Snapshots of My Life

Kindergarten Graduation

2009-06-02T13:55:00.002-04:00

Emma's Kindergarten Diploma

Emma receives her diploma from Mrs. Clos

Outside by the tree in front of her building.

My sweet girl is getting so big! Now on to 1st grade!

Because it's been way too long.....

2009-03-06T12:57:00.004-05:00

I decided to at least post some pictures. I really haven't felt like writing here for a long time. And every time I think about writing, I feel like I have to update on everything that's happened since the last time I wrote. Well that's just not gonna happen! So here are some fun pics of things we've been up to so far in 2009:

Ella took her first ballet class. This is a shot of her doing a "routine." Shortly after I took this photo, she broke out of line and started running in circles around the room. Oh well. Last week we got to watch a different routine, and she stayed in line and did the entire thing. I was so proud of her!
I think she enjoys dressing up in a leotard and ballet shoes as much as doing the actual dancing!

I also decided to get back into crochet after seeing this pattern in a book. I love crochet, but get bored with it quite easily. I thought of my sister when I saw this, so I decided to make this for her birthday! Since completing this one, I've got 3 more projects up my sleeve. They are all gifts, so when the recipients receive them, I'll post pics!

Shortly after Christmas, the girls got a full-sized bed to share. We've had this bed in my parent's storage room for 5 years and we knew we wanted to give it to the girls. Todd's great-grandfather made this bed, so it's very special to the family. Ella was especially excited to be in a big girl bed after sleeping on a mattress on the floor for 6 months! We even got brand new bedding. I'm thinking about giving the walls a fresh coat of paint to complete the look.

Emma had to make a box for her Valentine's Party at school. We got out the scrapbooking supplies and cut out hearts, pasted on stickers, and covered the whole thing with Sparkle Mod-Podge!

You might be wondering about Emma's colorful sweater and hair-bows. It was 80's day at school, I do believe. This was the best I could come up with!

My favorite part of the night was that Emma was so kind and considerate towards her little sister. She let Ella place the paper hearts after she spread the glue on. She was very patient and giving, and I was so proud of her!

A Trip to the Orchard

2008-10-30T13:10:00.002-04:00

This weekend we took a quick trip up to the apple orchard with my Mom and the girls. Todd had to go to Chicago for the day, so we went without him.

It was pretty cold and windy, but at least the sun was shining! The girls had so much fun picking their apples.

We even got an end of season discount. We had to do some searching, but we found plenty of trees that still had a lot of fruit.

September

2008-10-08T13:19:00.005-04:00

September turned out to be quite the busy month. At the beginning of the month, Emma started kindergarten. She had a bit of an adjustment period to go through, but she's doing great with it now. She loves it so much! Her teacher says she is doing great, and seems to be showing an extra ability in art.

The second weekend of the month, I started a new job. I work weekends at one of my church's 4 locations. I do custodial work, which involves cleaning and set-up and tear down for various events. I work 10 hours each day, and while it is exhausting, I am so thankful for the extra income.

In the middle of September, I celebrated my 33rd birthday! As is usual with birthdays as an adult, it was pretty uneventful. Todd and the girls baked a cake on my birthday. Then the following weekend we ate out at Famous Dave's. Yum!

The end of the month was probably the most anticipated part of the month. Emma and I flew out to Portland, OR for my sister Julie's wedding. This was the first time that I had been to Oregon, so I was pretty excited to go! Emma was the flower girl, so that alone made her excited! Here are some pictures from the wedding.

Julie and Emma before the ceremony.

Nemo and Emma play while pictures are taken.

Emma, Julie, and Nemo pose for a photo.

Emma walks down the aisle!

Julie, Mom, and Dad make their entrance.

We had a great time at the wedding. Emma and Nemo really enjoyed the dance floor! Because of the time difference though, Emma was asleep in my arms by 9pm. It felt like midnight to her!

The day after the wedding, everyone met up at the house where we were staying. We made a brunch for the guests, and we watched Julie and Jeremy open their gifts. After that, Emma and I went with my parents and my sister Michelle and her family up to Multnomah Falls. I'd always heard it was beautiful. It was gorgeous! We had a great time up there. Emma really liked hiking up to the bridge, which was probably about a third of the way up to the top of the falls.

The view from Vista House.

Emma and I pause for a picture in front of the falls.

Emma, Nemo, and Mia with Grandpa and Grandma.

Emma was so excited to be there!

This is the bridge that we hiked up to. The rest of the way up to the falls would've been too difficult for the kids. I'd love to go back with Todd and the girls when they are a bit older!

Overall, we had a great month. We are back in Michigan, and headed straight into fall! The weather is finally turning colder and the leaves are starting to change. I love this time of year, so I plan to savor every minute of it!

My Friend Michelle

2008-10-06T22:23:00.004-04:00

Throughout junior high and high school, I was friends with a girl named Michelle. I think I got to know her through some other friends of mine, and we soon hit it off. During my freshman year, I invited her to attend youth group with me. She ended up attending our church, and becoming a strong part of the youth group for our entire high school years. After high school, we quickly lost touch, as does often happen when one goes off to college. And truth be told, I think I probably formed deeper friendships in college. But that never minimized my friendships in high school. Those girls were important to me, and a huge part of my youth; something which helped shape who I am today.

Fast forward 15 years. (Yikes, has it really been that long?) I decided to join facebook about a year ago, and it's been a wonderful way to reconnect with old friends. Michelle was one of those friends that I found rather quickly. We started chatting on the website, exchanged Christmas cards, and caught up with all that had happened since high school. Michelle started to share with me a lot of her life's struggles, hurts, and pains. I knew she was troubled, and it seemed that she'd been that way all of her adult life. Actually, she struggled with depression in high school, and it never seemed to go away. I tried to be an encouragement to her, and she seemed grateful for our renewed friendship. But last Wednesday, Michelle decided she'd had enough pain. She chose to end her life. I got the phone call from a mutual friend, one whom I'd reconnected with on facebook as well. Although I wasn't surprised, I was certainly shocked. I was flooded with emotions and memories, all at the same time. I couldn't think clearly; all I could picture was the face of my high school friend, a face I wouldn't get the chance to see again. And it made me terribly sad. I had huge feelings of remorse, wishing there was something more I could've done. But even though my heart hurts for her, my head knows that isn't true. I did all that I could do, and she made her decision.

If there is a silver lining in all of this, it's the numerous friends that I have reconnected with. I can think of at least 10 people that I hadn't really talked to in years. And now we're reconnecting, comforting each other, remembering the painful and the good. A few of these friends were everything to me in high school, and we've had the chance to let each other know what should've been said back then..."You were so important to me, and I cared about you."

And so, as I think back on Michelle, I'm choosing to remember the memories that I had with her. The 8th grade class trip to Cedar Pointe. Carmen, DC Talk, and Al Denson concerts. A mission trip to Chicago, which was my first exposure to Moody, my alma mater. Youth group retreats. Singing in the high school choir during Festival of Lights at church. The fact that Michelle was tone deaf and had no rhythm (something I found out while we were recording ourselves singing "The Greatest Love of All" at Cedar Pointe. Cheesy, I know!). All of the many encouraging notes and scriptures that Michelle wrote out for me every time I left for a mission trip. Building the MADD float for the high school homecoming parade. Football games. Sharing a locker. The list goes on. Thanks for the friendship and the memories, Michelle. I'll miss you.

2008-09-04T19:14:00.002-04:00

Well we have almost finished the first week of school, and things are going pretty well. Emma is really liking kindergarten. I noticed her talking to Ella in such a big-kid way today, being a helper and nurturing her. Ella has had a bit of a rough time adjusting to Emma not being here all day long. Today she kept saying, "It's time to go get Emma!" We stayed at home the 1st 2 days, but ventured out to the park to play today. I'm learning how to manage my time as well. It's so strange to only have one around the house! I'm craving a schedule, and I know I'll get there. My main goals are doing an even better job with housekeeping, potty-training Ella, and maybe having time once in a while to scrapbook!

Today I told Ella that if she can use the potty and not have accidents in her pants, then I will get her a Fancy Nancy dress-up outfit from Target. Oh boy! Not sure if that was a mistake or a good thing. She's asked me all evening for the dress. She did have an accident on the floor and was pretty upset that she's not getting that dress TODAY! I don't think she competely understands the incentive. But she loves dress-up clothes, and loves Fancy Nancy as well, so this will probably work!

Emma's 1st day of school

2008-09-03T11:28:00.002-04:00

Outside our house.

Emma and Ella make funny faces and look at me as I tell them to "Relax!"

Outside Emma's school, waiting to go in.

Emma at her desk with her "Super Star" pencil and note from Mommy and Daddy.

Emma and Garrison have been friends since they were 1 year old! Now they are in the same class and sit right behind each other.

An Update of Sorts....

2008-08-15T12:21:00.004-04:00

I had decided to take the summer off from blogging because I need a little break. We have had a busy summer, but somehow I just haven't felt like writing about it!

Well now the summer is quickly coming to an end, and I've decided to go ahead and write. Not that anyone still reads my blog, but still. I don't want to give it up entirely!

We began the summer with Emma finishing up preschool. After that, we enjoyed a few quiet weeks of going to parks, water splash pads, and the zoo. At the end of June, we headed over to my Mom and Dad's neck of the woods for my brother Jonathan's wedding. It was a busy, but great weekend. It was the first time in quite a while that I'd been together with all of my siblings. The wedding was beautiful, and I was pretty happy with how the girls behaved throughout the ceremony and reception. Both girls had so much fun dancing, and Ella followed Laura (my new sister-in-law) around, wanting to dance with "the princess." It was so cute!

After the wedding, the festivities didn't stop. Laura's family held a brunch the next morning, where we enjoyed some more fellowship and watched them open gifts. After that, it was time to get ready for my sister, Julie's bridal shower. It was the only time she'd be in town before her wedding in September, so we held it the Monday following Jon's wedding. There is so much work that goes into throwing a shower, but it was so nice and definitely worth every effort! Todd had to return to work, but I stayed behind with the girls to have some extra time to visit with my sisters and a friend as well.

July was actually a fairly quiet month. I don't remember too much happening other than just trying to keep the girls busy! Todd started a new job, and we are just so thankful for it. Michigan's economy is not that great, but his new job is a wonderful step up for him. He's gotten his foot in the door, with a management position. It provides lots of overtime, which means we don't see him a lot, but the pay is so helpful.

And here we are in August, which has been a busy month so far. We took a much-needed trip down to Georgia to visit Todd's family. Todd's grandfather is turning 90 years old this month, and Todd's dad graciously flew us down for the party. We hadn't been down there in over 4 years, and we didn't realize how good it would be to finally see everyone again!

We flew into town on Friday night and enjoyed pizza with Todd's parents before heading over to see his grandparents. Todd's brother, our sister-in-law, and our nieces and nephews were there waiting to see us. I can't describe how wonderful it was to see all of them! My sister-in-law, Chanda, and I have spoken on the phone a few times a week for the past 4 years, but we haven't seen each other at all. And the cousins don't even remember the last time they were together! The kids hit it off right away. I was so thankful that my girls had this time to reconnect with family. The older I get, the more important family becomes to me.

Saturday morning, we had another exciting time. I tell you what, this weekend was non-stop excitement! My best friend Samantha just happens to live near Todd's parents, so we arranged to get together with them. I went to college with her husband Dave, so it is always good to see the whole family. We met at a diner for breakfast, then headed off to a park so the kids could run around while the adults talked. It was just too short of a time, but we made the most of it and treasured every second!Of course we had to take photos! Samantha and I have known each other for 14 years!! Man, have they gone by fast. We met at Teen Missions Boot Camp, when we were volunteering in the kitchen. We ended up both going to Moody, being roommates, and best friends. I'm so thankful that we have stayed in touch over the years.

We decided to pose for a family picture by the park. Such a beautiful setting!

Would you believe this is my in-law's backyard? The girls had so much fun walking on the paths and looking at Grandma's beautiful plants and flowers.

Yep, this is still her backyard! She loves her flowers and birds. She has so many neat bird-feeders, but everyone's favorite is the hummingbird feeder that hangs off of the deck. We saw quite a few birds over the weekend.

Saturday after our visit with my friends, we spent time relaxing with family until it was time for a surprise. We went with my brother and sister-in-law and their kids to go do something that I still can't even talk about! All I can say is, Todd's family will have to wait until Christmas to find out!

We spent Saturday night having a cookout with everyone at Todd's parents house. Then Sunday morning we took all the kids to the neighborhood pool before getting ready for Daddy George's birthday party. The party was very nice, with so many friends and family in attendance. Here is a nice family picture of us at the party!

Now we are back home and enjoying the last few lazy days of summer. Just a little over 2 weeks until Emma starts school and we begin our busy fall.

Moments that make me smile, part 2

2008-06-03T13:56:00.002-04:00

This morning, I heard Emma yell out my name. When I went in to check on her, she said she was just having a dream. I asked her if she remembered it. She told me, yes, it was about the 3 Little Pigs. "What were you doing?" I asked. "Driving in the car." "Was I driving?" I asked. "No, one of the pigs was. I was in the backseat."

Ok. Interesting, Emma, interesting. I didn't stop chuckling about that one all morning.

Moments with my kids that make me smile..

2008-05-31T06:43:00.002-04:00

Right now, Ella is watching Cinderella. It's her current favorite princess. And just let me tell you, nothing warms a mother's heart like hearing her 2 year old sing, "A dream is a wish your heart makes...." So cute!

Emma has been full of great moments lately. Yesterday we were in the car and we drove by a golf course that has a small bridge next to the road. Emma loves is bridge and always mentions it as we pass by. I guess yesterday she felt especially inspired because she started to sing..."We crossed the bridge, we crossed the bridge, we crossed the bridge, we croh, hossed...the...bridge." All to the tune of "God is so good." She kept singing it, each time adding a little diva-ness to the round. It was so precious!

And finally, yesterday I heard Emma telling Todd why she thought he ought to go to the park with us. It went something like this.."Daddy, you have to go to the park with us. We all have to go to the park together. It says so in the Bible." Sorry Emma, that's only going to work when you start quoting ACTUAL scripture. Sure got a smile out of me though.

5 Years Ago...at this exact moment....

2008-05-17T11:29:00.003-04:00

I saw your face for the first time....
I knew you were worth all of the pain I'd just experienced...

I became a mother for the first time.....
And I knew my life would be forever different....

Happy 5th Birthday Sweetheart!
I love you!!

Emma's Birthday Party

2008-05-15T20:56:00.003-04:00

Saturday we had Emma's "friend" party. She choose Hello*Kitty as her theme and requested a Hello*Kitty cake! Here is what I came up with.

All the kids take their seats as we begin to serve pizza. She had 12 kids attend!

Digging in with her friend, Lauren.

Pinata time! Ella took a turn pulling a streamer. We thought we bought a pull-tab type of pinata, but turns out this was the hitting kind. We had to cut it open!

The kids scramble for the loot.

Time to open presents! Emma received so many great things, from little pet shop, to ponies, to scrapbooking supplies and arts and crafts. So many fun things for a 5-year old girl to love!

Emma's "real" stuffed pony. Thanks Lauren!

Time for cake and singing! The kids gather around Emma to join in the fun.

Emma, so proud of her cake, and proud of turning 5!

Look What I got in the mail!

2008-05-06T20:33:00.006-04:00

A few weeks, I ran across an offer for a free cd by Matt Maher. I hadn't really heard of him before, but I love getting free music, so I thought I'd get one. I haven't been disappointed! As soon as I heard the first song, I recognized it. We've been singing "Your Grace is Enough" in church for a few months now, and I really like it. It's the perfect way to start the album too; with it's upbeat melody and worshipful lyrics, it sets the listener up for a great album! One of my other favorites is "Maranatha." It's a peaceful, calm, simple song of praise that has touched my heart every time I listen to it. I would encourage you, if you are looking for a new worship cd, to pick up Matt Maher's "Empty and Beautiful." Click on the banner above to take a listen and to order the cd.

Even the girls joined in the creative fun....

2008-05-04T21:00:00.004-04:00

This week I've had the opportunity to get quite a bit of scrapbooking done. This is a favorite hobby of mine, and I'm really proud that I've stuck with it for 4 years now! I started my 1st album when Emma turned 1, and I haven't stopped since. I wanted to share a few of the layouts that I've completed this weekend, plus a few pics of the girls too! I'm very proud of the fact that all of the supplies I used were already in my stash, i.e. I didn't have to spend any more money to do them!

This layout is called "Little Mommy." One day last summer, I caught Ella feeding her baby doll in her booster seat. It was so cute, I had to take picutures! I thought they were made even more sweet by the fact that Ella had her paci in her mouth. When Ella saw this layout today, she went on and on about how her paci is lost, it's in the garbage, we need to get a new one. I can't believe she remembers it!

