...my dining table was out of stock. =( Though I really had a peace about buying it AND had the money too (I traveled with cash) it wasn't meant to be. While I was dissapointed at first, in reality, it is just a dining table. God was so so so good to us and not getting a dining table absolutely could not ruin that.

Our stash! We each bought a plant and similar pot. They are our Ikea plants to remind us of our trip together. (You do crazy things when you're with friends in a big city, like buy matching plants) ;-)

We laughed the whole time! It was so good. Now we're home and so happy to be.

And, yes, my coffee table is already put together!=)

Bridget

Baseball Playoffs

Tonight was the first night of playoffs for Bobo's team. We played a team that we were 1 - 1 against.

Our star pitcher sat them down 1 - 2 - 3 the top of the first.

We scored 2 in the bottom (Bobo was one of those two).

Then in the second we struggled a little. Our pitcher had a hard time throwing strikes and walked three in a row. They were able to tie it up.

They shut us out in the bottom of the second.

Then they scored one in the top of the third.

We scored two in the bottom of the third (Bobo was one of those also) and went into the fourth (final inning) ahead 4 - 3.

We were able to hold them in the top of the fourth and WON THE GAME!!!

Bobo fielded two balls and threw both to first. One got there in time and one didn't. He loves playing second. Our first baseman is RC's boss's son and he is a good little player. He caught a foul ball for an out, picked a guy off first, and made the out with Bobo's assist. It was a fun game and then we went and got snowcones.

Bobo plays tomorrow at 9:00am. Bear plays tomorrow at 1:00pm for his first playoff game. They are single elimination so if we win we will play again Monday.

There's just something about the playoffs.

Bridget

Just for fun Answers

So here it is...

"I will dimish and go into the West" is from Lord of the Rings the Fellowship of the Ring and is said by Galadriel (an elf)

'Just plain ole jealousy...as old as Cain and Abel' is from Remember the Titans and is said by the Assistant Coach's (who began as the head coach) daughter.

Obviously, none of you watch movies and we watch way too many.=)

Bridget

Garage Sale Money

So earlier in the week I told you that I had made some money at a garage sale and that I had something really great planned to do with it. I also mentioned that I would tell you what the plan was on Friday.

Well...

It's Friday, so here it is:

I'm going to Dallas with two friends to spend the day at IKEA!!! We are getting a hotel room so we can spend the night and drive back the next day!

I cannot even express how excited I am!!!

I am going to buy this coffee table. I can't wait to play board games, cards, color, and eat around it with the fam. Currently we have an ottoman that isn't great for that stuff. And did you see the price!?!

Gotta love it!

Oh, and I'm getting it in white.

I know I have four kids and I just talked about coloring on it.

Leave me alone.

I'm also asking God if I can buy this pillow. It is so pretty and would tie all the colors in my living room together. But it is a little pricey for a pillow in my opinion.

We'll see what God says.

Oh, and I also want this shelf. It would work great above my TV. Now, I think that is a great price for a floating shelf. Espescially one that is 73 inches long! But, that is also up to Him.

Anywho...I will post some pics when I get back.

And now I have to spend all day getting my family ready for a weekend without me.=)

I just remembered, I'll be back later today to give the answers to Just for fun.

Bridget

Just for fun

In a comment posted yesterday, Tobias quoted two movies. My husband knew one and I knew the other.

So...big kudos to whoever else knows what two movies they are and who says them.
Here's the comment:

Well, Cola its a good thing you didn't say, "I will diminish and go into the West," cause that would fit you about as much as calling yourself the winner. Just plain ole' jealousy...as old as Cain and Abel.

And for anyone wondering (not that anyone was) but Tobias and RC have been friends since childhood. There's a pic of all of us here. It's the last one so scroll down.

Later, folks! And good luck!

Bridget

Correction

I must make a correction. After listening to my husband's arguments I must agree that he did in fact come up with the title for the blog. Way back when we first moved here he set us up with our new email. He is the one who came up with Babione6 and since I couldn't think of a title for my blog when I first signed up for it I just used that as the blog address.

So, R.C. and Toby, I guess you're gonna have to share the prize. RC can download it to his ipod then give it to you, T.

Happy, babe?=)

And the winner is...

I know. It's not officially time for the contest to be over.

But seeing as how I've already made up my mind I'm calling the contest.

Plus, I'm one of those people who has to buy presents last minutes for the simple fact that I can never wait to give them to the person. Case and point: this year for Father's Day the kids and I bought RC an ipod nano. I didn't buy it till Friday thinking "I can surely make it from Friday to Sunday."

Nope.

We gave it to him Friday evening when he got home from work.

So you see, I just can't help myself.

