I am by Grace

Fall

2008-10-16T13:34:00.002-04:00

Today was very autumn-y. The sky is cloudy but the sun is shining so the leaves are really bright while the sky is somewhat dark. My favorite. It's cold enough to layer but not so cold that mittens and hats are needed.

I've mentioned we live across the street from a cemetery. It's really not at all creepy and is one of the prettier spots in town. I have a good view from my kitchen and the leaves over there are especially bright. This morning I watched as the workers set up a tent for a funeral. It was a military funeral and there were men in their dress blues (is that right?) with flags and rifles. I stood in my sliding glass door and watched as they saluted with their bright, white gloves and spun the rifles around in sync. Beautiful. The hearse entered through the wrought iron gate with the procession behind it. I didn't even know who the funeral was for (it's a small town so it's not unusual to know exactly who's funeral it is) but I watched until there were too many cars to see the military men anymore.

It was a sobering moment in an otherwise normal day.

Commercialization

2008-10-15T09:38:00.003-04:00

I like classic-y things. A lot of the kids books we have are books that I read when I was a kid. Same with a lot of our toys. I'm all about wooden toys, musical instruments, wooden puzzles, Eric Carle books, Shel Silverstein...classics.

When Henry was a newborn I signed him up for a book club in our town where kids from birth to age 5 get a free book mailed to them once a month. There was a HUGE waiting list so imagine my surprise when his first book arrived yesterday. Woohoo! It was the classic The Little Engine that Could. I was thrilled and Henry carried that book around all day.

When I went in to tuck him in last night he was flipping through his new book. So I asked him, "How do you like your new book?"

"Good."

"Is it The Little Engine that Could?"

"No. It's Thomas the Train."

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-14T10:58:00.003-04:00

A couple of my high school friends and I have a yearly tradition of visiting the pumpkin patch with our little ones. There are three of us and we all had our first two kids around the same time (I pulled ahead with Elisabeth this summer)! Here are some of my favorite shots that Betsy took:

Betsy is the Martha Stewart of my friends. She and her mom made these shirts after seeing them in Family Fun Magazine. Elisabeth got a matching bib.

Since Elisabeth couldn't stand along the fenceline she gets her own close-up:

And this year we made the husbands come, too. There is no way we could chase the kids through the maze, playground, and patch without them. However, when you bring men and they see pumpkins they inevitably go for the biggest one. And then prove how manly they are by lugging it on their shoulder. See how strong he is?

I did it.

2008-10-11T21:01:00.002-04:00

Barely. I "ran" my 5k today and my legs are killing me. I ran a lot harder than I normally do because there were people watching (of all things). My time was so bad that I laughed out loud at the 2 mile when they called it out. Lets just say that by the time I hit the 2 mile mark my friend Brandi was crossing the finish line. Yeah.

But I wasn't last! There were 2 runners behind me and a pack of walkers behind them. And I kept my pace with the runner ahead of me the whole time so that was nice. I still despise running but actually being in the race was sort of fun. I got a t-shirt and a medal which Charlie has been wearing all day. He and Henry have no idea how badly I did...they just saw MOM! in a RACE! COOL! And I got water, fruit and a granola bar at the finish. Bonus.

Chad took the camera but he had Henry in a stroller, Elisabeth in a carrier on his chest, Charlie and our niece Caylee walking beside him. And he was trying to get to different points on the course to cheer me on. He did good! And pictures would have been truly embarrassing anyway.

So, I persevered (Charlie was cheering that from "Sumo of the Opera"), I ran the race (Hebrews 12:1) and what have I learned?

My legs hurt.

Actually, I did learn to get up, work hard, and get moving. And maybe next time I'll do even better...(wait, did I just say next time)?

Finding Time

2008-10-07T10:37:00.002-04:00

I don't have a hobby. I'm pretty sure I never really had one but at this point in my life even if I wanted one I don't know where I'd fit it in. My hobby is keeping my life from imploding. I jealously look at others who are doing fun things or hobbyish things and think "How'd you manage that?"

I mentioned in an earlier post that I'm running in 5k. I use the term "running" very loosely. It's still a jog- more like a speed walk with a hop. I don't know what possessed me to think this was a good idea. Getting off the couch and moving after a baby takes some effort and I thought giving myself a goal would help me get back in shape. The problem is running is NOT fun. And I have to find at least an hour to change, run, and get cleaned up on top of everything else in my life. Only a few more days and I'm done. This is my new motivator- after Saturday I will NEVER run again. Unless someone is chasing me- and I'll only run if it's life or death.

What surprised me the most in my "training" was that I did find time to practice. It was necessary and I wanted to run in the race so it had to be done. My excuses for not doing certain things because there is no time don't seem to hold water anymore. I guess we make time for what we think is important. We make time for what's necessary...I wouldn't skip grocery shopping or putting gas in my car because there's no time. I don't get to make that choice. So when this race is over I'm freeing up some time...will I let it get wasted again or will I find something productive to do? Hopefully I'll figure out what's most important...and remind myself there's time.

Here she is...

2008-10-04T11:06:00.003-04:00

A friend of mine took some pictures of Elisabeth for me. Here is my favorite! I wish she wasn't hiding her mouth but getting a perfect shot of a baby is nearly impossible.

Henry snuck in at one point so they took a couple of pictures of him for good measure...

Charlie was no where near the camera. He hates getting his picture taken. Last year we had an awful argument the day of school pictures because he was determined his hair would be combed and I wanted it spiked. Right before pictures he flattened his hair AND he didn't smile. Grrrr. This year we got his pictures back and HOORAY! He smiled! The smile is a little crooked but his eyes are awesome...you can see that look like he's up to something which is so Charlie.

(And, yes, my scanner is FILTHY)

Thankful Thursday

2008-10-02T09:37:00.004-04:00

Big thanks to loavesandfishes in the comments the other day. I followed her directions step by step and have a couple of podcasts!

I've been catching up with an old friend of my husband's through facebook and her blog. She's big on Thankful Thursdays so I thought I'd join in today.

What I'm thankful for might sound a little silly but I'm really thankful for the internet! I can't tell you how much I've learned from sites like The Simple Dollar, Money Saving Mom, and MomAdvice when it comes to our finances, paying down medical bills, and saving.

I've made some friends at The Homespun Heart and With All That I've Been Given. But the best is when I've been visiting a site and they link to another one that I haven't been to. I love finding new sites. And alot of times it feels like the Lord sent me specifically to certain sites.

I've been struggling with some trust issues lately. Specifically trusting that God can meet my needs. I tend to do things myself and say "God, I'm good today...I don't need you but I'll let you know when I do..." And often times I just figure I won't bother him. I've been hashing it out with Chad almost daily (I'm sure he's getting sick and tired of the same conversation over and over). It mostly consists of him saying "Why don't you trust him?" and me saying "Because what if he wants me to fail?" and back and forth and back and forth.

Yesterday I was reading one blog which led me to another and another and finally to this post. I was shocked. The whole post was exactly what I needed to hear. Especially the part where she says she'll praise him if she can pay her bills and she'll praise him if she can't. The other day I actually listed the ways I feel like God has let me down. Listed them! I have this image of God working out his plan and me being an afterthought. I'm not an afterthought. As a mom I should know better:

Luke 11:11-13 (ESV) What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent? or if he asks for an egg will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

So, I'm thankful for the internet but really I'm thankful that God is listening to me even when I'm not saying much...and he leads me where I need to go! What are YOU thankful for?

Confession: I hate my IPOD

2008-09-30T11:17:00.002-04:00

We've had our IPOD for a year and a half and it has 7 songs it. I love the songs we picked but really 7 isn't very many- go ahead and hit "shuffle" and you still hear the same songs over and over. I'm pretty sure I put those on in one day and have never put any other songs on it. Because I hate it.

It's not the IPOD itself that I hate. It's one of the tiny shuffle ones and it's pretty handy with it's little clip that I can stick on my clothes. Actually getting those songs onto the IPOD gives me a headache. People are always raving about how easy and user friendly apple products are. I'm beginning to think they say that just to make people like me feel stupid.

The other night I decided I would download some podcasts. There are some radio shows that come on while I'm at work and I'd love to listen to them whenever I feel like it. I went to itunes and picked out my podcasts. They downloaded into my library and I thought "Hey, this is really easy." Then I tried to get them from my library onto the actual IPOD. I didn't just try, I read the directions, I googled more directions, and TWO HOURS later I still don't have the podcasts.

Here's my idea...there should be a button that says "Load" or something simple like that. Push the button and there you go. IS there a button like that? Am I missing something? I really, really, really want to put some stuff on there. Can anyone help me?

My 100th Post

2008-09-26T22:32:00.003-04:00

Man! I totally missed the 100th post! This is 102...in blogland I'm supposed to type 100 things about me once I reach post number 100. I promise you there are nowhere near 100 things that are even remotely interesting about me. Let's shoot for 25 shall we? (Ugh, I've read over my list and I'm warning you it's completely random. I was hoping for some form of order. Oh, well.)

1. I had a doll named "Doll-y" and one named "Doll-y Sister". I was very imaginative child.
2. I stepped on a piece of glass when I was seven and had to get stitches in my foot without some form of numbing medicine so I screamed the entire time and made my dad pass out.
3. I love run on sentences.
4. And sarcasm (which is a shame because I use it inappropriately too often).
5. Once I saw Joey Lawrence in Target while vacationing in Florida- it was disappointing.
6. President Bush drove through our town in 2004 and he waved to me- that was awesome.
7. My favorite book is "Bridge to Terabithia" and I didn't see the movie because I knew it wouldn't be as good.
8. I have a huge phobia of holes (especially when they are somewhere they shouldn't be-like a wound or something which is an entire post in and of itself).
9. I used to have my scuba diving license but now I also have a phobia of deep water. For some reason I think I might drown.
10. I never win ANYTHING except for one summer at the library I won a "guess how many gummy fish are in the jar" contest. I won the fish- gross.
11. I've destroyed all pictures of me taken in 7th grade...except for the ones my friend Heidi has (but I will find those, too!).
12. I loved summer camp so much as a kid that I went every summer until college, then worked at one until I got married, and then lived at one for four more years. It was liking being a kid until I was in my mid 20's.
13. My mom told me I was going to marry Chad before I even met him.
14. I can watch 7th Heaven reruns over and over (which makes everyone in this house crazy).
15. The smell of lavender makes me gag.
16. I can never get enough of vanilla (or coffee).
17. I love cold weather.
18. I love everything about Michigan except for humidity and mosquitoes.
19. I used to love doing laundry but with three kids it is my nemesis.
20. My mattress is so awesome that every night I tell my bed "Oh, bed, I love you." Seriously.
21. Peas are my favorite.
22. I worked at a hardware store the first year we were married and for a short period of time I knew some things my husband didn't.
23. My children are born with awesome hair. It's a good trade for the wicked heartburn I endure while I'm pregnant.
24. I had five booklights in my nightstand but the boys have stolen/hid/broken them all.
25. I'm really good at getting the string back in a sweatshirt hood or the waistband of wind pants when a kid yanks it out (lots of practice!)

Aren't you so glad I stopped at 25? That took FOREVER.

I still have no pictures...

2008-09-25T12:56:00.004-04:00

I know. Actually, I really wish I could post a video somehow of Elisabeth in her bouncy seat. Although I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who would find it interesting. She is a professional bouncer, I say. She sits really still and stares at her toys and then goes CRAZY kicking and swinging until her toys are flying all over. She gets the biggest grin on her face like "Hey! Look what I can do!" See? Soooo interesting.

I'm desperately searching for a good book to read. I had a "to read" pile on my nightstand but none of them were that great. I don't have loads of time to read so if it doesn't grab my attention pretty much on the first page (or at least the first few chapters) I don't stick with it. I'm not looking for much- something interesting, exciting, life altering, but not with lots of big words...how's that for high expectations? When Charlie was a baby until he was about two I averaged four books per week. Now I'm reading one a year. I'm truly BORED with most of the books I've started. I'm open to suggestions! Just no big words!

Speaking of books...my boys are big time bookworms. They go to bed reasonably well at night because we let them take books to bed- one for each year. Charlie gets 6 and Henry gets 2. For awhile Henry would flip out because Charlie had more books than he did. Lately he hasn't said much. As I was making his bed this morning I found around 15 books under his pillow and down towards the bottom of his blankets. Two lessons here- 1) He's clever enough to know he's got to hide his books so there are more to read and 2) I'm too lazy to make his bed and therefore his stores of books has had plenty of time to grow.

At least he reads.

I should be fired

2008-09-05T09:19:00.002-04:00

Good thing blogging isn't my day job.

Elisabeth is now a little over 2 months old and so far we are all still alive. Henry now affectionately calls her "E-Wizzy-Biff". And it looks like he'll let us keep her. I've taken a million pictures of her but I've yet to develop any. Poor, poor, third baby.

I turned 30 shortly after her birth so now I'm officially old. I LIKE being thirty. It makes me feel like I'm finally an adult! Although my body is totally acting like it's 30 and this baby weight is hanging on for dear life. My solution? I'm training for a 5k. And by "training" I mean lightly jogging/mostly walking then collapsing on my living room floor and eating ice cream. So far so good.

Going from two kids to three has been an adjustment. Mostly I see it when one of them is missing. If just one is not home or I go somewhere and only take two I feel like "Woohoo! Vacation!" How sad is that? When Charlie is at school all day Henry and I have tons of bonding time. He is awesome. The other day he told me he loved me a whole bunch of times. But because he is a boy and a brute he tried to tackle me every time he said it. We are always looking for new ways to beat on each other, apparently.

One thing I'm doing differently this time around is I wear Elisabeth in a sling. A lot. Pretty much all the time. She loves it in there and it keeps my hands free to do other things like reach out and yank one of the big boys off the top off the tv cabinet.

Charlie is off to first grade and I'm super excited that he's so big and freaking out that he's so big. I love milestones and hate them all at the same time. The days I walk him to school it rips my heart out to watch him walk in the doors. I smile and wave and act like it's just another day when in reality it's one more day behind us which means one less day he's my little boy. Sigh.

Elisabeth Emory

2008-07-04T15:07:00.005-04:00

July 1, 2008 @ 3:28pm

7lbs 10oz

20 inches

Hopefully the hair stays as pretty as the boys' hair did! So far she's been relatively easy (as babies go) but the boys have been away at Nana's so we are definitely in real world mode quite yet. Charlie is totally in love with her and Henry wouldn't care if we sent her back where she came from. We're working on that.

For now we are keeping our heads above water...trying to balance when to eat (for her and for us) and when to sleep (mostly for us...she tends to sleep when we need her to be awake and vice versa- the curse of the baby).