This is a layout of my girls with their cousins, taken last summer. What I love most about this layout is the fact that I got so many pictures on one spread! Count em, there's 13 on there! I simply adhered them to my pages, and then used scraps of some favorite patterned paper. Then I placed rub-ons on paper, cut them out, and placed them down (the flowers). The title is made of chipboard letters that I picked up on clearance last fall. I got a whole alphabet for $1! I just have to add....if you look closely, you can see that the paper on the left side, next to the word cousins, is a bit crinkled. That's because ELLA JUMPED ON IT while I was trying to take the picture. You've never heard such a shriek escaped my lips!

I'll admit, this layout was a bit tricky for me. I'm not even sure I am completely happy with how it turned out. But as a friend of mine says, "You can't love them all!" She's right. But at least I tried some new things, and used some things I wouldn't normally use. All of the flowers are actually on transparency. I picked them up a few weeks ago, specifically for this layout. I used stamps for the title, using an upside-down "j" for the exclamation point. I painted the edges with lime green paint for an added boost of color. These are some great pics of Ella, taken when my sister and I took the kids to visit the elementary school where we attended as children. She had such a great time on that slide.

I love the colors in this layout! I'd had this background paper for a long time, never really knowing quite what to do with it. I think it goes nicely with these photos! I stamped all the extras (flowers, swirls, etc.) and hand-cut them. Then I hand-glittered them all, as well as some of the swirls on the background paper. These photos were also taken last summer. Can you see a theme going here? That's about how caught-up I am, although I jumped ahead and already finished layouts from the fall. Because the fall is my favorite season, and I can't wait to scrapbook it!

My mom recently gave the girls some alphabet stickers. They had a fun time watching me take pictures of these layouts and then put them in Ella's book. Afterwards, I thought they'd enjoy putting their stickers on a scrap piece of paper and drawing a little too. Ella really loves stickers, although she still has a hard time peeling them off of the backing.

Here is Emma's finished piece. It says, "Umbrella. Emma 2008." No, she can't spell umbrella. She asked me how to spell it, and then found all of the letters herself.

Emma put some finishing touches on her umbrella picture.

Ella adds some color to her stickers.

A Walk in the Park

2008-04-22T17:56:00.004-04:00

Today was such a gorgeous day that we decided to head off for our first trip to the park this season. Todd took the girls there yesterday, but today we went as a family. This has got to be one of my favorite things to do during the warmer months. I know I've written about it before, but this park is only 2 miles from our house, and it's FANTASTIC!

The girls were ready to play as soon as we got there, but we told them we were walking first and then they could play. There are 7 miles of paved trails and we walked 2.4 miles of them today! After being cooped up in an 800 square foot apartment all winter, I can't even begin to describe how wonderful this was! The sun was shining, the air was warm. We all had such a great time.

There is a small river (more of a creek) that runs next to the entire length of the trails. The river is full of ducks and geese, and the girls had fun watching them swim. Ella really wanted to get out of the stroller, so we let them both just run the trails. I don't think Ella stopped running for at least a quarter of a mile. She loved it! Emma ran too, but she's in a whiny stage these days, so she quickly got tired of walking and rode on the back of the stroller.

After the walk, the girls were rewarded with a trip to the playground. As you can see from the pictures, they had a blast!

Please pray today

2008-04-21T08:37:00.002-04:00

Please pray for my friends today. Katelyn is having a spinal tap, bone marrow tap, and another round of Chemo today. She and her mom, Michelle need prayers for strength to get through all of the pokes and prods that the day will bring. Please pray for my friend Cheri as well. She's having a skin cancer growth removed as well as a lymph node biopsy. Thanks!

Chim-Chiminy

2008-04-10T13:56:00.003-04:00

One of Ella's favorite movies right now is Mary Poppins. She has seen it so many times that she says some of the lines right along with the movie, and sings some of the songs. Today Ella decided to have some Chim-Chiminy fun of her own.

This is what happens when you leave an open bag of charcoal by the back door.

Sooner or later, Ella's bound to get curious. And curiosity usually leads to big messes.

But as frustrated as we get when we discover those messes, we can't stay mad for long when she flashes her sweet smile our way.

Update on Katelyn

2008-04-08T23:04:00.002-04:00

I just got off the phone with Katelyn's mom, Michelle. She told me that they are holding up pretty well and trying to take it all in. St. Jude's is a GREAT place to be in this situation. Katelyn has ALL, one of the most treatable forms of childhood cancer. She's started on chemo, and if all goes well, she will be able to go home and be treated as an out-patient at some point next week.

Michelle told me that they are receiving a huge outpouring of love and support from the community. A large group of volunteers came over today and cut their grass, planted flowers, and did general landscaping. When she arrived home tonight, there was a cooler of food on her porch.

Please continue to pray for healing for Katelyn. She's going through a lot right now, and doesn't understand why. Pray also for Dave, Michelle and Amanda, that they will have the strength they need and that their family will stay strong through all of this. I think Amanda, Katelyn's older sister, is feeling a little displaced right now.

Thanks for all of your prayers!

A Lot on my Mind

2008-04-07T21:21:00.005-04:00

I have a lot on my mind. My heart is heavy. What a week this is turning out to be. I have so many friends who are going through so much. A big part of me is overwhelmed, but I am also grateful to walk through these journeys with them. In the past week alone I have different friends who have:

1. Had their house go into forclosure.
2. Had her husband ask her for a divorce. Then the next morning had a serious garage fire in their house.
3. Been diagnosed with skin cancer.
4. Had their 4 yr old daughter diagnosed with leukemia.

I am often without words when talking to these 4 friends of mine. That's probably how it should be. I don't know what they are going through. I haven't been there. I can't empathize. I can only give a listening ear. I can only tell them that I'm sorry for what they are going through. I can only offer to watch their kids if they need a break, or clean their house, or pack their belongings or just sit and cry with them. And I can hope that through prayers and just "being there", and sharing where our true source of hope is, that is enough. It's all that I know how to do.

Psalm 25:4-6

4 Show me the right path, O Lord;
point out the road for me to follow.
5 Lead me by your truth and teach me,
for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you.
6 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,
which you have shown from long ages past.

Katelyn

2008-04-06T20:48:00.004-04:00

When I was in elementary school, I remember a particular fund-raiser that we did each year. It was a "Math-A-Thon" put on to benefit St. Jude Children's Hospital.

The idea was to have people sponsor us to complete a booklet of math problems. Some people gave 5 or 10 cents a piece per problem, some gave a flat donation. I distinctly remember sitting at the dining room table, working on this workbook, aiming to collect those donations. I also remember my Grandma helping me work the problems one year. She was a retired elementary school teacher and loved that sort of thing. I think she sponsored me for 2 cents per problem, with a total of 100 problems to complete.

I never knew back then that I would one day know someone who is a patient at that hospital. I never imagined that my efforts as a child would benefit a hospital that would one day work to save the life of a precious friend. That is what, sadly, I have learned is true today.

Katelyn and her sister Amanda were my daughter Emma's best girlfriends for the first 4 years of her life. Since she's nearly 5 years old, that's most of her life! A year ago, Emma's good friends moved to Memphis because of their dad's job transfer. I really believe God was looking out for them. St. Jude's is located in Memphis, and so it was natural that when 4 year old Katelyn was diagnosed with leukemia a few days ago, that is where she was sent. I'm not sure of any more details than that, but I wanted to put the word out to PRAY. Pray for this little girl who will, without a doubt, go through some very difficult things in the days to come. Pray for her family, who needs strength more than ever. Pray for me. Katelyn's mother is a good friend of mine. She was the first friend I made when we moved here a few years ago. Pray that I would know how to be the best friend that I can be to her at this time. Thank you.

Snow

2008-04-04T11:45:00.002-04:00

The road has been mighty long

2008-02-22T06:43:00.003-05:00

But today's the day! Today's the most wonderful day of the year for us. Financially, that is. You see, we got our wonderful paycheck back from the government. Now we are resisting the urge to go on a shopping spree and spend our hearts out. And trust me, we are both spenders. It is a BIG urge that we have to resist!

HOWEVER, we've been on a long, difficult road the past 4 years. Money has been tight. Debt has been huge. Small by comparison to what some people have, but huge for us in ratio to our income. Throw in a few periods of unemployment in those 4 years, and you have an uncomfortably tight situation. We've gotten used to the stress of it all, but we can't wait for the day when at least the stress caused by the debt is gone.

Well today, I am so happy to say, a little...no wait, a lot of stress is going away! We started paying off our largest credit card balance almost 3 years ago. We've cancelled our credit cards and gotten lower interest rates while paying off the balances. When we started paying off this card, I honestly didn't think we'd ever be finished. The number was so big, and the monthly payment was too. We're talking what most people spend on a VERY nice car payment each month. But after today, that payment will be no more! We were due to have this payed off in May, but we are able to finish it 3 months early, freeing up some much needed income for our monthly expenses. And it won't all go back into our budget. We plan to actually start a savings account. Imagine that! An emergency fund will come in handy and will help us avoid getting ourselves back in an undesirable situation. The rest will be "snowballed" into our other debts. Because we aren't totally in the clear. Nope, that will happen with next year's refund. (And yes, we know that this is not free money. We know that it was ours to begin with, and the IRS is just giving it back to us. We know this, we claim pretty high deductions from hubby's paycheck, and we still end up with a nice return. It's the beauty of having children.)

So today is a happy day. We get to pay off some bills, and by the way, we are going to have a little fun with some money too. I'm thinking a date night is in the works! We deserve it!

The critters escaped

2008-02-21T14:27:00.002-05:00

We have been shut up in this house for way to long. Emma spent the better part of the week with a bad fever and a touch of the stomach bug. Todd's been driving my car to work since I have a full tank and his is on empty. I'm not going anywhere anyway, so it doesn't really matter. So this morning I just had to get out! I was getting pretty tired of Ella using me as her jungle gym. That girl has no sense of body awareness. She will step all over you if she thinks it'll be fun!

Anyway, we got out and went to the mall. There are pros and cons to this. The pro- you are getting out of the house and it's a nice, warm place to let the kids play (on the playscape) for a while. The con- you have to constantly tell your 4 year old that no, we are not getting a hot pretzel, or a drink, or anything from the Disney store. But besides that, it's great! Actually, Emma and I had a lot of fun going into the Disney store by ourselves. I told her that she could start thinking about things that she'd like for her birthday. Which isn't till May. But you know kids, they start those lists early. I plan to go back to that store too. They have some adorable flip-flops, hats, and sunglasses for some pretty good prices. Also, I think the beach towels and graphic tees are on sale too. Oh, and the dishes! We've got 3 birthday parties coming up, and I think matching dishes and placemats would make great gifts!

So the kids got to release some energy. It was fun to watch the difference between Emma and Ella. There as a play car that fit about 3 kids comfortably. Of course, it was always full and usually had more than 3 in it. Emma kept walking past, looking longingly at it, but not wanting to barge in. She was trying to wait her turn. Ella just ran right up, pushed through all the other kids, and not only found space in the car, but was behind the coveted steering wheel within seconds. The boys just stared at her, unsure of what just happened! And poor Emma, she never did get her turn. I told her she just needed to get in, but she was too intimidated by the boys.

Recent Creations

2008-02-20T14:51:00.003-05:00

I had been putting off doing a layout with these pictures because they were older photos and the colors just didn't inspire me. But I recently got this paper and stamp kit from Close to My Heart and it worked really well with these photos! The story behind them is that Emma climbed into the oven of her play-kitchen and told Ella to "Cook Me for 30 Minutes!" Everything you see on this layout is from Close to My Heart with a few exceptions. The dark brown scalloped strip is from Bazzill. The letters are cut out from the Cricut on CTMH paper, and I also used Crystal Lacquer on the letters to add shine, and Stickles on the flowers for sparkle.

I still had plenty of paper in my pack to do several more layouts, and I really liked how this paper complimented these photos. Again, the photos are old, I think from 2006, but I liked them, and this was Ella's 1st swim, so I had to document it! Again, everything is CTMH, with just letters diecut on the Cricut and Crystal Lacquer and Stickles added. I'm quite pleased with how these turned out! It is kind of rare when a layout just comes together for me, so I'm pretty happy when they do!

Live Well Wednesdays, Week 3

2008-02-20T07:21:00.002-05:00

Well, after not reporting in last week, I'm dragging myself in here for some accountability. I'll start off my saying that last week was absolutely insanely busy, and that was most of the reason why I didn't post. But I won't lie...it was also tough. Valentine's Day hit me full force and I didn't exactly stick to my goals. But I'm not going to beat myself up about it any longer. It's time to move forward and make healthy choices day by day. It's a journey, right? There will be accomplishments and set backs. So here's how I'm doing with my goals.

1. No more pop. I'm doing excellent at this one. It's not much of a temptation anymore. And like I said last time, I want it the most when I'm scrapbooking. And that will happen again on Saturday, so I'm going to do sparkling water instead.

2. No more sweets. I believe I said that I was giving this up for lent. I did great for a week, and then stress and Valentine's Day hit. But I'm happy to say, I'm back on track and sticking to the plan!

3. Drink 6-8 glasses of water a week. I'm hitting between 5-6. I'd really like to increase this because I feel so much better when I do!

4. Record what I eat, and pray for wisdom before eating. Nope. Didn't do these things. Actually completely forgot to do these things. Oops!

5. Get in 3 cardio and 2 strength training workouts each week. Well, I got in some, but not all. I averaged 2 cardio workouts and 1 strength training each week.

Even with all the struggles, I have managed to lose 4 lbs in the past 2 weeks. I have no complaint about that! I've also been better about taking a vitamin and I'm hoping to get stocked up on some more supplements in the next few weeks.

And one last thought. I noticed the quote from Living Well that's in my sidebar today. I thought it was really true and one that I'm going to try to remember thoughout the week.

One of the most satisfying feelings, more satisfying than the temptation itself, is when one can say, "I could have done it, but I didn't."

Joe Stowell named next President of Cornerstone!

2008-02-08T16:25:00.000-05:00

It looks like Cornerstone University has a new President! I didn't attend Cornerstone (my parents did) but I grew up near Grand Rapids, so I'm pretty familiar with it. However, I did graduate from Moody Bible Institute, where Joe Stowell was the president for 18 years. I have to say, I never grew tired of hearing him preach when I was a student. He had such a nice manner about him and his sermons were always to the point. We had chapel 4 times a week, and he always spoke on Wednesdays. Cornerstone is lucky to have him!

2008-02-07T18:57:00.000-05:00

Emma has stepped into a phase where she really likes to clean things. I'm not sure how long this will last, but I'm taking full advantage of it! It's kind of fun to see her personality come out in this area. She runs to clean up her room, I think, because she knows it makes us so happy. And after a few weeks of doing this, I think she is discovering that it makes her happy too! I have noticed a few times, that when friends come over and make a mess in her room, it seems to stress her out a little. After a while, she insists that everyone stop playing so that she can clean everything up!

Today we were watching Oprah and they were talking about this woman who was a pack-rat. She struggled with being overweight and it was attributed to the fact that her house was a complete wreck! You've seen them before, those homes that hardly have any liveable space because they are so overtaken with STUFF.

I've never been a neat-freak, and I can tolorate more clutter and dirt than some people. But seeing these shows is actually a nice reminder that I'm not that bad! A few years ago I decided that I simply couldn't live with so much stuff in such a small space. We've gotten rid of a lot over the past few years. But today when I was watching Oprah help someone get organized, I just couldn't sit there and do nothing. I had to organize something too!

Emma climbed up on my bed as I pulled 2 plastic containers from underneath my bed. I threw out the contents of most of the first one, making room for some mementos that I had found that needed a space of their own. This is going to be my keepsake box. A place where I'll keep things for my heritage scrapbooks, should I ever get around to starting those! The other box had my yarn and crochet hooks, as well as some scraps of fabric that were leftover from a quilt. I bagged up the fabric for donation, and went around the house gathering the crochet hooks that had never made it back to their proper place. Emma was so excited to help. At one point, she said, "Mom! That lady on tv is throwing things away, and you're throwing things away! That's cool!"

All of the cleaning and organizing also inspired Emma to clean up the toys in the living room and I got the kitchen back in shape too. I'd say it was one episode of Oprah worth watching!

Living Well Wednesdays, Week 2

2008-02-06T07:28:00.001-05:00

I'd love to start this post by saying that I accomplished some huge milestone in the last week. Maybe I exercised every day for an hour. Or maybe I lost 5 lbs. Or maybe I ate perfect portions at each meal and never indulged in too many sweets. But I can't say those things because they aren't true. The last week has come and gone and to be honest, last night I was thinking, "Hmm, what am I going to write about tomorrow? I really haven't done well this week." So. I decided to do two things today. First, I'm counting my blessings and looking for the small, little, good choices that I DID make in the last week. Positive re-enforcement is good, right? And next, I'll set a few, small goals for the next week.

