Highlights

Brisa said some of the most hilarious things recently. We have officially reached the stage where the girls talk constantly and some of the things they say are just completely ridiculous. Enjoy!

"I wish my boogers tasted like bacon." This pretty self explanatory. She was eating bacon when this statement wandered out of her mouth.

"Mommy, are you done with my colander yet?" I had been crocheting Brisa a shawl. She was very excited and just couldn't wait for me to be done. But somehow she associated the word "collar" with the garment I was crocheting, and voila! Colander!

"This pineapple is gonna be the gospel of our meal!" Truly, I don't know from whence this came. She does seem to know that the gospel is a good thing. The good news, if you will. So I guess the pineapple was the "good news" of our meal. Works for me!

Here is Brisa posing in her shawl.

It's funny because it rarely stays on her shoulders. It usually ends up on her head, or around her chest, waist--you name it. Anywhere but her shoulders. The other day, we were walking through Walmart and she was wearing it on her head like the Virgin Mary. Hey, what can I say, it's Advent right?

Buggling Bandwagon

So, it has been nearly 2 months since I've buggled. Actually, the only reason I'm saying "buggle" is because Harry just noticed that I'm blogging and asked, "Are you buggling?" So yes, I am buggling. I think the term is appropriate given the the title of my blog!

There are a number of reasons for my falling off the buggling bandwagon, none of which are really all that interesting, and most of which are incredibly too personal for an "I haven't blogged in two months blog." Suffice it to say, that I'm back on the buggling bandwagon and I have missed, missed, MISSED buggling.

Today, Kahmylia read THREE books to me. It took like an hour and a half, but it was still very, very cool. I wish I could say that this is a testament to my fabulous homeschooling program, but, alas, it is not. She is a natural born reader, and I'm lucky to have her as a daughter. Otherwise, I would feel even more guilty for falling off the homeschooling bandwagon. Ah well, we're climbing back on that one soon. (For those of you who do not know, my brother got married this month in New Mexico and we were gone for 10 days. That said, our homeschooling routine is completely haywire.) To all my homeschooling friends, please, if you have anything encouraging to say, I need to be reminded that it is ok to take 2 weeks off of homeschooling because your brother got married all last minute and stuff.

So, anyway, I'm glad to be buggling again.

God Bless

Chili DInner and CONCERT

When? September 18th, 2009 5:30-8:30pm

Where? Redeemer Evangelical Church St. Louis MO

Why? Save our house!

Tickets: Adults - $9 Kids 6-12 - $2

Awesome, AWESOME news!!!!!!

Due to the extreme generosity of the host church of our event, this Chili Dinner and Concert is not going to cost the Walls family a dime! 100% of what you give will go toward helping us to keep our house out of foreclosure! A group of people have volunteered not only to make the chili but also to cover the entire overhead of the dinner. I am completely floored! Now, the only thing left is all the hard work.:-) If you are available to help, please let me know. It's gonna take a sizable crew to pull this off!

Again, thank you for all of your prayers and support. We still have no idea what God has in store for us in the form of a livelihood. He is opening doors for Harry to do some concerts. We are praying about the many possibilities. Please pray with us!

And, of course, come eat chili with us and listen to some great music! It's gonna be FUN! And you know the Walls know how to have fun!!!!!!!!!

Overwhelmed

This past weekend was incredibly overwhelming. God has been pouring out His love on my family through our Christ family and our friends. I have been blessed and encouraged over and over. I am reminded, however, that God's blessings are not the primary way that God has shown me his love. Jesus is! How is it that I so easily forget the significance and the power of the gospel in my life!? Thank you, Lord!

Living in Mugglebug Land

Mugglebug Glossary of Terms:

My Ruth of my mouth = roof of my mouth. "I did not let my pineapple touch my tongue or my Ruth of my mouth when I ate it."

To pimp = to flick. "Daddy! I just pimped a fly off my arm!"

Thermotica = harmonica. "I want to play my thermotica on the stage at church!" (This term later evolved into harmotica which is not quite as funny)

Food stamps = finger prick. "I do not like food stamps! Am I ever gonna have to get food stamps again, Mommy? I did not like that!" I'm not sure where this one comes from, perhaps because she had to get a finger stick to check her hemoglobin levels to qualify for WIC?)

Yesterday = at some point in the near or distant past. "Remember yesterday when we had a sleepover at Cloe's house? That was so fun!" (That sleepover happened months ago)

My boy = my imaginary husband. "Well, my boy likes strawberry vanilla tea!"

My mean boy = my other imaginary husband or his alter ego (not sure which). "Do you know what my mean boy did to me? He hit me!"

(Sadly, but probably for the best, the usage of "my boy" is all but obsolete in the girls' vocabulary these days.)