Pondering

2008-06-13T14:37:00.002-04:00

I find myself at an odd stage in the pregnancy. The baby is due in three weeks and I alternate between wanting the baby to come right now and wanting it to wait until I can finish up one more thing. I try to will the baby here on "convenient" days and will it to cook a little longer on "inconvenient days." My will power isn't all that powerful, I've discovered.

I read the chapter on labor and delivery in "What to Expect When You're Expecting" which should not be allowed. There are things better left forgotten when it comes to labor and delivery. Although, they had tips for the coach my personal favorite being "If she tells you not to touch her, don't be offended, just take a few steps back." Thank you. It's a little hard to speak kindly to people when you can't even remember how to breathe correctly.

Also, something that should not be allowed- watching baby shows on TLC. The one I just saw the other day followed a family home from the hospital and showed how they adjusted during the first 36 hours at home. Don't show people the HARDEST part of having a baby. That first sleepless night, the...*ahem* discomfort after giving birth, not to mention the oh so fun discomfort of the feeding process. And for my male readers I will leave that topic alone.

The weirdest part of all of this is I find myself thinking once the baby comes it will immediately start to grow up. And then not be a baby anymore. Which makes me want another one. Which I realize is INSANE but I'm just telling you my thought process. Chad's take is "Well, if you want 4 you might as well go for five. Or stop at 3." Which I think means he wants to stop at three because 5 makes me hyperventilate a little (a lot).

And it's fixed!

2008-03-21T09:39:00.002-04:00

Sorry about that...didn't mean to leave you wondering for so long!

The instructions from the computer fix it guy were to take the laptop apart piece by piece. Certain pieces were then submerged (yes- SUBMERGED) in distilled water overnight. I was hyperventilating at that point because in my mind submerging computer parts in water was a bad idea. The pieces then needed to completely dry out over a couple of days and then put back together. Not only did it work but the laptop works better than it has in awhile. I think it needed a good cleaning.

Now, here's the lesson learned (and, no, it's not to keep hot drinks away from the laptop- I'm drinking hot cocoa as we speak)- what if I decided the computer guy was crazy and refused to do what he said? Logically, it didn't make sense. If I would have ignored him the laptop would be forever broken and I would be out quite a sum of money. But instead, I trusted the professional and all is well.

Isn't that just like life? How often does God want us to do things that don't logically make sense? It's something I've been pondering for a good two weeks. Something to think about.

An Awful, Horrible Thing

2008-03-07T19:58:00.002-05:00

I may have quite possibly done the worst possible thing ever. I mean, really, the worst thing ever.

Last night after dinner, Chad was cleaning up and I was sitting at the island with his laptop looking up various things he tossed my way...random information I can't seem to remember because of the horrible thing I did. Because he is so wonderful he made us both some green tea with honey (our new obsession since he's had to medically give up coffee). It was delicious and sweet and scalding hot just the way I like it...with extra honey.

Chad took out the garbage and Charlie stood next to me to see what I was typing and reading. I have tried and tried to remember what happened next but I can't figure out what I did. All I can remember is the burning feeling in my lap and the shock of seeing my tea cup UPSIDE DOWN on Chad's laptop. His work laptop. His work laptop full of sermon notes and various other VERY IMPORTANT things.

I sat frozen, with my mouth open, staring at the laptop. Next to me, Charlie made this horrible "ooooohhhhh...." sound. Sort of half-moan, half-whisper. Then he freaked out and started saying "Where's Dad? Oh, man! Where's Dad? This is BAD, Mom. This IS BAD!"

At that moment Chad came back into the kitchen while I still hadn't moved (the laptop had gone black the instant the tea hit the keyboard) and tears where rolling down my face. Charlie yelled out "Mom spilled the hot tea!" and Chad immediately ran over and grabbed my arms.

"Did you burn yourself?"

I couldn't answer. Yes, I had burned my legs and they HURT but all I could do was lift up the laptop and watch the hot tea ran off the sides. The look of horror on Chad's face made me so nauseated I almost lost it. He turned back to me.

"Did you burn yourself?"

I nodded but still didn't speak.

"Let's clean you up." He took a dishtowel to soak up the excess then sent me to the bedroom to change. I took my time. I took a shower, found my softest pj's, and basically moved as slowly as possible, dreading what was waiting for me when I returned to the kitchen.

When I opened the bedroom door Chad and the boys were snuggling on the couch. They'd saved me a spot. I cried a lot more and couldn't do the words justice that Chad said to me. He wasn't mad. He wasn't stressed out. The laptop was broken- we'd try to fix it and if we couldn't we'd figure out what to do after that. He called "the computer guy" and followed some very specific instructions.

And then he went to the store and got us ice cream. Because he's just that great.

I've spent the evening downloading his library programs ( www.e-sword.net ), Bibles, commentaries, etc. So he can redo some of his work this week. He's a smart guy and backs up his computer regularly so most of his files were reachable.

And for the next few days we wait while the computer dries out. And I pace for whatever reason while he peaceably goes about his day. I wish I could be like that.

Injustice

2008-03-03T10:22:00.002-05:00

For the first time ever I saw one of my children suffer an injustice at the hands of an adult. I see it kid-to-kid almost daily and though it is hard I can handle it and most of the time so can Charlie. But an adult being harsh, unkind, and unfair? That's a different story.

It started last week when Charlie told me about his school day over lunch. He got his "clip moved" which means he got in trouble (not by his teacher who is FANTASTIC but by a note to his teacher). He told me the story and it sounded unfair but I thought maybe since he's only five I wasn't getting the whole picture or I wasn't understanding it right. I shared the story with Chad and we decided if it didn't come up again we'd let it go.

This week, not only did it happen again, it happened to the extreme. It led to serious embarrassment to Charlie, a visit to the secretary, and a tearful phone call home. Needless to say I was upset. However, in my emotional pregnant state I knew better than to march into the school and unload on someone. I walked in calmly, greeted the secretary politely,m and thanked her for her discretion. I then proceeded to quietly sneak Charlie out to the van without his classmates seeing. And then I called Chad- and HE marched into the school.

First off, Charlie's school is wonderful. I love, love, love his teacher and her aide. Love the principal, love the secretary, love the librarian...but every now and then a school will have a staff member who doesn't like kids. Especially little ones. Secondly, my husband rocks. He followed the chain of command, spoke with confidence and *AHEM* made sure the offending staff member would be doing no more offending.

A couple of days later we had parent teacher conferences and can I say again how much I love Charlie's teacher? She brought up the incident (there had been a substitute teacher that day) and let us know she was behind us. It was awesome. It's so comforting when a non-relative truly knows and loves the heart of your child.

The big struggle here was deciding when to let Charlie deal with the hard stuff of life and when to stand up and defend. This isn't to say he doesn't misbehave- he does and we deal with it. There was no misbehaving involved here- only pure meanness from an adult. I had high hopes of staying under the radar during the school years. I didn't want to be the parent that made teachers groan when they saw me coming. But when an adult acts like a child and intentionally hurts the pride of one of my kids? My reputation doesn't matter much after that. Letting Charlie know we will protect him matters more.

The Party

2008-02-29T07:05:00.003-05:00

I'm not exactly sure who's party it was last night. Charlie kind of took control as apparently I wasn't doing a good job. He decided Henry needed a VeggieTales party but we live in a small town and finding veggie decorations is pretty difficult. So Charlie made some.

He decorated the cake:

He made "Pin the Plunger on Larry Boy" (I can't figure out how to turn the picture):

He made Veggie Balloons (Bob, Jr., Larry, and Laura):

He made a centerpiece and drew Bob the Tomato on all the red cake plates.

When Henry woke up from his name he kept saying "Veggie for me? Veggie for me?" He was thrilled! So, it's official- Charlie is in charge of all party planning from now on.

A Busy Day

2008-02-28T09:25:00.003-05:00

Today is Henry's second birthday! So it's 9:30 and he's still in his pj's. Actually, I'm letting him watch whatever Veggie video he wants to since Charlie isn't here to commandeer the television. Henry is in heaven.

I made a list of things to do but I've lost it. This is what happens when we go away to a conference for a couple of days. I always clean before I go so I can return to a nice house but then our things sort of explode everywhere and stay that way for an indefinite amount of time. The red longish looking thing is Henry's present that hasn't been wrapped yet. It's a tent. There's also a veggie book under the laundry basket. See, I know where things are.

Monica has announced her Spring Cleaning Contest again, thank the Lord, because I'm highly motivated to clean when there are prizes involved. Plus, my mom reads my blog and she'll die when she sees my before pictures so it will be nice for her to see the after pictures as well.

And now I'm off to clean my kitchen, bake a cake, cook some "cheeken" (Henry's favorite), and run around town getting things I forgot.

2008-02-24T20:17:00.002-05:00

For some reason I had it in my head that I was doing a great job blogging. And then I realized I only blogged three times this month. I think I write lots of posts in my head and THINK I blogged them but I really didn't. Those were some great posts, too. I wondered why no one commented...

I finally got myself a planner for 2008. We're two months in and I'm finally ready for the new year (yeah, it's gonna be rough). I've filled it in with my work schedule, appointments, school calendar events, church calendar events...and I've still managed to double-book myself- TWICE. And I say that like I have this super active social life. I don't. I just remember in my head that Friday we are going out with so-and-so and February 29 we have a church thing- not realizing FRIDAY and FEB. 29 are the SAME DAY. If I have anymore pregnancies I will have no more brain cells left. I had a teacher in high school once say that babies suck all the vitamins out of you leaving you with mousy hair and pasty skin and this empty look in your eyes- I think she was trying to scare me into staying away from boys but I do agree I lose brain cells. But my planner is very pretty and compact and works for me! When I remember to write in it. Actually, I get really attached to my planner and can't go anywhere without it. I'm one of those people who will lose their minds if I lose my planner.

But on a much happier note I've purchased two adorable little girl dresses and I've been given the cutest little pink polka dot swimsuit. It's tiny! Having a "baby" in size 5 diapers and then pulling out the newborn stuff makes Henry look huge. Huge. I can't wait until I get the newborn diapers. I love how they look like toy diapers for a baby doll. And I can't wait to hold that wrinkly, snuggly little baby! I've got a long wait...being buried in all this snow makes July 4 seem a long ways away.

Because I don't have a point

2008-02-11T09:51:00.001-05:00

I have one of those random blogs...it's not crafty, or frugal, or about fashion, or food...so I can pretty much write about whatever I want. And since I'm still snowed in I feel like cooking. One of my FAVORITE new blogs is The Pioneer Woman Cooks! She makes me feel like I can cook. Now, there are some cooking shows on Food Network that make me think that I can cook, too but then I attempt the recipe and fail miserably. Not at TPWC. She is awesome. She takes TONS of step by step pictures and gives tons of easy to follow directions. So far I've made:

1. Holiday Bacon Appetizers (for my MOPS Christmas party)
2. Beans and Cornbread (for my guys- they gobbled it up)
3. Pot Roast (the best EVER)

And I'd like to try:
1. Olive Cheese Bread
2. Pico De Gallo

And this week she's doing a Valentine's Day meal with steak and roasted garlic potatoes. She hasn't posted it yet but I can't wait! If you are snowed in like me try some of these great meals!

Snow Day...Again

2008-02-11T08:27:00.000-05:00

When winter first starts and the snowstorms are quaint and exciting, we look forward to snuggling under the covers and sleeping a little later. However, after snowday #7, the staying inside with our faces mashed against the cold glass is no longer fun. We feel trapped and long to play outside. The boys have been watching "Jerry" plow the church parking lot into our backyard leaving behind massive snow hills for sledding. But with the wind chill still sitting at NEGATIVE 20 degrees "Mean Mom" won't let them play outside. We have run out of hot chocolate, we're sick of the coloring books, we've somehow lost the scissors but we don't really have anything left to cut anyway. Even the television is annoying. A new show will start and Charlie will sigh and say "I've seen this one..." and aimlessly flip through the channels. Even the library is closed due to weather. We are out of luck.

This afternoon we are going grocery shopping (once the roads are cleared a bit better) and the boys can hardly wait. We've resorted to grocery shopping for fun. It's been a long winter.

Lentils

2008-02-10T11:05:00.001-05:00

Carrie did a recipe question/answer exchange on her blog this week and she mentioned she needed some recipes for lentils. We LOVE lentils in this house and there are two recipes we use frequently. Lentils are cheap and yummy and we usual have them once a week or so.

The first recipe I found on Happy Foody (a really awesome vegan blog) so I'll send you there. It's a one pot meal (which is my favorite way to cook). Stir all the ingredients together in a covered baking dish and let it cook! Her blog just moved to wordpress but the recipe is on her old blogspot blog.

The second recipe I've used for five years. It's called Mazidra and it's a layered lentil dish. It's from an old spiral bound vegetarian cookbook called "100% Vegetarian" by Julianne Pickle.

MAZIDRA

Combine the following in a saucepan and bring to a boil:
1 c lentils
3 c water
1/2 c chopped onion
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sweet basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregeno

Reduce heat and simmer on lowest setting 1 1/2 - 2 hours until lentils are soft and cooking liquid becomes cloudy.

Meanwhile, prepare cooked brown rice (3 c after it's cooked).

When the lentils are ready you can build the mazidra like this:

1. Cooked rice
2. Cooked lentils
3. Diced tomatoes
4. Diced cucumber
5. Sliced green onion
6. Top with chopped avocado or guacamole/avocado dip

We pig out on mazidra. It's sooooooo good!

Today we are snowed in...AGAIN. We live next door to church and had to close because we can't see the church. Not too mention the wind chill is -25 degrees and the path Chad shoveled to the church this morning is already buried knee deep. I cooked a spiral ham that I was saving for Easter because I was grumpy with all the snow and a sugary ham seemed like a good idea. I've snitched a few bites already and it's delicious! I'm off to make some rice and veggies to eat with our ham. Enjoy your Sunday!

A Better Day

2008-01-31T17:13:00.000-05:00

My mom got me some new shoes which of course doesn't fix the problem but they sure are cute! They are really a dark red and not so pink looking but my camera decided to make them look pink.

I did find out today that there will be much more pink in this house...my ultrasound today says we're having a girl! I was thrilled! And then my next thought:

What on earth will I do with a girl?

A Terrible Day

2008-01-30T17:17:00.001-05:00

Really terrible. So terrible I really should be crying but when I'm pregnant I'd much rather cry about things that are irrational and petty. Big things, like what happened today, don't make me cry. They make me clean. I clean every corner, drawer, cupboard, and hiding place with much anger and frustration. And when I'm done I don't feel any better but I have a sparkly home to sit in so there is a little consolation in that.