Positive choices or Changes:

1. No Pazckis yesterday! If you are Polish or live in SE Michigan, you understand what a big thing this is!

2. I finished one cardio workout and one strength-training workout this week. Better than the week before!

3. I have been thinking and praying about cutting out some specific foods for lent. More on that decision below.

4. I'm becoming more aware of what a spiritual battle this is.

5. I finally stopped procrastinating and used that box of hair-color that's been sitting in the bathroom since Thanksgiving. Sounds like it has nothing to do with this, but really, it does! When I feel better about myself, I make better choices.

Goals for this week:

1. Drink my 6-8 glasses of water a day.

2. Record what I eat. I like to use Fit Day.

3. Finish 3 cardio workouts and 2 strength-training sessions.

4. Pray before eating, that I would remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit's promptings in this area of my life.

All right, I feel pretty good about those goals. I'm trying to set small, realistic goals that I can really achieve! And I mentioned above that I'm going to observe lent this year. I come from a denomination that doesn't traditionally do this. And I really don't know why. I know it's not commanded of us by the Lord. HOWEVER, we are commanded to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord. Right now, for me, this means addressing the spiritual aspect of Living Well. I'm really not very good at self-control. I've gotten out of practice with it. But discipline is a learned thing, and I have been feeling led to really practice this and relearn this again. There was a time in my life when I did this. 7 years ago I trained for and ran the Chicago Marathon. For someone who had never been athletic, this was a really big deal! It took tons of discipline, and a lot of running when I didn't feel like it. Well I want to get that mentality back and apply it to my current goals. Here's what I plan to do for lent:

1. No more pop. I've seen some info out on the web about the awful things that are in it, and it has really turned me off! I'd like to make this a life-long thing, and not just for lent. But I'm starting here. This probably won't be too hard, except for when I scrapbook. They have a soda fountain there, with all you can drink pop all night. I'm going to develop a game plan for those nights. (I've got one coming up this Saturday night, and I'm thinking about stopping for an iced tea at Mc D's on the way to scrapbook. Calorie-free, natural, and yummy too!)

2. No more sweets. This is the kicker. This will be hard. This will require lots of prayers for strength on my part, because this is a weakness! But that's what lent is about, right? Giving up something that is hard to give up, in order to submit to the Lord. Now I'm not saying that that I am avoiding sugar. A teaspoon of sugar in my tea is not what I'm talking about. I'm simply avoiding candy, desserts, sugary cereals, and things with High-Fructose Corn Syrup as much as possible.

So there you have it! Be sure you click on the button above to see how others are Living Well this week!

2008-02-05T21:40:00.001-05:00

And since I have basically talked about, well....nothing today, here's some more for you.

I'm very bored. I'm buckling down and finally washing the grey out of my hair tonight. And it's been a loonnngg 35 minutes. And they are still interupting my show. Argh.

2008-02-05T21:30:00.000-05:00

Ok, I'm all for the news reporting about Super Tuesday. But come on guys, you get an hour at 10pm. Do you have to keep interupting regular programming to update us on your projected winners every 20 minutes? Is an hour not enough? Argh.

Back to our Regular Schedule

2008-02-05T19:00:00.000-05:00

Well, it was nice while it lasted. Todd returned to his regular, 2nd shift schedule after a nice 2 months on the 1st shift. It really isn't that bad. I've gotten used to it over the past year and a half. But for some reason it's really throwing me for a loop today!

This day just seems to be dragging on and on. It's probably because it got off to such an early start. Emma was up half the night with a horrible cough and fever. Of course, she's the good sleeper of my two girls, so Ella was up a good bit too from all of the commotion. I think I was actually awake from 3:30am- 5:30am, only to have Ella awake for the day an hour later. It was all I could do not to be grumpy this morning!

I left the house with Ella at 8:30 and headed to MOPS. This was my week to lead the meeting, and I wanted to get there a bit early. I actually was really thankful for Todd's new schedule at this point, because I wouldn't have been able to go at all with Emma being sick if he hadn't been home. MOPS was great as always. We had a very sweet, funny woman talk about teaching our children about purity. She had some great tips and a lot of wit thrown in, so I had no trouble staying awake.

I got home around noon, fed the family lunch, and put Ella down for a nap. Emma actually fell asleep at this point and I had a few moments of quiet. I talked to my sister-in-law for a while, and another friend too, but since dinner time, it has felt like 4 hours instead of 2. The girls are eating their bedtime snack, and I'm goint to sneak in a strength training workout before watching a little tv and going to bed!

Bloggers go to Uganda

2008-02-04T17:52:00.000-05:00

A group of bloggers are traveling to Uganda next week to blog about what Compassion International is doing there. Click on the link above to follow their trip!

It's the thought that counts

2008-01-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

I hated art in elementary school. I had an art teacher that, I believe, hated children. Nothing I ever did was good enough, and as a result, I suffered from a long-standing belief that I wasn't creative, not one bit. Amazing huh, the power that one horrible teacher has on a kid. (And I don't normally talk this way, but ask any of my siblings. She really was a horrible teacher!)

After the birth of my 1st child, I received a scrapbook as a gift. This wasn't the 1st scrapbook I'd ever received. I was given a Creative Memories embossed wedding album as a wedding gift, but unfortunately I didn't really know what I had. It wasn't my taste, and I had no plans to scrapbook my wedding, so I sold it at a garage sale a few years later for $5. $5! I cringe when I think if it, because I later found out that they retail for over $40. Someone got a great deal that day!

When Emma turned one, I decided to do something with that baby scrapbook that was just lying around. I had a friend who enjoyed scrapbooking, so I spent an afternoon with her at a scrapbook store, cropping (the term used by scrapbookers to define the act of scrapbooking). I was immediately hooked! Perhaps I was taken in by all of the beautiful papers and pens. Or maybe it was a flashback to my childhood hobby of sticker collecting that grabbed my attention. All I know is, it's been nearly 4 years, and I'm still going strong! I've worked at a scrapbook store and my abilities have definitely grown to the point where I finally consider myself creative. It's been a great feeling!

But something's been bothering me lately. In the scrapbooking world, there is such a thing as a "Scrapbooking Snob." It's really not much different than the cliques you experienced in high school. There are those who spend 3-4 hours on a 2 page spread, using artsy techniques, and multiple patterns of paper. These are the ones that look down on the others, less "creative" scrapbookers who scrapbook on the white page inserts that come in the albums, cut their photos into various shapes, and randomly place a few themed stickers around the page for effect. The Scrapbook Snob turns up her nose at such scrapbooking, rolling her eyes and saying things like,

"It looks like a sheet of stickers sneezed on her layout."

"She just slapped down some photos and called it a day."

I've been friends with a lot of these people, and I've thought some of these thoughts myself. But I've been growing more and more uncomfortable with this mentality. You see, I love my layouts. But when I meet new scrapbookers, I become very hesitant when they want to look at each other's books. They often say things like, "Oh, I'm not that creative. My scrapbooks aren't like this." And all of a sudden, I worry that I'm that mean art teacher that I had, making them feel like they aren't good enough.

You know what I've realized? 20 years from now, our kids aren't going to look at their scrapbooks and think, "Boy I wish my mom had been more creative. " And when they have their own kids, they aren't going to show them their books and think, "Mom used too many stickers on that page," or "I wish Mom had used a touch more ink on these photo mats." I really think that whatever way we chose to preserve our memories, our kids are just going to be glad that they did. My mom chose to keep our birthday cards and other mementos in a box for each child. I choose to scrapbook. Is either one better than the other? Nope! I'm thankful that I have things from my childhood that tell the stories of my youth. My girls will have the same, and so will they kids of the women who "Just slap their photos down and call it a day." I think this is one area where we women need to stop with our competitive attitudes, and strive to enable each other to excel in our endeavors. We'd all be better for it!

Live Well Wednesdays

2008-01-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

A few months back, I wrote a post about choosing to Live Well. I don't think I've written anything about it since then, partly because I've pretty much let it all fall by the wayside. A few months ago, I received an invitation to participate in a weekly carnival, called Live Well Wednesdays. The idea is to report on how I'm doing with this concept, and to visit others who are committed to Living Well too.

After much procrastination, here I am. I'm really going to try to do this. One of the main reasons I haven't is that I find that when I start saying things like, "I'm going to get up every morning and have my quiet time and exercise," or "I'm not eating any refined sugar today," I seem to set myself up for failure. It's almost as if the pressure of it all is more than I can deal with. In my perfectionism, I would simply rather not try, than to try and then fail.

So. Here's what I'm committing to. I'm going to post about this weekly. I'm going to try my best to share the ups and downs. This Living Well thing is part physical, part mental, but mostly spiritual. That means there will be many lows and many highs. Probably a lot of ups and downs, moment by moment. I'll keep you posted. And if you'd like to join me, please do! Click on the button above and read some amazing encouragement. Then look in the sidebar and visit others who are committing to Living Well. I know you'll be blessed and encouraged.

Ok. Here's what I've noticed today. I'm really good at procrastination! (I've actually known this for a while.) Not only is it a waste of time, but a waste of energy as well. I spent half of the morning avoiding exercising. I just didn't feel like doing it, and it had been about a week since the last time I worked out. But about 10:30 this morning, I just decided, "Stop thinking about it, and just do it!" So I did. And I felt so much better for it. I had more energy and I also didn't have to keep thinking all day about how I really should exercise.

Also. The same thing goes for my quiet time with God. I put it off, and put it off, all the while spending my emotional energy feeling like I "should" be doing it. Not that God loves me any less when I don't do it, but it's more beneficial for me to do it than not.

These are the 2 areas that I'll be working on this week. I guess it all boils down to consistency. Not that both of these things HAVE to be done each day. I don't want to get legalistic about it. But they should be done with regularity. Living Well depends on it!

After-Church Fellowship

2008-01-28T16:35:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid, going out for lunch after church on Sunday was almost a given. It's definitely something I took for granted, and I know I was always disappointed when we went home after church instead of going to a restaurant.

On many occasions, the restaurant of choice was Chi-Chi's, a mexican chain that we had in our town. Chi-Chi's no longer has their restaurants, but in it's day, it was a great place to eat. Even better was the fact that we often went out with at least one other family from church. I remember waiting FOREVER to be seated, and when our name was finally called, we had one of the biggest tables in the restaurant. All the kids would sit at one end, and the adults would fellowship at the other end. I imagine that kids ate for free on Sundays, or at least for cheap. I seem to remember the items on the kids menu being 99 cents. Boy, do I wish they still were! Anyway, those were great memories....my siblings and I with our church friends, filling up on the endless baskets of chips and salsa, adding more salt with every chip we ate, and probably making quite a mess as we enjoyed ourselves.

Nowadays I admit that I feel a sense of disappointment nearly every Sunday afternoon. We almost never eat out on Sundays, and it is my least favorite meal of the week to cook. I guess it was something I got used to as a kid, and even continued in the tradition in adulthood until I had kids. Alas, kids change everything, don't they? :)

Well, yesterday was a treat. I had finished a scrapbook for a client and made some good money for it. We decided on a whim, to eat at a local Mexican restaurant, where kids eat free on Sundays. As we were sitting there, I watched the "after-church" crowd pour in. I noticed a few tables being shoved together and a large group sitting down to enjoy a meal and continued fellowship. And it just brought back those memories. If I could do this every week I would. And I'd invite a few friends from church to join us. After all, great memories are often made around the table!

Walk Away the Pounds, Jr. Edition

2008-01-21T21:19:00.000-05:00

This is what happens when I turn on the exercise dvd.

Friday Linkage

2008-01-18T08:04:00.000-05:00

It's no secret to most of my friends that I like to browse the internet. I've decided to try to share weekly, some of the sites that have caught my interest lately. Here's the first edition!

A Year of Crockpotting - follow one woman's quest to use her crockpot every day in 2008. A new recipe is given every day! I'm wondering why I didn't think of this one.

The Pioneer Woman - I can't remember how I stumbled upon this one, but she gets somewhere near 25,000 hits a day. Unbelievable. She's a city slicker turned cattle rancher, and a great photographer too. I especially enjoy the ongoing love story between her husband and herself.

Bloggy Giveaways - a great site to visit daily if you like entering contests. Plus, a little birdy told me that my sister's card company will be sponsering a giveaway on this site next week. Go on on and enter it!

The Hunter Home - the website of my cousin and her husband. They have recently announced plans to adopt 2 children from Ethiopia and are sharing their story online. I've read some other blogs that are dedicated to this topic, and I have to say, it makes me even more excited for my cousin.

Money Saving Mom- a website that promotes frugality. Lots of tips and tricks for saving money in all sorts of ways! She also features weekly posts about the specials going on in nation-wide drugstores, and how you can maximize the discounts at those stores.

A Fun Weekend Was Had By All..

2008-01-17T09:02:00.000-05:00

or at least me. I'm pretty sure that Todd was happy to have me back home. After my brief stint at the scrapbook retreat, I returned home to the land of sticky faces and Mt. Washmoredishes.

HOWEVER.....

I had such a fabulous time while I was away that it really wasn't too hard to return. I wouldn't say I came back more rested, but certainly more refreshed.

When we arrived at the Scrap Palace, we were immediately taken by it's charm. It was set in a lovely Victorian-style house that was in the cutest little town. As we pulled in the driveway, I noticed that they had a ramp that led down to the scraproom. Bonus! I had anticipated lugging my HUGE WHEELED TOTE up a flight of stairs or two. So getting set up for my adventure turned out to be a piece of cake.

After we unloaded the car, we met the owners of the establishment and were shown our room. Let me just say that this house is so lovely! We felt years of midnight feedings and referring sibling arguements begin to fall right off of our exhausted souls. Ok, maybe not years, but at least a few months worth! We stayed in the Tranquil Room, and it was decorated with several peaceful shades of blue and green. The bathroom was right across the hall, and had a huge claw-foot tub that I was quite interested in trying out. Then I reminded myself that I was here on a mission, and I had some serious scrapping to do.

We headed down to the scrap room and spent the next hour or so getting set up, arranging our things the way we liked them. I think we did start working on our first layout, but then it was time to eat lunch.

We were treated to fabulous food all weekend, including ham and cheese panini with tomato soup, lasagne, salad with balsamic dressing, multi-grain breads, breakfast bake, fresh fruit, and croissants. The desserts were great too...chocolate mousse, ice cream, and chocolate croissants to name a few. All of the food was made from scratch and we were served restaurant-style. In addition to all of this, they kept a fridge in the crop room- fully stocked with ice cold sodas and water. Plus there was a snack bar down there too...and all of this was included in the price of the weekend.

We stayed up till 3am on Saturday night and then woke up and were scrapbooking by 8:30 am the next morning. So I really didn't get much sleep, but I did manage to finish 15 pages! And for those of you who are thinking....what? That's it? That doesn't sound like much! Let me tell you, we're not talking about pages that have their photos cut into various shapes, surrounded by random sticker placement. No. We're talking well-thought out pages, pages that have design elements on them...in essence, art. Stop laughing. At least I like to think of them as art.

After all of this fun on a "mini" weekend, we are already planning for a full-weekend excursion in the fall. The cost is considerably higher, but worth every penny. As I told my friend while we were there, "I'm loving this so much, I hate for it to end. I feel like I could do this for a week straight!" One can always hope, right?

I'm not sure if my brain can handle it...

2008-01-11T15:52:00.000-05:00

But this is the weekend that I get to escape! It really can't come soon enough. I love my family, I do. But sometimes Mom needs a break!
A few weeks ago, I got some money for Christmas from Todd's grandparents. The very 1st thing I thought of buying was a scrapbooking weekend. Now those of you who don't scrapbook will probably not understand the appeal of something like this. But let me tell you, it sounds like heaven!
I normally would not be able to afford a scrapbook retreat, as most of them run between $200-$300 for the weekend. But I received a $50 gift certificate towards a weekend at a local scrapbook store. Put that together with the fact that a local B&B was offering a $99 mini-weekend special, and voila! I'm able to go!
So here's how my weekend will go. Tomorrow morning a friend of mine is meeting me at my house around 9:30 am. We are going to hit a few area scrapbook stores before arriving at the scrapbook B&B. Check-in time is at 11am, and I assume that we'll just get settled into our room and get our supplies set up at our tables. Lunch is at 12:30. After that, it's uninterupted creativity for the rest of the day! There will only be 12 people in attendance, and we each get our own table and comfy chair. Drinks and snacks are provided all day and we also get dinner in the evening. The scrap room is open 24 hrs a day, so we can stay up as late as we want and sleep in in the morning. At least that's my plan! We have brunch on Sunday and then check-out is at noon.
I've taken the time to sketch out some of my layouts and put the sketches together with some paper, photos, and embellishments in 2-gallon plastic bags. Since we only have 24 hrs, I want to make the most of my time. Figuring out what to use would really slow me down, and this method helps me stay focused. My goal is to be caught up with my pictures through last summer (I'm currently on last spring). That way I will only have the fall and Christmas to scrapbook when I return.
Well, I've got a pot of White Chicken Chili on the stove and I'm ready to feed the family and get ready for tomorrow. I'll stop by and let you in on all the glorious details when I return!

