Singing, Singing, Singing....

Tonight starts a weekend of singing for my group, "Steppin' Out Quartet"! We'll be singing at Iduma Baptist in Laquey, MO, this evening at 7pm. Admission is free, and there is food and refreshments afterwards! Tomorrow night, we'll be singing at 7pm at Bethel Community Church in Fairplay, MO.

Both concerts are going to fun, so we're looking forward to it. Plus with us, you never know what might happen. There is always some issue or complication that comes our way. Not that its bad though, it sure can make for some humorous moments! (see us singing "Ain't God Good" on youtube for an example)

We're also singing a special during the evening services at our church (hillsidebc.com), and then singing one more time before the fireworks afterwards. What a weekend!

For more information on these events, be sure to check out our website and facebook page. http://steppinoutqt.com/

~Matt

Cleaning the garage!

Last weekend, Lydia and I tackled cleaning the garage. It wasn't fun, but we did it. It took three days! I guess the hardest part was going through the mess, deciding what to keep and what to throw away. Some stuff wasn't difficult. However, there were parts to things and other 'keepsake' items that made the decision hard.

I found some treasures, along with things I forgot I had! I also discovered that I have a lot of cassettes that need digitalized... Amazingly, after a few years in the heat, they're still in good condition. Perhaps I'll be able to get around to doing that. Time will tell.

It's pretty neat to find that we can now step into our garage and not be overwhelmed with the fear that something might fall down on top of your head! LOL! Now to see if we can get it air-conditioned....!

~Matt

Week Rundown! (06/17/12 - 06/23/12)

Sunday:

Lydia stayed home with Mysia and I took Malachi with me on the church vans. During the afternoon, we rested and took naps. I guess I was tired! I nice restful Father's Day for me.

Mysia was very tired and wasn't too keen on eating or drinking much. She seems a bit lethargic, and our hearts just melt since we miss our active and attentive girl.


Monday:

Since Mysia was on the mend, Lydia had taken off work to be with Mysia at home. I dropped Malachi off at daycare and went into work. Mysia slept most of the day away, and was not very responsive. The evening was spent at home. Mysia was still having trouble keeping some food down.


Tuesday:

Today was pretty much a repeat of yesterday. Mysia was still tired, and a little cranky. I got her to eat some Vienna Sausage, and she was able to keep it down!!! Yay! However, Malachi seems a little out of it too. The poor guy doesn't know what to do since his sister is down. We played and tried to comfort her, and that helped.


Wednesday:

Today, I got to stay home while Lydia went to work. I figured that Mysia would sleep through the day like she had for Lydia... but no. She was up and pretty active. She watched several hours of "My Little Pony", wrote and drew in her notebook, and played some games. She was well enough to attend evening services at church, but still a little tired.


Thursday:

Lydia and I both had the day off from work. Lydia took Malachi into a testing to see where he was for school, and he is excelling! The numbers were very high. He is advanced! ;)

After dropping him off at daycare, she returned home. While keeping an eye on Mysia, we started to clean out the garage. It had gathered piles of bags of used clothes and boxes useful junk over the past few years. We sort of abandoned the use of it as a place to park a vehicle... and it showed! We had to clear a path just to get to the back door!

Mysia spent most of the day resting, and we were able to make the mess in the garage a bit more organized!


Friday:

We decided to keep Malachi home with us all today. Mysia was feeling much better, and they even played outside together. Lydia and I were once again working on the garage. The day went by quickly. We had them take a short nap. Afterwards, they played in the sprinkler. For supper, I made hamburgers on the grill. YUM!


Saturday:

We were tired, so the morning started out slow. The kids got to enjoy some Saturday cartoons while we ate breakfast. Lydia and I finished working on the garage. We were able to complete the task of reorganizing and setting things up the way we wanted it to.

After eating supper, we dropped of Mysia and Malachi with their Aunt Abigail and headed out to the Stained Glass Theatre. It was KWFC Appreciation Day with a special performance of their show, plus a pre-concert by Southern Heritage. We had a good time, and really enjoyed the evening.

