The Honeycomb

Update on our life

Ginger — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:08:00 GMT

I have so much to blog about, but the fact is, I hate blogging unless I have pictures to post and I have been having camera issues lately. So, here is another non-photo blog entry.

Shelby and Alex started school at Webo last week. August 13th! Isn't that incredibly early? Seems like kids don't have much of a summer anymore. Anyway, Alex is in 8th grade and this is his first year in a traditional school setting. He has always been homeschooled. He really seems to be enjoying school, especially after I stopped following him around with the camera on the first day and trying to get a picture of him. If I ever get my camera issues worked out I will post the photo. He is 6'3" so naturally one of the coaches pulled him out of math class the first day to see if he is planning to play basketball. (priorities you know!) I asked him if he was interested in sports since it is not something that has ever been a part of our lives. He replied, "It sort of seems like an awful lot of physical activity." That's my boy! Sorry, Coach! Maybe next year.

On August 1st, Shelby turned 16 and Alex turned 14. We celebrated with a big party out at Crown of Thorns Christian Camp. Shelby will be getting her driver's license in a few weeks, and she just recently got a boyfriend. Things are certainly changing fast around here!

Abby seems pretty lonely with both Shelby and Alex at school every day.   She asked if she could start school at Webo next year in seventh grade instead of waiting for eighth grade like her brother and sister. So, that is the plan. Today was our first day of homeschool this year and we spent time going over everything she will need to know to be ready for seventh grade. Once she's in school, I will have about 3 years before I "officially" start schooling Phoebe and Hudson. It's hard to imagine not homeschooling for three years considering at that point I will have done it for 12 years straight!

I am working on getting my domestic life in a little more order. Having two babies right in a row has really thrown me in a big way. They only recently started sleeping through the night, most nights, so I am finally starting to get some rest and energy. Plus, I've been working out at Lebanon Sports and Fitness, so that has been a huge boost to my energy level! So far I've managed to be up before the kids every morning, making breakfast and packing lunches. This is a big accomplishment for me! After they get on the bus I usually have just enough time to shower, start a load of laundry, and lay out dinner, before the babies wake up. This gets my day off to a very good start!

Phoebe and Hudson are growing by leaps and bounds. Hudson weighs 18.5 pounds now! He is the most contented, happiest baby I have ever known. Phoebe is a handful....of blessings! She really keeps me hopping. Today we spent an inordinate amount of time cleaning up poop. It was everywhere. But she is so darn cute! And she talks really well for her age. She will be two on August 28th. Yesterday she was trying to steal my cell phone because she said it was "Phoebe's phone." I said, "No, it's mommy's phone and you need to leave it alone." She grabbed it off the table, flipped it open, pointed to the screensaver which is a picture of her, and said, "SEE? Phoebe's phone!!!"   How can you argue with that?

Nathan just returned from another week in Belize. I am looking forward to going with him in November.  It appears he might have another job opportunity there which could take us back for an extended amount of time. It would be an awesome opportunity and I wouldn't mind taking the family back for a while, so keep your fingers crossed!

The paper that I originally started writing for is no longer in print.  I am still writing for The Paper of Montgomery County and The Weekly of West Central Indiana. I am in the process of working out contract details with another local paper, and am looking forward to writing for them. It will be nice to be in print locally again.

Well, that's about it for tonight. I have a lot of things I'd like to blog about, but I don't have the presence of mind at the moment. I think I'll work on putting my more recent articles on my website, so hop on over and take a look! http://www.gingertruitt.com

Make new friends, but keep the old!

Ginger — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:32:56 GMT

This past week we have had two unexpected opportunities to spend time with old friends. On Thursday our good friends Esperandieu and Dianne called and said they are visiting the states from Haiti. Esperandieu is Haiti's national director with Campus Crusade for Christ and has started a ministry called Nehemiah Vision Ministries. If you are looking for a way to support the children of Haiti, please, look at http://www.nehemiahvisionministries.org.