Movie Meme

2008-01-06T22:36:00.000-05:00

I was tagged for this meme by Leslie over at Blog for Life. It sounded fun, but hard too! My memory isn't great when it comes to listing favorites of anything. So here goes.

Here are the favorite movies I've rented or seen in the theatre in the past 6 months.

Rented:

1. LOST season 1 (the whole season.) I started watching LOST back in March. In the middle of season 3. Boy, did I have a lot of catching up to do!

2. LOST season 2 (the whole season.)

3. LOST season 3. I'm actually in the middle of this one. I just finished watching disc 3 a few minutes ago and plan to finish the season before season 4 starts in a few weeks!

4. Reign Over Me. Todd and I rented this one on New Years Eve and we really liked it. It was nice to see Adam Sandler do something more serious.

5. Pursuit of Happyness.

And I'll stop there with the rental list because, as I said before, my memory eludes me.

Favorites in the theatre:

Ok, this list will be more like, "Movies I saw in the theatre." Since I hardly go, I will just list the ones I saw.

1. Bella. Great "artsy" independant film. Highly recommended!
2. Alvin and the Chipmunks. Better than I thought. Emma and I went to go see Enchanted, but it was sold out. This was the next best option.
3. National Treasure II. Todd and I had a date night last night and this is what we saw. We both really liked it, even though we haven't seen the first one.

So there you have it! My boring movie life in a nutshell. Maybe it'll give you some new ideas for your next trip to the movie store! (As my kids so fondly refer to it!)

Je n'parle pas anglais.

2008-01-04T08:14:00.000-05:00

This morning we were in the midst of our traditional morning craziness, i.e. getting everyone fed and the hubby out the door to work. Todd and the girls were sitting at the table eating and Todd and I were talking about the results of the Iowa Caucus as I made my breakfast. Since apparently one of us didn't take high school government (love you honey!), I was explaining what a caucus was to a certain someone at the table. A minute or so after we finished talking, Emma says to me, "Mom, can I invite my friends?"

"What?" I say.
"Can I invite my friends?" replied Emma.
"Honey, I don't know what you are talking about." I said.
"CAN I INVITE MY FRIENDS?" I guess she thought the extra emphasis would help me know what in the world she was talking about. I still didn't get it.
"Sweetheart, I STILL have NO IDEA what you are talking about!" I said with more than a little frustration in my voice.
"To the caucus! Can I invite my friends?"
I could not even attempt to contain my laughter. "No, Emma, it's for grow-ups." Never mind the fact that Michigan is having a Primary, not a caucus. That fact really would have been lost on her and would've opened up another discussion that I simply wasn't interested in having. Not before I had my 1st cup of coffee at least.
"But I'll be quiet!" Says Emma, in her best pleading voice.
"You're not going to the caucus, Emma. And we're not talking about this anymore." Ok, even as I typed that sentence, the uncontrollable laughter started again. Kids.

Holiday Happenings

2007-12-28T08:24:00.000-05:00

Whew! The holidays are over, can you believe it? Although this is my favorite time of year, I am ready to return to sense of normal around here. You know, the kind where you aren't always thinking about all of the gifts to buy, cookies to bake, decorations to put up, etc. We had a great Christmas, and I'm ready for the new year!

Last week we had a lot of illness hit our house. The girls have been struggling with colds for a few weeks, but I though things were getting better. Well last Wednesday Ella started getting a runny nose again. That progressed into the stomach flu and the discovery that her ear infection from 3 weeks prior had not cleared up. After her tummy was feeling better, we got her a new anti-biotic and she is feeling a lot better. Right about that same time, I developed a whopper of a sinus infection. I don't get sick often, but this really got me down. The headaches and congestion that came with it were horrible! It has taken me a full week to get over this one. Plus, Emma and I got a touch of the stomach bug that Ella had last week. I am happy to report that we are all doing so much better. We just hope that Todd doesn't catch any of it!

Our Christmas festivites began last Thursday with the arrival of Todd's parents from down south. We only get to see them a few times a year, so it was a special treat to have them here for Christmas. Thursday evening was spent catching up and Ella received a belated birthday present- a dress-up purse, complete with cell phone, car keys, wallet, and other accessories. She didn't waste any time finding her dress-up shoes and getting deck-out with her new toys!

Friday was a busy day too. I had some errands to run, so the grandparents stayed with the kids while I finished that. Todd came home from work and we all had dinner together. Fortunately, he made me take a pretty hefty dose of motrin and sudifed, and I began to feel much better (this was the day my sinus headaches began!). Todd's mom and I went to Target after dinner to get Ella's prescription filled and do some Christmas shopping.

Saturday was a really nice day. Todd's parents came over in the late morning and we got to escape! We hardly know what to do with ourselves when we are out without the children! We went to our new favorite restaurant, Pei Wei. Yummy food, and great prices. We then hit the local scrapbook store, where Todd finished up his shopping for me (I had filled out a wishlist there). We then went to Michaels for a few Cricut cartridges (on sale!!), Honeybaked Ham, Walgreens, and Target. We finally had all of our shopping done. Probably the worst store to be in was Target. I could not believe how insanely busy it was there!

Saturday night we went to a local coney island before heading out to Holiday Nights at the Henry Ford. We went here last year and had a great time. This year was a bit different because Ella decided to be difficult the entire time. I'm beginning to think that she doesn't like crowds, because she was very unsettled. She didn't want to be in the stroller, but she didn't want to walk. She hated getting on the Model T and wagon rides. And she refused to get anywhere near Santa. We decided that we need to wait a while before planning a trip to Disney! I'm sure she'd hate it right now!

Sunday we just stayed in the house. No one went to church because we were all sick. I made dinner and then we took it easy.

Monday I had to get my shopping done for Christmas dinner. The stores were amazingly empty; I guess everyone got their shopping done over the weekend. When I got home, I got to work cooking. Here's what I planned for Christmas dinner:

HoneyBaked Ham

Sweet Potato Casserole

Mashed Potatoes

Broccoli Salad

Christmas Rice Salad

Green Beans

Rolls

Paula Dean's Coconut Cake

I baked the coconut cake and put it all together except for the icing. Then I cooked the sweet potatoes and put that casserole together and in the fridge. Finally, I made the Christmas Rice Salad. Normally I triple the recipe when I'm making it for my family because it's a family recipe and everyone HAS to have it at Thanksgiving and Christmas. This time I doubled it because Todd's parents weren't familiar with it, and I didn't think they'd eat as much of it. I probably could have just made a single recipe, but there was plenty left-over for a few days. That's fine by me, because it tastes great!

Christmas Eve we went to church, and then we came home and did the traditional stocking exchange. The girls got their new Christmas pj's, and we all got to bed. It was fun to play Santa with the gifts after the girls went to sleep. They definitely got a lot of toys!

Christmas morning, Todd's parents came over for a hot breakfast before we exchanged gifts. The rest of the day was spent relaxing, playing games, opening toys, and eating dinner. Overall we had a really great time, and the girls really enjoyed Christmas this year.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

2007-12-17T18:53:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone! Welcome to my home! By now I'm sure you've visited 1001 blogs, and you need a break. Well, pour yourself a cup of coffee, grab one of those cookies you've been slaving away at, and kick up your feet! Make yourself at home!

This is my first time participating in a bloggy home tour. I've never done it in the past because I've never thought that anyone would care to see my humble decorating abilities. But I couldn't resist, so here goes.

I'm sure you noticed the lovely wreath on the front door when you entered. This is the first year I've had a wreath. I've always wanted a fresh balsom wreath, but I settled for a fake one from Meijer. It was easier on the budget!

My pictures are in quite a random order, so we'll just start here. This is one of my favorite ornaments. My husband and I bought it on our honeymoon to Montana. I love the moose sitting on top! I also love to collect ornaments from places that I've visited. It makes for a unique tree!

These little snomen sit on my end table. I got them at the bookstore where I worked about 7 years ago, and that's as far as I've gotten on my snowman collection. I wish the company still made them, because I'd love to have more! I love their red sweaters and real knit caps and scaves.

When you send me your Christmas card, this is where it goes. I bought this card-holder last year and it sure beats my old method of hanging cards...scotch tape on the wall. I am a bit of a card snob, and I love to count them every few days to see how many I have!

Well this is what I had going on in my house today. I baked cookies from 8:30 am until 3:30 pm. These particular ones are for my daughter's preschool party tomorrow. She helped cut them out and ice them.

Our cute little snowmen, just out of the oven!

It's at this point in the tour that I feel I must tell you that I live in an 800 square-foot apartment. Soo.....please don't mind the glaringly white walls and small space. I can't do much about the walls, but I'm trying to make the space that I have a bit more cozy this time of year. I found this garland with lights at Meijer and I tied the bows for an extra festive look.

Our Charlie Brown tree. Small, but pretty. I realize that the bottom couple of feet are severely lacking in ornamentation. This is my half-hearted attempt at keeping the 2-year old's paws off the tree!

This is a little grouping I have on top of my entertainment cabinet. I LOVE the angel and the nativity is so pretty when it's lit.

And last, but not least, my very favorite ornament on the tree. It's another one that we got on our honeymoon and it makes me think of majestic mountains and crisp air.

Thanks for stopping by tonight! Enjoy the rest of the tour and come back soon! Oh- and don't stop now. Go visit the rest of the homes!

Dear people who make the Kit-Kats:

2007-12-16T07:02:00.000-05:00

It was with great joy that I discovered your mint variety a few "Holiday" seasons ago. They were all the rage with my friends, and caused much sneaking and bribing to take place among us. Maybe it was the fact that they were a great combination of cool mint, dark chocolate, and your signature crispy crunchy texture. Or maybe it's that they had an uncanny resemblance to a certain thin mint cookie sold by scouts every year. Whatever the reason, they were delicious, and we began to dream about them and look forward to them every time the leaves started to turn.

Imagine my disappointment at not being able to find these delectible treats this year! I have searched high and low (ok, maybe just at Target, Walmart, and Meijer), but to no avail. I'm afraid you have discontinued this flavor, and if so, you have made a grave mistake. Your current "Holiday" flavor leaves much to be desired...a variety bag of snack size bars that include milk chocolate, white chocolate, and mildly sweet dark chocolate (which by they way, would not please a true lover of the dark stuff). Sigh. I guess I will have to live with one less tempation this year. The season will not be the same. But please, don't make us suffer this way again next year. Bring back the mint!

It was one of the only times I've ever wished for a camera on my cell phone.

2007-12-10T18:15:00.000-05:00

Today I took the girls to Meijers for a quick shopping trip. I was feeling especially festive, and the girls were in a good mood, so I decided that we'd stop by the holiday decorations and just browse a little. We had fun looking at the lawn decorations and artificial trees. After a while we continued our shopping and moved to the baking section. I let Emma pick out a cookie cutter because we are making cookies for her Christmas party at preschool. I needed to grab some powdered sugar, waxed paper, and butter to get me all set for a big batch of holiday baking goodness.

And then it happened. We stopped to grab some food coloring, since I had plans to do an egg yolk wash on the cut-outs to give them a nice glossy finish. I was going to just buy a box of assorted colors, but they had some single bottles of red and green, I'm assuming for the holidays. I looked at them, but decided not to commit myself to just one color. As soon as I grabbed a box of colors off the shelf, Emma pointed to the box of red coloring and told me that she'd like to have that one. Well, apparently those boxes aren't very stable because with the slightest touch of her finger, that box toppled right off the shelf. No big deal, I thought. I told her to pick it up and put it back on the shelf.

Big mistake. As soon as she picked up the box, red food coloring POURED out of the box, all over her hand, coat, and floor. I grabbed the box out of her hand and threw it on the floor, trying to stop the mess, but it was too late. She just stood there, holding her hand out, covered in red! My goodness! She looked like the victim of a serious crime, and everyone who entered that aisle stared openly at us. A few people even asked me if she was bleeding!

I quickly called for the stockman who was further down the aisle, assuring him that this was not blood, only food coloring. All the time I'm thinking, why couldn't it have been the green one? At least then people wouldn't think my child was injured! The man got some paper towel and some stain remover for her coat. I cleaned her up as best as I could and high-tailed it out of there! The whole ride home I could not stop laughing. She looked so funny covered in food coloring and she was so stunned she was speechless! Fortunately for me, I got her coat in the wash as soon as we got home and most of it came out. That's really good because she doesn't have another coat to wear, so she'd have to look injured the rest of the winter!

It's a Wonderful Christmas

2007-12-06T09:31:00.000-05:00

So I received my copy of Michael W. Smith's new album, "It's a Wonderful Christmas," in the mail last week. It came right in time for the holidays and we had planned to set up our Christmas tree that day, so we popped it in! I knew I would like it, but I had no idea how much!

This album is quickly becoming my favorite Christmas album this year. What I really like about it is that it has so many instrumental pieces on it. I'm a huge fan of MWS's instrumental compositions, and this album doesn't disappoint! We played it while we set up the tree and it was a really nice background piece. The songs that do have lyrics are nice too, especially the duet with Mandisa.

My kids really like this music too! I brought it with us while we were running errands yesterday, and Emma kept asking for me to turn it up! Overall this is a great album to put on during the holidays. It will put you in the Christmas spirit and bring a little peace and joy to a very hectic time of year!

Merry Christmas from MWS...

2007-11-21T11:20:00.000-05:00

Look what I'm going to get in the mail! If you act fast, you can too! As soon as I receive it, I'll give it a listen and then write a review here. I can't imagine it will be anything less than wonderful. Michael W. Smith is a great composer, and I've loved his past Christmas albums. Also, Todd and I walked back down the aisle at our wedding to a number off of his instrumental album. So I guess I'm a little partial to his music! So click on the button above, and have a listen. And if you have a blog, you can get it for free too!

And I owe a big thanks to BooMama for letting me know about this opportunity!

If you're going to see a movie this weekend.....

2007-11-20T08:10:00.000-05:00

Then go see Bella.

I saw this movie a few days ago, and it was wonderful. I had never heard of it until my friend invited me to go to the movies with her. We were going to see something else, but it was sold out when we got there. Being that it was 9pm, our choices were limited, so we settled on "Bella". We weren't disappointed.

"Bella" is not your typical, big-budget, Hollywood film. It has an "art-film" feel about it, with the cinematography giving you the feeling that you are part of the story. In a nutshell, it is about a woman in NYC who finds herself pregnant and without a job. A man that she used to work with befriends her and they spend the day together. She is set on getting an abortion, and he doesn't argue with her. Instead, he takes her to lunch and gets her a job. He then takes her to meet his family. Through a series of events, she discovers unconditional friendship and love from this friend and his family. Equally, the man experiences much needed healing from a tragic event in his past.

I know I'm being kind of vague, but I don't want to give all the details away. But this is an excellent choice for this weekend, and you will be touched from having seen it. Please go here to see if it's playing in your area.

White Chicken Chili

2007-11-20T07:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I made a yummy lunch of White Chicken Chili and Cheesy Garlic Bicuits. Todd and I could not stop raving about how they both turned out! I thought I'd share the yummy-ness with you all.

First, I don't have a recipe for the biscuits. I had a Beer Bread Mix in my pantry from Tastefully Simple. The recipe was on the box, and it was fantastic!

Secondly, I originally found this recipe here. I modified it a bit, so what I'm going to give you is my version. Have fun! Oh, and if you don't like spicy, you might want to skip this. But if you enjoy having a party in your mouth, then keep reading.

White Chicken Chili

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 cups chopped onion
1/2 diced green pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with chilies
1 jar (24 oz) Randall white beans
1 (14 oz) can veggie or chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Garnish with:

shredded cheese and sour cream, if desired

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil. Add chicken to pan, cook 10 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently.
2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add 1 Tablespoon oil. Add onion and green pepper to pan, saute 6 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in garlic, cumin, italian seasoning and coriander, saute 1 minute.
3. Add the chicken, tomatoes, beans and broth, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in hot sauce.
4. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cheese and sour cream. Yum!

Happy Birthday Ella!

2007-11-14T07:04:00.000-05:00

Happy 2nd Birthday, Sweet Girl! We love you!

