It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these memes. Ironically enough, this week’s theme focuses on group meetings and what I’ll be doing on Tuesday—this Tuesday is our first annual meeting of MOPS! (Last Wednesday’s column about the same topic soon to follow.) In the meantime, if you’re a mom of preschoolers and interested in learning more, click that cute, colorful MOPS logo in my side bar.

Yeah, that one. Over there: >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

1. Where will you be and what will you be doing this Tuesday afternoon?

I will be getting myself up too stinkin’ early to help set up for our MOPS meeting at a local church. Then I will enjoy fun, food and fellowship with a great group of ladies while Jonah (hopefully!!!) wreaks havoc in the nursery and my older boys occupy themselves in another room with schoolwork. As homeschoolers who get “dragged along”, they love MOPS because they get to raid the leftover food after we’re finished. Because Boys+Free Food=Sheer Joy!

2. Do you belong to any group(s)?

No. Not ANY.

Let’s see, besides MOPS…I’m a member of East Metro Atlanta Christian Writers and several online groups. And the boys and I are enjoying our second year in The Most Awesome Little Homeschool Group in Georgia, also affectionately known as the Friday Groupers. I’m also a card-carrying member of the Sunday Morning Moms Club at my church. OK, so that isn’t an official group, but we dub ourselves that because it’s a bunch of us with clingy toddlers who hold us hostage in the nursery every week with their blood-curdling screams if we so much as act like we’re leaving the room!

3. Do you feel energized or drained by being in a group situation? (If the answer is “it depends,” on what does it depend?)

I feel energized by the groups I’m a member of now, because they bless me and I feel like I have the opportunity to bless others. I’m only in groups full of people I love. However, when placed in group situations where I don’t know anyone personally, I end up feeling drained because I find all the small talk, etc. somewhat pretentious and tiring. I’ve found that baby showers where you only know the pregnant mom and Pampered-Chef-like parties are some of the worst!

4. Is there a role you naturally put yourself while adapting when in group situations?

I’m usually the quiet one offering occasional bursts of comic relief. (But I always say, “Excuse me”  afterward. LOL)

5. In business or formal situations, do you mind hugs or are you offended if it goes past a handshake?

I am Southern, y’all. Down here, total strangers hug and we think nothing of it. Really long hugs that end in a butt-pat? Personally, I find those cross a line. Unless it’s Kevin Costner doing the hugging and patting. And then I am FINE…

6. Do you find what we’d call “ice breakers” a playful way to build community in a lighthearted manner, or a complete and utter hell of forced fun and awkwardness?

It really depends on the kind of group it is and how these icebreakers are handled. I have experienced both playful icebreakers and more than a few of the “utter hell” variety.

7. What word do you use far too frequently?

Poop. I’d forgotten how full of it the baby and toddler years are for parents. It’s not possible to go an entire day in this house of boys without discussing poop.

8. What word do you use not frequently enough?

Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia. Must find more reasons to discuss the fear of long words.

9. What word do you use when swearing is not appropriate?

Is swearing ever appropriate? Call me a prude, but I think not. Except maybe in the throes of labor and childbirth. Or when hammer meets thumb. But my usual non-swear-word-of-choice is “crud.” Oh crud. Or maybe it’s, “What the…?” with a blank where the expletive would sit.

Samantha’s Saturday 9 can be found every week by clicking here.

My poor blog. It’s been a bit neglected lately.

Poor little ol’ neglected blog…nobody loves her. LOL

It’s been an interesting week of…hmm…let’s call it “growth.” If you’ve ever prayed for patience, you know what I mean: you ask God to make you a more patient person, and almost immediately everyone starts jumping on your last nerve—usually all at once! I think God sends those times to test us, to see if we really mean what we prayed, and to give us an opportunity to exercise those virtues he’s trying to develop in us.

So this week, I was inspired by my pastor’s awesome sermon on gratitude to start focusing more on being thankful for what I have instead of focusing on everything that’s wrong. You know what’s next, right? It’s Thursday, and it feels like I’ve had about three weeks’ worth of things going wrong since Sunday. I have been battling frustration like I haven’t in recent memory.

I don’t want to list everything that’s gone wrong, because that’s just casting focus on those things. But this week is teaching me how very hard it is to only share problems with God when you’re in the habit of venting to other people. Yet I really believe it’s a sign of maturity to be able to do that, so it’s a goal I’m striving toward. But it sure isn’t easy.

I was going through that mental battle yesterday morning, when I got an email from a sweet lady who’s read my column for years. She was so encouraging in her brief note; it just brightened my whole day. Thank God for prompting her to send me that! But then I slipped back into mulling over some financial concerns, fretting over how to sort out the next payday’s budget, wondering about when Donnie and I might get paid for some freelancing we did, wondering how to make ends meet when they appeared ten yards apart. Just the usual fretting over finances around here.