Esperandieu is Haitian and Dianne is Trinidadian. Our families have become very close over the past ten years and it was exciting to spend some unexpected time with them. Unfortunately, it takes a couple of days for me to get used to their accents, so when Esperandieu asked if we were having corn on the cob I thought he asked if I had heard when he called. It was confusing for a minute or too, but not as bad as the time I freaked out because I thought Dianne said a cow was shot down in the road. She was actually telling me a lady had stopped to use our telephone because her "car had shut down on the road." Who shoots cows in the middle of State Rd. 39 anyway?

On Sunday hubby's bluegrass group had a gig at a church in Terre Haute. Afterwards, while hubby was pumping gas, I ran into Arby's to pick up dinner on the go. I finished filling our drinks and turned around to find myself face to face with Mike and Nancy Ezell, a couple we haven't seen for fifteen years. What's amazing about it is that we actually knew them when we lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee and they still live there. What are the odds we'd run into them in Terre Haute?

We made our order "for here" instead of "to go" and sat and chatted with our old friends for about an hour. It was great to get reacquainted again after all these years. They were in Terre Haute, on their way to Clay City to visit family. Again....what are the odds?

I love it when the Lord sends little surprises our way. And I'm thankful for all the people He has brought into our lives over the years. My grandma once penned in my fourth grade autograph book:

Make new friends, but keep the old.
Those are silver, these are gold.

My New Blog

Ginger — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 22:29:32 GMT

I am now blogging for The Boone Sun. If you are interested in what I have to say in my "professional" blog, check out Boone Sun Blogs

Some of the content will be the same as this blog. Some of it will only be of interest to local people. Some of it might not be interesting at all. But it's another writing outlet so I'm thankful for the opportunity!!

Fourth of July weekend

Ginger — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:29:05 GMT

This turned out to be such a nice weekend. Nathan had several days off from work, including today, so we just hung out together and did a little of this and that.

Thursday he went to the Good Feet Store and spent 2 hours and a whole lot of money getting special inserts for his shoes. He can already tell a difference in his plantar fasciitis (sp?) and general foot pain. These things are really heavy duty and he can only wear them for a little bit each day until he builds up to regular use.

While he was doing that, I was at Sam's club wiling away the time with the babies. Phoebe was her usual cheerful self, so I finally had to leave the store in humiliation. Since Nathan had the car and was nowhere close to being finished, I pushed the shopping cart to the Good Feet store. It was only a half mile or so. Nathan came out of the store just as I was finishing diaper changes in the van and said, "I saw you walking past with the shopping cart." I figure everybody in the strip mall probably saw me and said, "look at that crazy woman with all those babies, two giant bags of cheese, and an industrial sized box of Q-tips in a shopping cart!"

Friday Nathan stayed home with the babies while the older kids and I went to Allen and Michelle's annual Fourth of July party. I rode the float celebrating 50 years of Mrs. Boone, and then walked back to Michelle's for lots of food. Nathan met up with us later and we watched the fireworks. We also ran into my cousin Debbie and her husband Larry, and my great aunt Clara. They were sitting along the parade route. The parade in our little town lasts over an hour and draws a crowd of around 25,000-30,000. This year I video taped the entire route. I'm hoping to post it on youtube.

Here is a picture of Alex with his Great-Great Aunt Clara

Here is the Mrs. Boone float. There were also several of us on the calliope which followed the float. I'm not sure why I didn't get a picture of it.

Here is a picture of me with the very first Mrs. Boone/Mrs. Liberty Ann Graham.

On Saturday Nathan and I spent the afternoon together without the kids, which is something we haven't done in a very long time. It was nice to reconnect without constant interruptions. I was tempted to keep starting my sentences over, just out of habit.

Sunday we went to church and then to Taco Bell with our friends the Wyatts. Phoebe has named one of her baby dolls Baby Jean after Jean Wyatt. Her other baby is named Foster after Foster Toft-a friend from our church youth group.