Back to the contest. There were three entries. Though, technically, I'm not sure if Tobias' counts. You know, Toby, you didn't really come up with anything new.;-)

However, please check out the entries in the comments of the previous post. They were all great and from exactly who I expected them from. Seriously, my husband could have gone on for days with ideas. God has just gifted him like that. And AM, I don't know how you do it! I am continually amazed by your creativity.

And I'm serious about that book thing. Get on that, girl!

OK. Drum roll, please...

The winner is...



TOBIAS!!!!!


Congrats, Toby!

My new title is Babione 6 and the tag line is a family of sidekicks for the One True Superhero.

Now, let me explain. First, the practical reason. My blog address is babione6.blogspot.com and my email is babione6@cableone.net. A different blogger than the one I mentioned in the previous post has also recently given some blogging advice and she mentioned that it is smart to keep everything similar. This way it is easy for people to keep things straight. I have actually been thinking about this for a little while now and so after reading her advice I felt convinced.

I know it's not that catchy or creative, but the other option is to keep everything different or to start a completely different blog. I really don't want to do either. Plus, my purpose for this blog is to connect with family and friends, make some new friends along the way, and most importantly to be as transparent as possible so people can see Jesus. He is, after all, the most important thing. I'm not necessarily trying to speak to a large audience so I don't really feel I need something greatly catchy or creative.

Secondly, I agree with Toby. I came up with the sidekick tag line myself (thank-you-very-much) when I took the picture of the kids in their costumes. And I, too, think it's cool. But more than that I believe that God is the star of the show. I'm not the star in my own story. This is HIS STORY and He has graciously given me a part in it. My part is to fight the good fight with the help of the Holy Spirit. And to teach my children how to fight it.

As my husband said here:
Day in and day out I have to war for my faith. The enemy so does not want me doing anything remotely serious or real with God, so he attacks every day. If I'm not ready every day, then how can I expect to live victoriously? I can't.

I agree. So I fight the good fight.
1 Timothy 1:18
Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight...

1 Timothy 6:11-12
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Well, there you have it, folks. I have been praying during this contest and asking God if I should even continue my blog. He has answered by giving me a renewed focus and purpose for it. Thanks for participating and I'm sorry to anyone who wanted to enter but didn't get the chance.

I plan on having the new look by tomorrow.

Bridget

Help, please!

Lately, I have been frequenting some other blogs. And just the other day, one of those blogs posted about blogging. It was an advice post if you will. And he had some really good advice.

1. Your title should be a good indication of what your blog is about.

2. The look of your blog is important. If people like what they see it will be a better experience for them and they will more likely come back.

3. Label everything.

He offered more advice, but I really felt like I was lacking in these three especially.

So...Here's where I need your help.

Please give me some ideas for a title. The whole reason this blog is titled Anywho is because I couldn't come up with something. Also a tag line for the title you come up with would be great too. I'm having a hard time really defining my blog. So, I'm hoping that you all can see something I can't.

Secondly, after I get a new title I'm gonna try for a new look to go with that title. So to get this thing rolling and encourage ya'll to work your brains for my benefit I'm going to make this a little contest. That's right. The winner gets something!

I'm sitting here trying to think of something really cool that I could give away that also won't cost too much money. Maybe a CD? Phil Wickham is AMAZING and has a new record out. Maybe a gift card? Who doesn't like money? Or maybe something tailored to the winner? A boy thing for a boy and a girlie thing for a girl?

After a few minutes of contemplation I've decided to go the CD route. If you already have his CD I'll send you the new Starfield CD. They're really great too. If you already have the Starfield CD then frankly you don't need any more CD's and will have to just be satisfied with the title of WINNER.

The labeling I'm just gonna have to make myself do. It will be time consuming, but unfortunately ya'll can't help with it.

The contest starts now and will end Wednesday, June 25th at midnight.

So, help please! My life depends on it!

I know...that's a little dramatic.

So, help please! My blog life depends on it!

Much better.

Bridget

Can I come play at your house?

At Life Group Wednesday one of my friends mentioned that another of my friends was planning a garage sale for Saturday.

I thought "Oh, I need to have one of those too."

So, when the friend having the garage sale called me on Friday I politely invited myself to have a garage sale with her. =)

She was gracious enough to let me bring my stuff over and make a little money. And we had a good time visiting.

And I'll let you know later this week (probably Friday) what I'm going to use the money for! You'll love it!

Bridget

Baseball pt.?

I've lost track and really haven't done a very good job of keeping up with it. But there's a reason why. (and, no, it's not my laziness)

Bobo and Bear went through mid-season slumps.

And other than telling you wins, losses, and ties there wasn't much else to tell.

Until tonight.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Bobo and Bear attended Baseball Camp this week. It was put on by the head coach of the college baseball team in our town. It cost $60 per kid and it was so worth it! They both soaked it up like sponges and it showed.