Chad has been having some troubles with his health again. We decided to visit some local doctors first before making the trek to Mayo clinic. We talked to his doctor out there first and he made suggestions for what tests to request, etc. Here is what is frustrating- as soon as Chad says "I have MEN-1" you can see the new doctor's eyes light up and the two worst possible things he can say are "Fascinating!" (or "Interesting!" is popular as well) followed by "You're the first case I've seen!" Those statements are not a good sign.

Thursday we saw one set of doctors. Friday we saw a completely different set at the same hospital who had no record of the fact that we had been there the day before and they essentially asked all the same questions and ran all the same tests (our insurance company will be so happy). Today we saw another set of doctors- 2 specialists and 2 surgeons who poked and prodded and generally messed with Chad for over an hour. The diagnosis of EVERY SINGLE DOCTOR over the past week? "Here! Have some more pills! Call us in a week, or a month, or never and take these pills that make you feel worse forever!" So frustrating.

In the end Chad has an early morning appointment in Minnesota on Monday. His doctors out there are equally disappointed with the diagnosis (or lack of it) from the specialists over here. It feels good to know we have doctors who care and are ready to help.

In the meantime my house is going to "shine like the top of the Chrysler building." 100 points for anyone that can tell me what movie that's from.

Saturday afternoon...

2008-01-26T17:46:00.000-05:00

We are all sleepy and bored and sick of the TV. Today we all huddled in the kitchen, Chad and I drinking coffee, and the boys coloring. Henry is at the color-the-walls stage so he can't be left alone with crayons. I HATE to draw. And color. And do any kind of art whatsoever. And I'm a grumpy mom about it, too. I won't help or trace or anything. I'll watch but that's it. I try to tell myself it will teach them responsibility and enable them to do things for themselves but really it's because I truly HATE to draw.

But, as seen by today's drawings, they don't need my help anyway.

Charlie, age 5 (no help)

Henry, 23 months (he has informed me it's "Bob", "Spiderman", and "pretty")

I'm hoping they really develop their crafts and can one day redesign my house. How cool would that be?

I broke the law

2008-01-25T13:14:00.000-05:00

If they arrest me my defense will be that I'm pregnant. My brain does not work effectively while I'm pregnant.

I went in to work for half a day today and left in time to pick up Charlie from school. I had a few minutes to spare so I decided to fill up the van, get some milk, and get some half and half for snow ice cream (there has to be something good about two fresh feet of snow). I filled up, went inside, purchased my stuff, and left. I made it to school with two minutes before Charlie got dismissed. While I waited I read over my receipt to see how many points I'd earned for my purchases. Next to "fuel" on my receipt it said "0." That was weird....I should have earned some points.

And then it hit me- I paid for my purchases but not my gas! I was a 'drive-off'! I'd seen the signs on the pumps that say "Drive offs will be prosecuted." Prosecuted! I can' t go to jail! I quickly picked up my cell phone and had my husband call the gas station and tell them I'd be right there.

I told Charlie we needed to go back and pay and he said, "Mom! Are the police after you?"

The police aren't after me, the attendant was very polite and understanding and even admitted he'd done that once himself.

So much for thinking I had my act together.

I'm changing my name

2008-01-24T14:45:00.000-05:00

I think "The Sporadic Blogger" is more fitting, don't you? Without focusing on what a terrible blogger I am I will instead focus on my plethora of excuses...

1) Finally after years of hoping I am at last a work-at-home mom! We came to a crossroads over Christmas break and it was decision making time. There was a small window open where I could make the jump from 3 full days in the office to a few hours a day at home so I took it! Three weeks are under my belt and so far it's going well! Each week gets a little easier and a few more kinks are worked out. It helps that I have a sitter come over so I have solid blocks of working time (nap times are never a guarantee in this house!).

2) The snow days are killing me. I live in Michigan and I love the winter. I even love snuggling under the covers in the morning with great anticipation reading all the school closings and hoping ours is on the list. Why? I must, in those early morning hours, have visions of board games, hot cocoa, and being warm and toasty inside. Instead there are cries of boredom, cries of hair pulling (do boys normally do that???) and cries of "I want to play outside!!" (and when the wind chill is below zero the answer is a most definite no).

3) I've got a whole new routine with this WAHM thing. I have to plan ahead and make schedules and lists and menus and take out the meat to thaw, etc., etc., .... I'm a fairly lazy person (I like to say laid-back) so I tend to never plan. Ever. This month we've all had regularly scheduled doctor, eye doctor, dentist, and OB appointments. How those all fell in the same month is a testament to my non-planning lifestyle. I have a mess of New Year's resolutions to fix this problem. However, it's now January 23 and I don't have a planner yet. Just sheets of scrap paper. I'm off to a great start.

4) I've started teaching a budget class for one hour every Tuesday night (it's during the bedtime routine that night so Chad takes over and they have 'boys night'). I love it! It's at a local ministry that helps people get out of debt and get ahead. It's been great fun and my class is teaching me so much. Most importantly- EVERYONE has a story. Never assume you know someone else's life. You don't.

5) So, hopefully my resolution to actually blog will work out. I have big plans and lots to blog about. If I could just find the scrap paper where I wrote it all down...

What better way to ring in the New Year...

2007-12-31T19:13:00.000-05:00

than with the flu? I mean, really, munching on rice chex and sipping warm ginger ale? Who can beat that?

I've had the flu before but getting the flu while pregnant is a whole different animal. It's taking forever to get my strength back. It's been 36 hours and I've finally moved from the bed out to the couch. Thankfully I got sick while we had no plans but, man, I had lots of plans for taking down the decorations and making a list of resolutions.

Now my only resolution is to eat something with flavor. Blech.

Christmas Eve

2007-12-26T22:18:00.000-05:00

My parents are scrooges and go to Florida every Christmas. They flew and had us take them to the airport. They offered to take us to breakfast for our troubles and I'm all about free breakfast. Henry (my BIG eater) was out of sorts and only wanted to drink chocolate milk. Have you ever seen chocolate milk the second time around? Yeah. It's that gross. And even though I haven't been sick with this pregnancy I almost lost it. Thankfully he waited until my parents had already been dropped off and we had stopped at a gas station. Charlie freaked out so he and I went into the gas station to get wipes and paper towel and anything we could think of to clean it up.

Poor Henry was stripped down to his diaper and it was COLD. We swung by a Target so I could grab him some sweats and a sweatshirt and then we took him to a walk-in clinic. Because what could be more fun than being sick and sitting in clinic all day?

They stuck us in room pretty quickly but they were short staffed. Thankfully a nurse brought in "Rudolph" for us to watch. At first it was quaint- the four of us hanging out watching a Christmas movie. But when "Rudolph" started a second time it wasn't fun anymore.

The diagnosis? A double ear infection. Oh yeah- tons of fun. The medicine kicked in just in time for Christmas and life was good.

And hopefully there will be no more throwing up in this house for awhile. Because I truly can't handle anymore.

2007-12-22T13:34:00.000-05:00

With all the family Christmas parties and the eating, eating, eating, my family has cut back on the food. Our tradition is to each bring our "speciality" soup. My mom makes either cheese and broccoli soup or vegetable beef. My sister-in-law makes homemade noodle soup. I make white chicken chili. We eat out of little bowls and taste everybody's soup and don't feel stuffed!

Here's my white chicken chili recipe (actually my mother-in-law's that I've stolen):

1 lb. chicken breast cubed, browned
1 large can of Randalls great northeren beans
1 block of pepper jack cheese (cubed)
1 medium size jar of salsa

Brown the chicken. Stir all ingredients into a big pot. Warm through and cook until cheese cubes have melted. Serve with sour cream (to cool the kick from the cheese). If you don't like a strong bite you can substitute a milder cheese.

Enjoy!

Did you know?

2007-12-20T10:45:00.000-05:00

If you google "show and tell letter u" my post is #2 on the list? I only discovered that because that is the top google search to bring people to my blog. Crazy! Here's the post it takes you to:

Too Much Show and Tell

Homemade Scrubs and Bath Soaks

2007-12-20T09:47:00.000-05:00

Because of the time of year (and the day! Dec. 20! Ack! 5 days left!) my brain is mush. Lots of cute and amusing things are going on here but I can't remember any of them. And I lost the card to my camera so I can't even take random pictures of things like Charlie's dwarf snowman and the new bunkbeds Henry won't stay in. So instead I will share some yummy recipes from my last MOPS party.

My MOPS group meets once a month and December is the best. We have a SPA day! This year I called my friend Mindy to go with me. She said, "I'm so busy and overwhelmed I NEED to go!" And it was well worth it.

We made neck wraps, got paraffin dips, foot soaks, and made some amazing bath stuff. Here are the recipes that were included:

Hershey's Spa Chocolate Bath
1 C Powdered Milk
2 T Cocoa
1 t cornstarch
1/2 t cinnamon

Add 1/2 or whole bag to warm bath and enjoy! Warning- the bath water looks so yucky but smells so good! And your skin will be super soft when you get out. Wash out the tub immediately because it gets all over the sides.

Chocolate Brown Sugar Body Scrub
1 1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c light olive oil
1 T cocoa powder
1/4 t almond extract

To use- gently massage onto body to exfoliate and moisturize skin. Not for facial use.

This stuff is so awesome! I have a little bit left of each and I'm saving them for Christmas Eve (since I'm wrapping EVERYTHING that night to prevent Henry from unwrapping anything he shouldn't).

Have a great day!

Bryan and Sarah

2007-12-19T09:12:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned these great friends before. We've just found out that Bryan's dad has passed away unexpectedly. They've updated their blog here with all the information. Please keep them in your prayers this week as they deal with all the logistics.

Well look at that...

2007-12-18T11:19:00.000-05:00

I'm back! I took a very long blogging break without warning but I have a very good reason why. I've still been reading other blogs daily and commenting now and then but I had a secret I wanted to keep and I knew if I blogged I'd give it away.

Back when I first begin blogging I gave a mini explanation as to why. On December 17, 2004 I had a miscarriage at 11 weeks. This fall we discovered we are expecting our third child! We are thrilled! However, the due date was the same as the baby we lost three years ago (I think I have the year wrong in the post I linked to). Yesterday was the big day- and we made it! I've had my first appointment already and everything looks good. So baby #3 is coming with much fanfare and a lots of fireworks- July 4!

I'm feeling great- just very sleepy. And very emotional! An old friend sent me an email with this video in it and I completely lost it this morning. Join me in my hormonal mess:

The Costumes

2007-11-03T09:34:00.001-04:00

Another Charlie-ism: "Mom? This costume makes my hiney look big."

Halloween Quotes

2007-11-01T09:13:00.000-04:00

This was said at every house-

Charlie: Trick or Treat!
Henry: Punkit! (pumpkin)

Comments about costumes-

Homeowner: Boys! What beautiful costumes! Did your mommy make them?
Charlie: No. Old Navy did.

And at the end of the night as we dumped out the candy from the houses and the church party-
Charlie: HALLOWEEN IS AWESOME!

**Somehow this horrible mother didn't take pictures. I KNOW. My sister in law is emailing me some later.**

Big Stuff

2007-10-30T08:14:00.000-04:00

Charlie is five which means he's big stuff. Ask him and he'll tell you. He can dress himself- unless it's for school or for church because suddenly on those days he's incapable of pulling his shirt over his head and wanders around the house shouting "Help! I can't see!" He can brush his own teeth, he can make his bed (mostly), he can clean his room (if bribed), and apparently he can do his hair.

Last Sunday morning Charlie miraculously dressed himself, brushed his teeth and did his hair without me asking. His hair is at an awkward stage. Because he is a boy and gets wild and dirty and hot in the summer I shave his head. He has two massive cowlicks on the back of his head that give me grief when his hair starts to grow out. I bought some pomade/wax to make his hair do one of those messy, spiky looks until it gets to a decent boy haircut length. He knows how I do the pomade so he attempted to do it himself.

I use enough pomade to cover the tips of my fingers. He used half the container. HALF the container of wax 10 minutes before we left for church. He was so proud of himself I made sure I gave him praise for his hard work and then hinted that maybe we should wash a little of the wax off to make it just right.

Lesson: wax doesn't "wash" out. I stuck his head in the sink and washed it/scrubbed it three times before I called my husband in a panic. "It's THICK with wax! I can't brush it! It's got chunks of wax in it!" He walked over and attempted to style it. Imagine tiny little pastor's kid with a mohawk. That's pretty much what it looked like. Thankfully he proudly told the 60 and older crowd that he did his hair himself and they all laughed because they lived in the pomade era and they totally get it.

After church Chad tried washing his hair (3 more times). That stuff doesn't budge. I got online and found that olive oil will take the wax out. I grabbed my olive oil and went to work. Ta-da! No more wax. Only now his hair (and the tub) were full of oil. I went back to the internet and discovered that Dawn dish soap removes oil from hair.

I marched into the bathroom with the dish soap and started scrubbing while Charlie pleaded "Please stop washing me with kitchen things!" And it worked! And I'm pretty sure Charlie will never do his own hair again.

Childhood Conversation

2007-10-20T11:12:00.000-04:00

Charlie (with his face mashed against the screen door): MOM!!! MOM!!!! MOOOOOOOMMMM!

Me: What.

Charlie: I'm 64 cents! Dad says I'm 64 cents!

Me: You have 64 cents?

Charlie: NO! Dad says I'm 64 cents! He's messin' with me.

Me: Dad's messin' with you? Is he funny?

Charlie (clearly exasperated): Grrrrrrr...... No. Dad....is...MEASURIN' me.

Me: OH! He's measurin' you!

Charlie: Yes! I'm 64 cents tall.**

**And for clarification purposes that means 46 inches.

Thump

2007-10-16T08:21:00.000-04:00

This morning I was sitting in the kitchen drinking my coffee and reading my morning blogs. Charlie is at school, Chad is at the Men's breakfast for church, and Henry....what on earth is that thump?

I looked into the living room and noticed he had pushed a footstool up to the back of the couch. He was climbing the stool and doing a FLIP over the back cushions and landing with a thump on the floor...over and over and over.

At least he isn't breaking anything.

Box of Books

2007-10-11T18:04:00.001-04:00

While we were in Minnesota last month we got to visit with some friends who have recently moved out there. We've known them, worked with them, kind of lived with them a long time and it was good to see them again- and good to NOT be all alone out there.

Bryan officially has one of the greatest jobs EVER. Well, maybe his job isn't the greatest but his employer is. The day they came to visit with us was his official first day of work at...dum-dah-dah-dum....Desiring God Ministries! And the best part is...they brought us prizes! Two books by John Piper and a conference on DVD. We were so excited!