Sunday night we had four families over for dinner. Nathan made Salbutes, a Belizean dish, along with beans and rice and fried plantain. It was a really fun evening with great fellowship.

Today hubby is home with the kids and I'm at the church, catching up on my blog, and working on a couple of articles. I also worked out at Lebanon Sports and Fitness today. I am really enjoying that membership! It feels great to push myself and actually sweat! I'm not much of a sweater.....cashmere or otherwise.

My brilliant, beautiful children!

Ginger — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:05:49 GMT

Have I mentioned lately that my children are brilliant? And they keep me laughing! Abby and Alex added a twist to the old rock, paper, scissors game that we all know and love. They say rock, paper, scissors, but then they add a fourth, random, thing. Anything that pops into their head. Then they decide who wins based on who chose the stronger item.

So, we're driving down the road and I hear them discussing:

Abby: Fireballs would burn up a jaguar so I win!
Alex: But a jaguar is stealthy and it would be able to dodge the fireballs, so I win!

Next round:

Abby: The cliff breaks the waves and pushes them away so I win!
Alex: The waves erode the cliff, so I win!

Next round:

Both: rock, paper, scissors....
Alex: What are you supposed to be?

I glance in the rearview mirror and see Abby with both hands in the air.
She replies,
"GOD! I win!"

Other things the kids have been doing this summer:

Shelby and Alex spent a week in downtown Indy with their youth group working in a homeless shelter. That was a great experience! Shelby said it was like not even being in the same state because everything was so different. They kept forgetting they were only thirty minutes from home.

Alex is fourth guy in the back. Shelby is third in the front row.

Serving at Wheeler Mission

Alex and youth leader Fred cleaning up the neighborhood.

Pulling weeds!

Picking up thousands of cigarette butts on the mission terrace.

More cleaning. Doesn't he look excited?

While they were on their mission trip and Nathan was in Belize, I took Abby and her friends to Caribbean Cove which is an indoor water park. It's a Holiday Inn, so you have to spend the night to get water park passes. We had a great time, but there were a few rough moments with the babies. I probably won't try doing that again without daddy!

Abby pumping water

Friends Faith and Rachel. Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of Lizzie!

Phoebe is changing very quickly from a baby to a little girl. She talks all the time now. Most of her words are very clear, but her favorite food is still "meatmo" otherwise known as oatmeal. I think I can safely say she is sleeping through the night now. It was a long time coming, but she's been consistent for the last month! Yeah!

Hudson is rolling front to back and back to front. He laughs and laughs at everything. He is truly the happiest baby I have ever known! He is pretty much down to one night time feeding now, so I feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Hopefully, the light isn't too bright though because I really need my sleep.

Vacation Bible school

Ginger — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 19:35:32 GMT

VBS starts tomorrow at Grace Baptist. We've been decorating in the luau theme all afternoon and everyone is very excited! Shelby is heading up crafts and Alex is helping out with the 5 & 6 graders. This is Abby's last year to be a student and next year she can be a helper. They are growing up sooo fast!!

jjz x c do (Hudson typed this)

Beautiful Baby Boone

Ginger — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:07:46 GMT

Today Phoebe participated in the Beautiful Baby Boone contest. She was so cute and did a great job!!

Congratulations to winner Lyla Jackson!! She was adorable with her curly brown hair and great dress!!

Guess who's getting married!!

Ginger — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:27:04 GMT

My beautiful sister Libbi is engaged! She and Fred are considering tying the knot in the Bahamas in October. We are so excited for them!!

Here is a picture of the bride-to-be.

A picture of the bride and groom! Isn't he a handsome fellow?

And the gorgeous ring!!

A close up of THE ring!

Congratulations Libbi and Fred!

We love you!!!

We love you!

Ginger — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 22:43:08 GMT

I miss you, Daddy! Hurry home!

The winner is......

