Jeneric Jeneralities ~ by JenIG

EDIT UPDATE:  Just got back from the hospital.  Good news, the mass  does not look cancerous (at all) says the doctor.  He thinks it may have stemmed from an infection; so they’re sending it off to the lab. But the short story is that all looks really well.  Thanks SO much for praying.  What a great relief.  Coie has more updated info posted on her page

Well this is odd after my last silly post – and I debated whether or not to mention it at all but here it goes:

Yesterday afternoon I took my oldest son, Bo, into the Dr. to have a lump in his leg checked out. The dr. did not like the looks (or feel) of it at all. So he called in another dr who also didn’t like the look of it and they scheduled me to see a specialist right away.

So I took my son in this morning and the specialist said that usually they would start by giving antibiotics and watching the lump, but that instead he would rather get the tumor out sooner than later and send it off to a lab for testing.

I’m taking Bo in this Friday morning at six. He’ll be put completely out while they take the mass out and then they said it will take a week or so to confirm whether or not it’s cancer.

I figured you guys would pray for us, and we’d all really appreciate that. I’ll try and give an update soon as I can.

January 28th, 2009 - Posted in 2009, Uncategorized | | 48 Comments

 

 

Ok… it seemed like a good idea at the time.  And I think maybe it was Ryann’s fault.  She encouraged me and then helped me fill the whole thing out (which took FOREVER by the way)

 

But when I submitted Coie’s profile on E-Harmony I didn’t think it would actually go THROUGH because I didn’t put in a credit card number.

 

So here’s the kicker… the next day there were like 22 potential matches emailed to me.  Um.  Whoops.  I was actually afraid to let her know what happened – I really truly seriously did not think the profile would have gone UP.  And when Coie came home – hoooo boy — she was like,“Mama!? What. Did. You. Do?!”  Geoff the Great, on the other hand, saw the humor in it and wanted to know what the heck she was complaining about.  I love that man.

 

At any rate, I showed her all the friendly young fellows who were scientifically matched up to her based on ‘up to 90 something similar characteristics’.  So then she started showing a nominal amount of interest (but was still glaring at me) – and she sat there as I clicked thru all the profiles mutterering things like, “No mama, he’s not a missionary… no mama, he’s not a farmer… no mama, he sounds like he’s already dated people… no mama, his profile doesn’t say anything about homeschooling…no mama, he watches TV… no mama, he’s a vampire”  etc etc etc

 

Anyhow, I guess the good news is that my daughter will continue to stay single.  And I think she’s right when she says the type of husband she’s looking for wouldn’t be on a ‘dating’ site.  And I couldn’t find a ‘courting site’.  Believe me.  I checked.  I’m considerate like that.

 

But at any rate, I think it was the most fun I’ve had in at least three weeks.

 

Now aren’t you all happy that I wasn’t YOUR momsie?

 

 

January 27th, 2009 - Posted in 2009, Uncategorized | | 20 Comments

January 19th, 2009
How to Have Fun On the Ig Farm

 

 

What does my (almost 15-year-old) daughter Ryann do for entertainment?  I don’t know that I have an apt description. 

 

 

I suppose this would be Tyrannical James had he been born a red-headed girl.  Let us all be thankful he was not.

 

 

 

In non somewhat-disturbing news, Ryann was given an exceptionally fabulous gift by a family from our church.  Everybody loves Ryann.  They not only gave her this beautiful piano, but they also got a moving truck and brought it up and unloaded it for her.  Isn’t it lovely?

 

 

 

Lastly, I have some good news and some bad news.  The bad news is that last night (while Geoff was gone) we had trespassers on our property again near the barn (I think they were looking for their hunting dog).  Since we’re way out in the middle of nowhere this always induces a wee bit of anxiety.  But the good news is that they found the electric fence.

BBBBBZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTTTTT !!!!! 

We heard them screaming from the goat pen. And then within seconds they, their flashlights and their dog were out of sight.  Good clean fun.

 

Feb 14 Barn Dance Update… we have a location and time!  Check HERE (scroll down for the updates) and register today!

January 19th, 2009 - Posted in 2009, Uncategorized | | 21 Comments

 

I was blessed with an over abundance of pet peeves.  Almost everything annoys me.  It’s a gift.  Anyways, somewhere on the (very long) list of things that drive me nuts include ‘children trying to tell me something when I’m in the bathroom’.

 

Usually when this happens I just bellow maniacally, “I… AM… IN… THE… BATHROOM!!!”  But every once in a while I panic about possibly missing something important.

 

So the other day when I was in the shower and I heard an imperative sounding BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG, I let the five year old state his case from behind the door.  It was an urgent statement followed by a question:

 

“Something something something something!!!… something something R-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-I-I-I-CE???!!!

 

Me: “WHAT?!”

