Day 19 - Nicknames...

Well as a baby my dad called me Roosell-Goosell.  Don't ask me why. I have never known. I don't think dad even remembers why he called me that.  As a small girl Dad said I had moo-moo eyes.  Eyes that were Big and brown as the old milk cow's eyes he tended to daily. Then as I got older I became pumpkin-butt.  Not because my rear-end was orange but because it was as big as an orange edible guord.

My aunt Nancy always called me "Kay-Kay".  Because my name began with the letter "K".

My sister called me "Sissy" because she was unable to say Katherine until she was at least 6 or 7.

I had several nicknames in junior-high(middle school) but they aren't all nice and I dont dwell on them too often.

Here recently I have been called Kat short for Katherine.  And also one of my favorites is "G" but only the people I game with call me "G". They call me this because my main toon or avatar that I play in everquest 2 is called "Greatly" and G just sounds really cool to me.

But the best nickname ever is....

MOM

Day 17 and Day 18

Well I have let my self get behind on this 30 day challenge so I am catching up by doing two days in one.

Day 17 - someone you would like to switch places with for a day.

Well I thought about this for a long time.  I thought who would I like to be for a day?  My cousin Megan chose the  guy on food network that reveals the secret ingredient on one of their shows.   I thought that was pretty interesting. I could actually see Megan doing that.  But the challenge was who would I like to switch with.

I wouldn't want to be anyone famous, because I see them in the news and they all have problems that I wouldn't like to deal with.  I thought about all my acquaintences, but there again.. nothing.   then I thought maybe I could switch places with someone I could help. I mean everyone has problems, who would I like to switch with to help.

I would like to switch places with my Dad one day and then my grandmother.  why?  they both have such pain and discomfort every day.  If I could switch places with them and give them a pain free day, I would.  I could handle a day of discomfort for them.

Day 18 - Plans/ dreams/ goals I have

Well as a little girl I dreamed of being a veternarian and helping all the animals and working in a zoo.  But as I got older I found I didnt like the blood and the claws and the bites, so i switched I went to school for computer programming.  while I was in school I dreamed of getting married and haveing 4 kids, (3 boys and one girl).  But my sister Rachel has 5 kids, (3 boys and 2 girls) and I realized I have a hard enough time mothering two boys and I know 4 or 5 would push me over the edge of insanity. But I still love kids. So I mother those around me.

Now at this stage of life my hopes and dreams involve maybe finally buying a house.  But that dream seems distant and foggy.

Plans and goals are a bit closer to being met.  I plan on raising my boys to be the best they can be.  I pray every day for wisdom to deal with these two very different children. My goal is to instill in them Christian vaules and to teach them how to be polite and courteous and how to show Jesus's love by the things they do on a daily basis. I want them to be better people than I am.

My goals for today are: clean house, pick-up VBS supplies, take Eli to banjo lessons, make sure everyone is fed and go back to Bible school this evening. And a lot of other small things that need to be done before my head hits the pillow tonight.  I plan on taking it one step at a time and one day at a time.  I will get what I can done and do the rest tomorrow.

Day 16 - Another picture of me - as a baby

Here are a couple of pictures.  The first one is a picture with my Grandparents, Beulah and Garland Creech, My Mom, Doris and my aunt Betty.  I was only a few days old and you cant see much of me.

the second picture is of me and my sister Rachel.  I think I was 6 or seven years old at that time.  I didn't get glasses until after I started kindergarten.

Day 15 - Put my ipod on shuffle and list the first 10 songs that are displayed

Well I really wish I could do this, but I do not have an ipod.  So this may be the shortest blog in my history. Until tomorrow....

Day 13 - A Letter to someone who has hurt me recently

Well I tend to avoid people that hurt me.  And the only one that has hurt me recently is Dexter. so here is my letter

Dear Dexter,

I love you very much but when you walk all over me it hurts!  When I am in bed and you stomp all over my legs trying to find a comfortable spot, your toenails scratch and you weigh a ton.  I know you can't help your weight but maybe if you dig a bit more your nails would not be so sharp.

Your loving owner,

Katherine

Day 12 - My blog story

Well I blame it all on Megan Self.  I had looked at starting a blog several years ago but had decided I did not have the time to devote to it. Then Megan began a blog with a 30-day challenge.  After reading Megan's blog "His and Her Self" I decided I would give it a try.  and wal-lah FROG Blog was born. 