Ginger — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:06:46 GMT

Last night's fiftieth Mrs. Boone County pageant was so much fun! The committee did a great job. They had all of us come out on the platform. I'm not sure how many were there. I'm thinking just over thirty. It was nice to meet some of the formers whose names I had heard but had never met.

The new (50th!) Mrs. Boone County also won Mrs. Congeniality. She is only the third person to win both titles! And the winner is.......Dawn McNair!

Interestingly, at one of the dinners leading up to the pageant I found out that Dawn graduated from high school with Nathan. She is also my dad's pastor's wife. Merv and Dawn started Lighthouse Baptist Church.

Here is a picture of the former Mrs. B's and Dawn, but there are several that you can't really see in this shot. The very first Mrs. Boone, who is actually the only one that carried the original title of Mrs. Liberty, was Anne Graham. She is in the front row very center.

Here are a couple of shots hubby took of me before the pageant. I was hoping to go to dinner with all the other ladies, but due to my lack of ability to get ready for anything on time I didn't make it. Hubby was so sweet and took me to dinner...just the two of us!

I like this shot because it shows the sparkly tiara! <grin> I had him take this one as sort of an aerial shot because it makes my face look thinner. Every little bit helps!!!

All dressed up and too late to go!!

If you read my previous post about feeling fat and being stuffed into a formal, you will appreciate the way my evening ended. Ann from Lebanon Sports and Fitness came up to me after the pageant and said that they read my article about my desperate attempt to lose weight and they would like to offer me a membership and follow my progress. If that doesn't keep me motivated I don't know what will!! Hopefully I won't end up like my dear deejay cousin who was doing something similar with Nutri-system (or some such program) but got "fired" because she actually gained weight!

It was a beautiful evening and I was so proud to be a small part of it. All of the candidates were wonderful! I appreciate all of the hard work they do within our community and they should be very proud of themselves for stepping out of their comfort zone and participating last night. It's not easy!!

Congratulations, Dawn!!

Oh, yeah...here is a short video clip hubby put on you tube. He is in Belize today and this is his first you tube post. He has other parts of the pageant that he will post later. Mrs. Boone on You Tube

Here is a news article with some really nice pictures. The Boone Sun Article

Fat and Formal

Ginger — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 14:19:53 GMT

Tonight is the 50th annual Mrs. Boone pageant. I love being a former Mrs. Boone. I really do! But I hate parading across a stage when I'm fat and I've shoved my body into a semi-formal poufy dress. I feel like Anne Hathaway in Princess Diaries when she says, "In case I'm not enough of a freak already, let's add a tiara!"

So, I'm going to go take a shower, cut the tags off the dress I kept thinking I would take back, and polish up the tiara. When I get there I'm going to have a great time! It's just the getting ready to go part when I've been eating like a horse all day and feel bloated that's the problem.

Good luck to all the candidates tonight! I can't wait to see who wins!

No panties allowed!

Ginger — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:33:33 GMT

I saw this sign outside the Wal-mart dressing room today and it just struck me funny! I wonder what the attendant woud say if I stripped out of my undies before entering the dressing room. Do they keep them in a basket or should I just hang them on the doorknob? On a busy day finding your panties might be similar to that game we played as kids where they put everyone's shoes in a pile and you had to be the first one to find yours and put them on. (Snicker snicker)

Win a book!

Ginger — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:05:54 GMT

Check out Jenn Doucette's blog and enter to win a new book by Sheri Sand.

Jenn is a great author in her own right, and I highly recommend her books! Jenn's Books She is very real and down to earth, and I think you will enjoy her perspective on motherhood. There aren't many books that make me snort, but she made me snort right out loud!! More than once!!

Living in Tornado Alley

Ginger — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 23:22:40 GMT

The thunderstorms over the past few days have been really unbelievable! We got around 11 inches of rain on Friday and Saturday. The wind was terrific and sent us to the basement for a short time. Since Sunday it has been storming off and on. Today started out beautiful and sunny and we spent two hours at the park. Shortly after lunch time the sky darkened, we heard thunder, and our power went out, but it was a couple of hours before it actually started raining.