 

“Dippy something something teeth!!… something something Ri-i-i-i-i-i-I-I-CE?!”

 

Me: WHAT??!!”

 

“Dippy is something breaking my teeth… something something R-i-i-i-i-i-I-I-CE?!”

 

Me: OK HOLD ON A MINUTE!

 

So after getting OUT of the shower and begin investigating, I learn that the ever-so- important message that HAD to be delivered RIGHT THEN was:

 

“Dippy is making me some tea…. Isn’t that N-i-i-i-i-i-I-I-CE?!”

 

In other news, I came up with a new idea to help my beginning reader.  I’ve been sort of unsatisfied with the reading curriculum I have for him.  I mean, I do like it (Explode the Code) but he needed extra work and the Bob Books just don’t do it for him because he’s a little too old to be interested in ‘Meg and Her Ten Cats”

 

So I got a notebook with 70 sheets and I started writing one-page stories.  And I told him after he reads every single page I will take him on a date.  This has been a huge hit.  Plus, he likes the stories I write for him.  Here’s an example of two:

 

A bunch of snow fell. The boy made a snowman.  He stuck a bomb inside the snowman and then he blew off the snowman’s head.

 

And:

 

The Mom said, “If you do not clean up my room I will shoot the dog.”  The good boy cleaned up her room, so then the mom shot the cat.

 

I wish I would have thought of this sooner.  He is begging me to write him four or five stories a day.

 

In other news, my non-blogging daughter has been blogging more than me lately.  Freaky Friday.

 

 

 

 

 

January 10th, 2009 - Posted in 2009, Uncategorized | | 18 Comments

Oh heavens I’m a tardy blogger, which, if you remember my New Year resolution, is precisely what I’m shooting for.

 

I know it doesn’t make any sense, but when it hits about January 5th I mentally believe it’s spring – or that it should be spring.  I know spring doesn’t start in January, but somehow I’m wired to think it will.  Maybe that’s because I lived in Cali for so many years.  Just look how many times I put the word spring into that one little paragraph.

 

In other news, thanks to my brilliantly sublime friend (who was able to put this on YouTube for me), here, for your viewing pleasure is the family video that my daughter, Ryann, single-handedly put together to sum up our 2008 year.  She is a talented girl. 

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January 7th, 2009 - Posted in 2009, video | | 24 Comments

January 1st, 2009
Hello 09

 

I love living in Tennessee, but there are some weird things about the south.  Ok, let’s be honest, there’s sort of a lot of weird things about the south.  Anyways, Geoff the Great has been coming home from work with odd stories.  Some of the people he comes in contact with are very southern and have a plethora of distinctly southern, um, charms, that we are entirely unaccustomed to. 

 

He told me that over the last week he’s heard pages of ‘little bits of advice’ for the upcoming New Year.  For instance, one lady told him that she’s saving all her laundry to do on January 1 so that she won’t have to do laundry for the rest of the year.  Apparently, the saying goes that anything you do after the stroke of midnight on New Years will be something you don’t do for the next 364 days.  My husband promptly ended his story by telling me he’d be sleeping on the couch New Years Eve. 

 

He also heard that it’s good luck to eat black eyed peas and hog jaw on New Years Day.  It took him forever to figure that one out because the southern customer who told him that piece of important counsel kept pronouncing it as, “Yeh’needs teh east you sum b’eyed peas and hoshzaw come New’Ears”.  I don’t know if I’ll ever get the language down while we’re out here.

 

In other superstitious news, according to Chinese folklore / history, we are going into the year of the Ox.  Geoff the Great happens to match up as an Ox according to his birthdate.  Last year was the year of the Rat, which happens to match up to my birthdate.  What does that mean in a practical sense?  Um.  I have no idea.

 

In the Philippians, children jump up and down when the clock strikes 12 to ensure they will grow taller.

 

In Norway a rice pudding is made with a hidden almond, the person who receives the almond is guaranteed wealth in the coming year.

 

I wonder how these things get started and who thinks them up. 

 

In other news, I hope you are making plans for the upcoming Valentines Benefit / Dance.  There are some updates here. It will be a very fun time, and it will also serve to help this beautiful familyWe are really looking forward to seeing old friends and some new friends.  You should make plans to come.  It will be really special.  Plus…they say that dancing in the south on Valentines Day will keep you safe from being hit by giant meteors for the next three years.  So, um, yeah, you should definitely try and make it. 

 

I am glad that it is 2009.  I am looking forward to seeing what the Lord will bring our way.  I pray He will strengthen my faith, increase my love for Him and keep me, and my entire family, walking closely with Him and each other.  I pray the same for you, as well.  : )

 

Rejoice in Him always.  I say it again, Rejoice!

Philippians 4:4

 

January 1st, 2009 - Posted in 2009, Uncategorized | | 23 Comments