A couple of weeks ago Bryan had asked me if I'd ever heard of Helen Roseveare. I emailed him back and went on and on and on about how I LOVE her. While we worked in Pennsylvania the director had brought me a book from his personal library that he wanted me to order for the team. It was Living Sacrifice by Helen Roseveare. I went online and searched for it and discovered it was out of print. I contacted the publisher and got permission to make copies. The woman I spoke to at the publisher told me that Helen Roseveare "was no longer living and it was such a shame because she had heard her speak once and it was wonderful." I tried to copy the book on the copy machine but it wasn't turning out very well. So, I decided to try and type it out. The book wasn't that long and I could type pretty fast so I tried it.

I didn't like biographies much and I especially didn't like missionary biographies. They were all the same and all boring (I think at that point I had read maybe two biographies so clearly I hadn't read enough to know what I was talking about). No kidding, Living Sacrifice changed my life. I've actually read it three times. I never finished typing it because it was taking forever but I added that book to my mental list of favorites.

After I sent the email back to Bryan he replied that the publisher must have been mistaken because Helen Roseveare was speaking at the Desiring God conference in September! I was so excited because maybe that would mean she would have books there! I told Bryan the title of the one I loved so much and asked him to keep his eyes open. A few days later I received this book from him by Noel Piper. Awesome! It wasn't Living Sacrifice but she was still in there!

A couple of days after the conference Sarah emailed me the link to watch Miss Roseveare speak. She is a tiny British woman who has such passion for the Lord and she's very witty! It was kind of neat to put a face and a personality with the stories I'd read.

Yesterday when I got home from work there was a package in the mail. I never get packages so I was surprised. I saw Bryan and Sarah's name in the corner so I KNEW it was going to be books. When I opened the box I nearly had a heart attack.

That's six books by Helen Roseveare! There is also a DVD of John Piper's sermons on Romans. I think there were 5 more DVD's and two more books but my husband ran off with those. I'm already a couple chapters into the first book and I can't wait to read them all! Aren't friends the best??? Especially kindred spirits! Hooray for fellow booklovers!

Fair Time

2007-09-12T11:46:00.001-04:00

In other news...it's fair week back home and I was able to take the boys to the parade and to visit the fair.

There is so much to do at the fair- rides, games, booths, barns, tractors.... and I really thought the boys would love walking through the cow and horse barns. Wrong. Henry thought it was pretty cool and made animal noises at the different animals. Charlie said, "Mom this is disgusting. There is horse stinky everywhere," and he proceeded to tiptoe through the manure.

We quickly got out of the barns so Charlie would quit grumbling about it and went and got some donuts and cider. While we were sitting there Charlie accidentally banged his leg against the stroller tire- which had manure on it.

He was NOT PLEASED. Can you tell?

Another Trip

2007-09-12T11:14:00.000-04:00

We are at Mayo Clinic again which, really, has become the story of our life. Chad was in the hospital over the weekend and we flew out here yesterday. In the first 4-5 hours we were here he was seen by 3 doctors and a team of surgeons. It's refreshing to know he's being checked out so extensively.

I thought I'd take pictures of the flight over here. We are thankful to be flying with Wings of Mercy because driving for 10 hours was completely out of the question.

1. My dad and the boys seeing us off. The little brown house is the airport!

2. My view from the back of the plane- it's little!

3. This is why I get a little nervous flying over Lake Michigan- the sky and the water look exactly the same.

4. I'm pretty much sitting on the wing.

5. The Mississippi River.

First Day of School

2007-09-04T09:44:00.000-04:00

**Edited because when I checked sitemeter this morning someone found this site by a google search for something inappropriate. I changed some words and hopefully that'll fix it. Darn, that upsets me.**

Oh, the tears. And they weren't Charlie's. Last night we were laying out his clothes, packing his backpack and filling out papers for the teacher. Charlie was jumping and leaping and talking very loudly with excitement and my eyes filled with tears.

"Charlie I can't believe how big you are."

He puffed out his chest and stood on his tiptoes, "I am a BIG brother and I'm going to kindergarten!"

"Well I think I'll cry about that," I told him. And I proceeded to cry- and I mean SOB.

Here is what he said to me:

"Mom I will love you forever and ever and even when I'm gone you can look at pictures of me."

I tried to explain it wasn't that I would miss him it was that he's so big now that he won't need me anymore.

Horrified by my statement he said, "MOM! But who will be there to swat me? I need you to swat me when I'm naughty! And give me ice cream when I'm good!" Because if there's one thing I'm good for apparently it's discipline.

And here he is on his first day...

We walked to school together (it's just behind those trees in the background- I can see it after the leaves fall) and he held my hand the whole way. He opened his locker by himself, hung up his backpack, grabbed his supplies and marched into class. I asked for a good bye kiss and he said, "No, Mom. That's not cool."

So I held in my tears until I got home. I'm pretty sure a crying mother isn't cool, either.

A Sad Week

2007-08-31T08:22:00.000-04:00

We've had a very emotional week at church. A dear lady died unexpectedly and we are all in tears most of the time. She was the one who brought the meals when someone was sick or had a new baby. She would frequently call our house and say "I made too much dinner and I'd like to bring you some tonight," and we would know she was lying and had planned on making our dinner the entire time.

She sat directly behind me in church every Sunday and I can still hear her voice and the special way she would say my name. She loved my boys and especially loved my husband. Her family from out of town knew everything about us.

I never go on visitations at the hospital with Chad because I can't take the boys. Last week the boys were especially wild and loud and BOYS so Chad said he would stay home with them if I would go sit with Lil for a little while.

I went to the hospital and we talked for almost two hours. We got so loud at one point a nurse popped her head in to shush us. Lil went home the next day and was back in the hospital just two days later. We kept thinking "Tomorrow she'll take a turn for the better." She didn't.

I miss her and it hurts to even think of her. She had vacationed a lot this summer and I can almost trick myself into thinking she's on vacation. Almost. During our chat in the hospital she told me she was done vacationing. She had traveled all over (4,000 miles!) this summer and shared the gospel with all her grandchildren, great grand children and siblings. "I'm ready to stay home now," she told me.

Welcome home, Lil.

A Healthy Snack

2007-08-22T15:21:00.001-04:00

It's the beginning of apple season here and we LOVE apples in this house. I have a bag sitting on the counter that the boys can reach so they can eat an apple anytime they want.

This morning Chad and I were drinking coffee in the den while I watched the news and Chad checked his email. Henry was lounging on the couch munching on an apple.

Very proud of his healthy snacking preferences and feeling like a pretty good mom I turned to Chad and said, "Isn't he so cute sitting there with his apple?"

Chad turned to look at him, turned back to look at me and said, "It's not an apple. It's a potato."

It's still healthy, right?

Dad the Bible Hero

2007-08-19T18:17:00.000-04:00

Tonight we had a baptismal service at church. We had set up the service outside and Charlie wanted to sit in the front row. He was so fascinated by what was going on that he sat more still than he ever had in an evening service.

Chad gave a mini-sermon and then climbed into the pool. Charlie shouted, horrified "Dad! What are doing with your clothes on!" much to the amusement of our congregation.

Once we got home I talked on the phone with my mom for few minutes and Charlie asked if he could talk. When he got on the phone he said, "Nana! Church was OUTSIDE! And guess what? My dad is JOHN THE BAPTIST!"

Classic.

Leprechauns

2007-08-14T15:29:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, my mom gave Charlie a little wink. Charlie winked back and said,

"Nana...never, never wink at those little guys that run around and steal gold from the rainbows."

"Why not?"

"They'll PINCH you! (whisper with his hand cupped to his mouth) I learned that at preschool."

Good advice indeed.

I love IKEA

2007-08-14T11:31:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before but, I love IKEA. When we moved a few years ago to Pennsylvannia some friends of ours invited us to go with them to the Baltimore store. We arrived an hour before closing so we had to speed shop but from that night on we were hooked! I'm not a creative person at all - I'm a copycat. I can mimic something I like but I can't come up with it on my own. I love how the store is set up- I can copy how they have their rooms set up right down to the paint color!

My girlfriend and I decided in June that we needed a "no-kids-girls-day" and we went to IKEA Detroit last week. Woohoo! Adult conversation without having to talk louder than the screaming children! We pigged out on the 50 cent hot dogs, $1 humungous cinnamon rolls, and shopped as slowly as we wanted. We were there for over 6 hours!

I was on the hunt for window treatments. For the den and the living room I bought these bedspreads (creative right? I actually came up with that sort of on my own- okay, I copied it from a show on hgtv). If you enlarge the picture you can see there is a ribbed stripe that really makes these look cool! I bought two for each window, hemmed one end, ran a black curtain rod through them, and hung them high to make my windows look bigger. I love it!

These are the ones I'm most excited about. In my bedroom my furniture is black, the carpet is grey, and the bed linens are khaki. They all sort of go together but not really. The curtains pull it all together. I only hung one curtain (I used the other in front of our open linen closet in the bathroom) so it looks like wall art. And I was able to copy down the wall color the room was painted at the store. The room at the store used all the same colors as me so I was so excited!

Now I just need to paint....

And here is the best part...the treat I bring home (served on some kid ikea plates).

Garden Update

2007-08-14T11:13:00.001-04:00

My tomatoes are looking so good. I have plenty of green ones that I'm anxiously waiting to turn red. We've had two red ones and they were wonderful! I forget how delicious garden tomatoes are when I'm so used to store bought tomatoes.

See these patty pan squash growing under there? They are ripe and ready to be picked but I can't pick them!

...because of the bees! There is a big, fuzzy one in every flower. And one flower had three! I wasn't all that bothered by them until the other night. My mom stopped by and I offered to pick her some squash. I reached in to move the branches and grabbed right onto a bee. Ouch! It got me between my thumb and index finger. It still hurts a little.

And here is what a baby patty pan looks like. Aren't they cute? Charlie loves to see how the seeds we planted turn into branches, then leaves, then flowers, then squash. A great learning process! If I get the courage we will pick some later today and deliver them to our neighbors. What else can I do with hundreds of patty pans?

Works for Me Wednesday: www.addall.com

2007-08-08T10:40:00.000-04:00

When my husband was in seminary his required reading list was long! Most of the books were in the library but sometimes he couldn't get them when he needed them. Purchasing all those books from the school bookstore was awful! One of his professors shared this link with us:

http://www.addall.com/

Type in the book you need and where you live and Addall searches numerous online bookstores to find the cheapest one- and they include the shipping price in the total. This has been so helpful for school and we use it for personal books, too. Try it!

And stop by Rocks in My Dryer for more Works for Me Wednesday tips!

The Red Bible: Part 3

2007-08-07T20:49:00.000-04:00

I was heartsick. All of the sudden the Bible I'd pushed to the back of my mind had become the one thing I couldn't stop thinking about. I couldn't sleep and anytime I thought about it my eyes would fill with tears. How could I have been so careless?

I started to retrace my steps over the last few months. We'd visited my husband's grandparents in Florida so I called. They hadn't seen it but promised to look. I was in a wedding in Canada so I called my friend there. She hadn't seen it either nor had her parents. Where else? Where else? We lived at a Bible camp at the time and, really, it could have been anywhere on the property. I looked through all the lost and found boxes and on every bookshelf in every office. I looked in storage closets and asked every single staff member to keep their eyes open.

One of the staff members reminded me we had had a Ladies Retreat. A wave of dread washed over me. At that particular retreat all of the ladies were given matching tote bags to carry their Bibles and notebooks. I couldn't remember if I had used the red Bible at the retreat but I couldn't find my tote bag or my notebook so I knew I was in trouble. I was envisioning some woman tossing her tote bag in a corner and forgetting about it. I prayed the Lord would let her find my Bible and then let her find me.

For seven years I prayed that I would find that Bible. I made up elaborate stories in my head about how it would be found. A stranger would show up on my doorstep with the Bible in hand, an owner of a used bookstore would find my name and contact me, or something else incredibly interesting. We moved twice in those seven years and every time I packed I thought, "I bet I'll find that Bible." I didn't. Every time I unpacked and got to that last box I'd think, "Here it is! I'm sure it's here!" It wasn't.

The last move was a move back to Michigan. Back home, close to our families. We all live, work, and attend church near each other and our paths frequently cross- swapping kids, doing business, visiting church for one function or another.

My sister-in-law called one day while she was cleaning at her church and asked when I picked up the phone, "How much do you love me?" We aren't very affectionate with each other normally so I laughed and asked suspiciously, "Why?"

She answered, "Because I'm cleaning off Dad's bookshelves in his office because he's never cleaned them.........and I just found your red Bible."

"Wha...??" I burst into tears.

"Would you like me to bring it to you?" she asked.

And I answered through my tears, "Can you bring it right now?"

And she did.

So, I sit here with my red Bible next to me, it's soft leather cover, it's loose, tattered pages and I'm thankful. Thankful not only for the lessons I learned in Bible college, the connections with my mother, but also for this lesson. The lesson that God knows my heart's desires and he hears my prayers.

He gave me my red Bible back.

Part 3

2007-08-07T07:31:00.001-04:00

Coming Wednesday...

The Red Bible: Part 2

2007-08-02T20:02:00.000-04:00

She was giving her Bible to me. She turned to the front page where her maiden name was written in the upper right hand corner, a squiggly line through it, her married name written underneath.

"My parents gave this Bible to me when I left for Bible school and now I'm giving it to you."

Once I got to college and the assignments started pouring in I could turn those pages to my hearts content. I could even write in it. I added my name to the list on the front page. Three different names, three different seasons of life. We went to different colleges but I discovered we had one of the same teachers. I went to mark a passage in the margin as the professor was speaking and I noticed it was already marked. Next to the passage it read "Dr. Whitcomb" and I felt a little thrill in my heart as if that mark bonded us, my mother and I.

As I read through that Bible I discovered struggles my mother had gone through and the scriptures that encouraged her. An underlined passage read "Carl's funeral," a friend who had died while she was in college. My mom and I didn't talk growing up. We fought a lot. It was mostly my fault. I was filled with teenage angst and liked to keep my private thoughts private. I didn't ask her questions either because I didn't want to be in a conversation that involved any kind of sharing personal information. Having her Bible with all her notes was like having the most meaningful conversation we could have. I began to see verses as she saw them and I was able to understand her a little better.

A few years later I married and the first Sunday we returned to church I drew a line through my maiden name and wrote my married name underneath. Another name, another season. That red Bible was mine now. I used it for devotions, for church, on retreats. One Sunday, a few years into our marriage, in the rush of getting ready I grabbed a different Bible that fit in my purse a little better. After awhile that Bible became my "regular" whether it was out of convenience or out of laziness for not taking the time to look for the red one. I pushed the red Bible into the back of my mind, not really forgetting it but overlooking it.

Over time I started to miss the red Bible. I missed the surprises of finding my mother's handwriting next to a passage that moved my heart. I longed to turn a page and make a discovery and see that she also was moved. So, a few weeks or months after I'd picked up the new Bible I went to the shelf to find my old red one. But when I reached up and looked for it my heart dropped to my stomach. It was gone. I looked all over our tiny apartment and enlisted the help of my husband but our search was fruitless.