The creeks are flooding, there are cranes standing in the flooded cornfields, and when we were at the park today Abby commented on the number of men running around with chain saws. Indeed, this is not a sight you normally see at the local small town park, but there were a couple of huge trees down and it appeared that the entire park staff was equipped with chain saws in order to move the trees out of the way.

When it's not raining, it is sweltering hot and humid and you can barely breathe. But you know what? I love the midwest and wouldn't trade it for anything! When Nathan talks about moving or retiring to Belize, I tell him only if we can come home for the winter. I would be the exact opposite of all the other old people who go south for the winter. What would I do without changing seasons? Fall is my favorite time of year, and I love hibernating during snow storms. And because I would hate to give up those two seasons, I will suffer through the heat and humidity, and lay awake at night for 3-4 months a year, wondering if I should wake up the kids and gather them into the basement.

Many years ago my parents' little town, 15 miles from here, was ravaged by a tornado. Many homes were completely demolished and nearly all had severe damage. It was quite a frightening experience for them! A couple of weeks later my little sister told me that she and mom and dad had gathered in the basement again, reading scriptures and praying for safety because they could hear another tornado tearing through the town. The sound they heard was actually the street sweeper. I always thought that was such a funny story. And I'm thankful God kept them safe through the entire street sweeping experience!

Well, the lightning is getting worse, so I probably ought to shut down this ol' computer. If you are up late reading this, say a little prayer for our peace of mind and safety tonight. I'm persevering through the storms because Fall will be just around the corner!!

Good night and God Bless!!

Busy Bible

Ginger — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:22:24 GMT

Last Christmas we bought a Busy Bible for Phoebe, hoping that it would help us as we try to train her to keep quiet in church. On the upside she absolutely loves it! She spends more time with her Busy Bible than she does any other toy or book. The downside, it doesn't keep her quiet. She's so enthusiastic that she babbles about it constantly, which is really cute, but quite disruptive to the service.

So, for anyone who would like a really neat, unusual item to give to the toddler in your life, I highly recommend the Busy Bible. Here is the website. BUSY BIBLES

Weight Loss before photo and article

Ginger — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:52:00 GMT

Well, this article and photo will be seen by thousands of people in two counties over the next few days. Here's hoping I have a decent after picture to publish!!

Will Boone County Win the Battle of the Bulge?

The good news is, I have five beautiful children! The bad news is, I got on the scales this morning and I’m six feet and nine inches tall. Or at least that is how tall I would be if my height matched my weight.

It’s not easy being short and fat. I’m staggered by the number of folks that think I’m either pregnant again or nearing the end of a fourteen month gestation period. Granted, I had lost most of the weight I gained with the last baby, but unfortunately I regained fifteen pounds in the last month. My chip craving, both potato and chocolate, is exceeded only by my total lack of desire for exercise.

Actually, I do want to exercise, it’s just that the desire isn’t stronger than the need to lie down and rest if I have a chance. I tried working-out while the babies nap, but by the time they are quiet I either want to nap with them because I’m still having a lot of sleepless nights, or I need to do laundry, empty the diaper pail, wash out the potty chair, pick up the toys, rewind all the Barney tapes, stare into the pantry with a glazed “what’s for dinner” look, go to the bathroom uninterrupted, and if I’m lucky, eat a snack without sharing. You needn’t point out that if I shared my snacks more often, I wouldn’t be in this weight crisis.

I bought a new workout DVD, hoping that the cost of the purchase would be enough to motivate me to get moving. I managed to exercise three days in a row, but it was a bit of a struggle with my helpful 20-month-old. Kids these days are a little too technologically savvy. Twice she popped out the exercise DVD and tried to replace it with a selection from her vast Barney collection.

Once she understood that this was not acceptable behavior, she decided to join in my workout. During the aerobic portion, she wrapped both arms around my left leg and ordered, “Dance! Dance!”