Bear went 0 for 2 on the night. It doesn't sound good, but he came to the plate with two outs and hit the ball into a forced out at second. Not great, but his new swing and new bat obviously paid off.

Bobo had a great night. This was a makeup game and neither team had all their players. And Bobo got to play second. First, he tagged a kid out. Then, he fielded the ball and tagged a kid out and then threw to first trying for the double play (not quite in time, though). And then missed the out at second, but threw on to third to get the kid out! He looked like he knew exactly what he was doing and wasn't scared to do it!

Man was he proud!

Side note: Bobo played right field most of the season and because he hasn't quite figured out how to really run yet was usually beat to the ball. So he didn't see much action the first part of the season. Last night was his first night at second and he caught the ball thrown to him on a steal and then stepped on the bag, but didn't know he was supposed to tag the guy so no out was made. Then the game was called because of lightning.

At the plate he was walked twice and scored both times. He also has a new bat, a new stance, and a new swing. He hasn't got to use them in a game, but as of yet, no need. We lost (10-8), but boy it was a fun game for our family. And the team as a whole did really good and we were without some of our better players.

Fun night, and I'm having a garage sale tomorrow with a friend so I'm going to bed!

Good night, folks!
B

Life Changers

OK, so the title might be a little dramatic.

The Life Changers I am talking about are books I've read and movies I've watched that have greatly impacted my life. Though I've been thinking about this post for a few weeks now, I've only come up with one book and one movie to recommend right now. I've read many books and watched many movies that have impacted me. I just especially wanted to share these with you.

End of the Spear by Steve Saint

This book is written by the son of one of the five missionaries who were killed by a tribe of Amazon Indians in the fifties. Some of the wives and children of these five men then returned to the tribe and were able to introduce them to Christ. Seriously, this book is AMAZING! It is an easy read and so so so engaging. I hated putting it down.

What I thought I wanted out of life was turned upside down by reading this book. Someday when I have grandchildren (God willing) I want the stories I share with them to be about the adventures God took us on. I want the stories to be about ways that God showed up and showed off. I understand that everyday living is the meat of real life, but I don't want to miss out on those God opportunities because my attention is focused on other things. Like getting a new couch, going on a certain vacation, or a family illness. This book made me aware of how much I want the life God has planned for me. I try now to be more aware of what I'm willing to give up or willing to do to have that life.

This book isn't trying to teach us something. This book is a story. A story about what God does when we do whatever He wants. The ups. The downs. The in-betweens.

It does, however, come with a word of warning. DO NOT rent the movie by the same name. If you feel you must watch this movie then do so AFTER you have read the book. Honestly, I can appreciate the effort but it doesn't do the book justice. Also, I recommend watching the documentary about this story after reading the book. It is called Beyond the Gates of Splendor. I recommend watching it after reading the book because you will then know the people you are watching and hearing and it makes it that much more interesting. The documentary is wonderful.

The Nativity Story

This movie didn't quite have the impact on the world that The Passion of the Christ did, but I actually think that is very fitting for this movie. Sometimes we hear a story so much that we assume we get it. We assume that we can put ourselves there. See it as it would have been.

This movie fills in all the gaps we leave and even opened my eyes to some things I had never thought of. While this movie didn't cause me to make major life changes it did cause me to hear the story of our Saviors birth in a new way. Not different from the story we read in the Bible, just full of the little things we so easily miss. I don't want to be too detailed and give things away so I hope I'm still making sense.

I realized through this movie how truly humble our Saviour's birth was. Not just because He was born in a stinky barn, but because so few people realized the enormity of what was happening. And God let them go on unaware. He demanded no fan fare. No royal entry and treatment. So many have heard the story in our day. I never realized how few heard it then. Life went on. Our Saviour was a tiny baby in the arms of a young women and most people treated Him like every other baby. God with us. Treated just like us. By us.

I pray these recommendations impact your life in some way also. I know they won't impact you just like they impacted me. Our God is so wonderfully personal. So what are some books or movies or CD's that have impacted you lately?

Please share.

Later folks!

Update and correction

I was mistaken and PRAISE THE LORD for it. We do not have any baseball games tonight! Hallelujah and Amen!

Also, RC's mom got great results from her stress test. She is now home and resting. Trying to pass those darn kidney stones. She is still going to have further testing done, but nothing that has to happen immediately.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

Later folks!

Pause to catch breath, then dive right back in...

Let's play a quick game of catch up. Basically our lives consist of baseball, baseball, and more baseball.