I had lost the red Bible.

The Red Bible: Part 1

2007-08-02T19:30:00.000-04:00

Growing up in a churched family we all had our own Bibles. Mine was a pink New Testament with my name etched in gold on the cover. It fit perfectly clutched in my little hands and had a pretty pink ribbon bookmark that I could wrap around one of my fingers. My mother had written inside in cursive so it was years before I could read "We love you! Dad and Mom." I loved my little pink Bible- mostly because it was pink and had my name on it. In the early 80's you could find all sorts of trinkets with my name but almost all were spelled wrong. T-r-a-c-y looked so beautiful and right.

Every Sunday morning our family of four would go through our pre-church routine. We had only one bathroom and we stuck to the same rotation so we wouldn't all rush for the shower at the same time. Somehow we all managed to meet at the car at the same time each of us with a Bible, my mom with her purse. She would pass her and Dad's Bibles to the backseat for me to hold while she rummaged in her purse for mints.

I loved to hold her Bible. It was red leather. Good leather. The kind that gets softer with age. It was smooth to the touch. She wrote on her pages (something I was afraid to do as my schoolteachers repeatedly reminded us never to write in books). She has very distinct handwriting- neat, straight, with pretty tails on the appropriate letters. I didn't look inside often because the pages in Romans were loose and starting to fall out. I didn't want to be the one responsible for the final tug that would pull the chapters free. I know she kept a love note I'd written to her in the book of Matthew.

Once I outgrew my pink New Testament I got a plain black KJV from my Sunday School class. When I turned 13 I got a brand new NIV Student Bible. It was reddish leather and I was proud- almost like my mom's. But as I used that Bible and roughed it up a little the "leather" didn't soften. Instead it peeled and cracked revealing cardboard underneath. Someday I'd get a Bible like Mom's, I thought.

Graduation came and I began to plan, prepare, and pack to go off to Bible College. I must have packed and repacked 50 times that summer. The excitement of college and expectation of independence was mingled with the dread of leaving home. If only I could pack enough to bring "home" with me.

My mom came in my room on one of my packing days and watched.

"Do you think you have everything?" she asked.

"I guess..." I looked around the room, doubtful.

She glanced at my stack of books. "You'll probably need a different Bible."

She was right of course. The Student Bible was for teenagers and I was mature now- going away to school.

"Would you look to take mine?"

Good Links...

2007-08-01T10:25:00.000-04:00

I am a penny pincher...a saver...a bargain shopper. I love a great deal and I really love a great tip. This month at MomAdvice Amy is doing a "Month of Savings". Each day she is posting money saving tips and the total amounts you can save. This website is full of great articles and blog entries. It's one of my favorites!

I know a lot of my readers come from The Homespun Heart but if you haven't been there yet you really need to stop by! Monica and her sister, Carrie from With All That I've Been Given, are doing a Sister Swap. I've never done a swap before and I'm really excited to join in the fun!

I'd love to hear about some fun links from the rest of you. Leave me a comment so I can stop by!

The Garden

2007-07-31T12:24:00.000-04:00

I have never planted anything before. Ever. Once, I had a cactus and I never watered it because I thought that was the point- a cactus doesn't need water. I'm not good with plants.

However, there are many hobby farmers at our church and every year they drop off corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, zucchini, etc. I'm greatful and thankful but sometimes those things come in such a surplus I can't keep up with the canning and freezing and I end up wasting a lot of food. I decided this year that I would plant my own garden and give away my surplus so there wouldn't be any waste. Although, now that I'm typing that out the logic seems a little skewed.

But today I had my first harvest! And I am proud! First of all, let me tell you I was clueless on how much to plant. Here is the squash section of my garden. Clearly I have gotten carried away:

But, look! Here is what I found underneath my 6 squash plants:

Isn't it beautiful? I call it a star squash but if you google recipes it's best to call it a patty pan squash. I'm pretty excited to bake it up for dinner tonight. There is something about eating food I've grown myself that is especially pleasing.

Now if only those tomatoes would turn red!

Date Night

2007-07-31T07:40:00.000-04:00

And, no, it wasn't with my husband. It was me and Charlie! We have this great small town movie theatre that shows one movie a week every night at 7pm. This week it's "Ratatouille" and we've been waiting patiently for it to arrive!

Here is what I love about boys- yesterday morning before I left for work I told Charlie we were going on a date to the movies after supper. You would have thought I just told him he was a superhero. The minute I got home from work he was on my heels ready to follow whatever instructions I gave him. He cleaned up, dressed up, put on his "church shoes", grabbed my hand and took me out the door.

We had to stop at the cell phone store because my new phone wasn't working properly. When we walked in he immediately told the lady behind the service counter,

"My mom's phone is broken and that's why we're here, and you're going to fix it and then we are going to THE MOVIES! Because I'm no a date with just me and my mom and we are going to THE MOVIES!" and on and on he went. He even showed her how to take pictures with my phone. She was so gracious to pretend like he had just taught her something new.

The movie was cute but the time we spent together was better. At the beginning of the movie I told him I had his drink if he needed it and he said,

"No thanks Mom. But I would like to snuggle." And he climbed into my lap.

Later he made his way back to his seat and there was a "kissing part" in the movie. I whispered, "yuck! kissing!" and he replied,

"I just like kissing you, Mom. Only you."

And I wish I could have frozen that moment forever.

Five Things

2007-07-29T15:23:00.000-04:00

Carrie at With All That I've Been Given tagged me for this "Five Things I love about Jesus" meme a little while ago. I haven't forgotten about it - in fact, I've been overthinking it for the past few days. It's hard to narrow it down and hard to put into words. I've decided that if I tried to be too descriptive or wordy I'd just mess things up. So instead I thought I'd list the five verses that talk about Jesus that I love the most. I'll let the Word speak for me!

II Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Luke 7:13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

Hebrews 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

Romans 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Want to know why I picked a particular verse? Feel free to ask me in the comments. And I would love to hear some verses that you all love (and why)! Consider that my tag since all of you have already participated in this I think!

The Eyes

2007-07-25T09:33:00.000-04:00

So, my little "eye" problem? Saturday morning was no better so I went to the walk-in clinic. They fixed me up, gave me a prescription and said...

"Throw away your make-up."

Ugh. I don't have a lot of makeup. One eyeshadow, one blush, one powder, one mascara...and truthfully, they should have been thrown out an embarrassingly long time ago. But now I have to start all over again. I'm clueless about colors and application and all that stuff.

A good friend from college called me last night and we were talking about how we forget we aren't in college anymore (and haven't been for years!!!). We mocked each other and how uncool we are now.

She said: I watch "10 years younger" on TV and think those people are so 80's. We're probably so 90's and have no idea.

Me: I'm so ordinary.

She said (laughing): At least you don't still wear clogs!

Me: What??? I have three pairs!!!!

See? I'm so uncool. So I've decided to go to a fancy make-up counter at the mall and have them fix me up nice. I probably shouldn't be wearing the same colors on my face that I wore in high school. In my case I should look "10 years OLDER." If you're lucky I'll post before and after pictures. Maybe.

The Book

2007-07-20T10:04:00.000-04:00

I am a closet Harry Potter fan. And by closet I mean I actually hide the books in my closet so that I don't upset any extended family members. He's a touchy subject, that Harry Potter, and I'm not much of a fighter. I'd rather not make waves and mostly try and avoid the subject altogether. I'd just like to read my books in peace, thankyouverymuch.

My sister in law (who worked at the library for a few years and is a true book lover) preordered the new book for me for my birthday. I have big plans for tomorrow that include pacing in the front window until the mailman comes and maybe or maybe not giving him a big hug or (at the very least) a squeal of glee when he hands me the book. I have finished all my housework (and banished the boys to the backyard so my house stays clean), paid the bills, balanced the checkbook, and bought groceries. Chad is taking the boys out for the afternoon and I plan on reading, reading, reading, until I'm done. I'm not turning on the TV, reading the paper, or even getting on the computer for fear I'll hear how the book ends. BIG plans.

This morning when I woke up I noticed my eyes were a little dry and scratchy. I stumbled into the shower without actually attempting to open them (I'm not a morning person so I've mastered the art of getting out of bed and getting into the shower without ever opening my eyes). I rubbed them with my fists under the spray of hot water and OUCH!!! that really hurt. There is a little mirror in the shower that Chad uses for shaving so I rubbed the steam off and looked at my eyes. They are almost swollen shut. They are puffy and watery and a reddish-purple color. As the morning progresses they are getting worse. I called in sick to work because it's way to embarrassing to go out in public like this.

All my plans of reading and reading I fear are being replaced with ice packs on my eyes and Benadryl naps (because I'm not really sure what caused the swelling and allergy medicine seems like a good plan).

I'm fairly sure that the arrival of my controversial book and my swollen eyes are unrelated. Please don't tell any of my extended family about my eyes. Just in case.

Picky Eater?

2007-07-18T13:02:00.000-04:00

Charlie goes through phases with cereal. He'll eat one kind for weeks until he wakes up and decides it's no longer his favorite and he now has a new favorite. This week it's generic rice chex which is fine by me because he likes them plain so we aren't starting the day on a sugar kick.

Henry likes a little variety and while he'll eat the cereal of the week he also likes a piece of fruit. Preferably a banana.

While I sliced his banana I asked Charlie if he wanted some, too.

"No, Mom. Those are disgusting."

After breakfast we went outside, the boys on the swingset, me in the chair reading a book.

"Mom? What kind of grass is this? Blue?"

I looked at it and it was blue. So I responded, "I don't know...blue grass, I guess. Why do you want to know?"

He shrugged. "Cuz it's good."

And he ATE it.

The Kindergarten Teacher

2007-07-14T20:25:00.000-04:00

The other day I attended a luncheon in the small town where I grew up. I was the youngest person there by about 20 years but I still had a great time talking with some of the ladies. One in particular had been a kindergarten teacher at my old school. She's been retired for years and I was in kindergarten in 1983 so it had been awhile.

She asked me about my life and I filled her in on my husband, my kids, and where I am. She then said, "Were you in my class?"

I hadn't been but I told her I remembered going to her class once a week for singing. She laughed and said that was one of the things she missed the most about her teaching days. She would play the piano on Friday's for all three of the classes as we sat cross legged on her special song time carpet. I told her that was my only real memory of kindergarten. I had small memories like my nameplate on my table and the dividers they would put up during testing.

"Oh, the testing..." she rolled her eyes and smiled. And then she surprised me with this-

"The reason I thought you were in my class is because I remember a pink sweatshirt you used to wear...didn't it have a whale on it?..."she trailed off.

I think my mouth must have been hanging open and I felt tears stinging my eyes. When I was little money was very tight. I didn't realize this until I was much older because my parents did a great job of not making it an issue. My mom was creative and one of the things she did to make money as well as to save money was to sew.

My pink sweatshirt was one of the fads of the early 80's. She would buy solid colored sweatshirts and applique a picture on the front. An apple with a worm for a teacher, a sailboat, a duck, or in my case, a green whale with white polka-dots. On song day there was a song with this line:

Did you ever see a whale

with a polka-dot tale?

Down by the bay...

I intentionally wore that sweatshirt just so the teacher would notice me. So she would see how much I loved singing in her room and sitting on her special carpet. And now twenty-five years later I find out that she did notice me.

"You remember that?" I asked with my hand at my mouth as I tried not to let my voice crack. "I wore that just for you."

She smiled again and said, "Funny the things you remember..." and she patted my arm and walked over to speak to another lady nearby.

Lately I've felt small and a little lost. I've been wondering what my place is and if anyone even noticed me anyway. I guess I'll never know the things I do that get noticed. But after this conversation I sure won't feel so small. I left the luncheon with my head a little higher and my smile a little bigger. All because of a kindergarten teacher who noticed me.

Battle of the Wills

2007-07-11T19:23:00.000-04:00

We are having a bedtime battle this evening. Charlie threw a horrific tantrum right before dinner that clearly showed us he had not taken his nap today. As punishment for his meltdown he was told to finish dinner, take a bath, and go straight to bed. It was 6:30.

Chad has left for Wednesday night church so I'm here to deal with the crying and scheming and trying to weasel out of his punishment. His latest attempt was this:

Charlie (peaking out his bedroom door): Mom....

Me (giving him the look): What.

Charlie (chin quivering): I just told Jesus on you.

Me (biting hard on my lip): For what?

Charlie: I told him you had to be nice to me and let me get out of bed and let me listen to my radio and to not be punished....and to not be mad. (tears)

In my defense, I had not raised my voice at all yet because I knew his bad behavior was from lack of sleep. Any attempt on my part to reason with him or argue with him would be fruitless because he is highly irrational and emotional with no nap.

I took him back into his room and tucked him (nicely) back into his bed.

Charlie: I prayed to Jesus that you would let me play toys. It didn't work.

Me: Jesus knows you can't play toys when it's time for bed...

Charlie: Oh.

As frustrating as tonight's circumstances are I enjoy watching him work out his faith. He knows he can pray but he's trying to distinguish what he can pray for- and that prayer isn't a magic guarantee to get what he wants. At this point in his life I'm thankful for the open conversations we can have about Jesus. He's a regular conversation topic around here and that makes me happy. For now I will take comfort in knowing even in the bad days (or evenings) the whole idea of "who is Jesus?" is being worked out in our home. Not just who He is to me or to Chad but who He is to Charlie. He's making his faith his own.

Or he's just trying to get out of bed...

A Real Monday

2007-07-10T08:43:00.000-04:00

Last week was a week filled with picnics and parties. We attended six all together which made for many late nights and skipped naps. This week I'm determined to get us all rested but Monday morning I wanted to "sleep in" one more time.

I'm a slow morning person. I'm actually not a morning person at all so I have to get up very early to have the freedom to move as slowly as possible. Somehow, Sunday night, I convinced myself that I could get ready for work and get the kids ready for the sitter in one hour. I must have taken too much cold medicine.

I woke up at seven a.m. and actually got ready in a decent amount of time. The boys were so tired I had to wake them up for breakfast. Initially that seems like time is working in my favor but not really....one boy slept a little too hard and the sheets, the pj's and the boy all needed to be washed. One little glitch in my schedule is manageable.

When I walked in to wake up my youngest I was greeted with a lovely smell. Lovely. And very messy. More washing of sheets, pj's and another boy.

I was still doing well. The breakfast was on the table, the babysitter arrived, and I was off to work with a few minutes to spare. I opened the garage and realized my husband had taken my vehicle- I knew that was going to happen, I had just forgotten. Back into the house for the right keys...left my briefcase in the house. Back into the house for the briefcase. My babysitter was laughing at me just a little. I made a comment about Mondays.