The kids played in the pool and were kept busy with Abigail. We picked them up after 10pm and headed home. They were wore out!


~Matt

Week Rundown! (06/10/12 - 06/16/12)

Sunday:

After morning services, we ate a quick lunch and headed to the surgical center where Mysia will have her tonsillectomy on Friday. They had a pre-op party to show us the surgical room and answer any questions we had. We dressed up in the suits... looking like funny astronauts!


Monday:

We had a nice supper, and I headed out for quartet practice. The kids were good for Lydia. They played nicely before bedtime. By the time I returned home, they were in bed.


Tuesday:

We came home and I fired up the grill. Grilled chicken turned out very good! Mysia got to hang out with Aunt Abigail this evening. They went to see "Mirror, Mirror" at the movies. They both had a great time. At first, Malachi was a bit disappointed that he didn't get to go, but we ended up giving him enough activities at home with us to make him happy.


Wednesday:

This evening went well. Supper was quick and we went to church. After services, we came home and went to bed.


Thursday:

We dropped off Malachi at my parent's house for the evening, that way he could spend the day with granny during Mysia's tonsillectomy tomorrow. We ended up visiting for several hours.  


Friday:

We got up early and made it to the surgical center by 6:25 for Mysia's tonsillectomy. We didn't have to wait too long, and she was back getting ready. She got dressed in the gown, and the had me get into the suit. Mysia had chose me to go back with her to the surgical room when they put her under with the gas. While waiting, Mysia talked, read, and played the Gameboy. The surgeon came out and prayed with us before we headed into the surgical room.

Once in the room, they transferred her over to the surgical bed and I held her hand as they put the mask on. We talked about the zoo for a few minutes, and then her eyes rolled back. She was out. I then met Lydia in the waiting room. It didn't take too long of a wait, and we were soon by her side. She had awoke, but was not feeling the best. She was nauseated and uncomfortable.

We spent a few hours waiting for her to fully wake up and get ready to go. She vomited once, and wasn't too keen on drinking much other than water. Once we got home, Mysia and Lydia went to sleep. It had been a long morning. I then did a quick grocery run. Several ladies from church stopped by with gifts and food.

Malachi had a great morning with Granny. On his stay, he had swam, watched cartoons, and ate sugary junk food! When he was dropped off at home, he was wired! I packed up our camping/fishing gear, picked up Granddad and Doug, and headed out to the lake for the church camp-out!

Once the tent was set up, we went fishing. We didn't catch anything and Malachi got bored fast! Back at the campground, we snacked and visited. We finally went to bed after 10.

Lydia and Mysia ended up going to Granny's to spend the night since Mysia wanted to hang out with her Aunt Abigail. She was feeling pretty good, and was a able to watch movies and play some games on the Wii before bed.


Saturday:

Mysia woke up fine, earlier than Lydia, and watched cartoons. However, she got nauseated a few times and vomiting. Lydia ended up getting prescription for her, and Mysia was able to get more rest in the afternoon.

Malachi and I got up around 6:30, packed up the tent, and he played with the other boys while I visited. We had a great breakfast and got to go out on the lake for a boat ride before lunch. Malachi and the other boys played with the firewood and got super dirty. But they had fun.

We enjoyed the devotion and had a great lunch. The fried fish was awesome! After making sure everything was packed up, we headed home. We were all tired!

Once home, we rested and enjoyed the evening at home. Popsicles and pudding were good! Mysia was feeling much better, and was a bit drugged. Malachi got a good shower, washing all that dirt off!



~Matt

Imitation

I like to chronicle some of the things my kids say and do. They give me a lot of material. And yes, I don't always remember to write them down. Unfortunately, some can't be shared, due to the nature of the topic... (and to keep us all from embarrassment)

The other day, I decided to write one of the funny moments as a comic strip (I do this from time to time). Well, that got the kids excited, and they decided to be creative too. Yup... it sure makes me a proud daddy to watch them try to imitate me!