Halloween

2007-11-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Update on Max

2007-11-07T05:57:00.000-05:00

A huge thankyou to those of you who've been praying for Max. He is doing well, and is home from the hospital for now. He had surgery last week to remove an egg-size tumor from his back. It was pressing on the kidneys and had tenticles that were wrapped around his spinal column. The doctors were able to remove the majority of it, and they also did a bone marrow tap and bone biopsy. Both of those tests came back negative for cancer, which you can imagine is a huge blessing! He is still facing chemo, most likely, but it will probably be a week or two before they begin that process. Please continue to pray for Max's recovery from surgery, and of course for strength for his parents as it can't be easy to watch your 7-month old baby go through cancer. Thanks!

Urgent Prayer Request

2007-11-01T21:48:00.000-04:00

I just received this email. I had this little boy in nursery on Sunday, and it is just shocking to realize how fast this family's world has changed. Please pray!!

Below is a prayer request from our Pastor Don "P". This little boy is his grandson:

"Today has been one of those days that we don’t expect and cannot plan for. Our 7-month-old grandson went in for an MRI on a small lump on his back (one doctor thought it was just muscle because it was so hard), and they admitted him immediately to the oncology floor and strongly believe that it is cancer. The oncologist told us that he cannot be sure until he looks at tissue samples, but he is pretty sure even as to the kind of cancer that it is.
So Max is scheduled for surgery on Friday for biopsies and/or removal of the mass. The type of cancer they suspect typically goes into the bone and bone marrow, so they will biopsy that as well at the same time.
Please pray for Max, the doctors, and for his parents. We will, no doubt, be spending lots of time at Children’s Hospital in the days ahead. Pray that my wife and I will be able to encourage them along the way.
One note as you pray… the doctors have told us that the fact that Max is under a year old is huge in all this. Typically, very young children do much better with this cancer, even if it is advanced. So pray that in his youth, he will be able to fight off this cancer and do well in the next few days and weeks. We DO know that the Lord has this situation in His hands but He also says we are to go to Him in prayer for EVERYTHING and that is what I ask you to do now. "

Chai anyone?

2007-10-29T06:48:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago we traveled over to my Mom and Dad's neck of the woods for my cousin's wedding. A friend of mine watched the girls while we went to the ceremony and reception. I have to admit, it was really nice to go to a wedding and actually enjoy myself instead of chasing my kids around. My kids are usually pretty well behaved, but let's face it. They are 4 and nearly 2 years old, and their attention spans are very short. So Todd and I had a date, and since that actually occurs about once every 7 years, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The next day we went to church with my parents, and then out to eat one of our favorite foods- Indian.

Now if you know anything about my family, you know that we are not meat and potatoes sort of people. Sure, my parents grew up on meat and potatoes, but somewhere about 10 years into their marriage, they really started to branch out into the joys of food that has more than just salt and pepper on it. My dad traveled to India in the late 80's and when he returned, he couldn't wait to share the traditional cuisine with his family. Being from a traditionally Dutch part of Michigan, that desire was nigh unto impossible to fulfill. So when we took a trip to Washington DC shortly after my dad returned, we got our 1st exposure to the types of food my dad ate on his trip.

I was 12 years old at the time, and I still remember walking the dark streets of DC in search of this restaurant. We kids didn't really realize it, but there was a huge gay pride demonstration going on (close your eyes kids!) and put that together with it being night time in an unknown city with 4 young kids, and I think my dad felt as stressed out as he did when trying to navigate his way through a swarm of people on the streets of New Delhi. Anyway, we made it to the restaurant safe and sound. While I don't remember much about what I ate that night, I do seem to remember that we all seemed to enjoy the meal. That was my first taste of the wonders of naan (a flat bread) and lassi (a sweet yogurt drink). And maybe it's just because I was 12, and my memory is a bit foggy at that point, but I don't remember any of us kids really hating that sort of food. Now that we are all grown up, we all get so excited at the mere mention of an Indian buffet. You just don't get those same tastes anywhere else. In fact, when I graduated from college, guess what type of neighborhood I moved to? Indian. I didn't move there for the food, but hey, I never complained about the convenience of it either.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago. Todd and I hadn't been to an Indian restaurant since I was pregnant with Emma, 5 years ago. So we were very excited to taste this yummy food again. When we got to the restaurant, it was around 12:30, and the place was packed. There was really no order to the place; someone took our name, but our confidence level was not very high that we would actually be called when a table was free. After waiting about 1/2 an hour, we finally got a seat. By this point, the kids were hungry and Ella was getting really tired. I quickly got some food for them, but since I knew that most of the food was spicy, I stuck with plain rice, naan, a little chicken, and some rice pudding. Todd and I fixed our plates and sat down to enjoy our meals, but right about that time, Ella decided she really didn't want to sit in her highchair. She started screaming , and wouldn't let anyone but Todd hold her. Emma began to make faces and started complaining about how horrible the food was. The only thing either of them would really eat was the rice pudding, and I couldn't keep it coming fast enough. Apparently, neither could the chef, because it ran out right in the middle of our personal caos. We ended up eating our food as fast as we could and high-tailing it out of there, trying to avoid any more embarrassing moments. I think it will be a while before we try to instill the love of Indian food in our children. We'll have to save that for our next date night.

Somersaults

2007-10-22T11:02:00.000-04:00

Ella showing off a bit. Please don't mind the shredded tissue in the background. Ella had a bit of fun with it before we took the video!

Pumpkin Time

2007-10-21T08:22:00.001-04:00

This weekend we made our annual trek to the pumpkin patch. We decided to keep it simple, letting the girls pick out a small pumpkin, and enjoying a donut and apple cider. Emma had a great time, but Ella just wasn't into it. There were some scary sounds and a few witches around and she just wasn't liking it one bit. I don't think she cracked a smile the entire time we were there!

Emma shows off her snack. Ella was so put out by the experience that she wouldn't even touch a donut or drink any cider!

The girls pose on the tractor. (Ella was eye-balling the Wicked Witch of the West. Just picture a witch on a broom who spins around on top of a pole so it looks like she's flying. There's smoke coming out from behind her and she's screaming, "I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too!" Yeah, Ella was pretty suspicious of that.)

Emma's choice of pumpkins.

Ella's got her's too.

The girls and their pumpkins.

Fall Blessings

2007-10-12T07:49:00.000-04:00

Is it possible to slow down time? I was just sitting here thinking that this is my absolutely favorite time of year. This time when the leaves start to change and the weather turns cooler. The time when people enjoy a good get together to celebrate what they are thankful for or to enjoy precious moments with loved ones. This time which is all things from pumpkins, leaves, and apples, to turkeys, pies and, in my family, the family tradition of Rice Salad. (More on that closer to Thanksgiving.) And finally, my favorite holiday, Christmas. I love it all; the lights, the trees, the music, the biting cold snow. But most of all, I enjoy watching my children enjoy this time of year.

Again, I ask. Can't I just slow down time a little? In spite of this being a fantastic time of year, a time that I long to savor, it just goes by so darn fast! Remember when we were kids and time seemed to just drag on? I remember a 9-week marking period in school feeling like an eternity. Now I find myself thinking, "Oh no! There's only 9 weeks till Christmas! It's going to fly by and then we will have to suffer through the dreariness of January and February." (I think January and February have a few extra days snuck into them somehow!)

I was talking with my sister in law yesterday about the importance of beginning family traditions. We reminisced about our own families traditions at Christmas time. In my family, we always received a new pair of pj's on Christmas Eve. It's a tradition that Todd and I have carried on in our family, and it's my way of being guaranteed cute Christmas photos the next morning! In my SIL's family, they always made a paper chain to decorate the house at Christmas time. We laughed as we realized that we both thought that our own family traditions were the norm in households across the United States, all the while feeling just a little sorry for those who didn't get new pj's or make paper chains as children.

So all of this brings me to this. I have a desire to create traditions for my children too. Traditions on which they will one day look back with fond memories. Traditions that they may choose to carry on in their own families. Will my girls give their kids new pj's on Christmas Eve? How old will they be before they are asking me to show them how to make Grandma's Rice Salad? Will they choose to observe Advent, a tradition that I'm hoping to begin this year in our family? I guess most of all, I desire for them to cherish these times in their lives. You only get one childhood, and I want my kids to have a great one. I want them to learn the importance of family and heritage, both in an earthly sense, and in a spiritual sense. I want them to love this time of year too, and to find as many ways as they can to find joy in all that God has blessed us with.

There are a lot of reasons I've been thinking about this kind of stuff, but there is one resource in particular that I've recently found that is quite interesting. Seasons at Home is a brand new magazine that celebrates women being at home for a season. It has articles on hospitality, hand-crafts, homeschooling, and of course, lots of great recipes! It's very traditional, but I lately I find myself rebelling against all things feminist, and craving the traditional role of being a wife and mother. If a little bit of the old-fashioned life is calling your name, you'd love this magazine!

I Won, I Won!

2007-10-08T09:56:00.000-04:00

Look! Look what I won! I'm thrilled because I just found out that I won this DVD in a contest over at Bloggy Giveaways! I love these DVD's, and so do my kids. They're calm, soothing, and best of all, they teach my kids songs about Jesus. Nothing warms a mother's heart like her children singing along with "Jesus Loves Me!"

So, for your chance to win some great prizes, go visit
Bloggy Giveaways each day. There are contests EVERY DAY people, and not just for kids stuff. Right now there's a contest for a wireless keyboard-go check it out!

Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style

2007-10-05T06:16:00.000-04:00

Welcome! I hope you enjoy my recipes! I've had such a hard time narrowing down my list, but I've gotten it down to 2 recipes. We have a ton of apples and pumpkins this time of year around my house. Here are some recipes to help you make the most of what this season has to offer! Once you've gotten my recipes, don't forget to click here to find some more wonderful things to make for the holidays! Oh, and please don't forget to leave me a comment!

Oatmeal Apple Bars
Apple Filling:

Peel, core and chop 3-4 apples. In a medium sauce pan, combine apples, 2 T water, 1 T lemon juice, and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 8-10 minutes until tender.

Bars:

1 C Flour

1 C. Rolled Oats

2/3 C packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 C butter

1 recipe apple filling

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, and soda. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles course crumbs.

2. Press 1/2 of the mixture in an ungreased, 9x9 pan. Top with apple filling. Sprinkle with remaining mixture.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Pumpkin Cobbler

1 large can of pumpkin,

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

3 tsp pumpkin pie spice

13 oz evaporated milk

1 box yellow cake mix

1 Cup butter, melted

2 T brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend together first 6 ingredients. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle cake mix over top. Pour melted butter to completely cover the cake mix. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Top with walnuts. Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until set.

My children are playing together nicely and I hate to ruin a good thing.

2007-10-03T17:40:00.000-04:00

Right now, as I write, my children are playing. Together. Without screaming. or arguing. or fighting. And I happened to just glance over at the couch and see the most precious thing.
Ella is laying on the couch, pretending to sleep. Emma is pretending to be her Mama, and Ella is playing right along! I'm hearing pretend snores coming from Ella, and Emma is getting ready to "read" a book to Ella. Ella has also brought the small fan from their bedroom out into the living room, and Emma unplugged the lamp to plug the fan in.

"What are you girls doing?" I ask.

"We're playing sleep-time." says Emma.

"Are you sleeping, Ella?" I ask.

"Yesssss." says Ella, her lisp very pronounced.

It's so cute! And gives me all those warm, fuzzy feelings that you love to have for your kids. Because a few hours ago? Those feelings weren't there. Nope. I wasn't feeling too warm and fuzzy when Emma yanked Ella off of a dining room chair, scraping Ella's face on the desk in the process. But I have a smile on my face now. Doesn't seem that long ago that I was doing the same thing with my siblings.

The Yummiest Package I've Ever Received!

2007-09-18T10:08:00.000-04:00

Remember that Bloggy Giveaway that I did back in July? Well I won a few contests myself, and this was one of them. A few weeks ago, this lovely package arrived at my door, filled to the brim with German chocolates! I'd be lying if I said we still had any hanging around the house. Nope, these babies got eaten up pretty fast by one and all! A big thank you goes out to Susan at The Brandenburg Diaries for her wonderful generosity! They were delicious!

Nice Matters

2007-09-17T22:04:00.000-04:00

A big thanks goes out to my Sister-in-law, Chanda, for bestowing my 1st blog award to me! Chanda and I have had a chuckle over this award, and we've come to the conclusion that it just means we are nice people. I've been told that I need to pass it on, so in the spirit of the award, I'm going to give you some links to people that I think are really nice too. Please go check out their blogs and leave them a comment to let them know you stopped by. Bloggers love comments! Hey, leave me one too while you're at it!

So here's where it gets hard. Anyone listed in my sidebar could receive this award, as I typically don't list people who are mean. And some of them have already gotten the award, one of them several times, so that would just be silly to bestow it upon them a 6th or 7th time. So, I'm going to link you to folks that you may not know. Blogs that I find interesting. Blogs that touch my heart. Hope you enjoy the linkage!

I actually just stumbled upon The Homespun Heart for the 1st time today. I was immediately drawn to the layout of the blog, as well as the content. Monica looks like she truly has the gift of hospitality and is a pro with the details. Plus, I'm really loving her Homespun Christmas Trees and ornaments. So cute!

Amy's Humble Musings has been a favorite of mine for a long time. She and her family are trading in their sunny Florida home for a farm in Kentucky. She's also expecting baby #6 in November. But I really love all the links that she posts in her sidebar. If you're looking for thought-provoking, go visit Amy.

The next couple of links aren't blogs, but they are websites that I've been enjoying lately. Nemia Creative is a classy website that offers one of a kind holiday cards and birth announcements. The designs are unique and contemporary, and the cards are high quality. You can choose from a traditional one-sided photo card or an actual folded card, printed both inside and out. Personalize it with your photo and greeting, and you're guaranteed to have "the" Christmas card that everyone remembers this year!

Recently I've had a hankering for a much simpler life, and Mary Jane's Farm has been doing a great job of filling that need in my life! For my birthday last week, I received a wonderful gift box from the farm, complements of my Mom and Dad. If you're looking for organic mixes and items to help make a more simple home, you've found just the place. While you're there, pick up a copy of their apron patterns. They make me want to get out my sewing machine and put one together, and I haven't sewn in a few years!

And last, but not least, I give you Simpler Times Village. Let's all start practicing our "Oohs and Awws", because that's exactly what you're going to do when you take a look at this village. It's an old-fashioned town that's going to be built next year, all around the idea of creating a small community where the people rely on each other. You know, reviving the concept of knowing thy neighbor. The town will be set up so that residents can walk to the shops they need to purchase from. There will also be small farms and work/live homes in the town. You just have to go visit to see what I'm talking about.

Well that's all for now folks. When you've visited everyone above, please do visit the folks in my sidebar. Because they're my favorites and that's why they stay there. Hope you found a new favorite or two today yourself!

First Day of School

2007-09-16T23:30:00.000-04:00

The Ultimate Healing

2007-09-13T18:31:00.000-04:00

On Monday, September 10, Amy Wilhoite passed away. To many of you, that name won't mean a thing. But some of you, like me, have been reading her story and praying for her for quite a while now. Her blog was one that I visited on a daily basis. I found it back in February and read every post, crying through most of it. I can't imagine what it was like to experience leukemia as a young, 20-something mother of a young boy-who is the same age as my Ella. And in a strange way, I felt like I lost someone who was a friend. I realize I never met her or spoke to her, but I prayed for her and I guess that I felt connected in that way.

So after I read about her passing on Monday, I started reading the comments that people left on her blog and following various links from those comments. There are so many others out there who have been fighting the same battle, and so many loved ones who are left behind to grieve after they pass. I began to feel really sad and I started to wonder why God would allow so much suffering to take place for those people, only to have them pass away in the end.

Well then I stumbled across this post, and it gave me some much needed perspective. Instead of questioning why God allows some to suffer, I began to realize that it's by God's grace and mercy that we aren't ALL suffering in such a way.

I want to encourage you to go read about Amy. She had strength and courage, yet remained honest and real in her posting. And pray for her husband, baby, and family that she leaves behind. I know that some tough days are ahead for them.

Choosing to Live Well

2007-09-05T21:40:00.000-04:00

There's something I've been thinking about a lot lately. I'm not who I used to be. Before having children, before getting married, I was a different person. Energetic, patient, joyful, confident. And somewhere along the way, that person got lost amidst the sleepless nights of motherhood and the everyday stresses of a single-income marriage.

Don't get me wrong, I love being a wife and a mother. But I'm on a mission. You see, I've come to realize that I deserve better. Oh yes, my family deserves better from me too, but in order to give them a better me, I have to be motivated to become a better me for myself. It's not just about gaining weight, yelling at my kids, or being grumpy most of the time. Those, I believe, are just the outward fruits of the seeds I've been sowing. A few years ago I traded in my spiritual passion and commitment to my faith, for the burden of trying to do everything in my own strength, my own power, my own pride. I guess deep down, I really believe that I can do a better job with my life than God can.