Thursday: both boys had a game
Friday: both boys had a game, RC's mother goes to emergency room with chest pains and pain/numbness in her left arm, the EKG shows something abnormal so she is admitted
Saturday: Bobo had one game, Bear had a double hitter (all games smack dab in the MIDDLE of the afternoon), Susan's doctor wants to keep her all weekend and then do a stress test on Monday.
Sunday: our pause, RC and I sing a special in church, then we eat at Subway, take naps, RC goes to see Iron Man for the third time with a friend from life group, then gets to come home and watch a Braves baseball game. The only thing that could have made it a better father's day is if the Brave's could have pulled off a win.
Monday: Bobo and Bear are attending a baseball camp at the local college every morning till Wednesday, both have a game tonight. Popeye went to VBS and Princess helped me clean.
Tuesday: Baseball camp / VBS, then both have a game
Wednesday: Baseball camp / VBS, Life group

Whew! I love being busy, but if I don't get my down time I'm a wreck. The boys loved baseball camp today and Popeye had a friend from church go to the same VBS. (the VBS is at the Methodist church) No, I'm not one of those people who send my kids to every VBS in town. God hasn't told our church to do VBS, and side note: I'm so glad God called us to a church that only does what God tells them too. Our church doesn't feel pressure to do things the way they've always been done or to do what everyone else is doing. They (We) do what God is telling us to do. No more, No less. That being said...since the big boys were getting to do something special this week I offered Popeye the chance to go to VBS and he accepted. And he loved it! And I even felt like my friend having her kids there was confirmation that God was pleased.

RC's mom has had her stress test, but hasn't gotten the results yet. Please pray for her. She has been having kidney stones (they know for sure that she has three, two in one kidney and one in the other) so that is what they thought all this was at first. But now they are pretty sure it has to do with her heart. She has had peace of mind being at the hospital this weekend, knowing they are monitoring things and that a nurse is just at the push of a button.

We are all good. I'm back in the blogging mood so I'm sure you'll hear from me again, soon.

Later folks!

We're OK

We had a storm here last Thursday evening. Pretty bad. The whole town was without power for the night and we didn't have power till late Friday night. They are pretty sure it was a tornado. Wind gusts of 87 mph. Lots of damage. Families at church this morning still with no power.

We stood at the glass (screen) door and watched the whole thing.

I know.

Our house and cars received no damage. Our neighbors (my in-laws) received both car and house damage. As did most the neighborhood and our side of town. No known fatalities.

But I need to explain the title.

While we are OK, most of you had no idea there was a storm and damage, so I could have gone on with life like nothing happened.

However, when one of our children accidentally falls or bumps into something etc., they always say "I'm OK" before anyone even asks. They assume someone wants to know.

Hence the title and this post.

They are rubbing off on me.

And...

We're OK. =)

Baseball pt.4 & 5

So I have some catching up to do.

Saturday both boys had games. Bobo's was first at 9:00am. They got wallopped. I think the final score was 21 - 4. So many errors. We practically gave the other team those points. Not only did we walk SEVERAL we also kept overthrowing the bases so eveyone got further than they are supposed to. Bobo was 1 for 2 on the morning. He struck out and got a hit which landed him at first. He stole second, and over-ran third and was picked off. I tell you all this, not because it is important (this is 9-10 year old baseball, not the majors) but, for two reasons:

1. Many family members read this blog and like to know the details.

2. My son showed great character during and after the game. He never gave up. He never got a bad attitude. And He learned from his mistakes. I am so proud.

Bear's game was at 1:00 pm. In the heat of the day. We have to pay $1 per adult to get into the games. RC has a coaches pass which allows him to get in free, so since it was in the middle of Princess's nap I stayed home with the other's and RC took him. Since I wasn't there I am having to rely on RC's recollection of the game and frankly, it stinks. He can't remember anything.

Including whether he took his socks off.

Don't ask.

He thinks Bear got a hit every at bat and maybe even scored once. Bear's team won 10 - 0. That's three wins in a row. Pretty exciting. They are apparently a good little team. And I must say, their coaches are really good. They are great with the kids and know how to teach them the game. It's fun to watch the coaches get excited.

Bobo had his second game tonight. Much more fun. They won 11 - 4. Bobo struck out the first time, walked the second time, but was picked off trying to steal second, and walked the third time and scored. We got a new boy on the team today. He is really good. RC wasn't sure about him because he was new and he hadn't seen him practice yet, but when our pitcher got too tired to go on RC let the new boy pitch. WOW. He struck out three in a row in the third. He throws fast and straight. The fourth started with a walk, but he struck out the next three. Everyone in the stands from our team was like, "I'm sooooo glad he's on our team." He's also a really good hitter, runner, and fielder. And, even better, he seems really sweet.

Bobo was very excited tonight. And I'm really happy for him and RC.

P.S. I'm not up for downloading pics tonight so I'll post them later. And Bear's next game is tomorrow evening.