I hope that later after the challenge is over I will be able to keep going with the blog. I would like to post stories about my kids and what they are doing.  I would also like to post the blessings that the Lord sends our way daily.  we will see what the future holds with FROG Blog.

Day 11 - A Person I would like to meet

I asked my husband this question and he said, Hugh Heffner. I did not ask why. But my answer is someone a little less famous.  In fact its a bunch of someones.   I would love to meet my friends from Everquest 2.

Wesley and I have been playing Everquest 2 since april of 2005.  And since beginning this epic never ending game we have "met" many intereting people.  When I say met I do not mean in real life - face-to-face, but met online.  We chat and game together. We are able to talk to our on-line friends through voice chat.

In the last 3 years we have been able to meet some of these gamer friends.  When we went to Washington D.C. for vacation we met Casey who plays a toon called Toar.  Last year we met Jay and his wonderful family. Jay plays Delrot and several other toons.  They live in Delaware and came to North Carolina for vacation and stopped in Morganton to have dinner with us.  And this past Easter, John (Tondef) and his wife came to North Carolina for a Wedding and also brought their son-in-law (Havic).  I love meeting these people.  They all come from different backgrounds and different places but yet we have found friendship through our game.

Some of the other people I would love to meet are Tim and Bridgett.  they are from England and I doubt I will ever meet them face-to-face but I have come to love them all the same.  Tim's wife and Bridgett's mom was Rose Maizy.  She died of lung cancer this past April.  And I grieve for her with Tim and Bridgett. 

I love to talk to my EQ2 friends.  I pray for them when they mention troubles they are having. I worry when I don't "see" them on-line for a long time.  Mike (Faldur) fell this winter and broke several bones and almost died from pneumonia.  We all worried when we had not logged on for several days.  and when we learned of his accident we prayed for his swift recovery and then gave him a hard time about it when he felt well enough to come back to the game.

I wish I could meet them all.

Day 10 - Songs I listen to when...

Well I mainly listen to the radio while driving.  Some of the Cd's that I have in the car include a bunch of children's cds.  Pirate songs. Eli loves Johnny cash so we listen to that often.  I like Tom Petty and Casting Crowns. I also like to listen to Celtic music.  Blues music (love the Black Snake Moan movie soundtrack) and along that track I also have movie soundtracks to Prince of Egypt, Ladykillers and Oh Brother where Art Thou.

When I am not in the car if I am happy or content I could be heard singing or humming hymns or children's songs.

Day 9 - something I am proud of.

My two sons, Eli and Andrew

I am so proud of these two boys.  They bring me joy and aggrevation but I love them so much. They are so different from each other. And so different from me. Below is an excerpt from my thought journal.  I wrote this after a parent/teacher's conference. The teacher told me that my son was an "entertainer" and I sat there and wondered, "how did that happen?"  I thought a lot about how different my children are from me and it made me proud that they are their "own" person and not a carbon copy of me or Wesley.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. ~ Proverbs 22:6

The way HE should go. Not the way I should or would go, but the way HE, the child, should go.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. See, I have a child that is so completely different from me that at times I look on him as an alien imposter in my house. How could I have a child like this? What mutant gene conspired to become dominant and make this child of mine so … well weird?

A few years ago my son did not like to be in front of people but that all changed thanks to our preacher’s wife. Every Sunday Mrs.  Ruth, would ask the children to come up front. She would talk to them and ask if they had a song they would like to sing. There was always someone with a song. But my son always said no. Well I thought it was because he didn’t know a song to sing so I began to teach him two songs. “Jesus loves me” and “Go tell it on the mountain”

Then one Sunday morning, Ruth asked that question, “would anyone like to sing a song this morning?”
My son’s hand went up instantly. Well Ruth looked at me and smiled. I went to sit on the front row to give encouragement and to help in case some words were forgotten.

Ruth handed my son a microphone. Oh the joy that lit up his eyes to be able to hold a microphone! I grinned. I was so proud. I just knew he would sing “Jesus Loves Me’ or “Go tell it on the mountain” perfectly. He took a deep breath… I took a deep breath too.. willing him to be brave. And then…

“Scooby Doobie doo where are you..” My son was singing the theme to Scooby Doo!! The whole church erupted in laughter.. the floors shook with it. I was so embarrassed!! How could he do this? Where was “Jesus loves me”? Where was “Go Tell It On The Mountain”? Oh no I can’t let him know how embarrassed I was, how disappointed! So I pasted on a smile and gave him a thumbs up. He grinned at me and sang louder. He sang the whole song, both versus and a repeat of the chorus. He was so excited and I was so embarrassed. But everyone at church said it was wonderful. They said it was refreshing and made my son feel like a super star. I promised then that I would never try to squash his spirit or try to make him into me.
I am an introverted person.

