Assembly Prep

That's what this week is all about. :-) I've spent the day sorting through my clothes and all of the kids' clothes, pulling out and piecing together Assembly outfits. I was amazed to see that I've got so many new clothes to wear this year. I've been wearing some of the same outfits for years and years now. --Not that I ever had a problem with that, but it's exciting to have something new for a change! The thrift stores out here are terrific, that's all I can say. :-) And apparently I'm into the dress jacket thing now. I think all of my Assembly clothes include a jacket. With my "new figure" (ha!) it just seems to be what works best, I guess!

Katie has been working hard for hours and hours today, cleaning up her room. I helped her with her closet and dresser, sorting and refolding and pulling out the "too little" clothes to pass along. She cleaned out her "wardrobe" cabinet, the stack of STUFF under her nightstand, the STUFF under and behind her chair, the STUFF on the other side of her bed, the STUFF under her bed... I can't help but laugh because it makes me think of when she was a year old, marching all over the house with a huge basket hanging from her arm all the time. It contained STUFF, lots and lots of STUFF--things that she never actually used or played with, but she insisted on keeping it with her all the time. So hoarding is an inborne thing, not a developed habit??? I'm going to pull a few boxes out of the basement for her to put some of the STUFF in tomorrow.

Note to Brother and Sister Powell: I know you said not to do "anything special" to the house before your arrival (except remove any critters--ha!)... I'm not doing anything special. I'm doing what I do every time I have company at my own house. So there. ;-) Knowing that people are coming gives me the glorious incentive to do the things I've been wanting to get done for a long time anyway. You're doing me a favor! I will be so much happier after this week. :-)

I also worked in the boys room for several hours today. The closet in there has been a catastrophe--just a knee deep toy box the whole way across. I didn't touch any of that stuff, I just sicked Sam on it while I worked on clothes. That kid amazes me. He is by far the best organizer in the house, if a little obsessive. (Can't imagine where he gets that from. ~ahem~) He's got a bin of "rubber." Little figures and lizards and monkeys and whatever--but only if they are made of rubber, otherwise they go somewhere else. There is a gun bin, with a dozen different weapons (cap guns, dart guns, disc guns--whatever) all laid out systematically. He's got all of his electronic stuff in a sealed box and his most precious belongings in a small keyed safe. Things are looking great in there. Now we'll just have to see if it can be maintained for the three days until our departure.

Ah, yes. I don't think I ever mentioned the kit James got him for $2 at the thrift store a couple of weeks ago. It came with several sets of electrical wires (like mini- jumper cables) and a little light, a little fan, a little buzzer, and a book that explained in terms even I could understand all of the basics of electricity, along with several experiments to conduct. WAY COOL. Sam has been wiring up all sorts of great things since then. :-)

Another note to Brother & Sister Powell: There are 10 or 12 pillows up in the loft, some ours, some yours. (I put safety pins on all of ours when we moved in to try to keep track.) That may help your family not have to bring so much with them when they come. There will also be easy access to our 5 sleeping bags as well as a few extra blankets, just so you know.

I have spent way too much time trying to get the kids' computer school set up for the coming year, though we don't intend to start until after the Assembly. I got Joe's 4th grade up and going with no real trouble, but Katie's 5th grade has been eatin' me alive. I finally spent a good deal of time on the phone with tech support today and we discovered that Safe Eyes (the program installed to filter where the kids go on the Internet) was the problem. Oh, brother. I got it uninstalled (we'll put it back on later) and finally got everything up and working and registered. We're good to go! It feels great to have that taken care of.

It was Saturday when I began installing the new curriculum on the computers. Can't remember what else I did that day. Hhmmm.

Yesterday was a strange day indeed. It included a Sunday afternoon nap!!! WHOA!!! It's been 6 months since I've had one of those! Ha! It was FANTASTIC. :-) We went to church in Bessemer in the morning, then grabbed a quick lunch and went HOME. We never do that because it seems silly to have to make the twice in one day. But we went to church in Alex City last night and home sits sort of in between the two churches. :-) We had a little less than an hour, but it was enough for James to work in his office a bit, the kids to watch a Veggie Tales, the Charles to be released from his Sunday prison, and me to catch a quick nap. It was GREAT. :-)

We had a good service in Alex City and really enjoyed being with the folks there. James conducted a business conference after service because Brother John wasn't able to... until the end of this conference--now he can. :-) He was received in as a member, Brother Butch and Sister Stephanie were transferred out, and Brother Brandon and Sister Kimmi's transfer requests were rescinded since they have now decided to stay in Alex City instead of moving. At the end of the conference James had Brother John come to the front so everyone could come around and welcome him as a member there... and he made Brandon and Kimmi do the same thing! HA! They've been there all along--I think Brother Brandon has been there all his life, hasn't he?--but everybody had to go around and "welcome" them to Alex City. Ha!

We all went out to a bar-b-que joint afterward and had a good time visiting. I love having a chance to get to know these people a little better, though it was a bit of a quiet crowd. Well, all except for Brother Glenn. He's nuts. Ha! He provides plenty of entertainment for all. Brother John is very quiet, Brother Brandon has a great sense of humor but seems rather reserved around us (because James seems like such a stiff, I'm sure--ha!), Sister Kimmi is a little quiet but so very nice and seems like lots of fun, Sister Cherry is sharp and clever in a dry sort of way (love that), and Brother Eric is just so easy to be around--he's relaxed and pleasant, a good conversationalist. There. I've summed 'em all up for you. The people who REALLY know them are probably thinking, Nah, you're wa-a-a-a-a-ay off. Ha!

Strangely, we got home earlier than we do most Sunday nights from our own local church. It was nice to get a decent night's sleep.

Hhmmm. Guess that gets me all caught up again. Weird. :-) The next few days will include lots of packing, lots of cleaning, and a little bit of shopping. It's amazing how quickly IYC and the Assembly have snuck up on us!

Note to the Powells: I always try to clean my house before I go on a trip, just so you know. HA!

Extra important note to the Powells: EAT SPAGHETTI!!!