~Matt

Week Rundown! (06/03/12 - 06/09/12)

Sunday:

I made pancakes for those in the van ministry, and then we headed out to get those for church. During the afternoon, we took naps and it sure felt good! ;) Evening services were nice and afterwards Lydia and I worked on budget before going to bed.


Monday:

It was back to the weekday schedule.....

This evening, we enjoyed a "Salad Party" for supper. Afterwards, we spent some of the evening in my parents' above-ground pool. The day was hot, but boy... that water was cold!!! The kids didn't want to leave, but it sure was good to cool off for that swim!


Tuesday:

This evening, the kids went to Grandad's company picnic. Themed in "Dr Suess", they had a blast. They got to eat plenty of sugary snacks and play on the jump on the inflatables!

Lydia and I took the chance to 'get-away', and went to see "The Avengers"... it was awesome! It's a movie we'll most likely purchase when it comes out to DVD. After the movie, we picked up the kids, made it home, and went to bed.


Wednesday:

We came home, ate supper, and then headed to church. After services, we served the kids ice cream before sending them to bed.


Thursday:

I got to do the on-air shift from 3-6pm. Like always, it's fun to be able to pick some of the songs to play over the air-waves. I got to sneak a few of my personal favorites in!

Lydia took the kids to the library, and they enjoyed the time reading and picking out books for the week. We had a great evening together as family.


Friday:

A Note: A week from today, Mysia goes in for her tonsillectomy! If you want to get updated during that day, you can follow our facebook pages... or email us!

Lydia and I both had a short day at our places of employment, so we met at home for lunch and then when grocery shopping before picking the kids up. I was able to get my Father's Day gift... a new tackle box! I'm gearing up for the father & son fish-fry next weekend.

After supper, we headed out to a friend's wedding. Unfortunately, the gps/maps didn't work too well, and we ended up driving over an hour searching for the location. We finally had to give up, realizing we missed it. We were so disappointed...

Once back at home, we played a bit of Mario Kart on the wii before going to bed.


Saturday:

We woke up and did the weekend chores. I ran to the store to exchange my empty propane tank for a new one, and then attached it to my new outdoor grill I had gotten for my birthday. At lunch, I was able to use it! Yay!

We had some friends over for hamburgers and visit. The kids got the chance to play in the sprinkler in our backyard. We didn't spend too much time outside, and I'm thankful for air-conditioning!

We spent the evening relaxing inside. The kids wanted baths, and Mysia was first. However, Malachi ended up crashing on the living room floor waiting his turn, so I gave him a quick shower before putting him to bed.


~Matt

Homemade Slushy!

The other day I came home and was craving a nice cool drink. After using the blender for several days to make fruit drinks, I decided to try and make something for the kids and I. A challenge!

I took kool-aid, ice cubes, and snow-cone syrup.... put them into the blender, and made a nice cool slushy! Tastes just like what you'd get at the convenience store! Yum!

Both Mysia and Malachi liked it too! ('Awesome Daddy' points!)

Now I'll have to figure out how to make a frozen coke or Dr. Pepper.................... ;)


~Matt

Yard Work On The Flower Bed

Last Saturday, Lydia and I tackled some yard work. It was a project that Lydia has been wanting to work on for about a year now, and she was determined to get it done this time. The weeds were killing her rose bushes in the front yard and the whole flower bed needed redone.

The bush needed trimmed... it was taller than me! It had gotten out of hand. Lydia discovered that there was a wasp nest in it too. After getting it in shape, we took out the lava rocks and then toiled the dirt. She dug out the weeds, getting to root of the problem... literally! It wasn't the easiest job either. The dirt was tough and the weeds were deep.

Another thing was the bugs. Many black beetles, huge centipedes and millipedes, and fast wolf spiders! Not the most fun thing to run into when you're on your hands and knees!

Once cleaned of weeds and rocks, we laid the weed barrier sheet down and replaced the lava rocks. Now the flower bed looks awesome! Lydia did a fantastic job!