I am shy and find it hard to make friends. Being in front of strangers frightens me. I manage to push through this fear with the help and grace of God to do the things that He has asked me to do. I now teach Sunday School, direct the children’s choir and manage to put together a Christmas play and Vacation Bible School each year. There would be NO way on earth I could do this alone. It causes me to have butterflies in my stomach and break out in sweat. But my son, he is the complete opposite.

He thrives on attention. His teacher says he likes to perform. And he does. Any chance to be in front of people at the center of attention is an opportunity to perform in some way. And if those people laugh, well that means he accomplished his goal. My son is silly. He is always doing something silly. And my silly meter gets full quickly.

Why did God give me a child that so easily frustrates me? My son isn’t bad. He is a very good child. People are always complimenting me on how nice and polite he is, how helpful and eager. But at home he is a clown, always being silly and saying and doing things that just grate on my nerves.

I pray every day that I don’t squash his spirit. I pray that God gives me the wisdom to train up this child in the way He should go. I know that God has paved a path for my son that is different than the one that God paved for me. My son is a performer and I am in the audience on the front row watching and cheering.

Day 8 - Short term goals for this month.

Well I was kinda avoiding this blog, because I really don't have any short term goals for this month.

Since Eli played his last baseball game of the season on June 14th the only thing that we have to do is the Jubilate Choir camp at First Baptist Church from June 19 - 23. Vacation Bible School on June 26 - 29 and Table rock Middle School Jump Start program for Eli  June 28 - 30.  If we get past all these events then its just Banjo lessons on Mondays and swim lessons in July. 

Yep this is a very boring blog day for me...

Day 7 - A Picture of someone that has had a big impact on me.

My Grandmothers, My Blessings

I wrote the story below right before Mother's Day 2010.  It was published in the Mother's Day edition of the Morganton News Herald. Since this was written, my grandma Beulah has passed away.  I hope you don't mind me using this story as the Day 7 challenge.

 

Its getting close to Mother’s day and I always think about my Mom and all that she has taught me, but this year I have found myself dwelling on my two grandmothers.  I never call them grandma or grandmother unless I am talking about them.  When I am talking to them I always say Mawmaw or Me-maw.  I look at these two precious women today and see how fragile and frail they have become and I think on the lessons they have taught me. 

Mawmaw Faye or Me-maw as my boys call her, taught me much about being a Christian.  She did things and I watched and learned the lesson from her actions.  She showed me how important it was share.  If the garden was plentiful and she had more than she could use, she would take some to people in the community that didn’t have as much.  If someone in the community was sick, she called them up and then brought them homemade pies or cakes.  If the illness was lingering she would cook a whole meal and take to them.  I traveled with Me-maw many a day to deliver a bag of apples or plums to the elderly in the community. She has a giving heart.

Me and Me-Maw Faye

Me-Maw showed me how to be friendly to guests. She always cooked lunch and supper (dinner to you city folk) and if company stopped by at these times she would set another place for them.  And there was always enough. No one went away hungry from Me-maw’s unless they were too stubborn to partake.

Me-maw also taught me patience.  She took me fishing!  She said if we wanted to fish with her we had to learn to tie on a hook and to bait it ourselves.  And she took the time to teach us these essentials.  Then she taught me how to be patient and wait on the fish to bite.  That was so hard!  But now I can wait all day and not be fussed about it. And learning patience in fishing also helped me to be more patient with people.

Me-maw taught Sunday School for many years.  She taught me when I was in third and fourth grade.  We had to learn the books of the Bible and as many scripture versus as our minds could hold. John 3:16 was one of the first versus she taught us.  Learning these lessons has helped me today.  I may not remember the books of the bible in order, but I know if they are in the old or new testament.  The scripture versus may not be as clear but I remember their meaning and can generally tell you what book they are found in.

Mawmaw Faye is getting slower these days.  She is in lots of pain most days, but she keeps going.  She will still bake a pie or cake for someone that is sick.  And she goes to visit people in the neighborhood that are unable to get out. Doing for others, being there to listen and to show the love of Christ by her actions, she is an earthly example I strive follow.