And then I tried to start my husbands vehicle. All I heard was a strange clicking noise. I tried a few more times and then called Chad. I tried to be kind but it was Monday, I was now running late, he left me a vehicle that didn't work, and he was 45 minutes away! Not good. Everyone I know that could have taken me to work had already left for work. Chad had to come and get me.

I decided to use my time wisely and blow up the pool for the kids while I waited. I looked for the valve for the air compressor for ten minutes before I went back inside to find something else to do. Once inside I discovered an overflowing toilet. I can't make this stuff up.

Chad returned home. I calmed down. I was only one hour late for work. And the rest of the day went just fine. And the van didn't start because Charlie turned on the dome light the day before. When asked why he said "Because I like it on." Okay then.

Weekend with the Grandparents

2007-07-02T21:43:00.001-04:00

Apparently they'd had enough.

Why my posts are few and far between...

2007-07-02T15:12:00.000-04:00

Hours of refreshing entertainment right out our back door.... a relaxing summer indeed!

Charlie's Plan

2007-06-20T10:15:00.000-04:00

Attempt #1

Charlie: Mom, my forehead really hurts. (hand on head with really pathetic expression)

Me: Do you think some headache medicine will make it better?

Charlie: No, but I really think some chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream will work.

Attempt #2

Charlie: (as he looks at his dinner) No, thank you. I would rather have some chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

Sheesh. He got some for dessert.

The New Babysitter

2007-06-19T20:08:00.000-04:00

I work three days a week and have a babysitter for two of those days. My sister in law has been the sitter for a good year and a half but has taken the summer off to have a baby. I guess that's reasonable. Since it is summer break my selection is much greater than during the school year. There are eager teenagers wanting to make a little money to spend and babysitting is an easy gig.

Thankfully, my husband "shows himself friendly" and got to know the music pastor from the "other church." He has a 13 and 16 year old daughter. The 16 year old is a little busy but the 13 year old was very excited to be asked to babysit. This is her first long term job. She took a Red Cross first aid class and came the first day armed with a list a questions. She is thorough! Her mom stopped in to check on her twice to make sure everything was under control. She even calls me "Ma'am". Yikes.

I asked Charlie how the first day went and he says he likes her. He then proceeded to tell me all the really fun things they did that day. And there were alot. So, I'm thrilled we found a keeper.

The only problem is that horrible mom-guilt/babysitter jealousy. If we had a terrible babysitter I would be miserable (and quit my job and eat ramen noodles). But we have an excellent babysitter that my kids look forward to seeing and I'm a little jealous. They watch the sliding door on the porch for her to get here and greet her with much JUMPING!! and YELLING!!! and GUESS WHAT?! And I quietly give them hugs and say to be good and head off to work.

I'm thankful the Lord provided a job that will carry us through Chad's medical bills. I'm thankful he continues to provide people who love my kids to watch them for me. I'm thankful my job is working for my dad so I can leave anytime there is a sniffle or a sneeze at home. Sometimes I just need a good sigh.

My Daredevil

2007-06-15T10:21:00.001-04:00

This is the far away picture of Charlie and me on the "Super Duper Looper."

Notice the tiny little boy in the FRONT SEAT of the UPSIDE DOWN rollercoaster. And he went on it THREE times. FEARLESS.

Home, Home, Home

2007-06-13T13:53:00.000-04:00

Laundry, laundry, laundry. At least I cleaned before I left!

We had such a great time. Over the weekend we went to a 15 year reunion for Encounter Revival Ministries (we were involved there for 7 years). We caught up with old friends, encouraged each other and ate lots of good food. Throughout the 72 hours we were there I think I slept 11! One night at 2:30 I was still up giggling in a room full of girls when I realized I HAD to get to bed! My husband "outed me" with the blog so now I'm writing with a twinge of embarrassment instead of the freedom of writing for complete strangers. Yikes!

Every time we get together as a group there is a new "fad". Last time, everyone had ipods. This time everyone is on facebook. I assumed those things were for teenagers but after I got the "every one's doing it" speech I decided to succumb to the peer pressure. Oh. my. word. I can't stop with facebook!! I am forever linking to and looking for people. This morning I talked to someone who I haven't talked to in 6 years! I can't stop! I finally ran a virus scan on my computer just to force myself to walk away. It's an addiction.

We are running to the bookstore to pick up some supplies for VBS. Hopefully a trip away from the computer will allow for the lure of facebook to wear off. Good grief.

Oh, Vacation....

2007-06-07T16:04:00.000-04:00

We spent the entire day yesterday at HersheyPark. An amusement park that celebrates chocolate. Is there anything better? Charlie is just big enough to ride the roller coasters and he is fearless! The man went on rollercoaster after rollercoaster and giggled harder than I've ever heard him giggle.

I rode on a very scary rollercoaster with Chad. We waited in line for one hour so that I could close my eyes, hold my breath, and fear death more than I've ever feared it my life. I wish I at least would have opened my eyes. Terrifying.

We are spending this week visiting with friends we rarely see and it's wonderful. We had lunch today at the Chocolate Cafe with a great friend, we got coffee at our favorite coffee shop in the entire world, and we stopped at the greatest book warehouse we know. I had 10 books in my hand but cut back to 2. And then I got 4 for the boys. And Charlie got 2 more for himself. We are a house of book lovers! We are staying with our best friends in the whole world with all of our screaming children and their barking dogs and it's still a totally relaxing trip. I love friends like that!

I've taken pictures but I can't find the cord to download them. I've got a great rollercoaster picture- Charlie and me in the front seat of the Super Dooper Looper! I'm blowing it up and framing it!

The show we can't miss

2007-06-06T06:49:00.000-04:00

We are back. I've dug myself out from under the all of those "things to do after we've been gone for days and other people stayed at our house." Not to mention Henry's ear infection that won't die, the worst flu ever, and scrambling to get ready for the family vacation that's been on the calendar for months (the surgery was not on the calendar).

While we were in Minnesota we stayed at a Mennonite boarding house recommended to us by other patients. It was peaceful and the people who ran it were kind. We enjoyed it very much and will probably stay there again. There was no TV or wifi, of course, which normally isn't a problem as there are plenty of coffee shops around and things to do besides watch tv. However, my husband's favorite show (the only one he never misses) was having it's season finale and Chad was determined that we would not miss it.

There is a McDonald's out there with TV's in the booth's so at about 10 minutes to 8:00 we trekked down there and ordered or snacks. And realized the tv's only show two channels- the weather channel and the news. So then Chad thought a hotel lobby might work and I would not do it- that's just desperation. We were down to two minutes before the show when I said:

"Even though you aren't checked in yet, aren't you technically a patient for Mayo?"

"Yeah?"

"So, technically, couldn't we watch tv in one of the lobbies of the hospital?"

We ran into the hospital and went to information and Chad blurted,

"I'm a patient at May0...I'm having surgery tomorrow...we are staying somewhere with no tv...my favorite show is having it's season finale in one minute."

The kind, elderly volunteer smiled and pointed at the elevators.

"Family waiting room 7th floor."

Awesome! We were the only ones in there and enjoyed the standard hit tv show cliffhanger. We may have missed the point a little on the peace and tranquility of staying somewhere with so little technology but really, cold turkey? And it was the season finale.....

Oh, the packing...

2007-05-19T08:13:00.000-04:00

The flight we have tomorrow is on a small plane. Not small as in private jet plane but small as in the kind of plane people crash alot. I'm very scared. Very thankful for the flight...very scared to crash. Especially since we are flying over Lake Michigan. My heart is in my throat even as I type this. We are only allowed 15lbs. per person in luggage which at first I didn't think was going to be that hard.

I did every stitch of laundry in the house last night so I had all options available to me while I packed. Do you have any idea how hard it is to pack only 15lbs for one week? There were clothes all over the bed that I was trying to mix and match. I had one of those pull behind suitcases half full and decided to weigh it...15lbs! Darn.

It must have been the wheels. And the fancy pull out handle. Chad found a duffel bag in the closet and we were both able to fit all our clothes in there. Chad only needs clothes for 2 days and pajama pants the rest of the time. We weighed it...15lbs! Now we have some wiggle room for the extra stuff.

I have post it notes all over the place with last minute things I need to pack. I have my mini shampoo, mini toothpaste, and my mom even got me a mini hairspray. My makeup bag has the bare essentials in it. I have lists everywhere for my mom like "What the kids eat", "Bedtime Routine", "What Charlie will say he can do and what he actually CANNOT do", and those things I know Grandma's throw in the trash as soon as I'm gone.

One good thing about packing so light is I'm learning a lot about simplicity. What do I really need? So often I over pack for trips and end up taking things I never use or even remember I packed. There is something refreshing about only carrying the basics with me. At least, am sure it will be refreshing once I get there. For now, packing is a little stressful...

My random post...

2007-05-18T13:44:00.000-04:00

I have been missing in action on the internet but definately not in my non-computer life. It's been nothing BUT action around there! I'm apologizing ahead of time for a very boring post filled with lots of exclamation points. The next post will be better, I hope!

Today was Charlie's last day of preschool. There was a little ceremony and picnic to celebrate. I always thought preschool graduations were so silly...it's just preschool. Until it was my son's preschool graduation. I was actually a little teary! His teacher was just phenomenal. She was my first impression of the public school system in our town and I am impressed. She is coming for a wrap-up home visit at the end of the month and I'll probably gush all over her.
Henry has a horrid ear infection. Charlie never had one and Henry has only had two. This one is killer. The last two nights he'll wake up in his bed and scream. The only thing that soothes him is The Wiggles. I've had enough of the midnight visits from The Wiggles! I was singing "Wiggly Party" while I drove to work this morning. Please, ear infection, go away!
Chad and I are off to Mayo again next week. He has a minor surgery that will have major results. We are excited (for the results- not for the actual surgery)! But the last few days have been about getting the boys routines together, getting my house ready (my parents are staying with the boys), and PACKING. Packing is tricky this time. We qualified for a flight from Wings of Mercy, a non-profit organization that flies patients to far away hospitals for free. It may have something to do with the fact we have been to Minnesota 8 times in the last year! The flight is a small private plane so we are limited to 15lbs each. That's about the size of a carry on each...and we'll be there a week. A week! Any packing tips would be greatly appreciated!
I pre-shopped two garage sales this week and got TONS of clothes for Henry and Charlie. Honestly, I spent $30 and got them enough clothes to last a year (or more depending on how fast they grow!). I was thrilled. One of my friends told me "I just want to get rid of it all- everything is a quarter..." Some of the stuff was like new! Woohoo! With boys, I'm all about garage sale clothes. Boys are destructive! I also sold some things on consignment and was able to pick up some summer clothes for myself at the shop. My prize? A red Ann Taylor dress for $15. I've never had a red dress and I love it!
My mother in law is in charge of the annual hospice auction tomorrow night. We, of course, are automatic workers since we are relatives and all. I love the auction! It's so much fun! And it's awesome to see the hard work she puts into it come to fruition in one big bang! We look forward to it every year and I can't wait to go. It's like a really fun date night only Chad works one of the silent auction tables and I'm on the tear down crew. So technically we aren't anywhere near each other...but it's still lots of fun!
Last but not least...we have the scariest ant hill ever in our front yard. Just thinking about it makes me itch. Chad told me not to go near it but I wanted to see for myself. It's huge! Honestly, it's as big around as a table top and the holes are mini m&m size. There are massive armies of ants crawling all over each other in and out of holes. Gag. I'm so grossed out I can hardly stand it. The ant killers are coming today (some men from the church) and I'm praying those ants go away. Honestly, someone told Chad to dig up the anthill...can you imagine? I'm envisioning ants swarming the shovel and overtaking Chad, dragging him down into their ant village underground. Blech!! Ants!!!

I'll be updating while we are away next week. There are no distractions out there... just me and Chad hanging out in the hospital room! Have a great weekend!

Cold Cup, Warm Heart

2007-05-12T15:32:00.000-04:00

This afternoon Chad and I were sitting in the den talking through an incredibly stressful situation bearing down on us right now. We were talking quietly but I'm sure Charlie noticed the intensity of the conversation.

I could see him out of the corner of my eye, standing next to me. He whispered "Mom?...Mom?" until I turned and said "Yes, Charlie..."

Again he spoke quietly, "I brought something just for you..."

It was his blue plastic cup he normally drinks from and inside was a brown liquid. I didn't have tea in the fridge or any pop so I couldn't think of what it was.

"Oh, thank you. What is it?" I asked.

"Coffee!" he said proudly.

And wouldn't you know...it was coffee. I had made it earlier in the day and left a little bit in the pot. It had been a few hours.

"I poured it myself. I thought you would really need it." And he stood there with concern waiting for me to drink the cold, filmy liquid.

I glanced at Chad and he gave me a humored yet sympathetic look that said, "you'd better drink it." So I did.

I gave Charlie a great big hug and thanked him "very much". And even though that coffee was cold and awful tasting my heart was warm.

Blog Design Giveaway

2007-05-09T11:57:00.000-04:00

I realize my blog is very typical and ordinary. People stop by and say "Beginner. Look at that sorry template." When I read blogs and like the design I always look to see who designed it. The majority of the time it's Jules at EveryDay Mommy! I've set a goal for myself...if I blog a certain number of blogs my reward is a new template by Jules. But, oh!! To win a FREE design for Mother's Day? How wonderful would that be? I'm dreaming of a shiny new template already... Click the button and stop by Everday Mommy and enter!

Morning Conversation

2007-05-08T06:58:00.000-04:00

I'm on the couch in the living room listening to the conversation of my husband and my 1 year old.

Henry: Hi-ee! Ted-ee! (Henry always says good morning by showing us his bear)

Chad: Good Morning, Henry!

Henry: Ted-ee!

Chad: Sorry, good morning Teddy...

Henry: Crah-ker! (cracker doesn't mean cracker- it means whatever he's talking about at the moment)

Chad: How about some eggs?

Henry: Crah-ker! Crahker!

Chad: Eggs are good...(talking to himself I think)

Henry: (marching around the island) Crah-ker, Crah-ker, Crah-ker....

Chad: Want to stir the eggs?

Henry: Yeah, yeah, yeah....

Chad: Yucky!...Don't!.... Wait! ....ack....

And now I'm off to see what that's all about....and eat some eggs.

Teach Me!!!

2007-05-07T15:59:00.000-04:00

Okay, someone out there has added me to her Google Reader. How did you do that? I read quite a few blogs and would love to use reader of some kind. Teach me!

Also, someone found me through Technorati. How? What is that?

I would appreciate lots of tips! I can blog (sort of- I currently struggle with adding a button) and I can READ blogs but that's about my extent of blog knowledge.

Thanks!