Nipples = bra. At Dillards-- "Mommy, look at all those nipples!"

~Things I Never Thought I'd Say~

"No more salad until you finish your pizza!"

" You ate the ENTIRE bag of frozen corn?"

"Really? You thought flinging wet toilet paper on the wall and ceiling was a good idea?"

"Using a purple marker as lipstick is not really good for you."

"Go watch TV!"

Rolling

I feel like things are rolling along. Even though we are still in the same situation--Harry still has no job--I have started to realize some new things. Many positive things have come from our experience.

1. Everyday I learn to trust God. I am reminded of how much He loves me and how much He cares. I feel so privileged to know that I serve a God who knows me and, more than that, provides for me in the way that is best for me.

2. We have made many new friends who are brothers and sisters in Christ. We have visited so many churches this summer and the Lord has revealed Himself in such a special way through His people. My family grew this summer! How exciting is that!

3. We have learned to better manage our money. Who knew that you actually need less money to learn to budget well? Less money to make it work harder for you? I've learned a lot about money... and tithing.... Good things.

4. I'm finally coming to accept and understand who God made me to be. I'm starting to understand that I'm a human with strengths and weaknesses, that I'm specially designed to do God's perfect work, and that I'm so very, very forgiven and loved! I am free to be who God designed me to be! I'm free of my self-imposed limitations. I'm done trying to be someone I'm not!

Again, thanks to all of you who love and support me and my family!

Save the House!

So instead of trying to clean my house, I've decided to try to save it instead! My energies are devoted to creative money making endeavors. I'm crocheting hats, scarves, purses, blankets, and doilies for sale. Hoping to get some customers soon... I'm also doing a "save the house" fundraiser. More on that later. I'm begging for your prayers in the days ahead as we put our energy into trying to be good stewards of what the Lord has given us. I love all of you! Thank you so much for your encouragement and your support and your love! God bless you tonight!

God Loves Mugglebugs!

So this last week I learned something very, very important. I learned that the people we love, love us so much more than I ever realized! Anyone who read my post about how I was feeling tired and discouraged could tell that I was having a rough day. But the truth is I had a really tough week. I know most of you who read my blog already know our situation, but for those who don't...

Harry has not been able to find a job. The reality of our situation is that the totality of our monthly income is less than our monthly mortgage payment. All of our other bills apart from the mortgage have gone unpaid. Without going into more detail, suffice it to say that we are really feeling this living by faith thing right about now.

So this week our friends and neighbors have poured out their love and encouragement on us. We had friends who helped us pay our electric bill, a church who is giving is $1000 (yes, that is 3 zeros) in gift cards to Shop & Save and Quick Trip and other places to help provide for our basic necessities, and friends who've so generously given of themselves and their resources to help. We've had friends and family praying for us and encouraging us, literally and figuratively holding us up during this time. In all this, I have felt so overwhelmed by the sacrificial love people have showed us.

In the midst of all this, God reached down and spoke to my heart. "You feel so overwhelmed by the unexpected demonstrations of love by your friends and brothers. How much more do you think I love you? How much more do you think I care?" Suddenly I realized that God was showing me his infinite love and mercy in a tangible way. But beyond that, I feel a deep conviction that God loves me! He cares about me! And He has not forgotten me! I am encouraged to know that He is taking care of me through His people.

How predictably unexpected!

Muggle Chuckles

Kahmylia: Daddy is the highest person in our family!

and in another conversation...

Brisa: I am so broken heart : (

Tired

I did not accomplish any more from my list today. I did not lose ground however, which, in my world, matters a lot!

Tonight I just feel tired and discouraged. I feel like I'm watching my whole life unravel and there's no way to keep it from happening. It seems futile to fight anymore! I'm just soooo tired. So I think I better go to bed. Maybe things will look better in the morning.

Good night all.

Update

I cleaned my brains out today. I don't think I have any brains left, but I'm well on my way to accomplishing everything on my list by the week's end! Go me! I promise to post pics by the end of the week. :-)

Super Muggle Returns

This is more of a prediction than an observation. I am determined to be a productive citizen of society this week. I figure if I declare my intentions they'll have a better chance of coming true! Anyone with me? Here goes.

1. I will finally put away all of the junk that still remains from the last time I rearranged the furniture. The house is a mess and I just can't stand it anymore.

2. I will find some way to organize the homeschooling materials and sessions.

3. I will mop. My entire house except my bedroom is wood floors or tile. I HATE MOPPING!!! But I'm committing to doing it this week.

4. I will scrub 3 of the bathrooms. The basement one doesn't count.

5. I will make a gift for my friend Amy's new baby.

6. I will catch up with the laundry. It's outrunning me.

There. That wasn't so hard. Of course, actually accomplishing all this will be much harder. Let's see how I do!