Mawmaw Beulah also taught me much.  She was a short red headed Irish woman with a fiery spirit and an imagination that knew no bounds.  She taught me how to use my imagination and told me stories to feed it.  She also taught me to be proud of my self.  On many occasions she would say you are tall and beautiful stand with your head up shoulders back and chest pushed forward and walk with an attitude. And then she would demonstrate the walk and the attitude.  When I was thirteen she told me to start praying for God to send me a good Christian man that would be good to me and my children. And I took her advice, and now have a wonderful husband and two beautiful boys.

Andrew and Mawmaw Beulah 2002

I didn’t get to spend as much time with Mawmaw Beulah but it was always fun and interesting time. She told stories of ghosts and made up stories of how she used to be a princess warrior, slain with a spear through her heart.  Mawmaw Beulah spoke of her childhood and how she used to fight the boys that made fun of her bright red hair and short stature.  She told of how she would pitch baseball and how she pitched better than any boy at school.  Mawmaw Beulah was a story teller and I loved to listen to her soft spoken words and dream.

Today Mawmaw Beulah is confined in wheelchair and is a prisoner to the late stages of Alzheimer’s.  She lives in her past and occasionally she will invite you in to the world she now sees.  Her speech is difficult to understand but her repetitive motions give you ideas of what she sees.  Maybe she is picking things from the garden or working in the cotton mill.  Maybe she is again that warrior princess.  But for now she is my beloved Mawmaw.

I am now a grown woman, a wife, a mother of two.  I remember my youth as one long summer blurring into years.  Most of my time spent with my grandmothers was during the summer months.  And that time spent with them is what I remember the clearest. Sitting on the porches listening to stories and snapping beans or shelling peas.  Watching shooting stars on the special occasions I was able to stay the night with them. Smelling fresh baked biscuits, watching old westerns or hearing the ticking of a wind up clock, are my memories.  These Memories have shaped who I am today.



Day 6 - Favorite Superhero and Why, Pilgrim?

Well he isnt exactly a comic book super hero but he is one of the people I looked up to and imitated growing up... John Wayne

John Wayne was an inspiration.  He fought bad guys and rescued damsels in distress. One of the scenes that will always remain with me is "Rooster Cogburn" charging the bad guys with the reins in his mouth and a gun blazing in each hand.   Link
And then there was the "Quiet Man" where John played an ex-boxer who retired to Ireland after killing a man in the ring. Link
The love story between John's character and Maureen O'hara's was funny and heart warming. Making me dream of a tall man to come sweep me off my feet and to fight for me even if I was wrong or right. (In real life my dream man is 5 inches shorter than me but he still swept me off my feet. He just needed a crane to do it =D)

Even the movies where John's character died were imprinted on my young mind.  In the "Cowboys" John took a group of green boys and made them into men.  And when Bruce Dern character killed John, I cried. Then cheered as the "boys" rode to avenge him and to finish the job that they started.  Every time I saw Bruce Dern in any other movie I would think he was the bad man that killed John Wayne. Link

When we played cowboys and Indians I always wanted to be like John Wayne's character McClintock who was a friend and defender of the Indians.

John Wayne taught me not to waste my time but to rise early in the day and get the job done. "We are burning daylight", he said in the Cowboys.

So He may not have lightning speed or super strength.  Maybe he could not leap tall buildings with a single bound and he wasn't infused with radioactive toxins.  But John Wayne was a hero to me and thats the way it is ... Pilgrim

Day 5 - A Picture of Somewhere I have been

Well to be honest I don't get  out much.  My travels consist mainly to trips to the various baseball fields in the county.  Altho I have made it out of Burke County and, yes, even the great state of North Carolina once or twice.

One of the trips we made that was very memorable was our first trip to Washington D.C. back in 2009.

WWII Memorial



It was great fun.  It was the first time that our boys had been and everything was super intersting.  They loved the museums.  We rode the subway, visited the Lincoln and Washington monuments.

Andrew and Eli right after coming out of the subway tunnels.. They said the sun It's so bright!



We explored the National History and Air and Space Museum until we knew what was in every corner. And the boys greatly enjoyed their first stay in a hotel. Best Western free buffet breakfast was the best!  It was a great family trip!

Wesley and Eli on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial looking back to the Washington Monument

Day 4 - A Habit I wish I didnt have or something I am lookig forward to

Habit I wish I didn't have.... Hmmm that is something I havent thought about much. Maybe there is a habit that YOU might wish I didn't have.  maybe I can get some feedback on that.