As I was doing sit-ups she ran circles around me yelling, “Ashes! Ashes!” The ring-around-the-rosy song was completed when she would cry out, “Fall down!” and fling herself across my stomach. I’d like to say my rock hard abs prevented her from making that mistake twice, but the truth is, it was such a fluffy landing that she tried it again and again.

Push-ups were no easier with her assistance. It’s bad enough that I can only do five girlie push-ups when I’m not being hindered, but I can only do one when there’s a thirty pound toddler sitting on my back yelling, “Horsey! Horsey!”

The cool down period was completely shot when she got bored with me and decided to jerk the baby’s pacifier out of his mouth, which started him screaming and in desperate need of mommy’s attention.

Finally, I decided it was easier to load everybody up and go to the park. She could wear herself out playing, and then I could get my exercise pushing around the double stroller I bought at Once Upon A Child after promising hubby I would use it every day.

As we were playing at the park, my sweet little toddler lifted my shirt and asked, “Ball? Ball?” “No sweetheart,” I said, sweet as pie, as I jerked my shirt down so no one would be blinded by my shiny stretch marks. “That’s a spare tire. The ball is over there next to the slide.”

So, here’s the deal. My new weight loss incentive is that I’m going to publish my current weight at the end of every article. If you’d like to join in my weight loss efforts, send an email each weekend with the number of pounds you’ve lost that week and the total number you’ve lost since you started. I’m issuing the same challenge in Montgomery County. I’ll keep a running tally of the total pounds lost in each county and update weekly. Let’s see which county will win this Battle of the Bulge! We will declare a winner the week of August 17th. If you’d like to submit before and after photos we will publish those too.

My current weight is 194. But keep in mind, this includes my wedding band, make-up, and a hair scrunchie.

Phoebe helps with bake sale

Ginger — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:47:16 GMT

Shelby and Alex are working a bake sale tonight at Wal-mart so they can raise money for the Mexico mission trip. Shelby has been baking for three days! Here is a picture of Phoebe helping ice a cake.

P.S. If anyone would like to contribute towards their trip, all donations are appreciated!! They are building houses and doing VBS in Tijuana with Global Expeditions/Teen Mania.

Welcome to our family, April!

Ginger — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:58:12 GMT

After I mentioned in an article last week that we had lost our beloved dog Lizzie, several folks were kind enough to offer us replacement puppies. We finally settled on this little girl that Abby named April. April's mom is a golden retriever and her dad is a lab. She is very calm and such a cutie!

Our Weekend/Weight Loss Idea

Ginger — Sun, 25 May 2008 20:10:07 GMT

Well, there is only one day left in our long weekend and I'm hoping we don't do anything but sit around and watch T.V. or maybe mindlessly surf the web.

Friday night we had the rehearsal for Nathan's parents' anniversary party. Then Saturday was the party and some of hubby's relatives came over afterwards. Then today we ran errands, had people over for lunch, and then a bunch of the guys went paintballing for a few hours. I was hoping to squeeze in a nap while they were gone but couldn't coordinate the babies to sleep at the same time.

I'm tired. I want to sleep. Six hours would be good. Maybe tonight I'll get six hours of uninterrupted sleep. One can always hope!!!

I am contemplating starting a weight loss challenge in Boone County. I think I'll publish my weight in my next article (190 lbs) and then publish my new weight each week. I'll have everybody who wants to lose weight with me send me their loss each week and tally it up and then publish it in the paper with some snappy title. It would be total pounds lost in Boone County each week. Anyone have any thoughts on something catchy I can call it? .

Finally, I have links!!

Ginger — Mon, 19 May 2008 08:56:31 GMT

It sure took them long enough, but Go Daddy finally got the problem fixed and now I get to add links to my sidebar! I'm just getting started, and I need to figure out the best way to organize them, but I've added a few so check them out!

Not sure why, but I'm way more excited about this than the average person! Now I need to do the same thing on my website because that link page is currently just a bunch of jibberish.