Anyway, my mind is still processing this realization and I'm not sure of all the paths that I will head down. I do know that it's time for some pretty major changes in my life. And I'm starting with my spirit. My spirit has been dried up and cynical for quiet some time, and it's time to get out the hoe, if you will, and start digging up fresh dirt.

Tomorrow I'm making a big commitment. I'm joining Bible Study Fellowship, and it's serious Bible Study at it's best. The focus is not on sitting around with your cup of coffee and chatting with your neighbor for an hour. Frankly, I've got plenty of that in my life, and I need those times to keep my sanity. But BSF focuses on the actual BIBLE STUDY. We will be studying the book of Matthew and have daily studies to do at home, with teaching and discussion happening during the meetings. A big commitment, but something I desperately need in my life. Discipline.

I've got some other ideas about how to bring discipline and more order to my life, but for now, I'm keeping them to myself. Sometimes I'm too quick to share things and don't spend enough time on developing those things. But I'd encourage you to click on the button at the top of this post and read the article that's featured there. It only served to confirm what I believe God's been putting on my heart for a long time. I guess I'm finally ready to grow again.

Nemo and Mia are coming to visit!

2007-08-21T11:39:00.001-04:00

Next week, my sister and her 2 kids are coming for a visit. We are very excited around here because we haven't seen them in nearly 3 years! Emma is especially excited to see Nemo. They were just toddlers when they last played together, and I doubt either of them actually remember each other. They know each other from pictures, but that's about it. And Mia, well, she's just 17 months old, so we've never even met her!

This morning Emma and I worked on making a "Countdown Book." We made one page for each of the "sleeps" that are left before Nemo and Mia arrive. Whenever something exciting is coming up, Emma always asks me how many "sleeps" until it happens. I thought this would be a great way to help her look forward to their arrival!

Emma works on cutting the paper.

I wrote the numbers and words, and Emma drew the pictures. When I was writing the numbers, Emma said "Mama, are we counting backwards like a rocket?" So cute! And quite possibly a sign that she watches too much "Little Einsteins".

One of our pages.

It takes a lot of concentration to get every color on one page!

Emma is so proud of our project. We put it on our fridge and we will take a page off every morning!

Starbucks Controversy

2007-08-15T08:08:00.000-04:00

It seems that there are some people, Christians and non-Christians, who are a bit upset about Starbucks' latest marketing campaign. Honestly, I don't know what they are so upset about.

Why do we as Christians feel so threatened by what non-believers think about God? They don't agree with our beliefs, so why would we expect them to say anything that promotes them?

Read the quote on the cup pictured. While I admit that it's a bit irreverant, there is a large element of truth to it. People tend to think of Heaven as this boring place where we are going to lay around in the clouds all day. If that's true, then why would anyone want that? What would be "Heaven" about a boring eternity?

Instead of criticizing Starbucks for putting quotes on their cups that are of different opinions than ours, perhaps we should embrace these quotes. Strike up a conversation with the person sitting next to us, or that friend or loved one with whom we would otherwise feel uncomfortable talking about these topics. What's the harm in conversation? I think it much better to go through life having difficult conversations, than to pass by people without a word, pretending that what we Christians have is not something that others would want to learn about.

Emma-last summer

2007-08-14T22:32:00.000-04:00

My latest layout. Journaling reads, "Love your smile, that twinkle in your eyes. Three-such a great age to be. You're growing so fast...too fast! You are sweet, loving, affectionate, a big helper to me. Being outside, hanging from the tree in our backyard, spending time with friends...all some of your favorite things this summer! -Summer 2006"

6 Years Ago

2007-08-06T22:09:00.000-04:00

Our 6th wedding anniversary is on Saturday. Time has gone by so fast! We took lots of pictures on our honeymoon in Montana....unfortunately, something was wrong with my camera and most of the outdoor shots were extremely dark and impossible to decipher! Oh that we would've had a digital camera back then! Anyway, this is the best photo of the 2 of us, taken on a hike through Glacier National Park. I recently stumbled across this "Montana" tag that I bought a few years ago, and decided to create a page in honor of our anniversary. This was my first time to play with my new flourish stamps, and I'll admit, I had a tough time working with all of the elements that I wanted on my page. I'm still not sure I like the placement of everything, but the colors are perfect and the photo is my favorite part! Happy Anniversary Honey!

It's her favorite spot these days

2007-08-04T18:40:00.000-04:00

It seems that every time I turn around lately, Ella is in her favorite spot-my kitchen table! I can't begin to tell you how much this frustrates me. I've gotten to the point where I just leave her there sometimes. I've tried punishment, but honestly, she is pretty careful and knows how to get down by herself. So tonight after dinner, I couldn't resist taking these photos. The lighting was so beautiful, and she was really enjoying herself. And for some reason, she thinks the table needs to be vaccumed. Hmm.

I'm a winner too!

2007-08-01T15:04:00.000-04:00

Last week, during the great blog giveaway of 2007, I won a few prizes. I thought it would be fun to thank those who are sending me their special items, by posting about them when I receive the prizes. Well, I got my 1st one today, and I couldn't be more excited!!

Jessica has a sweet blog and and even sweeter Etsy Shop. I won a $20 gift certificate to her shop, and I had such a hard time deciding what to use it on! Jessica and I emailed back and forth a number of times last week and today I received a beautiful collection of bows! She even included an extra couple of bows and a yummy-smelling bar of soap! Sorry for the quality of the photos. To really get an idea of what she does, you'll just have to pay her a visit!

Thanks Jessica! I can't wait for my girls to wear the bows!

And the winner is.......

2007-07-27T07:51:00.000-04:00

Lisacate!

A big thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway-over 213 of you!!! And for those of you who didn't win, please check out my website. If you leave a comment letting me know you want to place an order, I'll make sure you receive 15% off and free shipping! This offer is good through August 11.

Again, thanks for visiting my blog. I hope you'll stop by again soon!

Weekend Fun

2007-07-26T18:16:00.001-04:00

Emma loves to ride the bike!

Ella, enjoying some icecream. This was the day after the seizure.

A Bit of a Scare

2007-07-26T17:35:00.001-04:00

The weekend started out fine. We had plans to go camping-just for one night. Friday night we spent at home, getting everything together. I could tell my youngest, Ella, wasn't feeling well. It's hard when they are so little-she's only 20 months old- to tell what's wrong with them. All I knew was that she was very clingy and had little appetite. Friday night didn't prove much better-she was up from 12:30-3am, fussy, clingy, and not feeling well. I kept giving her Tylenol, because she felt warm. She has a history of febrile seizure, so we didn't want to go there again.
Saturday morning I had to make a decision. Stay home with Ella, or go with Todd and Emma to the campground. Ella seemed a little better, and while she did have a fever, it seemed manageable with Tylenol. So....we headed off.
A little more than an hour after arriving, Ella started to fuss again. She'd been having fun at the campground, helping Todd get the tent set up and exploring the site. She grabbed her blankie, but I took it from her because I didn't want her dragging it all over the dirt. When I turned around, she was laying on the ground. My first thought was that she was throwing a fit, but then I noticed she wasn't moving. One look in her eyes told me exactly what was happening. She was having another febrile seizure.
Ella's eyes were rolling back in her head, her breathing was irregular, and she was unresponsive to me. She wasn't shaking, just stiff. I started screaming and snatched her up, thinking we'd get in the car to seek help. All the time I'm yelling, "Call 911! Call 911!" We jumped in the van, but I decided that we didn't have time to go anywhere. Todd called 911 and we layed her back on the ground. While he kept her head turned, I was frantic and on the phone with the operator. I kept hearing a clicking noise in her throat and began to believe she was choking.
After about 4 minutes, the seizure stopped and she was in a sort of calm daze. It was at that point that the ambulance arrived. The perimedic grabbed her and put her in the ambulance, with me jumping in behind them. They immediately put ice packs behind her neck and on her stomach. They then started an iv- and that began a 1 hour stretch of screaming- from Ella. She was so miserable and so tired of being messed with.
I won't even get started on the hospital experience because it was sub-par in my opinion. I mean, come on. My baby just had a febrile seizure, brought on by a very high fever, and no one took her temp for 45 minutes! And at that point, it was 103.6 degrees. I can only imagine how high it was when she seized.
Well praise God, she's fine now. She had a doctor's appointment and we found out that she did not have an ear infection as the hospital had diagnosed. She actually has herpangina, a viral infection which causes high fever and blisters on the throat. We need to schedule an appointment with a neurologist, to be on the safe side, but the doctor says she's fine. The unfortunate thing is, she will probably have more before she grows out of this condition-around age 6. I'm just so thankful that she's fine. I was so scared and worried, but my baby's going to be fine.

And yet, another giveaway

2007-07-23T15:46:00.000-04:00

And this one's a REALLY good one. 5 Minutes for Mom is giving away $300 in dairy! That's right, and it's the good stuff too. Horizon Organic. Go visit 5 minutes for Mom to enter!

Monk and Neagle

2007-07-20T09:30:00.000-04:00

Ok, BooMama has been hosting a cd giveaway for Monk and Neagle. You still have a chance to get in on the giveaway. Go here to register for their newsletter and for a chance to win a free cd! And click on the video above. You're really going to like it!

Prayers

2007-07-18T08:21:00.000-04:00

Please go here, read up on what's happening with Amy, and pray as you can. She's really struggling in her fight against cancer and I know she'd appreciate prayers.

Also, please pray for Scott, the son-in-law of my director with the Body Shop, Jeanette. He's 32 yrs old and is in intensive care because he has a lot of bleeding on the brain. The doctors aren't sure yet if it is a burst blood vessel or an annurism that burst. Either way, he's not doing well. He is married and has 3 young children. I'll post an update as soon as I know anything else.

Summer Sweets

2007-07-15T17:48:00.000-04:00

We spent much of the afternoon outside today since the weather was so nice and mild. I think we hit the mid 80's, much cooler than it was last week. The kids played hard, so they needed a snack after a while. Since I had scrubbed the kitchen and bathroom while they were outside, I needed a break too! I couldn't resist grabbing the camera for some sweet, sticky pictures.

Ella just loves her watermelon! She ate about 3 pieces, all the way down to the rind.

Yummo!

Emma, posing for a sweet picture. She loves to have her picture taken!

Ella, enjoying the sunshine and her sweet treat. She's standing next to the ever-popular climing tree in our backyard. The kids can't keep themselves out of it!

Tonight promises to be a treat for me and Todd too, since we've got a babysitter coming and we get to go out for once! Seriously, I think Valentine's Day was our last date, so this is a long time coming!

I just ran a marathon.....

2007-07-12T14:41:00.000-04:00

Or at least I feel like I did. And I would know. You see, in my previous life, i.e. before husband and children, I was almost a different person. I ran 4-5 times a week. I was much thinner, much healthier, and in much better shape. I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2000, and then promptly stopped running and haven't run since then. Until today.
Now I'm not even going to tell you how much heavier I am today than I was the last time I ran. Let's just say that if it were my age, I'd be a senior citizen. And speaking of age, I'm in a completely different decade of my life than I was then. It makes a difference, oh yes mam, it does.
So today I laced up my running shoes and headed to the park with my family in tow. The plan was to walk a mile or two while my hubby road his bike, pulling the girls in the trailer. But there's something you should know about me. Something that used to be a bigger part of my life, but has been buried deep beneath the years of mothering young children and being tired all of the time. I'm highly determined and extremely competitive. And there's no bigger competitor than myself.
Praise the Lord it's been cooler today, and that must have been what inspired me to walk 3.5 miles today. That and the fact that I've been absolutely obsessed with the trail maps that are posted along the path. You see, somewhere in the back of my crazy head is this little voice that says, "You know you are going to walk the whole trail someday. You know it's 7.5 miles, but considering what you've done in the past, that's nothing!" But the thing is, I don't want to take the time to get back into shape to do it. In my mind, I've done it before, and I should be able to do it now.
Well I settled today for doing half of the trail. But I couldn't just walk it. NOOOO mam, I had to run part of it. I just threw all caution to the wind and decided to add some running intervals into the mix. And you know what? I felt great. It was challenging, yes, but what a feeling of accomplishment! I know it was only 3.5 miles, but as I ran/walked those miles, I started to get visions of the marathon again. I remembered the rush of excitement that I felt that day. I remember how my body seemed to just "work" like it was meant to work. And I'm craving it again.
So what'll it be next? 4 miles? 5? I don't know. After the ride home in the car, my legs are stiff, my body is tired. I'm just not 25 years old anymore. But I'm determined. I've had a taste of the "old" me, and the "new" me wants to change. Who knows, maybe I'll even do a marathon again some day!

Trying to Survive the Heat

2007-07-09T20:07:00.001-04:00

Well it sure is hot around here these days. We've had temps in the upper 90's and heat indexes over 100. This is a problem when you have young children.

Have you ever noticed that children will play outside no matter what? Sweat could be pouring down their faces, their wet hair matted down to their heads, and they still want to keep going.

Adults, on the other hand, tend to be the opposite. I'm one to try to stay inside, no matter what. I prefer the 60's or 70's to the weather we've had lately. Give me those temps, and I think I'd want to be outside all day too.

We've had to be creative when it comes to activities lately. Todd and I wouldn't let the girls outside on Saturday and Sunday, mainly because we knew we would get grumpy after about 30 seconds of direct sunlight. And more than a little burned. So we enjoyed movie after movie. But that really started to get old by Sunday afternoon.

So, today I decided that we would have to brave the heat and get out of the house. We ran some errands this morning, but still couldn't muster up the desire to spend any significant amount of time outdoors. But by this evening, even I was eager for some exercise and a change of scenery.

The girls and I donned several layers of sunscreen and headed out, stroller and bike in hand. I don't know how Emma can stand to wear her bike helmet in this weather, but I think the joy of riding is much stronger than the icky feeling of a sweaty head.

We only lasted about 1/2 an hour, but I must admit, it felt really good to be outside. The heat wasn't that bad either, just getting to us the last 5-10 minutes or so. We walked into our apartment and yanked off our shoes, all 3 of us collapsing into chairs or on the floor-water bottles in hand. There's just nothing like working up a sweat to give you a new appeciation for air conditioning and ice water.

2007-07-04T09:03:00.001-04:00

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Movies-The American vs. The French

2007-06-28T08:50:00.000-04:00

Movies are a huge part of our culture as Americans. We flock to them in droves. We put up with endless commercials for a movie, only to have it fade away as quickly as it appeared, replaced by the "next big movie of the summer." Well yesterday I was reminded that not everyone in the world does movies the same way.

Our local theatre does a summer movie program where they show 2nd run kids movies for free on Wednesdays. Everyone gets in free, and the only cost would be the concessions, if you choose. Since I'm all about free family fun, we loaded the kids in the car and headed on over to the show. I wasn't sure how Ella would do. I'd taken Emma when she was 20 months old, and we had to leave about 1/2 an hour into the show. But we thought we'd take our chances.

Well, the outcome this time was pretty much the same. We got there too early, sat for too long, and by the time the movie started, Ella was ready to go. Todd wanted to leave, so we all left the theatre, and you can only imagine the tantrum that followed when Emma realized we were leaving the movie! She was reluctantly pacified with the promise that Mommy or Daddy would bring her back to the next one, sans baby sister.

As we were leaving the theatre, I couldn't help but notice how long the concession lines were. I mean, there were at least 6 lines, all with 8-10 people in them. And the moms were walking away with armloads of popcorn, candy, and sodas. We're talking "heart attack waiting to happen." And funny thing is, I found myself wanting to get sucked into the whole thing. We had purchased a large popcorn as we went into the movie, to be shared amongst the 4 of us. I noticed Emma looking longingly at what a lot of the other kids had- a "kids meal", if you will, of popcorn, chocolate candy, and a drink. It made me realize how much our culture is centered around food and how we incorporate it into so much of our everyday experiences. And all of a sudden, I was transported back about 7 years, to my last visit to Paris.

I went on vacation to Paris in the spring of 2000. I'd been there 3 times before, but always with a group, and never able to follow my own agenda. There was a new movie out with ads everywhere-the Metro, the buses, the street stands, everywhere! The lead role was played by Gerard Depardieu, one of France's most popular actors. My friend and I thought, how cool would it be to see a movie in Paris! You know, combine a little of our culture and theirs. Or so we thought.

We bought our tickets outside of the theatre, and then headed right in to get our popcorn and sodas. But something was different. The lobby of the theatre was quite small. The concession counter, even smaller. And NOBODY was in line for food! Well, that didn't stop us from heading right up and ordering our popcorn, which was served out of one of those small glass boxes that we usually see at a school carnival. And the icy cold pop? No ice, European style.