Dandelions

2007-05-07T06:24:00.000-04:00

Our yard has tons of dandelions. Not the little ones either. The big, fat ones as big as your palm. Charlie was walking through a patch of them and said, "What can we do with these, Mom?"

I'm not crafty or creative but I read blogs that are. I vaguely remember reading something in Martha Stewart Magazine years ago about making pancakes with dandelions. I googled "dandelion pancakes" and found a recipe with ingredients we already had on hand. We are a pancake house- any kind of pancake is a good pancake.

Charlie and I hunted for the biggest, fattest dandelions we could find. We filled a little dish and brought them inside. I cleaned them and chopped them...and then spilled them on the floor! The cat thought it was fun so she jumped in and scattered them around. I could hear the lawnmower outside as the man from church was here to mow. And he was mowing the dandelion patch! I ran outside and starting picking dandelions like a crazy person. I'm sure I could have flagged him down and explained what I needed the flowers for but at that moment all I could think was "I need dandelions now!"

So again, we washed them and chopped them and mixed up the recipe. We cooked them and even though they looked a little funny they smelled good. I put them on a plate, sliced them up and...they were absolutely the worst pancakes I ever had in my life. Terrible! Charlie on the other hand thought they were delicious but I suspect that's because he made them himself and felt a fierce loyalty to the world's worst pancakes.

I could link you to the recipe but I won't because they are terrible and I couldn't live with myself knowing I passed that recipe around. Chad wouldn't even taste them after he saw my face so he asked what they tasted like. I don't know really- earthy? Kind of like dirt and grass?

I think next time we'll try something a little more normal. Like, pick a vegetable from the garden and eat it the way it is intended to be eaten. I'm much better with normal.

National Day of Prayer

2007-05-03T07:33:00.000-04:00

Today is the National Day of Prayer. I'm ashamed to say that in years past I've forgotten all about it and let it pass. This year I longed for and prepared for today. Don't get me wrong...I fully understand that everyday is a day of prayer. But if you think of other holidays (Christmas/giving, Thanksgiving/being thankful, Valentine's Day/love, Easter/celebrating the Resurrection) all those things should be done everyday, too. There's this vibe I get when I wake up on a holiday...that special day set aside for a little extra of something we do everyday.

I have some big ones today. Heather is having brain surgery today and is being covered in prayer by numerous bloggers. We even put her on the list at the church today. We have some family stuff going on that involves numerous people and LOTS of prayer. And as I was reading through my morning blog selection I came across another prayer request here. Please pray for Ben and his family today. Also, please remember to pray for our country and its leaders. And pray for your church, its leaders, and your pastor.

I'll be taking "prayer breaks" all day. If you leave a request in the comment section I'll pray for you, too! **

It's the National Day of Prayer...let's celebrate and pray!

**even if you comment a few days from now I'll still pray for you!

My first Tag!

2007-05-01T09:04:00.000-04:00

I've been tagged by Monica! I've never been tagged before and I'm so excited! It took much longer than I thought to come up with these answers.

Here are the rules: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

1. I have two ankle bones on both feet. Right below my "normal" ankle is another one. It makes buying shoes a challenge! And I'm not showing you a picture because it's really weird.

2. When I was teenager I was a licensed scuba diver. I only went diving 5 times I think?

3. I can't sit still. When I'm sitting in a chair or laying in bed I am constantly tapping my feet. It was cause for much arguing when we first got married! I even do it in my sleep and it drives my husband nuts!

4. I'm stagefright, I'm not crafty/creative, I can't sing, and I don't play a musical instrument. And I'm a pastor's wife. How did that happen? : )

5. Along with #4...I like to do behind the scenes stuff. I have no problem following the leader! Tell me what to do and I'll do it!

6. I eat frozen peas as a snack. My boys do it now, too.

7. I know how to can tomatoes...and it's sooo fun!

That's it! I'll probably think of 10 things that were a lot more interesting later! I don't know 7 bloggers personally yet (I'm mostly a lurker on about 20 blogs) so I'll only tag the ones I know... Leslie, Tracey, and Coach J (who is as new to blogging as me!).

Have a great day!

Have a Good Morning

2007-04-27T07:26:00.000-04:00

I am not a morning person. It's not that I like to sleep (I don't nap for fear I may miss something important) I just don't like to get up. I have a very cozy bed, soft sheets, and heavy, toasty blankets. Not to mention my bed is usually full of snuggly kids which makes me want to stay in there even longer.

This morning I woke up at 5:45...my alarm doesn't go off until 6:30. I was wide awake so I got up. Oh, why don't I do that more often? The house was quiet and I was able to drink my coffee and read a little more of a new book I got in the mail the other day. The book is called The Contemplative Mom by Ann Kroeker. I've been reading her blog regularly and I was curious about the subject of her book. I struggle so much with finding time alone with the Lord. What kind of Christian am I if I'm living on my past experiences? I'm reading the book very slowly and savoring it. There are tips, verses to "contemplate", and quotes from real moms. It's refreshing.

I stopped by one blog this morning. I was so thankful I did! Please read the prayer my friend Monica posted...it's just what I needed.

Too much show and tell

2007-04-25T21:33:00.000-04:00

At preschool there is a "letter of the week" and this week is the letter "U". Today was "U" day so for show and tell the students need to bring something that starts with "U". That's a tough one so we were brainstorming this morning about what Charlie could bring.

"Ukelele?"
"No."
"Is there an animal that starts with U?"
"I can't think of one."
"How about something from your toybox?"

And the answer that makes him the classic pastor's kid:

"Nevermind. I'll just show them my Underwear."

For the record...he took an umbrella.

The Parsonage

2007-04-24T20:49:00.000-04:00

We live in a little white house next to our church. I love it for so many reasons. The house itself is small but the layout uses every bit of space to the fullest. The back yard is large and there is swingset and a deck.

My husband can walk to work, come home for lunch, and come home just because he wants to say hi. I can leave for church ten minutes before the service starts and still be there 'early.' We love living in the parsonage.

However-

There is a drawback. Everyone knows when they drive by that clearly, this little white house on the church property is the parsonage. Therefore, the pastor and his family must live there. It's great that people know that...

Unless they drove by this afternoon and saw that Charlie had tied himself to the big oak tree between our house and the church. Tied...himself....to the tree.

No, I wasn't watching him and yes, his dad WAS watching him and thought it was funny. I didn't take a picture because I was pretty sure that having a child tied to a tree wasn't legal and I didn't want proof. Thank goodness this is a small town and the local cop is the brother of one of our church members. And the other cop was my youth leader growing up. Because really, having the pastor's kid tied the tree could be a little embarrassing.

Animal Crackers

2007-04-23T21:01:00.000-04:00

On Sunday nights I pack a snack for big church that Charlie can have if he's quiet. He watches the clock and knows when the long hand gets to the six he can have the snack. He likes to make it last as long as possible and I'm amazed at his ability to prolong the life of a bag of animal crackers.

The great thing about Charlie is he is the best "sharer." In his bag he had some whole animal crackers and lots of broken pieces. He set two whole crackers on my Bible while I was listening to the service. I hid them in my fist until his bag was empty. When he put the last cracker in his mouth and the look of disappointment that comes at the end of a snack filled his eyes, I opened my fist and handed him one of the crackers. He smiled a great a big smile and bit the cracker in half. He held it out to me...and then took it back and bit it in half again. He handed me the leg of a camel for myself.

I held out my fist one more time with the last cracker. Thrilled with the opportunity to redeem his sharing habit he instantly bit it in half and gave me the bigger half. I'm fairly certain he gets his sharing quality from his dad.

When we were first married and incredibly broke (as most newlyweds are) Chad would ask how much we had left in the account after the bills were paid. I'd tell him and he would promptly give it away. Give it away. It would make me so crazy! I'd work hard to stretch our pennies and he would give away the clothes on his back (not in a metaphoric way- he has really given people the shirt he was wearing). But on the other hand there is no greater quality than to know all this "stuff" is for giving. Time, energy, clothes, money, food, shelter...the more we have the more we can give.

I'm so proud to see Charlie copy this behavior. A week ago someone gave him a brand new Superman action figure. Brand new. And the best part was he had done something to earn it which made him take even more pride in it. As soon as Henry saw the new toy he reached for it and Charlie said, "Henry! Look! A new Superman for us to share!"

I told a new parent friend that kids don't just love their parents- they adore them. And they show it by copying the behaviors that are the strongest. I'm not quite ready to confess the habits my kids copy in me (not good ones) but I will brag on the ones that they have picked up from their dad. Those are the ones I'd like to copy, too.

Not my baby anymore

2007-04-20T19:56:00.000-04:00

My baby is no longer a baby anymore and I'm not exactly sure when that happened. I always talk to my kids. I ask questions, I tell them about my day, I point out animals, shapes or objects. Today I noticed Henry knew exactly what I was talking about and he responded. We were all playing in the yard and I yelled, "Okay, Henry! Time for bath!" and no kidding, he climbed out of the sandbox, trotted into the house and headed straight for the tub.

The thing is, I'm sure he's been responding and understanding for a long time. He's 14 months old for pete's sake. He says a bunch of words ("cracker" is his favorite) and mimics everything Charlie does. I guess I missed the point where he turned from baby to toddler. This past year was a long one. Henry didn't have a normal first year.

When he was six weeks old we made a trip out to Mayo Clinic for a "routine" check up. Chad and three of his siblings (there are 7 of them in all) have a genetic disorder called MEN-1. I'll spare you the details but basically we all have a gene that helps prevent tumors in the endocrine system and theirs is defective. Not a big deal if we keep an eye on it. A very big deal if we don't. His mom died when he was 13 because they had no idea she had it. Things can get very out of hand and cancer can develop. We had been watching it and nothing was happening so we thought maybe Chad was one of the lucky ones and no problems would ever develop. We were wrong.

After four days of testing the doctors discovered that Chad had 11+ malignant tumors in his pancreas. One the size of a golf ball was actually outside the pancreas and beginning to attach itself to the small intestine. A month later he had to have 3/4 of his pancreas removed. The recovery was rough. He got a blood clot behind his knee and had to be on full bed rest for a week. He had a pancreatic leak that they discovered after we left Mayo. When he went to the hospital in our state he caught a horrible bacteria that kept him in and out of the hospital for the majority of the summer. We traveled to Mayo clinic a total of 5 times (6?) in less than 7 months.

Charlie stayed with friends and family a lot. He adjusted really well. Henry was so little that I couldn't bear to leave him with anyone. So, I strapped on one of those infant carriers and took him with me. Everywhere. He took naps in hospital chairs pushed up against the wall. Sometimes he slept in the suitcase. He hung out with the nurses, visited all the local coffee shops or anywhere there was wifi, and we took frequent walks to the atrium. We spent some good quality time together last summer but it was abnormal. His baby book is blank and I don't have nearly as many photos of him as I would like. A lot of the ones I do have are from the hospital. I managed to scribble some of his milestones on a calendar in his room but for me, he's still a baby. I feel like I missed the whole year.

As sad as I am that he's not my little baby anymore, I love the stage he's in right now. He runs to me with hugs and kisses me all over my face. He climbs up into my lap with books he picked off the shelf all by himself. He impresses me with his animal noises and if he makes a face that makes me laugh he holds the expression as long as possible. He doesn't cry in the morning when he wakes up- he sings and calls my name. He says, "Ah, luv," and wraps his chubby arms around my legs while I'm getting him his bottle. I'm crazy about this boy. And I won't focus on what I missed. I'll simply savor every day from here on.

Preschool Wisdom

2007-04-18T09:02:00.000-04:00

I tend to overthink things. I haven't blogged in a few days even though my head is full of good blogging ideas. If I can't wrap up the post in my head I don't blog about it. So here is one I've been trying to post for a couple of days:

The parents have to sign up to help one day a month at Charlie's preschool. I love helping at the preschool- my absolute favorite thing to do is get the kids to talk to me. Four year olds say the funniest things! There happened to be a number of kids home sick from school that day so we were talking about how we don't like to miss school.

David piped up and said, "I have to miss school tomorrow. We are going with my church to 'Acquire the Fire.'" He went on about it for a minute or two and explained his pastor and his youth group were going to Detroit and it's a big deal.

Little Tanner was sitting next to him with a big scowl on his face so I asked what he was thinking about.

"Well," he said. "I won't be in school either. My dad is a fireman and he doesn't like fires so we are going where David is to put that fire out."

Aren't kids great?

We had another big adventure on Monday. It was kindergarten round up! Charlie ran full speed the whole way there (the elementary school is in sight of our house). When we got to the main doors he saw one of the kids from preschool so they walked in together. At the doors of the library where round up was he froze. He would not budge, blink, or breathe I think! He looked at me and said, "I'm not going in there." I talked softly and tried to encourage him to go in. I succumbed to the pressure and after ten minutes I bribed him with a frosty from Wendy's and that did the trick. Once we got in there he saw one of his good friends (who invited him over to play that afternoon) so all was well.

When it was time for the principal to talk to the parents the kindergarten teacher took the kids on a tour of the school. A friend of mine from church growing up was in the round up with me. Her daughter is the same age as Charlie and she is darling. The significant thing about her is this- she was born without legs and one of her hands is missing some fingers. I always forget because her little four year old personality overpowers her disability. After round up was over I asked Charlie if he made any new friends. He shrugged. I asked if he talked to Ella.

"Who's that?" he said.

"Well, she had painted flowers on her legs." Her legs are metal rods but her joints are a material that her parents decorated with pretty flowers.

"Huh? I didn't see anyone with painted legs?" he said. He looked at me like I was crazy.

"She had Dora shoes." I pointed out.

"Oh yeah! I talked to the girl with Dora shoes. She's nice."

He didn't even notice her prosthetic legs. I'm going to shut up now and stop pointing out other people's differences. Clearly in kindergarten things like that just aren't important. Niceness and being a Dora fan are way may important.

Kids are so great.

Preschool Art

2007-04-13T21:36:00.000-04:00

I am incredibly impressed with Charlie's preschool teacher. He has learned so much this year and he continues to amaze me. The thing that's so great about teachers is they are able to see what our children are capable of when we don't even realize it. Almost daily, Charlie brings home a drawing or a craft. Some I save in the cedar chest full of photos, letters, and memories. Some get sneaked into the trash. I know that's horrible but 4 days of school a week times 24 weeks is close to 100 art projects. I can't save them all!

However, this week Charlie brought home one of my favorite pieces! No kidding, I was wishing for some new art to hang on my wall and I was thrilled when he brought this home! It matches the colors in my living room perfectly and Charlie was so excited when I dug out a frame and hung it on the wall. I thought I'd also share the picture with the whole internet (or the 5 people who read this blog) : )

It's pretty enough to hang but still has the touch of a 4 year old. And it's pussywillows! My favorite "flower". He's been learning to cut with scissors and he did such a beautiful job on the vase (with help I'm pretty sure). I'm so proud!