My boys say they wished I did not nag so much.  I just wish they would do what I tell them when I tell them so I wouldn't have to nag so much.

Things I am looking forward to...
The new Harry Potter Movie,
The Release of the book "Dance of Dragons" by George R.R. Martin,
Jubilate Choir camp at First Baptist Church. Can't wait to hear the boys in concert this year.. They were WONDERFUL last year.
the start of the new school year altho I am a bit anxious because Eli starts middle school this year.
Vacation Bible School starts on June 29. Really excited about that.
My 42nd birthday in July

Day 3 - A Picture of Me and My Friends

Webster's New Dictionary defines friends as

1. a person whom one knows well and is fond of

2. an ally, supporter or sympathizer." to be "friendly" is to be kindly, not hostile; amicable; supporting; helping.

That being said; I have a lot of people that I am "friendly" with. People I know and like and enjoy being around and talking with.  But I have just a few close friends. My friends are not perfect - no more than I  - but that just means we suit each other.

My best friend, my ally, supporter, confidant the one that is ALWAYS there.  The person that forgives me when I do wrong, gives me advice, who loves me no matter what happens, is my Mom, Doris.
Mom encourages me, lifts me up when I am down. She listens to my complaints and grumblings with patience, even when those complaints are vain and selfish. She is my life teacher.

Me and my Mom, Doris

Now my best friend that isn't in my family but should be is Regina LaFevers Anderson.  We met in first grade and were instant friends.  We played under the craft table. She was always the kitten and I was always the Mommy.  I guess being so much taller than everyone else in the class caused me to always be picked as the "mom".  While we were in school she was always REgina.. never Gina.. I always had to put the RE in front or else. But since we have entered into the world of adults she has dropped the RE and goes by Gina.

We used to do everything together.  We were in the same classes all the way up until 10th grade.  You couldn't see one of us without the other.  We got in trouble together and usually shared punishments.  I remember getting in trouble for throwing food in the cafeteria and our punishment was to clean the tables and stack the chairs after lunch. And then there was the time we were in Washington D.C. and we got lost in the National Cathedral. Our group didn't know we were gone until they loaded the buses and did a head count. Gina had gotten sick and I went with her to the bathroom, there we met a nun who took us to her office so Gina could lie down. But we had neglected to tell our teachers. To make a short story shorter, our punishment was to stay in our Motel room while the rest of the group went to the national mall. But even punishment was fun with Gina.

She was the beautiful one, I was the tall, ungainly, clumbsy one. We grew apart and stopped seeing each other after high school, but have recently reconnected.  We go out for a girls night out and chat often. She is the best part of my childhood, the one I have the best memories with. She is still beautiful and I am still tall and clumbsy.

Me and Gina



I love all my friends but My friend I love the best is my Husband, Wesely.  He makes me laugh.  I feel safe, protected and loved with Wesley. We always have something to talk about and enjoy spending time just talking.  He holds my hand when we go out and hugs and kisses me every day. We like the same music and movies.  He is a wonderful caring father to our boys and works too hard.

Wesley and our boys, Andrew and Eli

St. John Ervine once said:

"Friendship is the feeling you possess for a particular person as distinct from all other persons. It is a very beautiful and intimate and close relationship which is destroyed if it is bestowed casually. To be able to say that you have a friend is to know that there is one person to whom your affairs are as important as his own, on whose aid and counsel and affection you can count in all times of trouble and distress, to whose aid you will fly the moment you hear he needs your help.

It is impossible for any man or woman to feel like that for more than a few persons."

Day 2 - The meaning behind F.R.O.G. Blog

Well for one I like frogs.  I think they are very interesting creatures.  They begin life in the water and then move to the land.  They come in many many different colors and sizes.

Also, the letters that make up the word frog mean to me

F = Fully

R = Rely

O = On

G = God

This reminds me every time I see a frog to rely wholely on God.  To go to Him first when I am troubled.  I know thats easier said than done.  I tend to try to muddle thru on my own then go "Oh, lets ask God to help".  If I had prayed first I would not have had to go through the stress and aggrevation.

If I am fullly relying on God and allowing Him to direct my path then He will supply all that I need for my journey.  I am not saying that life will be instantly easy.  If life was always easy then why would we want to trust in God.  We need some hardships to keep us humble and to keep us close to God.  Hard times bring us closer to Him.

And what does the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God. ~ Micha 6:8