It wasn’t a few minutes later that I got a message from a pastor who runs an orphanage in Uganda, asking me to pray for him to be able to meet the needs of the children in his care. They have been working to plant a garden to help feed the kids and it isn’t going well. His English is rather broken; I am not exactly sure what is going on. I know that he recently took in four siblings whose only parent, a father, recently passed away. These precious kids were crowded together in a mud hut about the size of my bathroom. And if the orphanage’s garden isn’t successful, all 29 of the children there will struggle to have anything to eat.

Talk about putting things into perspective regarding gratitude. I’d just fed a bowl of lunch leftovers to my dog, because I didn’t want to throw it away. And today I sit here and type in air conditioning, with a stomach full of broccoli cheese soup and tea, surrounded by healthy children who’ve never had to miss a meal or even a snack despite the financial struggles we have had.

And perspective suddenly shifts into very clear focus on how much I am blessed and how much gratitude I owe God. It also makes me realize how much I need to make sure that what I’ve been blessed with is given back to those in need. By American standards, I am not rich. But by worldly standards, my family, my extended family and all of my friends—we live as kings and queens! We all have so much to give—even if we don’t have tons of riches to give away, most of us can trim the budget enough to have something to offer those in need. Even the busiest of us have time to help others, even if it’s just taking ten seconds to say an encouraging word to someone who is struggling.

The Bible says that to whom much is given, much is required. We have been given so much; every breath, every heartbeat is a gift from God above. When we take a minute to be mindful, to stop complaining and just be thankful, we can see our blessings clearly and know that our lives, if we want to follow Christ’s example, must include giving back to others as an offering of thanksgiving.

(Photo from the Boston Globe. It looks like a tile mosaic. Click on it. See it bigger. It’s all but 92 of the people who died on 9-11. It floored me, seeing it like this. The column below was published in the Covington News last Wednesday.)

I’m sure that every American is aware that this Sunday is September 11th,the tenth anniversary of the tragic day that we learned exactly how brutally our enemies wish to destroy us. There will be a memorial ceremony at Ground Zero, smaller remembrances around the nation and dozens of documentaries on TV this week to remind us of what happened.

Of course, those of us old enough to remember will never forget.

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They say that every family tree has a few nuts on it. Well, you wouldn’t have to look hard to see that the branches on my tree have just about as many nuts as leaves.

As someone who appreciates her daily dose of Zoloft, I really shouldn’t joke about people’s struggles with various mental illnesses. But the combination of my and my husband’s relatives could keep a team of psychiatrists busy for a while. It’s a motley mix that indicates this particular gene pool could use a hefty splash of chlorine.

Depression is probably the most common ailment, with various degrees of narcissistic personality disorder running second for the most relatives suffering. But, of course, the narcissists aren’t the ones suffering. The suffering is done by those who have to put up with their self-obsessed delusions. They are blissfully unaware there’s anything wrong with them, and wouldn’t believe it even if Dr. Phil insisted that it was “time to get real.”

There are a couple of bipolar disorders, some social anxiety issues, and several who need anger management counseling. There’s this weird mother-complex issue that would inspire Freud to resurrect himself if he could. And the brutal PMS most of us women experience makes it a miracle that any marriage has lasted more than a month or two.

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I love fall. Everyone knows that I love fall. It’s still hot down here, but I had to get a jump on the season by making this yummy cake last night. My house smelled SO good. Yours will, too!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Cake

1 box Duncan Hines French Vanilla cake mix (if you can’t find this flavor, just use white or yellow)

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 cup vegetable oil (yes, that’s a full cup—this ain’t diet food)

4 eggs

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 to 1 cup miniature dark chocolate chips (I only used half a cup—I think it needed a little more)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan and set aside. Put the cake mix, pumpkin, oil, eggs and pumpkin pie spice into the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix on low for a minute to moisten all ingredients. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then beat on medium for a good ten minutes or so, scraping sides as needed.

(I realize that length of time goes against all conventional knowledge on cake-baking, but my grandmother shared that was one of her secrets for transforming cake mix into something really special.)

Stir in chocolate chips with your spatula or a wooden spoon. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for one hour. Let cool in pan a few minutes before flipping it out onto a cake rack to cool another ten minutes or so before slicing.

If you can wait that long….

Oh, and by the way—this is a great recipe for using up jars of baby food. Just substitute two 4-oz. jars of baby food carrots, sweet potatoes or squash for the pumpkin.