Mom World

2007-04-11T21:34:00.000-04:00

I've been reading a lot in blog world lately about the need for relationships with moms. I struggle with this a lot. A great friend from high school (one of my bridesmaids) lives 20 minutes away from me. I haven't seen her in two months and before that it was six months. Terrible, I know. The worst part is we both have two kids who are the same age. Playdates are awesome when we get together.

I have an ongoing to-do list that I carry around in my bag at all times. On that list it says "Call Brandi." I promise it does. But here is what else is on my list-

Make the beds
Do the laundry
Pay the bills/balance the checkbook
Get groceries
Play with the kids
Feed the kids
Read to the kids
Clean the house
Run Here
Run There
Do This
Do That
Call Brandi

There are a couple of things I'm noticing about my list. It's full of mom stuff and that isn't neccessarily wrong. If I'm busy enough I don't feel the emptiness of not having relationships. But when I put it all down on paper and really look at it I realize I'm missing relationships on all levels. I'm not spending time with the Lord, I'm not spending time with my husband (unless he's helping with my list alongside me), and I'm definately not spending time with other moms or even friends for that matter.

To be honest I'm feeling a little bit teary as I write this. It's tough when a realization smacks me in the face like this. There are moms at the preschool that I smile at but don't talk to. There are two moms in particular that I would really like to get to know but I don't know what to say. So I smile and say good morning and stand on the edge of their circles and wish I could get some words out but I can't think of anything. I usually end up talking to the kids.

So where do I go with these realizations? Do I type them out on the blog and walk away? I'm thinking of practical steps I can take tomorrow. For one, I could set out my Bible and journal by the coffee pot and instead of watching the news I could do my quiet time. I'm going to MOPS later in the morning and there is a girl there I really want to get to know. I'm going to talk to her. She's really outgoing and super nice so I know as soon as I say "How are you?" she'll get things rolling. And as for Brandi...I'm calling her. And I'll go through everyday on our calendars until we can find one to get together. Because I've got to start building some relationships...

On being organized...

2007-04-10T12:27:00.000-04:00

I decided to start reading Survival for Busy Women first out of my pile of library books. It's full of organizing tips and time savers. I'm having a little trouble getting started. For example- she recommends I actually use my planner. I'm more of a "I've got all the information up here in my head" kind of girl. Which hasn't been working out so well.

Yesterday I thought since it was Monday it would be a great time to fill in my planner with all the things I have going on this week. Oh my word. I've never been more overwhelmed than to see my week FULL. I'd forgotten I had to babysit the twins this afternoon (two year old boys) and there is some serious prep time that goes into watching those two. I'd also forgotten I have MOPS Thursday morning and I'm helping at preschool in the afternoon. I would have remembered these things eventually and scrambled to get them done but now I know about them ahead of time and (hopefully) can be a little better prepared.

I think where I'm running into trouble is this "being prepared ahead of time" thing doesn't come naturally to me. At all. It feels uncomfortable. I'm not good with trying new things and I don't adapt well to change. I don't like being uncomfortable! The motivation I have is the way I'm doing things now is stressing everyone out. Once I become a little better organized I'll be glad I did it but for now....it's killing me.

Peace

2007-04-06T10:10:00.000-04:00

This week our routine has been a little off and we are all a little stressed out about it. We had too many places to be and pushed ourselves too hard. Consequently we were all a little grumpy last night. But instead of the expected response, we had the best evening home we've had in a long time.

We sat down to dinner and instead of gobbling our food as fast as possible we ate slowly and actually talked. Charlie had gone to the movies with Grandpa and had lots to say about it. We slowly cleaned up the kitchen while enjoying each other's company. Chad had hurt his back earlier in the day so he went to soak in the tub. After a few minutes I realized I didn't know where Charlie was. I found him in the bathroom sitting on the clothes hamper eating a chocolate chip cookie. Chad was listening to Chuck Swindoll so Charlie was, too. It was very sweet. The two of them stayed in there for the whole radio sermon.

I was sitting on the couch reading a parenting magazine I had gotten in the mail when Henry climbed up into my lap with some books. Charlie grabbed some books of his own and we read for an hour. After Henry went to bed, Charlie and I continued to read and talk and we ended up talking about heaven. It was the sweetest conversation we've ever had. I wish I could replay the conversation but I feel I wouldn't be able to do it justice. The greatest part was in the end when Charlie decided he wanted to sing. He sang all the Sunday school songs he could think of and tried to act them out as he was singing. I couldn't help but watch with wonder as his natural response to our conversation about Easter, Jesus, and heaven led him to want to sing praises. It brought tears to my eyes even in the silliness of songs like "Fishers of Men".

I'm so thankful that the Lord brings peace to our hearts even when we are busy filling them with stress. And I'm thankful for the reminders he shows me through my children. Have a wonderful Easter weekend.

Oh, to learn more stuff...

2007-04-04T21:47:00.000-04:00

Okay, I'm really frustrated. I've read about bloggers who have lost a post and I just lost my first one. I worked really hard on it and it had lots of links. I was very proud of myself and well, pride cometh before the fall. I wasn't that proud...my hand slipped and however these things happen this thing happened. So here is my second attempt at my post about "Things I want to learn..." (and losing a post isn't one of them).

I've been a blog reader for about 5 months and like most readers my list of favorites varies greatly (they aren't all on my blogroll yet!). There are the mom's of young kids, the pastor's wives, the frugal ones, the ones that make me think, and the one's that make me want to learn. Because reading blogs is fun but learning something new is so much better!

Lately I've been reading different posts about books bloggers are reading, going to read, or recommend. When I go to the library it generally consists of thirty minutes in the kids section and a quick glance at the new books for me. I blindly grab one and hope it's good. I don't have that much time to read so I really don't have time to read something that isn't very good. So tonight I went on a solo trip to the library. And I was armed with a list! Here are the books I brought back and the blogs where I found them:

1. Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss - Saw it mentioned here.
2. Reading like a Writer by Francine Prose - Read about it at this blog I think but I can't find where. I may have seen it somewhere else but this blog is still pretty great.
3. Survival for Busy Women by Emilie Barnes - Read about her here (June 23, 2005 entry) but our library didn't have that book only this one.

The good thing is I'm really excited about these books. That means I'll read them every chance I get! Although, I'm thinking book #3 should be first....

Tackle it Tuesday

2007-04-03T11:36:00.000-04:00

This is my first attempt at a "theme day." I won't be a regular but every now and then I'll try it for fun! I had something I wanted to tackle today anyway so I might as well blog about it.

This is my work bag. I put home things in it to take to work and work things in it to take home. I usually keep it pretty organized but these past couple weeks have been busy so my bag is out of control. Here is my before pic- stay tuned for the after pic!

**UPDATE** Whew! It only took my lunchbreak! Some cool things I found were my favorite lipstick, a coupon for 1.50 off my next tank of gas, a wedding invitation (oops!), and a rebate form I need to send in ASAP. Now instead of a bag full of loose papers I have my purse (no receipts!), my dayplanner with all the little scraps taken out and all the dates written in, and one file of policies to deliver. Not bad!

Monday

2007-04-03T06:42:00.000-04:00

Now that it's actually Tuesday I feel like I can better explain the crazy thoughts that go through my head on a normal Monday. My husband likes to refere to it as my "Monday freak-out". Yesterday was a pretty good example.

I overslept which is never a good start to anything. The kids on the other hand got up earlier than usual. With three of us scrambling around trying to get out the door in time it gets a little chaotic. We get dressed by throwing clothes everywhere. We eat breakfast and dirty a lot more dishes than is really neccessary. The bathroom counters, once empty and sparkling, are now covered with every hair product imaginable. Freak out #1- I'm such a horrible planner for not laying out all our clothes, lunches, and bags the night before. Freak out #2- I'm a terrible housekeeper.

It takes 30 minutes to get the kids to my sister in law's house and then get to work. Freak out #3- I take my kids to the babysitter. They will be scarred for life and feel like I don't love them.

Monday's at work are extremely busy with actual customers and I don't get a lick of paperwork done. I feel like I'm on the phone or meeting with people all day. Freak out #4- My dad is going to be so disappointed that my desk is messy and I didn't get anything done.

Don't get me started on dinner. Monday's are now spaghetti night because that takes all of 15 minutes to make. Freak out #5- I can't even cook a decent meal.

Again, since today is actually Tuesday I can see Monday a little more clearly. On Tuesdays I'm not nearly as insecure as I am on Mondays. I can logically talk myself out of my freak outs:

#1 I didn't lay out anything the night before because we can't make up our minds about clothes, food, and backpacks. I'd have to repack and redress everyone anyway.
#2 I'm not a terrible housekeeper. The house was clean before I ran top speed through the morning routine.
#3 I only work 3 days a week (at Grandpa's so they can stop by anytime and Grandpa loves it). Two of those days are spent with cousins who are the exact same age as Charlie and Henry. They call Monday and Wednesday "Aunt Candi Days" because they love being with her so much. Friday's are "Daddy Day"...they are pushing me out the door on Friday's.
#4 My dad isn't disappointed. His desk is just as bad. Plus, he got to go for morning coffee with the town locals while I stayed in the office to answer phones. So, technically I worked an extra half hour.
#5 I can cook. And spaghetti night is a step in the right direction for being better organized.

See, it's not really that bad. Thank goodness today is Tuesday.

I give up

2007-04-01T16:11:00.000-04:00

I wanted to brag on my kids today and post some cute pictures. Charlie was laying (lying?) in the yard flat on his back with his frog umbrella over top of him. I asked him what he was doing and he replied:

"Waiting for the rain."

It was too cute so I ran inside to find my camera. It took 10 minutes to find it, 2 minutes to realize the batteries were dead, 2 minutes to find batteries (the last ones!) and of course by that time the cute moment had passed. He wouldn't hold his umbrella, wouldn't smile, etc. So then I decided Henry deserved a picture on the blog. My digital camera is fairly new and I haven't mastered the delay from when I say cheese to when the actual picture takes. So his eyes are closed in 10 pictures in a row. And now he's crying. So for your blog reading pleasure I'm posting the only picture my now finicky computer would let me post without a major issue.

This is the picture we mailed out for Christmas. Yes, I combed Henry's hair, and no, I didn't intentionally give him a mohawk (but I secretely think his mohawk is awesome). He's got an awful cowlick and I won't shave his head. He's too pretty! The deer in headlights look is the one he likes to give when it's time to get his picture taken. Once I figure out this whole posting thing I'll try to catch the boys being cute. TRY being the most important word in that sentence.

A Dyson??

2007-03-31T21:01:00.000-04:00

Considering my profile at the top left of the main page of my blog says "I don't love vacuuming..." you are probably wondering why I would enter this contest at Five Minutes for Mom. Maybe if I had a Dyson I wouldn't hate vacuuming so much? I'm willing to try anything to become a better vacuumer. I read about the contest when it was first posted and there were only 6 people listed. But now....I think I'm 562. Hmmmm. Still, the chances are better than a contest at the grocery store! Stop by and enter!

Charlie the Banker

2007-03-30T21:04:00.000-04:00

The secretary at my dad's office always makes the coffee. She brings the good stuff from home and it's good. She left for a spring break trip and there will be no coffee in the office. I can't take any from home either because our supply is low at home. Just like we have budget rules about coffee we also have general rules about the actual coffee usage. Such as "don't steal the last bit of coffee for work."

This morning I checked my purse for some change so I could stop in at my coffee shop and realized I was a little short. Usually Charlie is good for a quarter or two so I asked him if I could borrow some. For clarification purposes, Charlie gets his change from raiding my purse or from Chad's nightstand in the evenings so the money was techinically one of ours to begin with but he loves to put it in his piggy bank and he's a good sharer (i.e. he pays for ice cream bars at the grocery sometimes) so we leave the taking money thing alone.

"What kind? Circle money or rectangle money?" he asked, tapping his cheek with his finger.

"Just circle. I'll give it back after groceries tomorrow."

"Hmmm....for coffee? I don't think so, Mom. I think you need to talk to Dad about this."

My husband was chuckling from the kitchen, "Guess he told you..."

Spring is Here!

2007-03-30T06:51:00.000-04:00

The snow has finally melted and the air is actually warm up here. Apparently it could snow again but for now we'll pretend Spring is here to stay. As with most little boys, the minute the sun peeked out last week Charlie was begging to play outside. It was actually very warm (too warm for winter clothes) so he piled on a couple layers of grubbies and ran outside. I was in the house with the windows open and I could hear him talking to himself and playing elaborate imaginary games. So when he started to yell "Help! Someday help! I'm stuck!" I didn't run out immediately because I thought it was part of the game. Finally he yelled "Mom, help me!" I peeked out the window and saw this:

The snow had a thick layer of crust on top and if you walk carefully your footsteps barely break through. But if you leap into the air and land on your rear there is no getting back up. In the second picture he's telling me "Mom, stop taking pictures! Stop laughing!" I'm pretty sure if I had a little girl this picture taking opportunity would not have come up. Spring is here!

Yum

2007-03-26T14:23:00.000-04:00

I'm blogging at work which is very bad. Thankfully, I work for my dad and he won't fire me (and we can discuss the ethics of that statement in a much later post).

The receptionist has brought in the best...snack...ever. I don't normally like snacks all that much and I rarely eat chips for that matter. But the inventor of this snack is genius. It's doritos, cheetos, pretzels, and sunchips all in the same bag. Yum. There is a rather large bag in the back and I may have just eaten more than my fair share. You would think I was expecting again the way I love these chips (I'm not).

They're called "cheese fix". How appropriate is that?

The New Pet

2007-03-23T06:45:00.000-04:00

We've inherited a cat. Not a kitten, either. A big, fluffy, black and white cat. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. I've never had a cat before so I'm not used to her behaviors quite yet. For example, we live in a small house and already I can't find her. Last night she was hiding behind the computer desk in all the wires which I'm sure can't be good. This morning I've looked pretty much everywhere and so far no luck. Although maybe she's following me around the house...they are kind of sneaky and quiet like that.

We don't have the best track record with hand me down pets. Neither of us had a pet growing up so we don't have that natural pet-loving gene. My husband has a hard time with dogs because they are as big as children but don't neccessarily listen as well. We've had two dogs, a beagle that had to be put down and a yellow lab that went to live on a farm. And unlike what my brother thinks the lab really is on a farm- we aren't just saying that because it's easier than saying he was put down, too. And he's very happy on that farm, thank you.

We are kind of excited about the cat. Cats mind there own business for the most part (hence the reason I still can't find her this morning). And are a little easier to get along with. Hopefully this goes well. Charlie is up now and very concerned that the cat wasn't waiting for him to get up and play. I guess I'll join the cat hunt now, too. I really hope this works out!