After getting our food, we headed in for the movie and started munching. And then we noticed something. No one else was munching. And amidst all the quiet, our munching seemed loud enough to be noticed by the whole theatre! It was then that we realized (yes, we are slow), French people go to the movies to see the movies. They don't eat. They don't feel the need to shovel salt and fat and sugar into their mouths for 2 hrs straight. In fact, most of them were probably planning on a nice, leisurely, 4-hour dinner after the show. They came for the movie, and they enjoy the show. And boy, I have never felt so American in my life.

I don't think I finished my popcorn that day. I was too self-conscious. And all of this reflection probably won't stop me from ordering popcorn the next time I go to the movies. In America. But it sure is an interesting comparison on cultures. And probably a lesson learned as well.

My sweet girl

2007-06-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I just didn't feel well. I've been fighting a stomach bug for a few days and by the end of the day, I was just exhausted. Every night when I tuck Emma in bed, she says the same thing. "Mom, what's tomorrow?" Last night was no different.

I have to admit, I get tired of this question. I don't always have an answer. Emma and I have just started saying, "Tomorrow is going to be a plain day." That means that there is nothing "exciting" planned for the day.

So last night, after hearing this question, I told her that tomorrow was going to be a surprise but she needed to go to sleep to be ready for it. Then I told her that Mommy wasn't feeling well and she should pray to Jesus that I would feel better so that we could go to our surprise. "Ok, mommy," she said.

Fast forward to this morning. Emma walks out of her bedroom this morning, fully clothed and ready for the day. Half awake, Emma asks, "What's the surprise? I'm ready for the surprise!" You can't get anything past this girl!

The surprise was to go to the park. But I wasn't feeling well and Todd ended up taking the girls to the park while I got ready for the day. The girls had a good time and as Todd was leaving to go to work, Emma heard me thanking him for taking the girls so that I had a little more time to feel better. After he left, Emma said to me, "Mommy, I prayed to Jesus that you would feel better." Well, talk about being stopped in your tracks. I was surprised that she had remembered our conversation the night before and quite touched that she would actually pray for me. My girl is so sweet and so sensitive to God and a relationship with Him. I pray that she continues to be so open to His leading and His working in her heart.

My 100th Post

2007-06-12T10:30:00.000-04:00

It seems that there is a blogging tradition where bloggers post 100 things about themselves when they reach their 100th post. Well here I am, and I am wondering how long it will take me to come up with 100 things about me to list here! A few weeks ago I was tagged by Marlise, who wanted me to list 8 random things about myself. I guess I will count this post as an answer to that tag. I have to list 100, I don't think I want to come up with another 8! So, without further ado, here goes!

1. My given name is Melissa Jenelle.

2. My middle name comes from both of my Grandmothers' names- Jennie and Ella.

3. I was born in September 1975.

4. I was born in Michigan.

5. I am the oldest of 4 children.

6. I have 2 sisters, and 1 brother.

7. I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was 4 years old.

8. I was baptized when I was 10 years old.

9. I attended a Baptist church until the age of 13, when my family switched over to a non-denominational church.

10. From a young age, I had a heart for the lost, and wanted to be a missionary when I grew up.

11. I grew up listening to Christian music.

12. My favorite CCM artists were Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, and Twila Paris, and Petra. This was the 80's people!

13. I remember watching Luke and Laura get married on General Hospital-I must have been watching with my mom because I was only 5 years old!

14. I remember watching (again, with my mom) Princess Dianna and Prince Charles get married.

15. My favorite tv shows when I was a kid were Growing Pains, Family Ties, and Little House on the Prairie. To this day, I could still watch reruns of those shows without a problem.

16. I attended an "open-classroom" elementary school. There were no walls to our classrooms- only partitions, so we could see what was going on in the class next to us. It felt really strange to go to junior high and have classrooms with walls!

17. I attended AWANA from k-6th grades. Sparks, Chums, and Guards. Now they have Truth in Training instead of Chums and Guards, but otherwise my kids will get to go through the same program that I went through.

18. I have moved more times that I could possibly count, and have lived in 4 different states. Michigan, Florida, Indiana, and Illinois.

19. I had my first taste of Indian food on a trip to Washington DC when I was in 7th grade. I've been hooked ever since!

20. When I was 8-12 years old, we lived on a culdesac and would play outside all day long without checking in with my mom every 10 minutes. Those were the days!

21. On the above mentioned culdesac, my sisters and friends and I would spend the day pretending that we were teenagers and our boyfriends were the guys from Top Gun.

22. We would also go to my friend Sandy's house and lipsync to Madonna songs in her basement. I wasn't allowed to listen to such music in my house! :)

23. I hate to admit it, but I was a huge fan of New Kids on the Block, Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, and Paula Abdul.

24. The summer before I turned 13 I lived on my family's sailboat.

25. That summer I have strong memories of listening to the following songs on the radio- "Please Don't Go Girl", "Fast Car", and "Red, Red Wine". Hmm.

26. Yes, my family lived on a sailboat. We traveled from Muskegon, Michigan, to Ft. Myers, Florida. I was homeschooled.

27. It really blows my mind, but my parents were only a few years older than I am now, when they took 4 kids on a sailboat across the country! I'm still shaking my head.

28. We had a dog growing up- a cocker spaniel named Taffy. We gave him away 2-3 times but he always ended up back at our house. Don't ask.

29. My 8th grade class trip was to Cedar Point, an amusement park in Ohio.

30. I was in choir all through junior high and high school.

31. I was in a women's chorus from 7-10th grade.

32. 11th grade I was finally in a mixed chorus and 12th grade I made it to chambersingers- the most elite choir in the school.

33. I was a memeber of the Michigan Honors Choir in 9th grade.

34. I took piano lessons from age 8-17.

35. I attended Grace College in Indiana for my first 2 years of college.

36. I had the same roommate both years at Grace, plus an "adopted" roommate- a friend who lived off-campus. Hi Lydia and Marlise!

37. While at Grace, my major was Elementary Education with a minor in French.

38. I have always loved Paris and the French language.

39. I went on 2 mission trips with Teen Missions International. One to Malta, and one to France.

40. I've traveled to the following countries- Malta, England (2x), France (4x), Switzerland (2x), Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, and Morocco.

41. I collect crystal Eiffel Towers and Gault figurines.

42. I attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.

43. I received my BA in Applied Linguistics.

44. I LOVE Chicago and will always consider it my 2nd home.

45. I had 1 roommate at MBI- my best friend Samantha.

46. I was a Resident Assistant for 2 years at MBI.

47. While at MBI, my Women's Chorus toured the Western USA as well as Europe.

48. We drove by the Ingalls homestead in South Dakota and I got a bit choked up.

47. We also visited Wall Drug Store. Quite the tourist trap!

48. I was a vegetarian for 10 years.

49. I met my husband at our church in Chicago.

48. Six months after we met, we started dating.

49. We got engaged after 6 wks of dating.

50. We got married 8 months later.

51. My husband is from the south- we are so opposite in almost every way!

52. When we were engaged, Todd would come to my house every night for dinner. A little obsessive, I know, but neither of us had any family in the area.

53. I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2000.

54. I trained for 6 months, with my longest training run being 23 miles.

55. I haven't run since then.

56. I would like to WALK another marathon some day.

57. My husband and I were married exactly one month before September 11th.

58. We moved out of Chicago a few months later. I couldn't handle the big city anymore and we wanted to be closer to family.

59. We were married nearly 2 years when Emma was born. 2 1/2 years later, Ella came along.

60. I taught myself to crochet a few years ago and I've made several baby blankets and 2 adult afghans since then.

61. When Emma was a year old, I started scrapbooking.

62. Scrapbooking is an addiction which requires therapy in the form of shopping for more scrapbooking items!

62. I've completed 4 scrapbooks and have 5 in progress.

63. I do a scrapbook a year for each child. I plan to give these to the girls when they get married.

64. I love chocolate, but not the expensive kind. Give me a bag of peanut M&M's any day.

65. I LOVE coffee. I would go to Starbucks everyday if I could.

66. My favorite coffee drinks are Frappaccinos and Carmel Macciatos.

67. I have naturally curly hair, and I'm forever trying to find the perfect haircut and product.

68. I colored my hair for the first time in January.

69. I've been a consultant with Mary Kay, Arbonne, Pampered Chef, and now The Body Shop at Home. So far, what I'm currently doing is the best!

70. My best friend and I dream of wandering the streets of Paris together. Someday!

71. My husband and I are related- back in the 1500's!

72. I used to be a Retail Buyer for a chain of Christian bookstores.

73. I was a member of the Gospel Music Association.

74. I am not a pet lover, and would be perfectly content to never own a pet.

75. If I could drive any car, it would be a Volkswagon Jetta.

76. Or a Saturn. I had a Saturn SC2 in the 90's and I loved that thing!

77. I wish I could play the drums. Everytime I see a marching band, I get jealous of the drumline.

78. The longest I've gone without washing my hair-a week. Twice actually. You don't want to know.

79. I've never broken a bone, had stiches, or had surgery of any kind. The only time I've been in the hospital was when I gave birth.

80. I hate wearing socks or shoes in the house. HATE IT! I just can't bear to do it, even in the winter time.

81. I studied spoken Japanese for a semester in college.

82. I would much rather be cold than hot. I hate being hot. I hate the beach.

83. My ideal vacation spot is a cabin in the mountains.

84. My favorite holiday is Christmas. I absolutely love it. Given the money, I'd deck my house out in holly and bows every year and have a magnificent tree as well. Oh- and I love cookie exchanges too. Any excuse to get together during the holidays is good enough for me!

85. I have 23 first cousins. When I met Todd, he told me he had a huge family. But then he met mine. 7 years later, he's still trying to remember everyone's names.

86. I love to snuggle up with a good book on a rainy day. Haven't done that since having children, but I know that will happen again someday. Oh- a down comforter is a must on a day like this!

87. I have a short fuse and I let little things get to me.

88. I'm thankful for my husband and kids and I know that I'm blessed to be given these gifts by the Lord.

89. My family is spread out all over the place. My brother's in NYC, my sisters are in Oregon, and my parents live 2.5 hours away.

90. The worst job I've ever had is working at a bakery. I worked Saturday mornings and had to open the shop at 5am. In Chicago. By myself. I wasn't crazy about it at all.

91. My favorite job was being a music buyer. I loved getting the cd's before anyone else!

92. I hate team sports. I much prefer competetive swimming or running. I like my biggest competetor to be myself.

93. I am bad at housekeeping. I work hard at it, but no matter how hard I work, it doesn't seem to ever be as clean as everyone else's house.

94. I like to be in charge. This won't come as a surprise to any of my family.

95. I live in an apartment. I can't wait to have a house.

96. We are a year and a half away from being debt free. Finally-an end in sight.

97. Sometimes I wish I could go back to work fulltime, but I know I'd miss my girls.

98. I love it when the mail comes. It's the highlight of my day. Always has been. I get depressed for a moment when all I get is junkmail. A scrapbook magazine is a great treat!

99. I'm a magazine junkie. My interests have changed over the years, but if I'm currently obsessed with something, I probably have a magazine subscription to feed the obsession.

100. My absolute favorite coffee is from Montana Coffee Traders. We found them on our honeymoon and I fell in love with their Monteverde Sunrise Blend. Yum!!!

That's all folks!

To read more bloggers' 100th posts, click here.

Mommy Talk #9

2007-06-11T08:54:00.000-04:00

This week's questions from Mommy Talk is: What was it like going home from the hospital for you? Did your baby have any medical issues?

With my 1st daughter, going home from the hospital was surreal. I couldn't believe that I was a mom, and that we were responsible for this baby! I was a little afraid too, and I HATED putting her in the carseat and not being able to see her face for 20 minutes!

I was exhausted and had little energy due to extreme anemia. My midwife didn't want me to carry the baby up and down the stairs and wanted me to get as much rest as possible. Add to that the fact that she absolutely refused to nurse, and I was pretty stressed out. She had jaundice too, so there were a few days on the biliblanket. Once we got the nursing down, she had colic for the next 4 months. Ugh! I know I sound so negative here, but the first few months were so hard!

With my 2nd daughter, I was more anxious to get home and see my mom and daughter who were waiting for me. I didn't really have any anxiety on the drive home, just the usual fatigue. The most difficult part during the first few days was her having to go back to the hospital for 24 hours to be under the lights. Her jaundice was severe and wasn't responding to the biliblanket. Ella developed a severe allergy to soy within a few weeks after her birth, and she was extremely colicy as well. But looking back, these issues seem so minor compared to what others go through. I'm just so thankful that my girls are healthy and happy these days!

Rolly Pollies

2007-06-07T18:48:00.000-04:00

God must have known I needed to laugh

2007-06-07T18:34:00.001-04:00

because this is the sight I stumbled upon when I entered my daughters' room a few minutes ago. They were actually playing nicely for 5 minutes and I was wondering why they were so quiet. And this is what I heard Emma say to Ella:

"Ella, you cook me for half an hour."

No response from Ella.

"ELLA! I said, YOU COOK ME FOR HALF AN HOUR!!!!"

Ella just walks away.

And now, since I've been typing this, I hear Ella screaming because she wants a turn to sit in the oven. What a day it's been!

Mommy Talk #8

2007-06-04T21:26:00.000-04:00

This week's topic at Mommy Talk is:

Your Birth Story

This is going to be a long post, so brace yourselves! Here are the birth stories of my 2 girls:

With Emma, I was 3 days from my due date. My baby shower was supposed to be at 11am that Saturday morning, but I woke up at 3:30 am with contractions. Since this was my 1st, I wasn't sure if they were the real thing, so I went downstairs and watched some tv while timing the contractions. Isn't it strange, the things we remember from childbirth? I distinctly remember sitting on my blue couch, Seinfeld reruns on tv, contractions every 5 minutes apart. After a couple of hours, I decided that I was in labor and I woke Todd up and told him I thought we should head to the hospital. Contractions were very manageable that this point, so the ride to the hospital was uneventful.

We arrived at the hospital around 6am, and did the usual checking in, strapping on the fetal monitor, and being observed for an hour or so. I sat in the jacuzzi tub for an hour after that and then my midwife arrived and wanted to check me. She ended up breaking my water at 8 am and then got me up to walk. My contractions went from manageable to out of control! I barely made it across the room before I was begging to get back in bed. By 10am I was ready to push, but feeling very overwhelmed. The one shot of Stadol that I'd been given had worn off, and I was feeling everything! An hour and a half later, at 11:28am, Emma Rose was born! They really had to suction her out afterwards, so I didn't get to hold her for a while. I also had a few complications personally, so I'd say it was going on 1 pm before I really got a good look at her!

The second time around, labor began much like the first! I woke up at 3:15am and new I was in labor. My contractions went from 10 minutes apart to 5 minutes apart in an hour. I woke Todd up at 4:15 and then made the call to my parents and babysitter. I finally called the doctor around 4:45 and said I'd probably be to the hospital in about an hour. Labor was really intense, and I had a hard time moving around. Contractions were about 5 minutes apart when I was sitting, but when I'd get up to get ready, they were around 2 minutes apart. Our babysitter called from the drive-thru in McD's, and asked if I wanted anything. I remember thinking, "Are you out of your mind? Who wants to eat at a time like this? I just need my epidural!" She arrived at our house at 5:30am and I practically ran out the door.

This time the drive to the hospital was very intense. My contractions were right on top of each other and I couldn't think straight. Todd later said that he was worried because I sounded the same way that I sounded at the end of labor with Emma! We pulled into the ER and they wheeled me up to L&D around 5:55am. Things went fast and furious- my doctor hadn't arrived yet and I was told that I was fully dialated. I started crying because I knew I wouldn't get an epidural and I remembered how horrible it had been the last time. But in minutes, my water broke and I HAD to push. The resident told me to wait, but I said, "I have to push, and I'm going to push- I can't wait!" One push later, Ella Olivia was in our world! She was born at 6:12 am, barely 3 hours after my labor started!

Looking back, I'd much rather have it fast and furious than to experience an hour and a half of pushing. The pain was intense, but I'm so glad I didn't have the epidural with the 2nd one. If I had to do it again, I'd probably do it the same way!

Mommy Talk #7

2007-05-28T14:26:00.000-04:00

This week's question over at Mommy Talk is:

What were your favorite maternity "could not do without" items?

I don't really know if I had too many items I couldn't do without. Towards the end of my 3rd trimester, I really loved those wedge cushions that you could put underneath the side of your belly and between your knees while you slept. My hips and back would've ached much more without those!

Happy Birthday Emma!

2007-05-23T16:13:00.001-04:00

Our sweet precious girl turned 4 on May 17. We celebrated with a homemade cake and a trip to ToysRUs to get a bike.

Emma's 2nd cake was storebought and we celebrate with her grandparents.

Someone's very proud of her new bike!

Posing for the camera with the handmade tutu and sweater that Aunt Julie made for her!
What a pretty ballerina!