~Matt

Voting on 'smoking'.... (my thoughts)

Should Springfield citizens vote "no" in repealing the current ban (Smokefree Act of 2011 and its May 7, 2012 amended version)? 

Yes = Kills current ban, reverts back to previous smoking regulations

No = Keeps current ban.

Here is my thoughts....:

Actually, by voting 'no', you're allowing the government another step into regulations of certain freedoms. 

By voting 'yes', you give businesses the choice to ban smoking. And then it's up to us to choose whether or not to patronize that business. No government involvement. If a place of business values my dollar, they won't allow smoking. 

By saying 'no', think of it as it taking away a section of 'property rights'... then what next? Food? Drinks? Guns?

http://www.springfieldmo.gov/election/index.html
Something to think about before voting.....

~Matt Paasch

(sent from my iPhone)

--
Matt & Lydia Paasch
http://mattpaasch.com
Blog: http://thepaaschfamilyupdate.blogspot.com/

Week Rundown! (05/27/12 - 06/02/12)

Sunday:

Malachi and I both got up and headed to church early to attend Men's Prayer Breakfast with Sam. Afterwards, I dropped Malachi off with Granny and picked up Abigail to help with the van route. Services were good, and we came home for lunch.

We spent an hour or more at Sam's new apartment giving him a "house-warming party". Then it was back home for naps. We went and saw Lycia baptized for evening services, visited with family afterwards for a bit, and then grabbed some Andy's Ice Cream before coming home for the evening.


Monday:

Lydia and I slept in... but the kids got up thinking it was a regular week day. When I told them that it was a holiday, and reminded them of the activities planned for the day... a unified "yippee!" rang through the house.

We spent the morning getting ready for the day. We packed the van with folding chairs, fishing rods, food, and a few toys. We then headed out to one of the local lakes and met up with my family. We found a place on the side of the lake. The kids threw rocks in the lake while we sat back and visited, enjoying a cool breeze. The kids got muddy, but enjoyed it! At lunchtime, we headed to the pavilion nearby and set up while the kids played on the playground. We visited more, and the kids got dirty... so it was back to lakeside before heading to my parents house.

We spent the last part of the afternoon in my parents' above-ground pool.


Tuesday:

When Lydia got off work, she picked up Mysia and they headed home to finally finish the re-organization of Mysia's room. I picked up Malachi and once we got home, we had our "Salad Party". After supper, we got a few chores done and the kids ready for bed.


Wednesday:

We came home, ate supper, and then headed to church. After services, we served the kids ice cream before sending them to bed.


Thursday:

After work, Lydia picked up the kids and took them to the library. I met up with them and we spent several hours going through books and letting the kids play with the activities. They even put on a puppet show for us.

We had supper at Subway, and the kids kept us entertained with ideas and stories of things they want to do and have done. They were wired! ;)


Friday:

Lydia and I were able to come home early. Lydia went through Malachi's clothes, getting rid of those that were too small. Abigail came over for a visit and ended up going to walmart with me while I did some grocery shopping. When we returned, the kids played some games with her, and we got a surprise visit by Granny and Grandad.


Saturday:

Lydia attended the city-wide PTA meeting/conference, while I stayed home with the kids for the morning. I was able to get a few projects done. The kids had played for several hours before I let them watch a few cartoons on TV before lunch.

Once Lydia came home, we ate and then headed outside to do some yardwork. We trimmed the bushes, and Lydia focused on the flower bed. She had been wanting to really get rid of the weeds that had been choking her rose bushes. While she redid lava rocks and pulled out the weeds, I mowed the lawn.

For the evening... we rested!!!


~Matt

Fruit Smoothies

We have a blender that I use often to make smoothies and other neat treats. Well, since we’ve been on a diet, eating fruits and vegetables, I decided that it would be neat to try and duplicate Sonic’s fruit smoothies.

With bananas, grapes, and strawberries... I added ice and a little water to make a great drink experience! In fact, Mysia enjoyed it too! Yum!


~Matt