Celebration Trash Can

For some reason, people find it necessary to give my children things just for being cute. Case in point, today we went to Schnucks and the cashier thought the girls were so cute that she gave them each a bunch of Schnucks stickers. When we got home, Brisa thought it would be a great idea to stick all of her stickers to the trash bag in the trash can and says, to us, "Look guys, I'm celebrating the trash can, it's a celebration trash can!" She was so pleased with herself, I just couldn't resist sharing...

Celebration Trash Can

We capped off the night with a Kahmylia and Brisa original. Also while we were at Schnucks, as we were discussing what to have for dessert, the girls came up with the idea of having Reddi Whip on ice cream sandwiches. Always game for something new, we all sat on our front porch and had a most delicious dessert of ice cream sandwiches topped with heavy whipped cream. We called our new favorite dessert "Super Sandwiches."

Does it get any better than this?

Muggle Chuckles

Just thought I would share some funny stories.

One morning we were having cereal for breakfast, and Kahmylia was trying Captain Crunch for the first time. She says to me, "Mommy, I heard of Caffeine Crunch before, but I never had it before!" I had an instant vision of my daughter full of "Caffeine Crunch."

Brisa knocks on the bedroom door and says, "Daddy, I brought you your phone, because I saw Granny on it."

I was brushing Kay's hair, and all of a sudden she says to me, "Mommy, that is not appropriate!

Me, trying not to laugh, "What's not appropriate, Honey?" "It is not appropriate to hurt people!" (Evidently, I was brushing too hard)

Brisa comments on finding a grey hair on my head, "Mommy, your hair is getting old!"

The other day Kahmylia asked me, "Mommy are you getting old?" I explained that I was going to get older. She says, "Are you going to die?" I answered yes, but that many don't die until they are very old. So she says, "You'll probably get old when you're thirty thousand and eight."

Glad I've got so many years left!

Muggle Struggles

Tonight I played the piano for the church choir I accompany for. They are doing a variety show this Saturday evening at 6:30 and we were rehearsing a couple of the acts. For some reason tonight I had no sense of rhythm. The rhythms were so simple, but I just felt like I was completely incapable of playing them. I think it may have had something to do with the fact that it was a 50's Du Wop medley and I had never heard any of the songs. But whatever the case, I didn't feel "on." Ah well, maybe I'll have a better time at tomorrow's rehearsal. And if anyone wants to come watch a primarily senior (as in 60+) variety show, tickets are cheap, the snacks are great, and the laughs are inevitable! We'll be at Redeemer Evangelical Church at 6450 Kingshighway. And now, to pay homage to the 50's...

"Good night, sweetheart, well, it's time to go,

Good night, sweetheart, well, it's time to go,

I hate to leave you, but I really must say,

Good night, sweetheart, goodnight!"

Super Muggle!

Today I felt a little bit like Super Mom. Ok, so maybe a lot. But before I can tell my story, I need to give introductions. For those of you who don't know, I have two daughters, Kahmylia who is 5 and Brisa who is 4. Today I was babysitting for a friend. I've been babysitting their son once a week since he was 4 months old. Ivan is now 2. Babysitting my kids and Ivan isn't all that impressive, but then another friend called and asked for a favor. He's a stay at home dad and he was in a bind, because he had a previous engagement and no child care. He has Anna who is 4, and Ada who is 6 months. So of course, I said yes. Evidently I wasn't really thinking about the fact that that is 5 kids under 5 all at the same time. I didn't consider that Ivan, the overactive toddler, would be screaming his head off 78% of the time and that he would be totally fascinated with another baby in the house. Or that he would be incessantly asking me, "Who is that, Ewa?" "Baby Ada? Baby Ada? Baby Ada? (never ending echo) It occurred to me, after the fact of course, that Anna and Ada live in a relatively silent home, compared to the frequent screaming, the sounds of plastic toys and race cars bulldozing over wood floors, and the never ending questions and constant repetitions of the two year old at my friend's house. "He hit me, Ewa! He hit my hair, Ewa!" (loudly referring to Ada)

Needless to say, Ada, the hungry and sleepy infant, refused to eat or sleep for the 2 hours we were there. It's amazing she was as happy as she was, especially considering the situation. Fortunately, my girls and Anna hadn't seen each other for a while so they mostly entertained themselves. At one point, I left the girls and Ivan in the kitchen eating lunch, because I was trying to give Ada a less distracting environment to take her bottle. It wasn't working too well, because Ivan was screaming at the top of his lungs for no apparent reason, and Kahmylia was yelling, "MOM, Ivan's being loud!" Too which Ivan's response was to come flying into the living room to say to me, "Ewa, I'm being loud, OK?" Oh, by the way, Ivan calls me Mommy when the girls are around, so he repeats everything they say to me. So out of the five kids, one was on my hip and three of them were calling me mommy! I remember thinking to myself, "Is this what it would be like to have more kids?"