Mommy Talk #6

2007-05-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

Here is this week's installation of mommy talk.

Baby Names on your list...What name did you chose, and why?

For us, picking baby names wasn't very difficult. With both of our kids, I think I thought about it a whole lot more than Todd did! It mattered to him, but it wasn't something he spent hours thinking about like I did.

When we were pregnant the first time, we had narrowed the names down quite a bit before our ultrasound. For a boy, we had picked Josiah Truman. We just love the name Josiah, and we picked it because Josiah was one of the few good kings of Israel in the Old Testament. Truman was Todd's great-grandfather's name, and everyone always says Todd looks like him, so we thought it would be a good fit.

For a girl's name, we had narrowed it down to Emma Rose or Lauren Olivia. Both of those names were chosen just because we liked how they sounded. After the ultrasound showed that we were having a girl, I just felt like she was an "Emma." So I convinced Todd to go with Emma, and the rest is history!

Alright, with the second baby we already had the boy name picked out. We had a more difficult time picking the girl name. I really liked Elanor, Sophia, and Olivia for first names. Todd hated Sophia and Elanor. I told him we could call Elanor, Nora for short, but he hated that even more. Isn't if funny that now that she has a different name, I can't even imagine calling her any of these names! After much discussion, we decided on Ella Olivia. First of all, it was kind of a variation of the names we both liked. Second of all, it was a tribute to both of my grandmothers. My paternal grandmother's name is Ella. My maternal grandmother's middle name was Olivanna. Thus, we got Ella Olivia. It fits her well and I'm so glad we went with it.

And yes, I do realize that my girls have very similar names. And yes, we get them mixed up sometimes. But every parent gets their kids' names mixed up, no matter how similar or different they are. So although many naysayers warned us it was a bad idea to name our children such similar names, we threw all caution to the wind and named our kids what we wanted to name them.

My Randomness Abounds

2007-05-16T09:15:00.000-04:00

So in an effort to make this blog about something other than Mommy Talk, I give you, random facts about the last week.

1. Last Wednesday, Todd worked a 13-hour day. We were very excited for him to get some extra hours in, since we are trying to save up $1,000 for a new engine in his car.

2. Did I mention that Todd's car needs a new engine? And how much will that cost? Yes, that's right. $1,000. Geez.

3. Friday morning I went over to a friend's house and helped her out for a few hours. She's on bedrest and has 2 kids, so she's pretty much relying on others to help her get things done.

4. Friday night was supposed to be a Body Shop party, but it turned into a catalog party with more than $400 in sales! Easiest hundred bucks I've ever made.

5. To celebrate the catalog party, I took the girls to meet up with some friends at McD's. They were starting the Sh*rek 3 happy meals that night, and Emma was all about the Sh*rek happy meals. I got to hear the talking Sh*rek, all. the. way. home.

6. Saturday was a nice day. Sun was shinning, family was happy. We spent the day gettings some things done around the house and then enjoyed an evening with my parents. My mom and dad brought us a new-to-us entertainment cabinet, and we were ever-so-happy to retire the top-half of a broken armoir that we'd been using to house our tv. We're moving up in the world!

7. Sunday was Mother's Day and we had such a nice time together. After church, my parents treated us to a buffet lunch at a nice hotel and banquet center down the road. Afterwards, we walked down to the other end of the hotel to check out the INDOOR*WATER PARK. People, we have an INDOOR*WATER PARK a mile from our house. Emma was beside herself and Ella started crying when we left. They both wanted to get in the water immediately. It's a small park, but perfect for little kids; they have a special section that doesn't get deeper than 18 inches. Todd and I hope to take the kids there someday.

8. Monday was spent at my above-mentioned friend's house. I kept after 4 kids, did her laundry, cooked dinner, picked up after the kids, changed her son's clothes after he messed in his und*er*we*ar, and basically never sat down for 8 hours. We got back home at 8:30pm. I practically threw Ella in her crib and Emma begged for a bowl of cereal (her favorite bedtime snack.) I sat down to read email, and before I knew it, Emma was asleep on the couch, cereal bowl in her lap. What a day!

Yesterday was a day of recovery. After the last MOPS meeting of the year, we came home and just chilled. After I got the girls to bed, I got to work on a scrapbook that I'm putting together for someone. It's about 8-10 hrs worth of work that I have to have done by Thursday evening. I'm about a third of the way done, and all I can say is, it's going to be a late night tonight!

Well I'm all out of words. I know, finally. You won't have to suffer again for at least a few more days.

Oh- I almost forgot.
My parents are getting a new puppy! Those of you who know my parents, know why this is such a big deal. I never thought I'd see the day when they'd get another dog. And even I, non-pet person that I am, have to admit that she is cute!

Mommy Talk #5

2007-05-14T08:30:00.000-04:00

This week on Mommy Talk, they asked us to answer the following question:

When you were pregnant, did you find out whether you were having a boy or a girl?

Why or why not? honest...did you have what you were hoping for?

We found out what we were having with both of our babies. With Emma, we had the usual ultrasound at 21 weeks and the technician told us she was 90% sure it was a girl. That was good enough for me, and we spent the rest of the night trying to decide between 2 names that we had picked. (The other one was Lauren.) I was very excited because I had been hoping for a girl, but I think Todd was maybe a little disappointed.

With Ella, we had an ultrasound at 20 weeks, which determined that I was actually only 18 weeks along. Ella was in no mood to cooperate, so we couldn't tell whether she was a boy or a girl. The doctor ordered another ultrasound at 26 weeks, and that is when we found out that she was a girl. Honestly, I was a smidge disappointed that she wasn't a boy, but I wasn't surprised. On the way to the ultrasound, I just had a feeling that it was a girl.

We decided to find out what we were having because, honestly, I couldn't stand not knowing! I'm just controlling like that. With Emma, I just really wanted to know so I could buy all the fun stuff for that gender. With Ella, I wanted to know so that I would be able to buy boy stuff if we needed it. And I really think I would do it again if we ever have another one. Yes, you miss out on the surprise at the delivery, but it's still a surprise when you find out early.

I am really very thankful for my girls. I have never wished for a boy after finding out that they were girls, and honestly, I'd be happy with another girl if that should ever happen. My girls love each other and I know they will have a special relationship as sisters. They are such sweet girls and we love them so much!

Mommy Talk-#4 (well, #1 for me because this is my 1st week)

2007-05-08T07:48:00.000-04:00

I stumbled across A Little Mommy Talk this morning, and given my lack of creativity on my blog lately, I thought I'd join the Mommy fun! Every week there will be a question about what your experience as a mom has been. Here's the question for today.

May 7
How much weight did you gain (w/ picture...are you brave enough:) )
and what did you like MOST about pregnancy?
What did you like the LEAST?

So let me start out by saying that I WILL NOT be posting any photos of myself in any stage of my pregnancies. Both times I was pregnant, I allowed only a few photos to commemorate the experience. And since neither of them are scanned and ready to be put on this blog, I will have to pass on this one.

I gained about 35 lbs when I was pregnant with Emma. I didn't feel like this was too awful, right about average with most women, I think. A lot of it was water, as I lost about 30 lbs within two weeks of giving birth. What I liked most about my 1st pregnancy was the newness of it all. I couldn't read enough books or study the fetal growth charts enough that 1st time. I looked forward to every appointment with my midwife and it was kind of dream-like to imagine what our first child would look and act like. What I liked the least was the 1st trimester "all-day" sickness. It was basically an all-day nausea fest. But after that ended, I really had no complaints until the very end. I had the usual uncomfortable, get this baby out of me, feeling.

With my 2nd pregnancy, I gained 25 lbs. Much slower on the weight gain! I remember having a good 6-week stretch near the end of it all, when I didn't gain an ounce! Ella was smaller than Emma, so maybe that had something to do with it, although I doubt it. I think it was probably because I already had a little one to chase around and I wasn't sitting at a desk job this time around. What I liked best about this pregnancy was that I knew what to expect. I didn't feel the need to read every book on the subject and so I think I was less stressed about it all. What I disliked was that my nausea was much worse this time around. I also had a really horrible problem with my pelvic bones, which caused extreme pain from about 34 weeks until I gave birth. But, I made it through and was rewarded with a much faster labor and delivery!

Everyday Life

2007-05-07T18:38:00.000-04:00

I've been having trouble blogging lately because it just doesn't seem like much is happening. So I guess I'm going to just ramble. You've been warned.

The past few weeks have been really hectic as we've had trouble with both of our vehicles. I guess this is just the year for car repairs because by the time we get Todd's car fixed, we'll have spent close to $2,500 on repairs since February. Uggh! I know it's cheaper than an extra car payment, but man, it really hurts. I think if it were just Todd's car acting up, we'd consider getting a "new" used car for him. But the van has had significant problems as well and has a lot more that needs to be fixed. We just keep plugging away at them both. We still don't know how we'll get the money to fix Todd's car, but God has provided so far and I know He'll provide for this too.

All of this car trouble has made it more challenging to run my Body Shop business. Fortunately I have scheduled most of my parties on weekends and mornings, which works out great anyway. No babysitter to pay!

The girls are continuing to grow and change. Emma is so exciting about turning 4 next week. Ella is speaking more and more words. She's also throwing more and more fits, and I think we've entered the terrible 2's a bit early.

We've been having a lot of dance parties around here lately. There's some really catchy tunes that I've downloaded from itunes and the girls love them! Ella loves to dance, especially. We've been listening to the latest from Lincoln Brewster and Tobymac. The girls really love to put their hands in the air and jump up and down. Ella really gets into a groove and adds some head bobbing and footwork to the mix. It's a fun way to cut the stress and lighten things up when the girls get cranky. It's really funny to try to see Emma try to do the running man. I can't imagine who showed them such cheesy moves, but they love them! Just a few minutes ago I got a flashback of Ms. Bray's (my junior high choir director) dance moves. I'm telling you, it was all in the thumbs. Michelle, you are probably the only reader who knows what in the sam hill I am talking about.

On a completely random note, I just looked at the pictures from my last post and my eldest daughter just made me smile. She loves that shirt she is wearing. Everytime we go somewhere and she has that shirt on, she tells me, "Mama, I'm going to show them all my new pony shirt!" And I smile and say, "That's nice honey." Because I'm such a nice Mama. I would never tell her that most people don't really care about her pony shirt and she doesn't have to announce it everywhere we go. That's just Emma. She gets excited about these things. And the other day she asked me to paint her toenails. Ever since then, she has proudly shown those toenails to many a captive audience, exclaiming as she does, "Look! I have nakeup on my toes! My mama put nakeup on my toes, just like hers!" And yes, I did mean to type "nakeup." That's what she calls it. Can it get any cuter around here? Why yes it can. Emma has been attempting to learn to hopscotch and jumprope. Pictures are sure to follow.

And by now, I'm thinking that all 5 of you out there who read my blog, have surely grown tired of my rambling. It's only going to get worse people, because I have no idea how I'm even typing a coherent sentence. It's 11:30 at night. I must sleep. Ella has been on a 5:30am kick the past few days and I seriously cannot handle it much longer. Somebody send me some room-darkening shades! Please! I beg you! It should not be allowed to be sunny in my children's room at 5:30 in the morning! And on a final note, someone please explain this to me. A half an hour ago, I walked by the girls' room and noticed their light was on. I put Emma to bed 3 hours ago, and she probably turned it on shortly after that, so it's been on for a while. And the girls are both fast asleep. With the overhead light on. Not a peep from them. So why is it that when the slightest bit of light starts to shine through their blinds in the morning, their precious heads pop up and they are ready to start the day? Oh what I wouldn't give to have just one Saturday morning from my days in college. You know, sleeping in till noon or 1pm. I'm telling you, that was the life!

And on that note, and I promise this is really the end,

Good night.

This was one of the only moments they were quiet during the entire day!

2007-04-28T18:53:00.000-04:00

Well, I survived my marathon day of babysitting last Friday. All in all, I had 6 children in my care from around 10 am till 7 pm. It was a long, exhausting day, but I managed to get through without too many scratches. The pictures above are from that crazy day.

As I write this, Todd, Emma, and Ella are crouched on the floor over by the sliding door. Emma sees an ant and is yelling, "Daddy, get him! Daddy, get the ant! But Daddy, they're not my friends, please get them!" Not 5 minutes ago, she was begging Todd to give her some fish food so she could feed the ants. Ella is just trying to get in the middle of all of the commotion, laughing and giggling in the midst of it all.

It's been a long week in our house. We've had problems with both of our vehicles, which you can only imagine would cause a huge inconvience. Especially when Todd has an hour commute each way to work. Some nice friends of ours have let us borrow their car for a few days, so Todd can at least get to work and back.

Today I was able to scrapbook for a few hours with some friends from church. After that, I stopped by the hospital to see a friend that had her baby yesterday. Yes, this is a mother of 2 of the children in the above picture. She felt pretty uncomfortable at the end, so I'm glad that she's made it through the delivery and should be home resting by now. Welcome Baby Alexis!

Tonight we are just going to get the kids to bed and relax. Tomorrow is the start of a new Sunday School class at church that we want to check out, and then we're possibly going to stop by a pre-school open house in the afternoon. Pre-school is so expensive, we probably won't be able to send Emma. But this place has been highly recommended, so I think we'll at least check it out.

I Don't Talk Spanish

2007-04-20T08:24:00.000-04:00

Dora the Explorer has always been a big hit in our house. Emma fell in love with her at about 18 months old. Now that she's almost 4, which means she's practically all grown up, she doesn't like Dora quite as much. But that's ok, because Ella's here to pick up the slack.

Yesterday we were watching Dora and it got the part where Backpack puts all his things back into the backpack. After that, he always exclaims, "Yum, yum, yum, delicioso!" Feeling nostalgic, I told Emma that she always used to say "Delicioso" when Backpack said it. Well apparently that didn't sit well with her. She wrinkled up her nose and furrowed her brow and then emphatically told me that "No, I don't talk Spanish!" As if I've completely fallen off my rocker to even think such a thing!

In other funny moments of the day, and there are plenty, Emma was looking outside and wishing she could go out. It was almost 8pm, and after babysitting 2 extra kids, I was exhausted. I told her we would go out another day and she said, "But I can just go out by myself." Enter the lecture about all the scary people out there who are just waiting to snatch her if Mommy isn't watching. Anyway, she told me in a very grown up way that she could go play outside by herself when she grows up. I told her yes. And she said, "Yes, when I'm 88, I can go outside to play by myself." Yes, Emma, when you're 88, you can play outside by yourself. Sounds good to me!

Ella is starting to say a whole lot more these days too. I am continually amazed at how much she understands-must be a result of having an older sister. Every time I brush my teeth or she sees someone brushing their teeth, she points at the medicine cabinet and yells, "TEE!TEE!" And if I don't let her brush her own teeth, a HUGE tantrum follows. So, we have many tantrums, on a daily basis. I've learned that I have to just walk away and that usually does the trick. Tantrums aren't as fun if you don't get what you want as a result!

And in other news, PRAY FOR MY SANITY TODAY! I babysat 2 young boys yesterday while their mom was having an emergency ultrasound. She just called me and asked me to watch them now because they are rushing her to the hospital to give her steroids because they think she is in pre-term labor. So this makes my prayer request sound so petty, given her situation, but I'm already watching another friend's 2 young kids today while she has a non-stress test for her pregnancy. Wow- pregnant women all around me are having high-risk pregnancies! Anyway, 6 children under the age of 4 in my 800-square foot apartment is going to be a real test of patience. I'm tired already!

On My Mind Lately

2007-04-11T11:56:00.000-04:00

There are 2 women who've been on my heart and on my mind lately. I've shared a little about Amy before, and she definitely needs our continued prayers. Last night I heard about Heather. I just keep shaking my head. There are some people out there dealing with some pretty big things, and it just makes the struggles in my life seem so much smaller.

Both of these women are my age. Amy is battling AML, a form of leukemia, and is currently in the middle of a round of chemo after undergoing her 2nd bone marrow transplant. This is a really extreme form of treatment and she is very ill as a result of it, but moreso as a result of her disease.

Heather was diagnosed yesterday with brain cancer. She's still meeting with doctors to figure out what the next step is. Both of these women have children. Please go visit their websites and pray as you feel led. Even though I don't know them personally, I know they would appreciate the prayers and support.

What was I thinking?

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

This is what happens when you give a very determined 16-month old a bowl of cottage cheese and a spoon. It isn't pretty. You can imagine how my carpet looked.

An Interesting Outcome

2007-04-03T13:19:00.000-04:00

You Belong in Paris

You enjoy all that life has to offer, and you can appreciate the fine tastes and sites of Paris.
You're the perfect person to wander the streets of Paris aimlessly, enjoying architecture and a crepe.

What European City Do You Belong In?

Apparently I really do belong in my favorite European city. How appropriate!