It was quite a day, but I felt so blessed to have work, and so privileged to spend time with kids that I love and who love me! So, now I'll close with just one final story...

So, once I was done watching Ivan, the girls and I walked the 6 blocks back to my house. Ada in a stroller and the rest of us on foot. I overheard a priceless conversation that I just can't resist sharing.

Brisa: Oh Anna, when you get to our house, you are going to love it! We changed the living room and it is so beautiful! And we have a new teapot for tea and coffee!

Anna: And when we get to your house, we can play a beautiful game of house! And I can be the mommy, and Brisa can be the baby sister, and Kahmylia can be the father!

Kahmylia: No, I think I wanna be the daughter, because I don't wanna be the father.

Brisa: Let's just pretend he's dead.

Anna: Yeah, ok, he got killed by the monster.

It's a good thing, I'm a Super Muggle, or I might have collapsed right in the middle of the street!

Messy Mugglebugs

I like things to be neat and orderly. I really do. But the thing is, if you've been to my house, you know that my desire to clean obsessively for extensive periods of time must not actually exist! Now, to be fair, I do have young children, and my house is not ALWAYS completely repulsive to me--just most of the time. So, I either need to clone myself, hire a maid, or clean obsessively for extensive periods of time. Unfortunately, I don't know how to clone myself, I can't afford a maid, and I'm too tired and overwhelmed to clean. Is your house spic and span? If so, how do you do it? If not, how do you live with it?

These are my confessions...

1. I mentally correct people's grammar when they talk. It's bad, I know, but oh so true.

2. On a related note, I frequently find typographical and grammatical errors in books, magazines, etc...

3. My feet are frequently the topic of conversation and the butt of jokes. They have been called nice things like, cherub feet, and angel feet, and other things like frog feet, duck feet, webbed feet, HOBBIT feet, 2x4's, 4x4's, and Big Mac's. My sister says you can only see the balls of my toes from the underside of my feet, hence another fave name for my feet, "ball toes."

4. My feet are so chubby that my pinkie toes don't actually touch the ground.

5. I discovered my shoe size for the first time 5 months ago. I wear a 6W--no surprise there. But what's funny about that is that I've been wearing a 71/2-8 for the last 5 years. It's crazy how far off I was from my actual shoe size!

6. I totally fart all the time! I know I'm gonna regret confessing this, but oh well. I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome and not a day goes by that I don't feel bloated and gassy. So sad.

7. Now, it should be said that I have learned the art of the silent fart. 97% of the time no one would ever know. However, I must confess that there have been a few times when I've let off a silent stink bomb and totally not claimed it. I only claim them if they're audible or if someone asks directly. Trust me, you'd get get tired if I claimed it every time I let one loose! LOL

8. I don't speak fluent Spanish. I wish I did, but I don't. And for most of my life, I've felt like that was my fault, but I finally realized that it isn't. I am proud of the Spanish I do know, and hope I get more and more fluent!

9. I purposely don't bother to learn when it comes to computers and software, because it's way easier just to let Harry do it! This also works with opening jars and taking out the trash. I still haven't figured out how to get out of cleaning the bathrooms though!

10. I hate mopping. I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY HATE MOPPING! I would rather get down on my knees and scrub the floor with a toothbrush than mop!

11. And finally, I confess I'm a Mugglebug.

Goodnight!

Confessions of a Mugglebug

My daughter calls me "Mugglebug." Or sometimes it's Mugglebuggle, or Snugglebuggle, Snugglebugs, or even Mugbugs. I'm not really sure where these little nicknames came from, but our family has a weird penchant for nicknames so she's probably just following suite. :-) The funny thing is that she only calls me by nickname when she's completely happy with me. She wraps her little body around me and gets this silly look on her face (as though she's just simultaneously consumed 500 strawberry tootsie pops and managed to not get sick ) and this little enraptured sigh escapes, "Mugglebugs!"

I confess that this is THE CUTEST nickname anyone has ever given me. PERIOD.

Plus, I have to say that it makes me deliriously happy to know that I still have my daughter's

undying love. I know my days are numbered and one day she'll wake up and I won't know anything and I won't be "Mugglebug" anymore, but hey, right now I'm gonna bury my head in the sand and pretend that day won't come!

So, now that you have the story behind "Mugglebug," I would just like to say that I'm starting this blog because life is passing me by, and my kids are growing too fast, and I want to have something to look back and remember these days of trial and bliss, struggle and triumph. I want to be a Remembered Mugglebug! And as for the confession part, I think confession is good for the soul! At least I know it's good for mine!

So here's to Joy in this Journey!